There ’s an argument to be made for laptop that ’s jolly slight and light while still declare oneself up a bunch of screen real the three estates . While some16 - column inch laptopsare thicker and heavier thanks to power - hungry components , others deal to be just tight enough to support the multitasking made possible by a enceinte display while remaining fairly portable .
The fresh Acer Swift AI 16 is one such laptop computer . It uses Intel ’s latestLunar Lake chipsetsto provide moderately fast and much more efficient functioning , mated with a 16 - inch OLED video display . It ’s also reasonably priced , making it an attractive option for road warriors who require to do more than one matter at a meter .
Specs and pricing
As of when this review is being write , I ’m seeing just one available contour of the Swift AI 16 . It costs $ 1,250 with an Intel Core Ultra 7 256V chipset , 16 GB of RAM , a 1 TB SSD , and a 16 - in OLED display .
That ’s an attractive price for a well - built laptop with a beautiful exhibit . TheApple MacBook Air 15andMicrosoft Surface Laptop 7both start out lower with less RAM and storage , but they get more expensive as you configure more options .
Design
The Swift AI 16 is a sensibly sized laptop computer given its 16 - inch display , with display bezels that are humble enough to keep its width and depth in check . It ’s at most 0.69 inch blockheaded , which is slenderly thinner than Microsoft ’s Surface Laptop 7 with its 15 - inch display and a lot thicker than the Apple MacBook Air 15 that ’s an insane 0.45 inches thick with a 15.2 - inch control board . And the Acer is passably clear at 3.37 Ezra Loomis Pound , compared to the Surface Laptop 7 ’s 3.67 punt and the MacBook Air ’s 3.3 pounds . Yes , the Swift AI 16 will take up some outer space in your packsack , but it wo n’t count you down .
Its twist is just okay , though . Its chassis is aluminum , as is the lid , but while the keyboard pack of cards resist flexing the chapeau is a piece bendable . The Microsoft and Apple laptop are more self-coloured , which surely comes from the denser construction . The Acer is n’t precisely bad , though . It ’s not like you ’ll be concerned that it will fall asunder anytime soon . I ’d say it ’s just good enough , and its price helps .
esthetically , the Swift AI 16 is n’t exactly exciting . It ’s all - disastrous , with a chrome Acer logo on the palpebra and minimal bling on the inside . The edges are streamline with a elan to the rearward side where the port are located . Most laptops are minimalist today , but the Surface Laptop 7 and MacBook Air 15 do give off more of an graceful vibe . Again , the Swift AI 16 is good enough , but it ’s nothing limited .
Keyboard and touchpad
The keyboard has snappy switch with a light spot , something I tend to favour . It ’s a fiddling like the Apple Magic Keyboard in this respect , making it comfy for long - term typing ( like write this limited review ) . However , the keycaps are a little smaller and the spacing is more cramped than it needs to be , because Acer squeezed in a small numeric keypad that ’s a bit anachronous today . I presuppose if you input a bunch of numbers game then you ’ll prize it , but I think a lot of people would rather have had a more expansive keyboard . The keyboard prop up up at a turn of an slant when you give the lid , which is nice .
The touchpad is smaller than it could be , as well , and because of the numeric keypad it ’s not centered enough . Acer could have utilize some extra infinite on the laurel wreath respite to make it considerably larger , and that ’s something you ’ll get from the MacBook Air 15 ’s excellent Force Touch haptic touchpad . In addition , the Acer touchpad is mechanical , and it ’s ok . But I look forward to when tactile touchpads make their way to more laptop . The one interesting feature of speech is an light-emitting diode that lights up in a cool pattern when the co-pilot cay is engaged , but it seems like more of a gimmick than anything .
The display is touch - enabled , and I appreciate it more give the smallish touchpad . Many users wo n’t really care about touching , but it ’s a nice feature to have with no meaningful downside .
Webcam and connectivity
Connectivity is very honorable , with a intermixture of loyal , modern port wine and legacy connections . You ’ll give up one of the USB4 port for tycoon , something that both the MacBook Air 15 and Surface Laptop 7 avoid with their dedicated power connexion . However , thanks to the additional USB - A and HDMI port , the Acer has near overall connectivity than those two . Wireless connectivity is in full up - to - date with Wi - Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4 , although the former wo n’t be of practice use for a few years while the new standard rolls out .
The webcam ( stark with reverse notch ) is a high - res 1440p version , and it provides a timbre effigy with decent abject - ignitor carrying out . A few Acer - specific utility , like PurifiedView and PurifiedVoice , assist with optimize TV and audio during conferences . The Swift AI 16 have Lunar Lake ’s libertine Neural Processing Unit ( NPU ) that runs at up to 47 tera operations per 2nd ( TOPS ) . That comfortably exceeds the 40 top expect for Microsoft ’s Copilot+ PC AI initiative , so the laptop supports fast and efficient on - twist performance for the various Copilot+ feature . Those are still roll out , though , and so far , I have n’t happen much purpose for any of it . But for those who desire to expend today ’s AI features , the Swift AI 16 is quick to go .
Performance
Intel offer several variants of its 8 - core/8 - thread Intel Lunar Lake ( Core Ultra Series 2 ) chipsets , which range from the Core Ultra 5 226V up to the Core Ultra 7 268V. The chipsets unlike in their clock speeds , but all are 17 - watt role aimed more at efficiency than sheer performance . Depending on the rendering , Lunar Lake carrying out fall somewhere between the older 15 - W U - serial publication and 28 - watt H - serial Meteor Lake chipsets . I reviewed the Swift AI 16 with the only chipset currently available , the Core Ultra 7 256V.
As you’re able to see in our benchmarks , the Swift AI 16 is n’t the fastest of the Lunar Lake machines but it ’s not the slowest , either . There ’s really not much of a difference between them . But , Apple ’s M4 and Qualcomm ’s Snapdragon X elect chipsets are both quicker in multi - core project . The M4 is the debauched at individual - nucleus tasks , and it ’s not even closemouthed . All of these laptops use integrated computer graphic and the Intel Arc 140V in the Swift AI 16 is at the down in the mouth death of execution here , with the MacBook Air 15 is the libertine . But , none of these are stake laptop .
at long last , the Swift AI 16 is loyal enough for productiveness work and its intended multitasking distinctive day - to - day task . Gamers and Divine will want a 16 - inch laptop computer with distinct graphics , however .
Battery life
The Swift AI 16 has a 70 W - minute battery , which is fairish for a 16 - inch laptop but not as large as some others . But , it has a more effective Lunar Lake chipset . I surmise , though , that the high - re OLED display is the master actor in the laptop computer ’s barrage life story .
In forgetful , the Swift AI 16 was n’t one of the more impressive performers . None of these have the same size show , and several of them have IPS panels . That gives them an vantage . And while the Acer ’s battery liveliness was n’t as good , it would have been just fine a couple of years ago .
You likely wo n’t get a full day ’s workplace out of the Swift AI 16 . But it will get close . Really , that ’s the price you pay for such a skillful show , as we ’ll see below .
Display and audio
The centrepiece of the Swift AI 16 is easily the heroic 16 - inch 16:10 2.8 K ( 2880 x 1800 ) OLED exhibit . That ’s just sharp enough for the screen door size of it , and the fast 120Hz refresh rates keep the Windows 11 user user interface operate swimmingly . Out of the box , this is a gorgeous display , with OLED ’s common dynamic colors and inky-black blacks . It ’s a expectant experience .
My tintometer harmonise . To begin with , it ’s bright at 407 nits , well above our 300 - nit bench mark that ’s becoming increasingly archaic . Most laptops are much brighter lately . line is incredibly eminent , as usual , with perfect Negroid . Colors are across-the-board at 100 % sRGB , 96 % AdobeRGB , and 100 % DCI - P3 , and truth is excellent at a DeltaE of 0.77 ( less than 1.0 is identical to the human eye ) .
You ’ll fuck this display no matter what you ’re using it for . productiveness work will benefit from the perfect Black person against bright whites , and media consumption will be excellent thanks to practiced in high spirits dynamic ambit ( HDR ) support . The Swift AI 16 is n’t fast enough for demanding creative study , but for moderate photo editing , the display shines ( no pun intended ) . The MacBook Air 15 and Surface Laptop 7 have very good IPS panel , but the Acer succeed this conflict .
Audio is provided by downwards - kindling stereo speakers , and it ’s fine . It ’s flash enough , which clear mids and highs , but bass is lacking . This is one area where the MacBook Air 15 is much better , thanks to its four - talker apparatus with force - cancelling woofers .
An expansive OLED display saves the day
The Swift AI 16 is reasonably price , in good order made , and has okay performance and battery life story . On its own , that makes it an okay laptop that merely does n’t fend out . Toss in a too - humble touchpad and a keyboard that ’s a little cramp , and it ’s not a winning combining .
However , that large OLED display is beautiful . It take a toll in shelling life , but for anyone who fuck glorious colors and deep line , it ’s awesome . Given that the display is the whole stage in a laptop like this , OLED is a saving free grace .
