Acer Swift Go 14 assessment

The Acer Swift Go 14 is a status transportable laptop computer that prices barely lower than a lot of the competitors.

It’s kind of just like the laptop computer I assume impressed its identify in that sense, the Microsoft Surface Go laptop computer. Nonetheless, this sort of machine is nothing actually new for the Acer Swift collection.

You have been capable of finding laptops with the same modus operandi for years within the Swift 3. However not like the old-old days, the Swift Go 14’s specs go genuinely excessive, together with an 1800p OLED show that is reviewed right here.

The problems? It is not probably the most gorgeous ultraportable in its class, and the plastic touchpad appears merely misplaced within the higher-end Swift Go 14. Preserve studying for the complete assessment.

Design

• Metallic casing
• 1.25kg weight
• A largely non show-off design

The Acer Swift Go 14 pricing begins from $799/£699 and goes as much as $1050/£999, relying in your configuration. It is keen to go high-end, however at its coronary heart it is a wise and sensible laptop computer somewhat than a luxurious show-off.

It does not look vastly completely different to a few of Acer’s finances fashions. However maybe that claims extra concerning the touches of sophistication the corporate manages to suit into laptops just like the ultra-budget Swift 1.

The Swift 14 Go has an aluminium casing. Not one of the principal physique panels are plastic, and this laptop computer is made for espresso shop-hopping portability. It weighs a shade below the class common at 1.25kg, and is reasonably slim at 14.95mm thick. Keyboard plate rigidity is great and the display is fairly stiff for one with out a huge pane of show glass to stabilise it.

This is the place I come to the primary of the much less high-end trying components of the Acer Swift Go 14. It has a plastic display, which helps decrease weight, but additionally means there is a raised plastic border across the show itself. All of those borders are slim. However a few of chances are you’ll considerably want the looks of end-to-end show glass.

The Acer Swift Go 14 additionally lacks the posh laptop computer trait of having the ability to open the lid from closed with a single finger. As a replacement you get a dependable bog-standard hinge that solely opens to across the 130-degree norm, however does not wobble about in case you work with the laptop computer in your knees whereas out and about.

Show

• As much as a 1800p OLED
• Excessive color protection
• Non-touch show (in assessment mannequin)

A few of these display observations should not going to use to the Swift Go 14 model chances are you’ll be eyeing up. There are three shows on provide, relying on the place you reside. Two IPS LCDs, with and with out contact, and what’s being examined right here – so do be careful for that.

That is the Large Mac, a 1800p 14in OLED. It is one of the crucial vibrant laptop computer screens I’ve ever reviewed, and because it’s an OLED you naturally get just about flawless distinction. Having written a few of this write-up out within the blazing solar on the native park, I can affirm it will get fairly brilliant. Not MacBook Pro miniLED display brilliant, however comparable with the opposite OLED shows present in much more costly laptops in 2023.

It may maybe look barely higher with a glass show floor as an alternative of a plastic one. However in most conditions the distinction is not that noticeable because the show remains to be shiny.

The actual potential downside right here is the dearth of contact and stylus assist. When you want both of these, look elsewhere – even on the lower-end touch-capable IPS Swift Go 14.

Keyboard and touchpad

• Weak plastic touchpad
• OK keyboard
• 2-stage backlight

The keyboard and touchpad are the areas through which the Acer Swift Go 14 does not fairly match as much as the requirements of my favorite ultraportables. And the pad is the primary sticking level.

Acer’s Swift Go 14 keyboard is ok however nothing particular. It has mid-tier motion, an enthusiastically springy really feel and is neither notably darkish or brilliant. Within the first couple of minutes I did not prefer it that a lot, however over the times and 1000’s of typed phrases – yep I can reside with this simply high quality. It additionally has a primary 2-level white key backlight.

The Acer Swift Go 14 touchpad is OK to place in a laptop computer promoting in the direction of the decrease finish of the this household’s value vary – as talked about, fashions begin at $799/£699. However this pad is a slab of plastic, and I anticipate glass once you would possibly find yourself paying $1050/£1000+.

This use of plastic in touchpads is one thing of an Acer 2023 pattern. You will additionally discover one within the even pricier Acer Swift Edge. Why? It appears to be a part of Acer’s push to make use of extra recycled supplies, as a result of it calls the pad OceanGlass. It is one other phrase for recycled plastic.

A cynical take is that Acer is dressing up value financial savings as eco advertising. But it surely does not truly make a lot of a fuss about OceanGlass within the Swift 14 Go’s product web page.

It is tackier, squeaker than glass, and feels much less substantial. Its mechanical clicker can also be fairly brilliant. Nonetheless, it not less than capabilities completely effectively, and whereas small your complete floor is clickable. Mechanical pads are sometimes onerous to “click on” in in the direction of their prime. Not so right here.

Efficiency

• Excessive efficiency processor
• No devoted graphics card
• Noticeable fan noise below stress

One other class, one other caveat. Similar to final 12 months’s Swift 3 collection, the Acer Swift Go 14 are a various bunch, with CPU choices starting from the AMD Ryzen 5 7520U proper as much as what’s examined right here, the Intel Core i7-13700H.

Storage is what brings them collectively. As seen in another latest mid-tier Acers, 512GB is the minimal storage you will discover within the Swift Go 14. That is double what you get within the base MacBook Air. And in contrast to Apple and Microsoft, Acer’s improve prices are totally cheap.

512GB goes to go a good distance so long as you do not plan on enhancing video or enjoying video games that take up dozens of gigabytes. You are going to have restricted luck with the latter anyway, because the Acer Swift Go 14 solely has the Intel Xe graphics chipsets constructed into the central processor.

For different stuff you are golden, although. The Core i7-13700H is a part of Intel’s efficiency laptop computer vary, the type of CPU you would possibly discover in a a lot heavier and thicker laptop computer.

After all, a laptop computer like that’s going to have the ability to push the processor more durable, for longer. However would I exploit the Swift 14 Go for video enhancing? Positive, notably the 16GB RAM model examined right here.

Underneath regular workloads – phrase processing, electronic mail, a little bit of searching – the Swift Go 14 is totally silent. Nonetheless, as is the norm for this class you do pay for the skinny, low-weight design with the marginally annoying higher-pitch fan tone, heard everytime you put the factor below actual stress.

Battery life and options

• Nearly 10 hours of sunshine use
• Pretty superior 1440p webcam
• Useful array of connections

A slim laptop computer like this with a performance-led processor often units off alarm bells. Again within the day you would not have anticipated the common Intel H-series laptop computer battery to final far more than 5 hours.

Fortunately, the Acer Swift Go 14 does a lot better than that. It might probably last as long as 9 hours and 40 minutes, comfortably over the basic 8-hour “all day” use.

Nonetheless, when working outdoors with the show blasting at most brightness, you’ll be able to anticipate the Swift to final nearer to 5 hours 20 minutes.

The Swift Go 14’s webcam is one other curiosity. I’ve seen a great deal of laptop computer ranges swap from 720p cams to Full HD ones during the last 12 months or so, however the Swift has a fair higher-res choice, at 2560 x 1440 decision digital camera.

Whereas this does not resolve conventional webcam issues like bad-looking color in indoors lighting and unhealthy dynamic vary, it does successfully allow a system-level function known as Computerized Framing. Just like the webcam of some sensible audio system or Insta360’s motion cameras, this crops into the digital camera view to centre the picture in your face. It is a neat idea, however does imply you don’t use the entire subject of view when aiming for that basic webcam look.

The Acer Swift Go 14 additionally feels able to roll with work in different methods too. Its connectivity is, by 2023 requirements, beneficiant and numerous. You get two Thunderbolt 4 USBs (USB4 in AMD CPU fashions), two USB-A 4.2s, a microSD slot and an HDMI 2.1, prepared for the most recent TVs.

Take that, MacBooks. They may deal with film playback straight from the laptop computer display itself higher than the Acer Swift Go 14, although, as this laptop computer doesn’t have nice audio system. Most quantity is ok, however even after fidgeting with the Nahimic sound modes on provide, none can conjure a remotely persuasive approximation of actual bass.

Verdict

The Acer Swift 14 Go could also be a part of a brand new sub-series, however that is basic Acer design, in a largely optimistic sense.

For wise cash you may get a critically performant, transportable and decent-looking laptop computer that can final via a full day of labor. And Acer does not cost obscene quantities if you wish to bump up the spec, as Microsoft does for its personal in any other case beautiful Laptop computer Go line.

A couple of points come up once you get to the higher-end fashions, as examined right here, the place a few of the concessions to worth begin to stick out, just like the plastic touchpad and bland design. I might have appreciated to see higher.