Acer Swift Go 14 review: It just keeps going and going

Price When Reviewed

$799

Best Prices Today: Acer Swift Go 14

$799.99

$999.99

What if you happen to took an already good but reasonably priced laptop computer, added extra options and newer specs, and lowered the worth? That’d be fairly nice, proper? Now take that very same laptop computer and add an additional six hours of battery life over its predecessor. That’s precisely what the Swift Go 14 (SFG14-73T-75FA) delivers. The solely “problems” are that complicated title and availability. You’ll solely discover this mannequin in Costco.

If you comply with PCWorld laptop computer evaluations, you would possibly suppose we already reviewed the Swift Go 14 a few months ago. And in a manner, you wouldn’t be mistaken. But it is a new “line” of Swift Go 14 (known as the SFG14-73/T line) with some distinct variations from the mannequin we reviewed final. And these variations add up a lot, it may be price springing for a Costco membership simply to purchase this model. Starting with the truth that you get additional options for a less expensive value: at $799.99 this mannequin undercuts the final Swift Go 14 we checked out by $200.

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

Acer Swift Go 14: Specs

For $800, it’s spectacular what you’re getting within the field. This new Acer Swift Go 14 comes with almost the identical spec listing because the final mannequin we checked out, with a number of enhancements like WiFI 7. That’s so future proof that technically Windows doesn’t assist it totally but. And you in all probability don’t personal a single WiFi 7 gadget both. And fortunately you continue to get Intel’s new Core Ultra 7 155H processor, together with a good quantity of RAM, loads of storage, and extra ports than you possibly can shake a stick at. One spec not listed beneath that we’ll get into later is the trackpad, as a result of it has a number of tips up its sleeve.

Specs as examined:

• CPU: Intel Core Ultra 7 155H
• Memory: 16GB LPDDR5X
• Graphics/GPU: Intel Arc built-in graphics
• Display: 1920×1200 IPS multi-touch show
• Storage: 1TB PCIe Gen4 NVMe strong state drive
• Webcam: 1440p QHD webcam
• Connectivity: 2x Thunderbolt 4 / USB-C, 2x USB-A 3.2 Gen 1, 1x HDMI 2.1, MicroSD card reader. 3.5mm audio jack
• Networking: WiFi 7, Bluetooth 5.3
• Biometrics: Fingerprint reader
• Battery capability: 65 watt-hours
• Dimensions: 14.5 x 8.5 x .58
• Weight: 3.05 kilos
• MSRP: $799.99

Acer Swift Go 14: Build high quality and appears

IDG / Josh Hendrickson

IDG / Josh Hendrickson

IDG / Josh Hendrickson

I’ve a lot reward to supply what Acer completed contained in the Swift Go 14. But in terms of the outside, I don’t have any true compliments. Or complaints. If you requested a Wikipedia artist to attract a generic laptop computer picture that didn’t scream of any specific model, they’d in all probability find yourself drawing one thing identical to the Swift Go 14. It’s so generic that my spouse noticed me photos of it and requested if it was a Framework laptop computer.

Now, that’s not essentially a nasty factor. Generic means you gained’t be embarrassed to deliver this to work or faculty or simply about wherever else. It’s not loud, obnoxious, or screaming of “Shutterstock Hacker example” vibes. The aluminum exterior feels good towards the arms, however the laptop computer itself has somewhat extra flex and provides than I’d anticipate of the supplies. I do recognize you could open the lid with only one hand, and the odd ft on the underside truly lifts the keyboard barely when it’s open. That would possibly, in idea, give the vents a greater alternative to work, however it’s technically much less ergonomic.

It’s a decently skinny and light-weight laptop computer at simply over three kilos, however due to the Swift Go 14’s total boxy really feel, it doesn’t really feel as smooth as it’s. If this had been a premium high-end costly laptop computer, all of that may be disappointing. But that is an $800 laptop computer, so all of that’s completely acceptable.

Acer Swift Go 14: Keyboard and trackpad

IDG / Josh Hendrickson

IDG / Josh Hendrickson

IDG / Josh Hendrickson

The keyboard and trackpad, nonetheless, I’ve loads of compliments to provide. I undergo from various hand points that make me favor ergonomic keyboards, and once I transfer to a laptop computer keyboard it’s normally an uncomfortable expertise. But typing on this Acer keyboard wasn’t dangerous. The journey is first rate, you get some enough click on noise, and I by no means felt myself getting forward of the pc or hitting the mistaken keys.

That’s to not say each choice is ideal, in fact. The arrow keys are cramped, and at this measurement you gained’t get a numpad. But the largest annoyance of all is out of Acer’s hand: the brand new Copilot button. I don’t suppose I’ve ever hit it on objective. What’s the Copilot button you ask? It’s Microsoft’s push at constructing AI into Windows. It’ll name up the brand new Copilot AI and you’ll ask questions, discover a recipe, or absolutely anything else ChatGPT does.

But do you bear in mind the Office button? Yeah that was a factor for a sizzling minute, and I wager you by no means used it both. And that changed the precise aspect CTRL key, one thing that’s arguably extra helpful. Thankfully you continue to have a left aspect CTRL key, and a left aspect Windows  key, however if you happen to’re used to utilizing both of these on the precise aspect of your keyboard, you’ll must type new habits. Acer additionally contains an AcerSense Key up by the fingerprint sensor, and it’s precisely as helpful because the CoPilot Key. I’d reasonably have one thing else, the rest, there as an alternative. It fires up customized Acer software program you could simply name up by means of the Start Menu anyway. That software program is mildly essential, as that’s the place you customise the trackpad lighting (or flip it off).

Speaking of the trackpad, it’s an excellent measurement and really responsive. I notably get pleasure from the additional options this mannequin provides that wasn’t discovered on the earlier Swift Go 14 we reviewed: media controls. Start up a video, whether or not it’s a YouTube video in a browser or swap to a media enjoying app, and the media controls mechanically mild up on the trackpad. I anticipated them to be horrible and fidgety, however shockingly these are helpful and responsive. For as soon as a function you didn’t ask for that really provides one thing good to the bundle. Good job Acer! I did, nonetheless, have a few events the place my palms brushed the trackpad simply sufficient to trigger my caret to leap up a number of paragraphs whereas scripting this overview. It didn’t occur steadily, however greater than as soon as, so it’s price noting.

Acer Swift Go 14: Speakers and show

IDG / Josh Hendrickson

IDG / Josh Hendrickson

IDG / Josh Hendrickson

You can’t anticipate loads out of $800 laptop computer audio system, and that proves to be the case right here. You’ll get no thumping bass, no room filling sounds, or something you’d wish to host a live performance on. But what you do get is a reliable set of audio system that will get the job finished. Dialog is obvious, music is recognizable, and shockingly you get a little bit of left and proper encompass. No critically, I watched a film with encompass and I might get a way of audio route, which is greater than I anticipated. But if you happen to really need good sound, seize a set of headphones and plug them into the (fortunately included) headphone jack.

Adequate describes the show as effectively, a minimum of the mannequin I’m testing. This Swift Go 14 variant is available in two show flavors: 1900×1200 IPS and 2880×1800 OLED. My overview unit is the IPS taste, and it reveals. Compared to OLED shows black colours are washed out, distinction is simply so-so, and colours aren’t all that vibrant. The touchscreen is a welcome addition although, particularly because it someway doesn’t maintain again the Swift Go’s epic battery life (extra on that later).

All in all, none of that is “best in class” however you must preserve the worth in thoughts. For the quantity you might be spending, I’m fairly proud of what you get. It’s a adequate show and adequate audio system with out emptying your pockets.

Acer Swift Go 14: Webcam, microphone, biometric choices

IDG / Josh Hendrickson

IDG / Josh Hendrickson

IDG / Josh Hendrickson

Check out the highest bezel and also you’ll discover the Acer Swift Go 14’s 1440p webcam. I hate to repeat the chorus of “it gets the job done,” however it certainly will get the job finished. At 1440p, you get a crisp picture, with first rate colour and publicity. Naturally issues begin to wrestle in dim lighting, and you’ll in fact undergo from the traditional laptop computer “up the nose” angle. But it helps Windows Studio results, together with background blurring, framing, and eye contact. That all works effectively sufficient, though the blur might do higher edge work. The webcam additionally has a bodily privateness shutter, which is a should have at the moment.

The microphone does a reasonably good job too, offering first rate quantity and crips vocals. You get a little bit of noise cancellation, however it’s not overly aggressive so that you’ll wish to preserve that in thoughts in case you have a really noisy background. Like most laptops, you’d be higher off with devoted cameras and microphones, however if you happen to don’t want the best high quality video calls than what Acer gives is greater than adequate.

As for biometrics, you possibly can’t log in together with your face sadly. All you might have is a fingerprint sensor that doubles as an influence button. At the higher proper nook of the keyboard, the location is somewhat awkward however not the worst I’ve seen. The sensor works shortly and persistently, until you might have soiled or damp fingers, in fact. It’s not as handy as face unlock, however it’s a detailed second.

Acer Swift Go 14: Ports and connectivity

IDG / Josh Hendrickson

IDG / Josh Hendrickson

IDG / Josh Hendrickson

Do you recognize what at all times pleases me with a laptop computer? Plenty of ports. And right here, the Swift Go 14 delivers. Look to the left aspect of the laptop computer and also you’ll discover two USB-C ports (one in all which you’ll want for charging), and HDMI port, and a USB-A port. But Acer isn’t finished. Head over to the precise aspect and also you’ll get one other USB-A port, a headphone hack, a Kensington lock, and a microSD card. That’s so many ports.

IDG / Josh Hendrickson

IDG / Josh Hendrickson

IDG / Josh Hendrickson

And it’s not simply any previous ports both. The USB-C ports are the almighty Thunderbolt sorts, which is unbelievable if you wish to plug in a few moveable screens. The HDMI port? You get 2.1 for quick connection if you happen to desire one thing that route. Even the USB-A ports are quick 3.2 Gen 1ports, nice for transferring knowledge. But it’s not all excellent: I actually want the USB-C ports weren’t on the identical aspect. It’s extra handy once they’re on reverse sides, each for charging choices and if you wish to hook up two moveable screens.

Acer killed it by way of connectivity too. The Swift Go 14 arrives with WiFi 7 out of the field. That’s so sparkly new that you simply in all probability don’t personal the rest with WiFi 7, not to mention the routers to assist it. It’s backwards suitable in fact, so that you’ll get the utmost speeds your surrounds present and future-proofing. Likewise, Bluetooth 5.3 is as new as you will get, and in my testing meaning you possibly can stroll fairly a bit away from the laptop computer and keep a powerful connection in your wi-fi headphones or earbuds. It’s unbelievable.

Acer Swift Go 14: Performance

The Acer Swift Go 14 arrives with Intel’s new 14th-Gen Core processor, on this case the Core Ultra 7 155H. We’ve had an opportunity to check a number of of those laptops now, and there’s extra efficiency variation than you would possibly suppose due to different selections like RAM, storage speeds, cooling, and so forth. The Core Ultra 7 155H has six “performance” cores, eight “efficient” cores, and two “low-power cores” for a complete of 16 cores and 22 threads. Acer paired this with 16GB of LPPDR5 RAM, and a 1 TB PCIe Gen4 NVMe SSD. Other than gaming, this Acer has no excuse to run sluggish.

IDG / Josh Hendrickson

IDG / Josh Hendrickson

IDG / Josh Hendrickson

That good mixture of {hardware} reveals in our first take a look at, PCMark. This Acer Swift Go scored 7,141, main the pack even amongst different laptops operating the identical processor. To be truthful, it’s inside 100 factors of the ThinkPad Z13 Gen 2, so a number of extra checks might doubtlessly have them commerce locations. But that ThinkPad prices $1,000 extra, in order that’s an excellent begin for Acer.

IDG / Josh Hendrickson

IDG / Josh Hendrickson

IDG / Josh Hendrickson

The Acer Swift Go 14 continues to shine within the Cinebench R20 take a look at. This take a look at is a multithreaded short-duration take a look at, and the Acer jumps to the highest of our listing with a rating of 5,656. Again it outperforms different laptops operating the identical processor, which suggests Acer is performing some good work in dealing with temperature and throttling. Admittedly, the distinction within the prime three laptops is fairly small, so in idea with sufficient checks these three might commerce locations. But contemplating the worth distinction, it’s nonetheless a reasonably large win for the reasonably priced Swift Go.

IDG / Josh Hendrickson

IDG / Josh Hendrickson

IDG / Josh Hendrickson

Next we run a Handbrake encoding take a look at, and the Acer scores admirably right here too. If we had been to modify out the listing to incorporate far more highly effective (and due to this fact far more costly) laptops, you’d see the Acer fall additional down the listing. But persist with comparatively related and up to date machines, and the Swift Go holds it personal and barely squeaks out one other win by margin of error. That it might probably maintain its personal towards equally spec’d laptops priced at a whole bunch (or perhaps a thousand) {dollars} extra, goes to indicate that paying extra doesn’t at all times get you extra energy, generally it’s about different issues like a bigger 4K show within the case of the MSI Prestige 16 in our chart.

IDG / Josh Hendrickson

IDG / Josh Hendrickson

IDG / Josh Hendrickson

Next up is 3Dmark’s Time Spy benchmark, which focuses on Graphics Capability. On this take a look at, I modified up the comparisons simply barely. Here, we substitute within the Dell XPS 16 9640, which makes use of the identical Core Ultra 7 155H processor, but additionally throws in additional RAM and a devoted GPU. You’ll discover that among the many laptops and not using a devoted GPU, it fares very effectively. It takes second to the MSI Prestige 16 by just some factors, and noticeably forward of the laptops the 2 ThinkPads, which depend on an i7 and AMD Ryzen 7 CPUs.

But as soon as we add in a laptop computer with a devoted processor, you’ll see the boundaries of built-in graphics, even with these new Ultra Core choices. Despite operating the identical processor, the Dell blows the Acer (and every part else) out of the water, and that’s all the way down to the GPU naturally. So, the takeaway is that this: built-in graphics will nonetheless get you by for normal productiveness and even very mild gaming, however if you wish to run the newest and best AAA video games at max settings, you want a GPU. The identical goes for video modifying. You can do it in a pinch, however you wouldn’t need this Acer to be your important modifying machine.

Acer Swift Go: Battery life

IDG / Josh Hendrickson

IDG / Josh Hendrickson

IDG / Josh Hendrickson

Holy cow, this new Acer Swift Go has endurance. To take a look at battery life, we put the laptop computer in airplane mode and loop a 4K copy of Tears of Steel till the it dies. We truly examined one other mannequin of the Swift Go 14 late final yr, and it put up merely respectable outcomes of simply over 9 hours. So, think about my shock when this inexpensive extra featured mannequin lasted almost 15 hours in the identical take a look at. That’s someway regardless of having a lit-up trackpad with media controls.

In truth, just one laptop computer in our chart manages to go longer, the Dell Inspiron 14 Plus. But that’s $100 extra, heavier, and has a decrease decision show. And the Dell misses out on another options, like a second USB-C Thunderbolt port, a sooner HDMI port, and future proofing with WiFi 7. So that turns into a query of, how a lot do you wish to quit simply to get even longer battery life?

Looping video checks don’t at all times translate effectively to actual world use in fact, however I’m glad to say that the Acer does certainly having loads of endurance. I simply make it by means of a whole workday with loads of juice to spare, and I can normally make it by means of a second day too with out sweating. In truth, as I write this, I’m by means of day two since I charged final and I’m sitting at 75 % battery life. This is a laptop computer that, as long as I began on a full cost, I wouldn’t be too burdened if I unintentionally left behind my charger. That’s peace of thoughts I’d pay additional for, and also you don’t even must this time.

Acer Swift Go 14: Conclusion

Acer may not be the very first model you consider when shopping for a laptop computer, however perhaps it ought to be. Or a minimum of it ought to be in your consideration listing. It’s true that the Swift Go 14 isn’t probably the most high-end luxurious mannequin you should buy, however it’s not making an attempt to be both. It’s a journey workhorse. Strong sufficient to get you thru on a regular basis duties, whether or not that’s Office productiveness apps or checking electronic mail, and light-weight sufficient not weigh you down.

It’s additionally onerous to not recognize the beneficiant port choice, as meaning you possibly can ditch the dongles and simply fear about bringing the charger. But that may be my favourite bit in regards to the Swift Go 14. For $800 you get a laptop computer that goes and goes for days, so actually you could not even have to fret about bringing that charger in spite of everything. And due to USB-C charging, there’s a good probability you possibly can substitute it if you happen to completely needed to anyway.

This isn’t an ideal laptop computer. You don’t get OLED, and I nonetheless want Acer had positioned a kind of USB-C ports on the opposite aspect for max comfort. And you possibly can’t anticipate to do something that requires actual energy, like AAA gaming with Ray Tracing. But I am going again to the worth: it’s $800. I’ve spent extra for laptops that didn’t supply every part the Swift Go 14 does and didn’t final half as lengthy on a cost. For this value vary, it’s very onerous to complain when there’s a lot to reward.

The solely actual catch is the place you purchase it: it’s a Costco unique. But the Acer Swift Go 14 would possibly actually be definitely worth the value of admission.