Acer leans hard into AI with latest Swift and Aspire laptop launch

It’s that time of year, CES is here once again, and there’s no shortage of announcements coming our way. As we head into CES 2024, laptop maker Acer has a few announcements of its own, specifically about the launch of new Swift and Aspire notebooks.

Acer has announced it is launching three new Swift and three new Aspire laptops that include: the Swift Go 14, Swift Go 16, Swift X 14, Aspire Go 14 (Intel/AMD), Aspire Go 15, and Aspire Vero 16. The Aspire Vero 16 and all three Swift laptops have been fitted with Intel Core Ultra processors — which have AI acceleration built-in — and all of the notebooks come with Windows Copilot installed. Additionally, the keyboards on each device will have a dedicated Windows Copilot key to allow users to quickly access the AI assistant.

Here’s a further breakdown of each model.

Starting with the Swift Go models, the Swift Go 14 and 16 feature an Intel Arc GPU, a 1440p QHD webcam, Wi-Fi 7 connectivity, Intel Unison 2.0 for Android and iOS, OLED displays with 500 nits of peak brightness, 32GB of LPDDR5X memory, upgradable 2TB PCIe Gen 4 SSD with dual slots, and the option for a WUXGA touchscreen. You can also expect two USB-C ports with Thunderbolt 4, one USB-A port, HDMI 2.1, a microSD card reader, and Bluetooth LE.

The few points where these models differ are the display and the battery. With the Swift Go 14, Acer says you get up to 12.5 hours of battery life, while the Swift Go 16 provides up to 10.5 hours. In the display department, the G0 14 offers a 2880 x 1800 resolution with a 90 Hz refresh rate. Meanwhile, the Go 16 has a resolution of 3200 x 2000 and has a refresh rate of 120Hz. However, both models include TÜV Rheinland Eyesafe display certification to prevent eye strain.

Moving on to the Swift X 14, this model includes an Intel Core Ultra H-series CPU, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 GPU, a 2880 x 1800 resolution OLED display with 120Hz refresh rate, and 500 nits of peak brightness. The Swift X 14 shares the same ports, memory, and Bluetooth standard as its cheaper siblings, but uses Wi-Fi 6E and offers up to 1TB of PCIe Gen 4 SSD storage.

Acer says this premium laptop is designed to help users with higher-quality streaming, video editing, and 3D rendering. It also uses NVIDIA DLSS 3.5 for upscaled lighting effects in graphics in games. And along with Copilot being preinstalled, users will also be able to take advantage of preinstalled NVIDIA Studio Drivers.

The Acer Aspire Go models are described as daily drivers for home and family. Unlike the rest of the laptops Acer is launching, the Aspire Go 14 and 15 will contain Intel Core i3 N-series processors. However, if you get the Go 14, you’ll also have the option to have an AMD Ryzen 7000 series processor installed. Both models are also said to have 10 hours of battery life, 16GB LPDDR5 of RAM, up to 1TB of M.2 PCIe Gen3 SSD storage, 16:10 aspect ratios, and Wi-Fi 6 connectivity. As for the displays, you can expect a WUXGA panel for the Go 14 and a FHD display for the bigger model.

Staying true to the AI push, the Aspire Vero 16 has an Intel Core Ultra 7 chip with AI Boost and a 1440p QHD webcam with AI-assisted Acer PurifiedVoice. With this laptop, you’ll also get a 10.5-hour battery, 16GB of LPDDR RAM, 2TB of dual PCIe Gen 4 SSD upgradable storage, Bluetooth LE, Wi-Fi 7, Unison 2.0, two USB-C ports, and an HDMI port.

The 16-inch WQXGA display boasts a resolution of 2560 x 1600 with a 16:10 aspect ratio. However, you’ll also have the option to swap out that panel with a WUXGA touchscreen.

Availability

If you’re looking to get your hands on one of these laptops, you won’t have to wait long. All six laptops will launch in the first half of 2024 and will be available on Acer’s website.

The first of Acer’s laptops that will come to the US are the Swift X 14 and Aspire Go 15, which will both be available in February for $1,399.99 ($1399.99 at Acer) and $249.99 ($249.99 at Acer), respectively.

Those models will be followed by the Aspire Go 14 (Intel/AMD), Swift Go 14, and Swift Go 16, which will be released in March. The Aspire Go 14 will cost $249.99 (Intel) ($249.99 at Acer) and $379.99 (AMD) ($379.99 at Acer), while the Swift Go 14 and 16 will have a price tags of $749.99 ($749.99 at Acer) and $799.99 ($799.99 at Acer), respectively.

Last but not least, the Acer Aspire Vero 16 is scheduled to arrive in April for $749.99 ($749.99 at Acer).