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Having examined the Acer Swift 14 AI in 2024, I used to be extremely eager to see if the 16-inch model, aptly named the Swift 16 AI, supplied something greater than its smaller sibling. From a specs standpoint, the one variations are within the dimension of the show (clearly) and the discount from 32GB of RAM to 16GB.With that in thoughts, and with no need to rewrite my Swift 14 AI assessment, I will give attention to what units the 16-inch model aside. Initially of my testing, I anticipated the laptop computer to be a contender among the many greatest laptops for graphic design guides however not a terrific laptop computer for video modifying. I discovered this to be principally true, but it surely’s not fairly as simple as that. Learn on to seek out out why.I’ve used the Swift 16 AI for just a few weeks and have carried out my day-to-day work in addition to labored on some artistic initiatives, together with photograph and video modifying. As I do know a lot of our readers are informal avid gamers and sometimes need a laptop computer that hits each creativity and gaming highs, I additionally performed some video games on it.
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Acer Swift 16 AI (Intel) (14-inch 1TB) at Amazon for £799Key specificationsSwipe to scroll horizontallyCPU:Intel Core Extremely 7 256V processor Octa-core 2.20 GHzGraphics:IntegratedMemory:16 GB, LPDDR5XStorage:1 TB SSDScreen dimension:16-inchScreen sort:OLEDResolution:2880 x 1800Refresh charge:90HzColour gamut:100% DCI-P3Brightness:400 nitsPorts:HDMI 2.1 x1, USB-C x2, USB-A x2, Audio jackWireless connectivity:Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4Dimensions:Not specifiedWeight:1.5 kg (3.4 lbs)(Picture credit score: Future / Paul Hatton)Design, construct and show• A light-weight 16-inch laptop computer• Sturdy supplies would assist ship higher durability16-inch laptops are proper on the border of portability. 13- and 14-inch alternate options are often far more transportable, however they typically require plugging right into a second monitor when within the workplace or at house. 16-inch shows benefit from not immediately requiring that second show, however on the similar time, they’re typically too heavy and ponderous to be thrown out and in of a bag frequently.So, what method has Acer taken with the Swift 16 AI? Wanting on the supplies and having interacted with the laptop computer for some time now, evidently Acer has funnelled all their design choices by the lens of creating it as mild and transportable as potential.This design ethos has led to a splendidly light-weight machine, however at the price of sturdiness. The chassis is fabricated from super-thin plastic and steel, which makes the entire panel prone to bending and malforming over time.That is much more so with the show panel, which is so skinny I felt like I needed to be cautious each time I closed the lid. To help my testing, I tried to warp this panel to its limits and could not assist however grimace within the hope that I would not break it. I am all for portability, however not at the price of longevity.I am used to a centralised keyboard on my MacBook Professional, so it took a little bit of getting used to the offset keyboard on the Swift 16 AI. The inclusion of a full numpad will likely be appreciated by many however not all. I personally by no means use a numpad and could be blissful with out it. The trackpad could be very good, with 100% of the world responding to clicks. It additionally consists of an exercise indicator, however I am unsure if something could possibly be extra gimmicky than that.As for ports, there’s one HDMI 2.1, two USB-C, two USB-A, and one 3.5mm audio jack. Ports are unfold throughout the left and proper sides of the laptop computer, and energy supply is made potential by each USB-C ports. It is a terrific set of ports, and the inclusion of an HDMI port is good to see.Design rating: 3.5/5(Picture credit score: Future / Paul Hatton)Options• Quick processor with environment friendly battery utilization• 3K OLED displayThe Swift 16 AI is powered by an Intel Core Extremely 7 256V processor (octa-core 2.20 GHz). This can be a processor that excels in utilizing minimal battery energy even when multitasking or performing demanding artistic initiatives. The Swift 16 AI solely ships with 16GB RAM, which is half that of the Swift 14 AI. This discount in RAM makes little or no sense to me, as I might count on each to supply the identical.The center of this laptop computer is the 3K OLED show that delivers a large color area and 100% DCI-P3 protection. The 90Hz refresh charge is not going to blow anybody away, least of all avid gamers or animators. It is also Eyesafe 2.0 licensed, which is good for limiting doubtlessly dangerous blue mild. Moreover, there’s a Show HDR characteristic that’s True Black 500 licensed. All in all, it is a cheap set of specs for a laptop computer at this worth level.The Swift 16 AI ships with a variety of AI instruments which might be simply accessible and at your fingertips. These embrace Copilot, Recall, Cocreator, real-time subtitles, and enhanced video calls. You would get the performance of most of those by third-party software program, but it surely’s good to have them constructed into the laptop computer.There’s additionally one thing known as AcerSense, which helps you to entry all of the machine’s AI options from one place. Provided that AI instruments are sometimes arduous to seek out, I used to be glad to see this new characteristic. All of this results in a smoother, extra user-friendly AI expertise.Characteristic rating: 4/5(Picture credit score: Future / Paul Hatton)Benchmark scoresWe check each certainly one of our laptops utilizing the identical benchmarking software program suite to present you an intensive overview of its suitability for creatives of all disciplines and ranges. This consists of:• Geekbench: Checks the CPU for single-core and multi-core energy, and the GPU for the system’s potential for gaming, picture processing, or video modifying. Geekbench AI checks the CPU and GPU on a wide range of AI-powered and AI-boosted duties.• Cinebench: Checks the CPU and GPU’s means to run 3D software program reminiscent of Cinema 4D and Redshift.• UL Procyon: Makes use of UL Options’ Procyon software program suite to check the system’s means for AI picture era in Steady Diffusion, its Microsoft Workplace efficiency and its battery life in a looping video check.• Topaz Video AI: We use Topaz Video AI to check the system’s means to upscale video and convert video to slow-motion.• PugetBench for Creators: We use the PugetBench for Creators benchmarking suite to check the system’s means to run a number of key duties in Photoshop and Adobe Premiere Professional, in addition to its efficiency when encoding/transcoding video.• ON1 Resize AI: Checks the system’s means to resize 5 images to 200% in a batch course of. We take the overall time taken to resize the photographs and divide by 5.(Picture credit score: Future / Paul Hatton)Efficiency• Sufficient energy for fundamental artistic duties• Severely spectacular battery lifeAcross our vary of centered checks, we had been in a position to get a fairly good concept of the Swift 16 AI’s capabilities when it comes to total CPU and GPU efficiency for picture processing, video modifying, gaming, AI, and extra. By the use of abstract, I discovered the Swift AI to be corresponding to the HP Omnibook Extremely Flip 14 however considerably inferior to the MacBook Air M4 and MacBook Professional M4 laptops.Let’s get into specifics.First up, photograph modifying. I had no issues utilizing the laptop computer for fundamental photograph modifying workflows, however as quickly as I began utilising extra superior AI instruments, together with generative ones, then I used to be actually left wanting. Gentle photograph modifying, together with Lightroom fundamentals, will likely be superb, but when you are going to push it arduous with results and edits, then you definately’ll need one thing with extra energy.By way of video modifying, it was an identical story. I did not have too many issues creating fundamental timelines and performing easy edits, however as quickly as I began including results or doing color grading, then I rapidly bumped into issues. That is mirrored in our PugetBench checks.Two of the first AI duties that creatives are desirous to utilise in the intervening time are producing new photographs and resizing present ones. We use Procyon, On1 Resize AI, and Geekbench AI to benchmark these.You would be forgiven for pondering that as a result of it has “AI” within the title, it will carry out nicely in AI duties. I am afraid not. Its pitifully low rating of 288 within the steady diffusion check simply goes to point out how poor it’s. The laptop computer can deal with fundamental Copilot duties, however throw something artistic at it and you may want you hadn’t. Quite a lot of the problems revolve across the restricted 16GB of RAM. If Acer had put 32GB in there, then the outcomes would have been higher.Now, for 3D rendering, our Cinebench checks revealed that the Swift 16 AI is not any higher than the HP Elitebook X G1i and is in the direction of the underside of all our laptop computer evaluations prior to now yr. This can be a gradual laptop computer relating to each CPU and GPU rendering.All through all my testing, I used to be critically impressed by the Acer’s means to maintain itself cool. I hardly even seen the fan, even when it was performing complicated rendering duties and AI picture era. I’ve to commend Acer for this. The shortage of noise makes the Swift 16 AI good for utilizing in public areas.By way of battery life, Acer’s declare is that it will last as long as 29 hours. My very own private expertise taught me that this quantity was solely remotely potential whereas shopping the online and streaming movies. If I spent any prolonged time period on extra demanding artistic duties, then I might solely obtain round half that life. That is not a adverse, although. The truth that it might handle nearly two working days is fairly spectacular certainly.Efficiency rating: 4/5(Picture credit score: Future / Paul Hatton)Value At £1,499.99/$1,200 the Acer Swift 16 AI is comparably priced with the equally performing MSI Status 13 AI+ Evo. You will get the Swift 16 AI on the Acer retailer, though it is typically discounted at different shops, together with Currys. For the worth, I might a lot reasonably purchase the MacBook Air 15-inch or pay barely extra to get the much more highly effective MacBook Professional M4 16-inch.Worth rating: 4/5Who is it for?• Creatives with minimally demanding workflowsThe Swift 16 AI lacks the facility required for high-end creatives engaged on AI picture and video era. It additionally lacks the oomph and devoted graphics card for 3D visualisation. I might say this can be a laptop computer for generalist creatives who do some little bit of every part or college students who work with a various set of purposes, together with phrase processing, picture modifying, and on-line shopping.Swipe to scroll horizontallyAcer Swift 16 AI rating cardAttributesNotesRatingDesign:Skinny plastic and steel helps scale back weight, however this makes it prone to wreck.3.5/5Features:The star of the present is the 3K show, however there are additionally AI instruments to assist with productiveness.4/5Performance:Nice for fundamental artistic duties, however heavy video modifying and AI duties are a no-go.4/5Value:Comparatively expensive, particularly given the shortage of sturdiness.4/5(Picture credit score: Future / Paul Hatton)Purchase it if…You need an ultra-portable laptopYou’re a generalist artistic who wants a terrific all-round performerYou want a quiet laptopDon’t purchase it if…You are anticipating it to take a whole lot of knocks and scrapes.You possibly can afford upgrading to a MacBook Professional M4 16-inch.You want a devoted GPU for intensive graphics duties.Additionally considerAcer Swift 16 AI (Intel): Value Comparability
