By One of my favorite laptops of 2024 is the Acer Swift Go 14, which I dubbed a “MacBook Air killer” because of its excellent performance and gorgeous display at a reasonable cost. This year, Acer made a strong comeback by introducing the newest Intel Meteor Lake processors together with a fresh emphasis on artificial intelligence, as evidenced by the Copilot key. Does the business, however, keep up the momentum?
Yes, in a nutshell. The most recent Acer Swift Go 14 boasts amazing processing speeds in a stylish aluminum design. In a nutshell, the response is “Yes, but not all that different from last year.” Except for its touchscreen and Copilot key, the most recent Swift Go 14 is excellent but not a significant improvement. Nevertheless, considering its extensive list of achievements and $799 price tag, it may make our list of the best laptops; read on to see whether this one is for you.
SPECIFICATION
| Price | $799 |
| CPU | Intel Core Ultra 7 155H |
| RAM | 16GB |
| Storage | 1TB SSD |
| Display | 14-INCH, 1920 x 1080-pixel IPS, 60Hz |
| Battery | 8:25 |
| Size | 12.3 x 8.6 x 0.6 |
| Weight | 3.1 pounds |
Price and configuration
The base model of the Swift Go 14, which we evaluated, retails for $799 at Costco. It has a 1TB SSD drive, 16GB of RAM, integrated Intel Arc graphics, and an Intel Core Ultra 7 155H processor. Additionally, it features a 14-inch IPS display with a refresh rate of 60 Hz and 1920 x 1080 pixels.
For an additional $200, you can upgrade to an OLED model with a resolution of 2880 x 1800 pixels and a refresh rate of 90Hz. You’ll have to choose between a subpar display and this version’s non-touchscreen display.
Design
I was immediately impressed by the Swift Go 14’s silver aluminum chassis when I took it out of the box. When light hits its minimalist lid, it has a pleasing shiny sheen. At the top is the Acer logo, coupled with a conspicuous protrusion for the webcam. When the lid is lifted, the deck has a similar shine to it, and its keyboard is tucked away in a lower nook. The word SWIFT glows at the bottom center of the trackpad, adding a wonderful sleek touch, and the black color of its keys contrasts beautifully with the silver.
Because of the way it hinges, the bottom of the lid must press up against my desk to raise the laptop and tuck the 16:10 display’s bottom bezel under the keyboard. In the space between the lid and deck is a set of vents. Although it has a touchscreen, the 180-degree hinge prevents it from being used as a tablet. If you’re searching for a laptop that can be used as a tablet, we suggest checking out our page on the best 2-in-1 laptops.
The dimensions of the Swift Go 14 are 12.3 x 8.6 x 0.6 inches, and it weighs 3.1 pounds. Similar devices include the Asus Zenbook 14 OLED (2.8 pounds, 12.3 x 8.7 x 0.6 inches), Dell Inspiron 14 Plus (3.5 pounds, 12.36 x 8.92 x 0.63 inches), and Lenovo Slim 7i Gen 9 (3.2 pounds, 12.3 x 8.7 x 0.6 inches).
Display
The Swift Go 14 has a 14-inch, 1920 x 1200 pixel display with a refresh rate of 60 Hz, and it appears good. The touchscreen display is snappy, but when I drag windows across the screen, there is too much friction. Not as smooth as some of my favorite touchscreens, such as the Lenovo Yoga 9i’s, is its glass panel.
When I watched the Civil War trailer, the IPS display did great (for its price). Expected dull grayness pervaded a photo of New York City’s concrete streets and red brick buildings. Comparing the image to an OLED panel, though, the image appeared flat. The foreground woman caught my attention when she turned to view a nighttime fire sweeping across a city, however, the color contrast was a bit off. Despite this, the characters’ conflict with a roadway looked good against the vibrant green of the forest trees. We suggest the OLED model if you want your eyes to jump out of your head, but other than that, you won’t be offended unless you have really expensive tastes because the screen is bright enough.
In our color tests, the Swift Go 14 performed admirably, replicating 78% of the DCI-P3 color range. This is significantly worse than the 89% average for typical laptops. It performs worse than the Slim 7i (134%) but performs better than the Dell Inspiron 14 Plus (68%). It performs a little worse but comes quite close to the Zenbook 14 (82%).
It performed better in our brightness testing, with an average peak brightness of 388 nits, just marginally higher than the 383-nit average of mainstream laptops. It is slightly brighter than the Zenbook 14 (354 nits) and Dell Inspiron 14 Plus (367 nits), although it is roughly comparable to the Slim 7i (382 nits).
Performance
An Intel Core Ultra 7 155H processor, 1TB of SSD storage, and 16GB of RAM are integrated inside the Swift Go 14. A laptop with these specifications should provide dependable performance, as Intel’s Meteor Lake processors have excelled in our testing. Beyond that, you may relax knowing that the transfer speeds of the Western Digital SN740 1TB SSD are exceptionally fast.
The multi-core result of 12,612 on the Geekbench 6.2 overall performance test is outstanding for the Swift Go 14. This places it far above the 9,910 category average. Even though the three rivals are all within the same performance range, the only one that did worse was the Slim 7i (Intel Core Ultra 7 155H, 12,111). Slightly higher scores were attained by the Dell Inspiron 14 Plus (Intel Core Ultra 7 155H, 12,729) and Zenbook 14 (Intel Core Ultra 7 155H, 12,908).
Graphic
Given that its Intel Arc integrated graphics can only manage the lightest of games, the Swift Go 14 is not a laptop meant for gaming. Even so, we continued to test its capacity to withstand it.
The Swift Go 14 scored 36 frames per second in the 1080p Sid Meier’s Civilization VI: Gathering Storm test, somewhat below the category average of 43 fps (though still playable). Given that the Zenbook 14 (33 fps), Slim 7i (41 fps), and Inspiron 14 (34 fps) all achieved comparatively comparable performance, this is within the predicted range.
Conclusion
The Acer Swift Go 14 is an excellent choice for individuals who require speed, as its Intel Ultra Core 7 155H processor produces impressive productivity figures. Apart from that, its list of achievements is lengthy: a beautiful metal chassis, powerful speakers, a pleasurable keyboard, a brilliant panel, plenty of connections, a clear webcam, and quick SSD speeds. It’s difficult to laugh at its $799 price tag.
It’s far from ideal, with a dull IPS screen, a slow trackpad, and a poor battery life that leaves much to be desired. We suggest the Lenovo Slim 7i (Gen 9) if you’re prepared to pay a little bit more for a brighter OLED panel and a few extra hours of battery life. Apart from that, the Acer Swift Go 14 is an excellent laptop for work that can be purchased for less than $1,000.
