Latest news with #AcerAspire14AI
CNET
2 days ago
- Business
- CNET
My Pick for Laptop Shoppers Seeking Tariff Relief: Acer's $700 Aspire 14 AI
CNET's key takeaways The Acer Aspire 14 AI is available for $700 at Costco (with the occasional spike to $750). The Intel Lunar Lake CPU offers good performance for the price and long battery life. The display and design won't wow you. Laptop prices are on the rise -- and the more they increase, the better Acer's Aspire 14 AI looks. When I reviewed it in April, it cost $700 at Costco and was the cheapest Copilot Plus PC I had reviewed. Fast forward two months and it still costs $700 at Costco and is still the cheapest Copilot Plus PC I've seen -- and a great value. Acer cuts the right corners to hit such a low price for the Aspire 14 AI, delivering a well-rounded laptop with modern components. This is no budget laptop with outdated parts. It features the latest Intel Core Ultra Series 2 processor (codenamed Lunar Lake) that serves up competitive application and AI performance along with great battery life and a design that doesn't look all that different from Acer's pricier Swift laptops. The Aspire 14 AI's no-frills but future-proofed package makes it one of the best budget laptops of 2025. My experience with the Acer Aspire 14 AI I'm still waiting for the killer AI app to make a laptop AI CPU a must but it's nice to know that when it arrives, you'll have a laptop that's built for it. Thanks to its Intel Core Ultra 5 CPU that has a neural processing unit (NPU) capable of 40 trillion operations per second (TOPS), the Aspire 14 AI hits the minimum requirement for Microsoft's Copilot Plus PC platform. Its AI processor can offload AI workloads -- constantly taking Windows Recall snapshots, blurring backgrounds for video calls and producing live translations -- to its NPU, keeping the CPU and GPU freed up for whatever primary task you're working on. Matt Elliott/CNET Future-proofing is always valuable in any laptop, especially so in a budget model where it's not always a given. (You need to be careful when shopping for a low-cost laptop because so many are older models with previous-generation components that are discounted in an attempt to clear out inventory for newer units.) In testing, the Aspire 14 AI hung with the more expensive Copilot Plus PCs I've tested. Its scores on our application, graphics and AI benchmarks weren't all that far off from those of its pricier competitors. Its integrated Intel GPU doesn't provide much in the way of 3D gaming but the same can be said for any Copilot Plus PC as I've yet to encounter one with dedicated graphics. With the Aspire 14 AI, you avoid the budget laptop trap of buying a machine with outdated or soon-to-be-outdated parts. And you also skip past the spectrer of the Creaky Plastic Monster. Many budget laptops have flimsy plastic enclosures but the Aspire 14 AI has aluminum top and bottom panels with only a plastic keyboard deck. And the keyboard deck feels rigid and doesn't bend or flex like the thinner plastic common to other budget models. It's a solidly constructed laptop and you'd have to look closely to tell it apart from one of Acer's mainstream Swift laptops. The specs CPU: Intel Core Ultra 5 226V Memory: 16GB LPDDR5-8533 Graphics: Intel Arc 130V Storage: 1TB SSD Display: 14-inch 1,920x1,200 touch IPS LCD Ports: 2 x USB-C Thunderbolt 4, 2 x USB-A USB 3.2 Gen 1, HDMI 2.1, combo audio Networking: Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3 Weight: 3.05 pounds Battery life: 18 hr, 56 min Operating system: Microsoft Windows 11 Home CNET'S Buying Advice The best part of the Aspire 14 AI is getting a modern CPU that delivers the performance needed for the laptop to act as your primary machine and not just a cheap, underpowered second system. And the efficient Intel Core Ultra CPU also allows the Aspire 14 AI to run for almost 19 hours on a single charge while also offering a bit of future-proofing with its AI capabilities. The uninspired design and meh display are really the only items that scream "budget laptop." The rest of the package is more mainstream than budget, including the 16GB of RAM and the roomy 1TB SSD. You are usually looking at 8GB of RAM and either a 256GB or 512GB SSD when shopping for a $700 laptop. If you are willing to spend a bit more, I have a couple of other Copilot Plus PCs you should check out. The Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 is a winner for its slick and sturdy design and awesome haptic touchpad and the Asus Zenbook A14 boasts an ultralight yet rigid enclosure with a gorgeous OLED display. Plus, both offer even better battery life than the Aspire 14 AI.
Tom's Guide
16-05-2025
- Tom's Guide
Computex 2025: Acer announces new Aspire 14 and 16 AI Copilot+ PCs — student laptops that pack a punch
Computex 2025 is kicking off, and Acer has a whole lineup of laptops, monitors and more to reveal at the event — including all-new Aspire 14 and 16 AI Copilot+ PCs. Acer announced six new 14-inch and 16-inch Aspire laptops, with several configurations that include the latest Intel Core Ultra Series 2, AMD Ryzen AI 300 Series and Snapdragon X Series processors. With AI CPUs onboard, these Copilot+ PCs will arrive with the latest AI features, such as Click to Do, Recall (in preview), improved Windows Search and Acer's own suite of AI apps, such as AcerSense, LiveArt 2.0 and more. Set to be at "pocket-friendly" prices, the Aspire 14 and 16 AI notebooks are geared toward students and professionals, with thin, lightweight designs so they can be moved around with ease. Plus, you can expect 120Hz displays with 180-degree hinges, and they even come in glorious OLED. Prices start at €899/AUD$1,399 (around $999/£799), with the first set of Aspire AI laptops being available in select regions this June. Will the best contenders as the best laptops for students? Judging by their specs, they certainly stand a chance. Acer Aspire 14 AI Acer Aspire 16 AI Price From €899/AUD$1,399 (around $999/£799) From €999/AUD$1,499 (around $1,099/£899) CPU Up to Intel Core Ultra 7 258V / AMD Ryzen AI 7 35 / Snapdragon X X1-26-100 Up to Intel Core Ultra 7 258V / AMD Ryzen AI 7 35 / Snapdragon X X1-26-100 GPU Up to Intel Arc 140V / AMD Radeon 86M / Qualcomm Adreno Up to Intel Arc 140V / AMD Radeon 86M / Qualcomm Adreno Display Up to 16-inch WUXGA+ (2048 x 1280) OLED, 120Hz, 16:10 Up to 14-inch WUXGA (1920 x 1200) OLED, 120Hz, 16:10 Memory Up to 32GB DDR5X RAM Up to 32GB DDR5X RAM Storage Up to 1TB PCIe Gen4 Up to 1TB PCIe Gen4 Battery 65Wh 65Wh Ports 2x Thunderbolt 4/USB4, 2x USB-A 3.2, HDMI 2.1, microSD card reader, 3.5mm audio jack 2x Thunderbolt 4/USB4, 2x USB-A 3.2, HDMI 2.1, microSD card reader, 3.5mm audio jack Connectivity Up to Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4 Up to Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4 Size 12.28 x 8.89 x 0.63 inches 13.97 x9.85 x 0.63 inches Weight 2.73 pounds 3.75 pounds The 14-inch laptop is becoming a popular sizes for students or workers, probably because they offer that blend of a sizeable enough display along with relative portability. The new Acer Aspire 14 AI looks to fit into that description and be a great pick for those on the move. Thanks to its varied CPUs, this notebook range aims to deliver plenty of performance and battery life. The Intel model boasts up to a Core Ultra 7 258V CPU and Intel Arc 140V for graphics, making it a speedy machine that can even do a little 1080p gaming and medium settings on the side. This configuration also comes with Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4 connectivity. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. Interestingly, thanks to its 65Wh battery, it claims to last over 26 hours with video playback! As for the AMD configuration, expect up to an AMD Ryzen AI 7 35 CPU and integrated AMD Radeon 86M graphics. This is based on Zen 5 architecture, so expect this machine to also pack great performance. According to specs, this is a step down in connectivity, as it brings Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3 instead. Apparently, it also lasts over 18 hours on video playback, so not as good of a deal compared to Intel. Lastly, the Snapdragon variant delivers Snapdragon X performance at both the CPU (Oryon), GPU (Adreno) and NPU (Hexagon) level. You can also expect Wi-Fi 7 here, but with Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity. However, this Aspire 14 AI is the most affordable of the bunch. Snapdragon X-equipped Acer Aspire 14 AI laptops start at €899 / AUD$1,399 (around $999 / £799) with availability in June, with the Intel and AMD configurations available for €999 / AUD$1,499 (around $1,099 / £899) in July. Otherwise, these laptops match the design and portable appeal of its predecessors (like the Acer Aspire Go 15), but with upgraded specs and bigger, stylish designs. Plus, it offers up to a 14-inch WUXGA (1920 x 1200) OLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate and 16:10 aspect ratio. So far, these laptops could make for excellent additions in our best business laptops and Windows laptops guides. Of course, we'll have to get some hands-on time with them to see if they work as well on paper. Are there any big differences in the Acer Aspire 16 AI laptop? Not really, aside from the larger 16-inch WUXGA+ (2048 x 1280) OLED panel with a 120Hz refresh rate and 16:10 aspect ratio. More screen real estate and better resolution — similar to the MacBook Air M4 13-inch and Air M4 15-inch models. The 16-inch laptop is set to arrive later than the Aspire 14, and is priced slightly higher. Again, the Snapdragon configuration offers more value, available from €999 / AUD$1,499 (around $1,099 / £899) in July. Both the Intel and AMD models start at €1,099 / AUD$1,499 (around $1,199 / £999), and will be available in August. There will be plenty more on show at Computex 2025, and we'll be on the floor to fill you in all there is to know — including a possible laptop CPU from Nvidia and MediaTek.
