ZDNET’s key takeaways
- The Acer Swift 16 AI is out there for $1,249.
- Its 16-inch OLED show, light-weight kind, and marathon battery work collectively to create a laptop computer that feels extra premium than its value would recommend.
- Its audio system, nevertheless, go away a lot to be desired, and it has its fair proportion of bloatware.
jul / 2025
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Acer’s Swift 16 AI is a skinny and lightweight laptop computer with a beautiful OLED show, good full-sized keyboard, and Intel Core Extremely 7 or 9 “Lunar Lake” processor beginning at $1,200: a aggressive value for a tool that feels extra premium than you’d count on.
I have been commuting with the Swift 16 AI for the previous month, and it is develop into a shock favourite of the yr. It stands out as a great-value ultraportable that is as versatile as it’s succesful and has incredible battery life.
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The Acer Swift 16 AI encompasses a minimalist construct, with an all-over, metallic matte black coating that appears quite a bit just like the LG Gram Pro 16. Its full-sized keyboard and beneficiant number of I/O make it sensible for a wide range of makes use of. All in all, it is moderately non-descript (in a great way) with one delicate Acer brand to determine it.
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The configuration I examined had an Intel Core Extremely 7 256V, 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM, and a 1TB SSD — a versatile loadout that may perform a little little bit of all the things. It is notably well-suited as a piece machine with Wi-Fi 7 and a responsive, very snug keyboard with a slight upward tilt due to Acer’s hinge design.
I used to be pleased to see that each USB-C ports help Thunderbolt 4, which is nice for folk who need their exterior screens. In any other case, you additionally get an HDMI port that helps as much as 8K decision. The webcam can be surprisingly good, with 1440p decision for a crisp picture throughout video calls.
Acer’s Aspire 14 AI (left) and Swift 16 AI (proper).
Kerry Wan/ZDNET
The shiny, 3K OLED show at 120Hz is without doubt one of the laptop computer’s strongest options. It is a crisp and vibrant picture that appears incredible whether or not you are gaming, modifying video, or simply working in productiveness software program. Regardless of its very skinny clamshell design, I skilled little or no display screen wobble — one of many first issues I search for once I see a show this skinny.
You can too get some surprisingly good gaming efficiency out of this laptop computer with the Intel Arc GPU, so long as you are not pushing the boundaries on top-tier titles. I ran a handful of my standard Steam titles, and though it isn’t a gaming laptop computer, it feels aggressive and responsive, solely stuttering with texture shaders turned as much as max.
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The one factor is that the show is extremely shiny — we’re speaking near-mirror standing. You will have to regulate it in the event you’re in an workplace or someplace with overhead lighting, one thing I discovered myself doing moderately steadily. Should you’re sitting along with your again to a vibrant window, it turns into borderline unusable.
That mentioned, the show seems to be incredible in any other case, so I might nonetheless advocate this laptop computer to most customers until you are particularly in search of a tool to make use of outdoor or usually are not a fan of a shiny show.
One other critique I’ve of this laptop computer (which is an inevitable results of its value level) is its speaker system, which isn’t nice. Whereas it is true that laptop computer audio system are infamously missing in bass and depth, this one takes that popularity and runs with it.
Normally, I might say it is a trade-off I do not thoughts, however it’s kind of of a bummer that the sound is so shallow when the gaming efficiency is so good. Should you’re somebody who all the time has a pair of headphones on, nevertheless, this would possibly not be a difficulty.
Finally, the Acer Swift 16 AI’s strengths outweigh its drawbacks. In relation to on a regular basis use, the efficiency is there, and as a conveyable 16-inch laptop computer, it is well-designed and straightforward to commute with.
The battery can be a banger. The laptop computer has a really skinny kind issue, however nonetheless manages to slot in a big 20Wh battery with a 65-watt cost. Relying on how you employ it, you will get a number of days of use on one cost, and it ranks up there with different environment friendly gadgets I’ve examined this yr such because the Asus Zenbook A14, Microsoft’s Surface Laptop, and the Dell XPS 13 with the Snapdragon X Elite chip.
Throughout our normal video playback take a look at, I obtained almost 18 hours of video playback on one cost. In relation to utilizing this laptop computer for work, you may simply final by means of the work day and into the following, until you are pushing it with extra demanding workloads. Like the entire different Lunar Lake-powered gadgets I’ve examined this yr, energy drain drops to a trickle when it isn’t in use.
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The Intel Core Extremely 7 chip generates little to no warmth throughout on a regular basis use, however pushing it with heavier process hundreds and plugging within the charger will end in temperature will increase.
Notably, the charging course of appears to be hotter in the course of the first half-hour, or under 30%, then tapers right down to a a lot cooler temperature at larger battery percentages. Additionally, if you begin or cease charging, the laptop computer emits a chirp. All that mentioned, it prices very quick and might strategy 100% in about an hour in Balanced Mode.
Past gaming, this laptop computer makes for a reliable laptop computer for creatives with its quick refresh price and wonderful show. The 16GB of RAM may restrict high-end workloads with massive video information or 4K rendering, nevertheless it’s in any other case a pleasure to work on.
Evaluating this laptop computer to some friends, we see very shut (with one similar) benchmarking scores to Dell’s XPS 13 with the identical Intel Core Extremely 7 “Lunar Lake” chip.
|
Cinebench 24 MC |
Geekbench 6.2.2 SC |
Geekbench 6.2.2 MC |
|
|
Apple MacBook Air M4 |
1,000 |
3,823 |
14,849 |
|
Acer Swift 16 AI (Lunar Lake) |
518 |
2,743 |
10,932 |
|
Dell XPS 13 (Lunar Lake) |
552 |
2,743 |
11,005 |
|
Microsoft Floor Professional (Snapdragon X Elite) |
418 |
2,252 |
9,555 |
ZDNET’s shopping for recommendation
The Acer Swift 16 AI is a incredible worth and a sleeper hit from Acer’s lineup. The underside line right here is that for round $1,250, you are getting a 16-inch OLED show at 120Hz and 3K decision, a modern, minimalist construct, full suite of I/O, and a marathon battery. These parts alone work collectively to make a sensible, succesful major driver that may do a little bit of all the things.
As a piece laptop computer, it feels premium and highly effective, regardless of the subpar audio system, which is a tradeoff I am prepared to take.
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Why the Acer Swift 16 AI will get an Editors’ Selection award
We have awarded the Acer Swift 16 AI our Editors’ Selection award primarily for its options, {hardware}, and construct high quality relative to cost. The “Lunar Lake” Intel Core Extremely 7 processor future-proofs this laptop computer with commendable efficiency, and its bodily construct feels extra premium than its value level would recommend.
Finally, it is a wonderful selection for anybody wanting a beautiful show paired with incredible battery life. Beginning at $1,250, it is already a worth, and in the event you can catch it on sale, it is even higher.
