Acer Swift Go 14 review: Beautiful display, disappointing battery life

Price When Reviewed

$1,099.99

Best Prices Today: Acer Swift Go 14

$1049.99

$1099.99

Acer’s Swift line is usually a go-to for consumers seeking to purchase a conveyable laptop computer with stable efficiency at a low worth. The new Acer Swift Go 14 doesn’t totally spoil that system, however the determination to stay with Intel’s disappointing built-in graphics is an issue.

Looking for extra choices? Check out PCWorld’s roundup of the best laptops obtainable at present.

Acer Swift Go 14: Specs and options

The Acer Swift Go 14 leans closely on Intels’ Core i7-13700H processor. This 14-core chip is frequent in quite a lot of laptops however not often seen in a 14-inch laptop computer that’s priced at simply $1,100. 

• CPU: Intel Core i7-13700H
• Memory: 16GB LPDDR5
• Graphics/GPU: Intel Iris Xe
• Display: 14-inch 2880 x 1800 OLED 90Hz
• Storage: 512GB PCIe Gen4 SSD
• Webcam: 1440p 
• Connectivity:  2x Thunderbolt 4/USB-C, 2x USB-A, MicroSD card reader, 3.5mm combo audio jack
• Networking: WiFi 6E, Bluetooth
• Biometrics: None
• Battery capability: 65 watt-hours
• Dimensions: 12.32 x 8.6 x .59
• Weight: 2.87 kilos
• MSRP: $1,099.99

Unfortunately, selecting this speedy processor leaves no room to offer discrete graphics, so Intel Iris Xe built-in graphics is the one selection. 

Acer Swift Go 14: Design and construct high quality

IDG / Matthew Smith

Acer’s Swift Go 14 doesn’t stand out at a look. Its steel and plastic enclosure is clad in what’s fairly presumably probably the most generic shade of silver identified to exist, and the chassis in any other case lacks design traits which may assist it stand out. There’s no useful issues with this design, however those that care in any respect in regards to the look of their laptop computer will discover little pleasure right here.

The laptop computer’s materials high quality is mundane. Acer opts to make use of steel alongside the show lid and inside however plastic on the undercarriage, which cheapens the texture of the laptop computer when it’s carried. It additionally permits minor chassis flex when the laptop computer is open. The steel show lid is quite inflexible, a minimum of, and permits minimal flex whereas opening or closing the laptop computer. Still, that is an space the Acer Swift Go 14 falls method behind extra luxurious opponents just like the Apple MacBook Pro 14 and Microsoft Surface Laptop 5.

Acer’s use of cheap supplies appears to repay in weight, although, because the Swift Go 14 suggestions the scales at a feathery 2.87 kilos. It’s additionally a mere .59 inches thick and measures solely 12.32 inches large. True to its title, this laptop computer is simple to throw in a bag for journey and is gentle sufficient to really feel virtually unnoticeable in a backpack. 

Acer Swift Go 14: Keyboard, trackpad

IDG / Matthew Smith

The Acer Swift Go 14 has a spacious keyboard with no numpad—unsurprising, as a 14-inch show typically doesn’t present sufficient room so as to add one. It’s a snug and acquainted format with giant keys. Key really feel is satisfactory: keys appear to have good journey however backside with a mushy really feel that doesn’t present an excellent tactile sensation. Still, I used the keyboard to sort a number of thousand phrases with out problem.

A fundamental white LED keyboard backlight is commonplace. When I say fundamental, I imply it—it has two brightness settings and that’s it. I would like a bigger variety of brightness settings and the next brightness at most.

Acer makes do with a surprisingly small touchpad that measures roughly 4 inches throughout and a couple of.5 inches deep. The touchpad’s floor is responsive however the restricted area could make multi-touch gestures really feel awkward. I additionally had a couple of issues with unintended inputs, an inconvenience I wouldn’t anticipate from a touchpad this small.

Acer Swift Go 14: Display, audio

IDG / Matthew Smith

The Acer Swift Go 14 has a 14-inch OLED show with 2880×1800 decision and a most refresh charge of 90Hz. It’s a crisp, sharp, fluid show that appears stunning in each scenario. It affords an successfully infinite distinction ratio due to its means to ship an ideal lack of luminance in extraordinarily darkish scenes, but pairs that with a most brightness of as much as 440 nits, which is vivid sufficient to be used in a sunlit room.

Color efficiency is superb, as nicely. The show spans your complete sRGB and DCI-P3 shade gamuts and offers sturdy shade accuracy. This interprets to a vivid, saturated look in motion pictures and video games. It additionally offers advantages to content material creators who wish to work in a large shade gamut.

HDR is supported and content material seems engaging, however the improve over SDR is usually marginal. This is as a result of laptop computer’s brightness which, though glorious for an OLED laptop computer, is just not excessive sufficient to actually ship a wallop in HDR motion pictures and video games. Mini-LED laptop computer shows are a superior selection for HDR, however they’re solely present in a handful of way more costly laptops, such because the Razer Blade 16.

Motion readability is a spotlight. The show’s 90Hz refresh charge isn’t spectacular on paper however advantages from OLED’s low pixel response instances. This in flip reduces movement blur and offers good element in fast-moving scenes. This is most noticeable in PC video games, however I additionally discovered the advance noticeable whereas scrolling via internet pages or paperwork. 

The audio system aren’t as alluring because the show. They present good quantity however are simply overwhelmed in music, motion pictures, and video games. Distortion creeps in from the low finish and muddies the mid-range which, at instances, sounds harsh and metallic. The audio system are superb for video calls or podcasts however in any other case fail to impress. 

Acer Swift Go 14: Webcam, microphone, biometrics

Acer delivers a shock within the Swift Go 14’s webcam. It has a most decision of 2560×1440 and offers outstanding video high quality for a laptop computer webcam. Recorded video seems sharp and affords wealthy, life like shade. The picture will nonetheless be grainy in low gentle, however no extra so than every other webcam.

Microphone high quality is robust, too, due to a dual-array microphone with noise cancellation. Recorded audio sounds tinny and hole however stays crisp and delivers good quantity. It’s an excellent match for video conferences. 

Biometric login is absent from the Swift Go 14. That’s a bit disappointing, however not stunning at this worth level.

Acer Swift Go 14: Connectivity

IDG / Matthew Smith

The laptop computer’s bodily connectivity consists of two Thunderbolt 4 / USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 ports. Both assist Power Delivery, so each can be utilized to cost the laptop computer or join with both the included 100 watt energy adapter or a third-party energy brick.

A pair of USB-A ports, a MicroSD card reader, and 3.5mm combo audio jack spherical out the bodily connectivity. It’s an excellent array of choices that covers each fashionable and legacy gadgets.

Wireless connectivity is offered by Intel Killer Wi-Fi AX1675 with assist for Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2. This is nice wi-fi connectivity that covers the most recent requirements (technically, Bluetooth 5.3 is now obtainable, but it surely’s a really modest replace). Wi-Fi efficiency was sturdy in testing, because the laptop computer could make full use of Gigabit Internet speeds when close to a excessive efficiency router. 

Acer Swift Go 14: Performance

Want processor efficiency? The Acer Swift Go 14 has you coated. While the entry-level variant has Intel’s Core i7-1355U, the mannequin I examined was geared up with Intel’s extra highly effective Core i7-13700H. This is a 14-core processor (with six efficiency cores and eight environment friendly core) that may hit a most clock velocity of 5GHz. Acer pairs this configuration with 16GB of LPDDR5 RAM and a 512GB PCIe Gen 4 stable state drive. 

IDG / Matthew Smith

PCMark 10, a common system efficiency benchmark, experiences a good rating of 6,118. This is technically the third-best rating on this benchmark, however the vary of outcomes is pretty tight, making it onerous to report any agency outcomes from this benchmark alone (besides, maybe, that the Microsoft Surface Laptop 5’s older 12th-gen Intel {hardware} reveals its age).

IDG / Matthew Smith

Next up is Cinebench R15, a benchmark that focuses totally on CPU efficiency. It experiences a really sturdy rating of 1,994, which is the perfect of any laptop computer on this aggressive set. The vary of outcomes stays tight however, on this benchmark, each Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 and Lenovo Yoga 9i begin to lag the pack. 

IDG / Matthew Smith

The outcomes are extra even than Handbrake, a video encoding check, however right here the Acer Swift Go 14 begins to interrupt away from the pack. It’s roughly 15 p.c faster than the Lenovo Slim 7 Pro, the next-quickest laptop computer on this aggressive set. 

IDG / Matthew Smith

The benchmarks now flip in the direction of the GPU, which is an issue for Acer’s Swift Go 14. It neglects discrete graphics and as a substitute depends on Intel Iris Xe built-in graphics. 

3DMark Time Spy reveals the outcomes, they usually’re not fairly. The Acer falls method behind the Lenovo Slim 7 Pro, a laptop computer that features Nvidia RTX 3050 graphics. It additionally fails to match the HP Dragonfly Pro, which depends on Radeon built-in graphics offered by the Ryzen 7736U processor. 

I nonetheless gave the Swift 14 Go a shot with Shadows of the Tomb Raider, a sport that represents  the perfect visuals from cross-platform video games within the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One X era. It delivered a median of simply 22 frames per second at 1080p element and Highest settings. The sport is playable at Low settings, however solely simply, averaging 31 frames per second—and the framerate can nonetheless dip beneath 30 FPS in gameplay. 

Acer clearly leans into processor efficiency with the Swift Go 14. I don’t suppose that wager pays off. The downside is straightforward: AMD’s new Ryzen 7000-series processors are sometimes extraordinarily aggressive with Intel processors but additionally, of their greatest incarnations, additionally present superior built-in graphics. The Intel Core i7-13700H retains a slight edge in strictly CPU-reliant duties, however the margin of its victor is just not sufficient to offset the comparatively lackluster efficiency of Intel Iris Xe. 

Acer Swift Go 14: Battery life

The Acer Swift 14 Go packs a modest 65 watt-hour battery. That’s not giant for a contemporary laptop computer with an Intel Core i7-13700H processor, and it reveals.

IDG / Matthew Smith

I recorded eight hours and 40 minutes of battery life in a normal check loop via a 4K file of the brief movie Tears of Steel. That’s a usable consequence, to make certain, however one which falls behind many aggressive laptops. The Lenovo Slim 7 Pro is a selected standout, because it managed to realize superior battery life in assessments regardless of the inclusion of Nvidia RTX 3050 graphics.

Acer Swift Go 14: Should you purchase it?

The new Acer Swift Go 14 bets all the things on the efficiency of Intel’s Core i7-13700H. That wager doesn’t repay.

It’s true that Intel’s Core i7-13700H can ship superior efficiency in CPU-intensive duties. This, nonetheless, requires a sacrifice in graphics efficiency most potential house owners received’t discover interesting. The Swift Go 14 additionally struggles to ship on battery life regardless of the dearth of discrete graphics, which is an issue for a skinny, gentle laptop computer. Acer’s cheap base MSRP of $1,099.99 helps to forgive these flaws, but it surely’s finally not sufficient to make the Swift Go 14 stand out from a crowded discipline of comparable laptops.