Will our beloved budget laptop maintain its top spot in 2025?
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When it debuted last week, I couldn't let the Acer Swift Go 14 laptop go unnoticed. After all, its predecessor spent most of 2024 as Laptop Mag's #1 budget laptop in our best laptops buying guide.
On January 6, at CES 2025 in Las Vegas, Acer unveiled the updated Swift Go 14, which I had the opportunity to try out.
There are a few minor design modifications — featuring an intriguing enhancement to the touchpad that I will discuss later. Along with several internal upgrades, this laptop is poised to be a leading contender among sub-$1,000 models once again in 2025.
Sleeker and more lightweight, featuring fresh enhancements.
This year, the Acer Swift Go 14 has shed some weight, now tipping the scales at only 2.9 pounds compared to last year's 3.1 pounds. While this reduction might seem minimal, every ounce is significant when carrying a laptop around. Additionally, it has become a bit slimmer, reaching a thickness of just 0.4 inches at its narrowest points. The changes are subtle enough that you’d need to compare them side-by-side to notice, but they are definitely present.
Although the exterior maintains the same silver hue as the previous year, it introduces a refreshing touch with sharp lines adorning the lid and a "Swift" emblem positioned in the upper right corner. While it may not be the most extravagant design, it offers a more vibrant appearance while still embodying a sleek simplicity that is likely to attract a diverse audience.
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Context-sensitive touchpad controls
This year, Acer's design team introduced several new functionalities to the touchpad, such as contextual touch controls.
These features encompass playback and volume adjustments for video viewing, as well as meeting controls that allow you to swiftly mute your microphone or turn off your video during a call.
Although this feature alone wouldn't be enough to sway my decision to purchase the laptop, it is a nice bonus on what I anticipate will be a fantastic device.
Fortunately, the touchpad maintains its precise navigation and reliable touch-and-click feedback, ensuring that quality remains intact with this enhancement.
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Acer Swift Go 14 specifications, pricing, and launch details.
The Acer Swift Go 14 comes with up to an Intel Core Ultra 9 285H (Arrow Lake) CPU and Intel Arc Graphics. The 14-inch display starts at a 1920 x 1200 IPS touch panel but can be upgraded to OLED at the same resolution or bumped up to 2880 x 1800.
For those aiming to maximize the performance of the Swift Go 14, it is possible to equip it with as much as 32GB of RAM and a PCIe Gen 4 SSD with a storage capacity of up to 1 TB.
The device features a duo of Thunderbolt 4 Type-C ports, a couple of USB Type-A ports, an HDMI 2.1 port, and a microSD card slot. Additionally, it is equipped with Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4 for advanced wireless connectivity that is ready for the future.
The Acer Swift Go 14 is set to launch in May with a price tag of $899, whereas the 16-inch variant will be available in April starting at $949. Both models have seen a $100 rise from last year's introductory prices, indicating that Acer is moving into a more competitive market space.
What comes next?
During my experience with the Acer Swift Go 14, I did not face any issues with the hardware. Therefore, any outstanding inquiries will rely on our laboratory evaluations and further in-depth usage of the final retail unit, which we anticipate receiving for review later this year.
Battery life is the biggest question for this updated laptop. It was our most significant complaint about last year's model, which lasted only 8 hours and 25 minutes.
Eight and a half hours wasn't too far short of our battery standards at this time last year, but the second half of 2024 was game-changing for battery life because AI PCs, with their system-on-a-chip CPUs, debuted in the summer. Because so much processing happens directly on those chips, battery life is longer because other laptop components don't come into use and use power.
Intel Arrow Lake chips are being marketed as using less laptop power, which could mean the new Swift Go 14's battery lasts longer between charges. However, this sleek-looking new laptop could suffer if its battery life doesn't significantly improve. Laptop Mag's battery test will be among the most interesting tests we run on this new laptop when we get it in our lab.
