Acer's Swift Go 14 AI laptop is perfect for college students on the go — here's how it stacked up in our tests

Business Insider

2 days ago

When I started looking for new college laptops to test, the Acer Swift Go 14 AI was nowhere on my radar. Most Windows laptops use Intel or AMD processors, but this model uses a Qualcomm Snapdragon CPU, which hasn't traditionally been viewed as a top-tier option.
But thank goodness I gave it a look, because the Swift Go 14 AI is one of the most exciting laptops I've reviewed. Its impressive performance has completely changed my opinion of Snapdragon CPUs, and convinced me that Microsoft's line of "Copilot Plus" PCs (which includes this laptop) is more than just a marketing gimmick.
But if all the Swift Go 14 AI had was a solid CPU, it wouldn't be worth the money. Luckily, Acer backs up the processor with a slim frame, a bright screen, and an absolutely bonkers amount of battery life. This all adds up to a fantastic productivity laptop that's perfect for work and school.
The laptop looks basic, but it feels great to use
In an age when every laptop company is trying to reinvent the MacBook, the Swift Go 14 AI's design isn't anything new. It's colored a dull silver-gray with black membrane keys, has visible hinges, and is covered in fan vents. Nothing special.
But in the places that count most, the laptop shines. Its light weight — about three pounds — and slim frame make it easy to slip into a backpack or briefcase, or even just carry around under your arm. That portability is one of its greatest strengths.
It helps that the laptop charges using a basic USB-C cable. This means you don't have to worry about dealing with bulky AC adapters or charging bricks that weigh you down. A terabyte of included solid-state storage also means less worrying about external drives.
The black membrane keyboard I mentioned might not look fancy, but it feels just fine. I've spent hours typing on it, and haven't felt any strain or ache. It also includes an adjustable backlight, although it's pretty dim.
For whatever reason, vibrant displays are a rarity on most laptops — here, however, the screen is a highlight. The 14.5-inch LCD screen boasts a 120Hz refresh rate and 2560x1600 resolution. Those are surprisingly good specs for a productivity-focused laptop like this, and give this model a little something extra for those who want to use it for casual gaming or content creation. It's also brighter than the industry average, maxing out at about 400 nits.
Also worth shouting out is the webcam. It's QHD (1440p), meaning its video is four times the resolution of the industry standard 720p, and captures almost two times the total number of pixels of a 1080p camera, which is often considered a luxury. It also includes a privacy shutter, which is always a nice extra.
However, some parts of the Swift Go 14 AI's design disappoint. The built-in speakers aren't awful — I've definitely heard worse on cheaper laptops — but they have a tinny quality that makes bass-heavy songs sound shallow. And when the laptop's fans rev up to full speed, which they often do during system updates, they create a surprisingly loud roar.
Performance exceeded my expectations
Going in, I expected the Acer Swift Go 14 AI to be slow and sluggish. Thankfully, it's anything but.
While most Windows laptops use either Intel or AMD processors, this laptop uses a Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus. The Snapdragon brand isn't new, but previous models haven't been known for their power. In the past, you'd usually find them in Android phones or tablets. It wasn't a name that inspired confidence in the laptop market.
Consider me surprised to find that the Snapdragon X Plus not only excels at most tasks, but also outperforms some pricier laptops. Geekbench testing has it coming in at an average CPU score of 11,152, which is on par or better than almost any Intel Core Ultra chip and within striking distance of many top-tier Intel Core i9 and AMD Ryzen mobile chips from the previous generation.
This plays out in practice, too. Programs, folders, and files run quickly. Boot times are also low. I found very few programs that didn't run well on it. Even the 3D-modeling app Blender runs remarkably smoothly, only lagging when it comes time to shade or render models. It boasts 16GB of RAM, which isn't an outstanding achievement — 16GB should really be the minimum in any computer these days — but it does help with performance.
Admittedly, the laptop does struggle in the graphics department. It's not the PC of choice for 3D games released in the last few years, and video editing could prove to be a problem. And despite the "AI" branding, it's definitely not made for any sort of serious AI image- or video-generation work. Even integrated Intel graphics outpace it.
Other sorts of AI tools, like live transcription or real-time webcam enhancements, work much better, although I didn't find them any faster or otherwise superior to the AI tools on other laptops with similar specs.
So the Snapdragon X Plus offers good processing power but subpar graphical power. If that was the whole story, it wouldn't be that impressive — but to truly understand the Snapdragon X Plus' appeal, you have to look at the battery life.
It has unbelievably long battery life
I've been reviewing laptops for years, and I've come to accept that most great laptops also have middling-to-horrible battery life. Under usual load, the average Intel- or AMD-powered laptop will last about three to nine hours.
The Acer Swift Go 14 AI can last between six to 23 hours. That's not an exaggeration. The Snapdragon X Plus is specifically designed to use less power than more standard chips, and it succeeds at this goal.
I've had the Swift Go 14 AI last for entire work shifts, even at max brightness. It's shocking to notice a low battery warning, only to check and see that your laptop still has five hours of life left.
It's this impressive battery performance that makes the Swift Go 14 AI such a great portable device. Even if you don't have a charger, you don't have to worry about your laptop suddenly dying. It's a worthwhile tradeoff for the laptops' disappointing graphical power.
A small selection of Windows apps might not run
Though I was impressed by its power, the laptop's Snapdragon processor has a specific limitation, which could prove inconsequential or major depending on how you use it.
Most computers are built with "x64" processors, and nearly every PC program is built to run on those chips. But some modern laptops (like the Swift Go 14 AI) are built with "ARM64" processors instead, which emphasize battery life over power.
Having an ARM64 processor won't be an issue for most apps. Popular Windows programs, from Spotify to Google Chrome to the Microsoft 365 suite, are all supported without any problems. These days, it's much harder to find a program that won't work with ARM64 than one that will.
However, a few x64 programs still don't support ARM64, including design apps like AutoCAD. Some Adobe apps might also run a bit slower since they're being emulated, but Adobe is actively working on improving this.
More and more companies are developing ARM-supported apps each day, so as ARM processors get more popular, this will be less of an issue. But if there are niche apps you rely on for work or school, it's worth checking to see if they have ARM versions before you buy a Snapdragon-powered laptop.
Should you buy the Acer Swift Go 14 AI?
The Swift Go 14 AI isn't a supercomputer, especially when it comes to graphical performance. But when it comes to being a reliable productivity and media machine — the kind you'll want by your side at school or work — it's a fantastic choice. This is particularly true given recent discounts, which have seen this model drop to $750.
The battery life is really what helps this laptop stand out. Modern devices have increasingly traded battery life for faster performance, and it's refreshing to find a laptop that prioritizes both. I'm excited to see how Qualcomm continues to improve its Snapdragon processors. One day, it might be legitimate competition to high-end Intel and AMD offerings.
Acer sells other "Swift" and "Swift Go" laptops, each of which has slightly different specs — and many of which feature Intel or AMD CPUs. But notably, the ARM-powered Swift Go 14 AI is the only one Acer brags about the battery life on.