Acer has unveiled two new thin-and-light laptops aimed at those who want a more portable device without giving up screen quality or performance.
The standout is the Swift Blade 14, which weighs just 799g, while the larger Swift Air 16 offers a 16-inch display in a chassis weighing 1.5kg.
Both laptops run Windows 11 and can be configured with Intel’s latest Core processors, but they take slightly different approaches to portability. The Swift Blade 14 is undoubtedly the more extreme option, while the Swift Air 16 offers a larger screen and a more conventional selection of features for work and entertainment.
The Swift Blade 14 weighs just 799g
The Swift Blade 14 is the more interesting of the pair if portability is your priority. It measures just 12.9mm thick and weighs 799g (1.76lbs), making it considerably easier to slip into a bag for a commute than most 14-inch laptops.
Acer has achieved that low weight with a chassis combining magnesium-aluminium alloy and carbon fibre. It comes in Marshmallow Blue and Marshmallow White, and the 14-inch display uses a 16:10 aspect ratio with a 90% screen-to-body ratio and 4.3mm bezels.
Inside, the Swift Blade 14 can be equipped with up to an Intel Core 7 processor 350, alongside 12GB of LPDDR5-6400 memory and up to a 1TB PCIe Gen 4 NVMe SSD. It also has a 50Wh battery, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.3 and three USB-C ports, although only two support full functionality.
The Swift Air 16 goes bigger
The Swift Air 16 is still designed with portability in mind, but its 1.5kg weight and 13.3mm thickness make it less of an ultra-lightweight proposition.
It gets an all-aluminium chassis in Elemental Blue, Sage Green or Sandstone Gold, along with up to a 16-inch 2,880 x 1,800 OLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate, 500 nits brightness and 100% DCI-P3 coverage. There’s also a touchscreen IPS option.
The Air 16 can pack up to an Intel Core 7 processor 350, 16GB of LPDDR5x memory and up to 512GB of storage, with support for external storage upgrades. A larger 70Wh battery supports 100W charging, with Acer claiming it can reach 50% in 30 minutes.
At the time of writing, we know the Swift Air 16 and Swift Blade 14 will both start at £999.99, while other regions are TBC.
Opinion
As a commuter and frequent traveller, the idea of a lightweight laptop isn’t just appealing but it’s a necessity. I’m currently a MacBook Air M2 user, which weighs in at 1.24kg and genuinely, I easily forget it’s in my bag when I’m out and about. In fact, on most journeys into the office, I find myself checking my bag to make sure I did actually pack it before I left the house.
So, considering the Swift Blade 14 is a whole 441g lighter is almost unbelievable. Plus, the fact that Acer still promises the laptop sees impressive specs and an up to 3K display (which surpassed my MacBook Air) means it’s a device that’ll suit everyone from work tasks to streaming.
The Swift Blade 14 has a starting price of £999 for its base model, which also means it’s £100 less than the base MacBook Air M5 too. With that in mind, the Swift Blade 14 looks set to be a solid MacBook Air alternative. Even so, I’ll need to try the laptop myself to see how it really measures up to my trusty MacBook.
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