Acer Swift Go 14 AI Hands-on: First Immpresion

Introducing another laptop model featuring the Intel Core Ultra (Intel Meteor Lake) – the Acer Swift Go 14 AI. In contrast to its predecessor, Acer has made AI features more prominent and explicit in their laptops, ensuring users have a clear understanding of the capabilities offered by their computers.

The current year promises to be particularly thrilling for laptops as the AI era extends beyond the realms of cloud computing and smartphones. It has now made its way to laptops, empowering users to fully harness the available AI features within the operating system or those integrated by the manufacturers.

Acer Swift Go 14 AI features are available on Windows 11

One standout feature garnering popularity is Windows Copilot (Microsoft Copilot), which, despite not leveraging the AI acceleration capabilities of Intel Meteor Lake (as it operates in the cloud), stands out as a highlight for the entire industry within the Windows 11 operating system this year.

Since the introduction of Windows 11 23H2, Microsoft Copilot has generated heightened excitement among Windows users. Easily accessible through a keyboard shortcut (Windows key + C) or even designated buttons on some keyboards, Copilot offers a user experience akin to those familiar with Bing Chat (Bing AI).

In the case of the Acer Swift Go 14 AI, innovation doesn’t end there. Acer introduces a dedicated button known as Acer Sense – a name likely ringing a bell. On Acer gaming laptops, it’s Nitro Sense or Predator Sense. Acer Sense allows users to fine-tune performance modes, customize adaptive battery settings, and integrate AI features.

Right from the desktop screen, users encounter AlterView, a feature harnessing the camera and AI to identify dynamic background images that respond to head movements. This brings to mind Acer’s 3D laptop models, which, intriguingly, don’t require the use of 3D glasses.

Acer AI functions

The LiveArt functionality empowers users to effortlessly remove backgrounds from their selected images.

Acer PurifiedView encompasses features such as eye tracking, background blur, auto trimming, and PurifiedVoice, leveraging AI noise reduction to ensure optimal meeting quality.

GIMP, an open-source tool, enables image creation based on user-provided commands, akin to Stable Diffusion or DALL-E.

Acer’s AI features embedded in the Swift Go 14 are seamlessly integrated into Windows 11. Users can utilize them in applications like Paint and Photos to achieve superior background removal compared to LiveArt, with enhanced accuracy. Creating images through Copilot commands is entirely achievable.

The narrative surrounding Intel Meteor Lake or processor models with added NPU cores revolves around their enhanced AI capabilities. Previously, both the CPU and GPU handled AI tasks, but the addition of the NPU shifts the load from the CPU and GPU, accelerating processes through specialized NPU cores. This fundamental distinction in Intel Meteor Lake’s chip design and operation sets it apart from previous generations.

AI features mark a substantial difference between 2024 and 2023 laptops, representing a fundamental shift that users will readily perceive in the convenience of next-generation Windows laptop models. The PC market has witnessed a lack of breakthroughs in the past two years, with the post-epidemic period seeing a surge in computer purchases. As the need for computer upgrades diminishes, the market looks to the excitement of AI in 2024 to potentially spur improvement—anticipating positive developments in the coming months.

Design

In contrast to its predecessor, the external design of the device exhibits no significant alterations. The laptop maintains its robust aluminum construction, featuring thick aluminum that withstands attempts to twist or apply force without any issues.

Weighing around 1.3kg and measuring approximately 14.9mm in thickness, the Acer Swift Go 14 AI falls comfortably within the category of thin, lightweight, and highly portable ultrabook models. It aligns with Acer’s commitment to environmental awareness, reminiscent of the Aspire Vero 15 AV15-53P. The laptop’s frame is crafted from recycled aluminum, and the overall finish demonstrates remarkable quality.

Having refrained from using Acer laptop models for an extended period, I recently had the chance to engage with numerous models. It became evident that the original products from Acer have significantly improved, surpassing their previous standards, as exemplified by the Swift Go 14 series.

Effortlessly opening with a single hand, the laptop boasts a sturdy hinge allowing for a maximum opening angle of approximately 130 degrees. The connection ports and heat sink areas exhibit precise and standardized cuts, devoid of excess details or a precarious and disjointed sensation.

On the left side, you’ll find 2 USB-C Thunderbolt 4 ports, 1 USB-A port, and HDMI 2.1, while the right side houses an additional USB-A port, Kensington lock, 3.5mm jack, and a microSD card slot.

The 2024 version’s touchpad surpasses its 2023 counterpart in size, delivering enhanced usability. Acer strategically integrates a fingerprint sensor into the power button on the keyboard, which supports backlighting and adheres to an ergonomic keyboard layout. The keys on the Swift Go 14 are sensibly spaced, facilitating a comfortable typing experience.

Display

Acer introduces a distinctive choice for users with the Swift Go 14 AI, featuring an IPS LCD panel boasting 2.2K resolution (2240 x 1400), a 16:10 ratio, and complete coverage of the sRGB color space. The laptop adopts an unusual resolution for its display, as it typically aligns with FHD+ standards.

The IPS LCD panel contributes to an expansive viewing angle of 178 degrees for the Acer Swift Go 14 AI, ensuring ample color richness suitable for office tasks without appearing washed out.

Setting it apart from other laptop models in its segment, the webcam emerges as a standout feature of the device. Boasting a resolution of 1440p, it elevates video call quality significantly compared to the more common 720p or 1080p resolutions. The webcam accurately reproduces colors and details, providing a superior visual experience.

Configuration

Featuring the Intel Core Ultra 5 125H platform, coupled with 16GB RAM and a 512GB SSD, this configuration proves suitable for everyday office tasks, without demanding excessive processing power from both the CPU and, naturally, the GPU.

As the Intel Core Ultra 5 125H represents a new generation processor, there have been notable operational changes, yet for individual users, the focus remains on performance and optimizing usage. Having recently used the same Core Ultra 5 125H model, I found it aptly meeting my work requirements, offering enhanced capabilities compared to the previous Core i5-1340P or Core i5-1240P. Therefore, there’s no need for excessive concern.

Enhancing temperature control on the Swift Go 14 AI, the dual-fan cooling system underneath proves effective. The integrated Intel Arc GPU proves entirely sufficient for playing Esport games such as Valorant, League of Legends, or CS2 at medium to high FPS levels. In my CS2 test with Core Ultra 5 125H, the average FPS reached around 100, while Valorant maintained a high FPS, hovering around 120.

Although the 16GB of RAM isn’t upgradable, users have the flexibility to upgrade the SSD to a maximum capacity of 1TB.

Acer Swift Go 14 AI price and release date

According to current listings on Amazon.com and Bhphotovideo.com, the Acer Swift Go 14 is set to hit the shelves in January 2024, starting at $849.99.