Acer Swift Go 14 Meteor review 2024: great OLED beauty

The Acer Swift Go 14 is the first laptop that we have had the opportunity to test that is equipped with the new Intel Meteor Lake chips. After spending a few days with it, I have the impression that the upcoming “AI PC revolution” will be a little less harsh than what is being projected. Despite the fact that I am still getting used to all of the subtle ways in which Meteor Lake alters the experience of using an ultraportable 14-inch device, I can immediately tell that it is going to make laptops more exciting in the year 2024.

We regret to inform you that the results of our preliminary testing indicate that at least some of the benefits that are promised for Meteor Lake are exaggerated. Following a few days of putting the new Swift Go 14 with a new Intel Core 7 Ultra processor through its paces, I can confidently say that I would prefer to have a Meteor Lake CPU in my ultraportable device rather than any earlier Intel silicon.

Acer provided us with a fully equipped Swift Go 14 with this chip. Despite the fact that it appears that these chips will not be able to provide the computing revolution that Intel has been teasing, the new capabilities are fantastic for thin-and-light laptops that place an emphasis on battery life. Furthermore, I have never been more delighted with the gaming performance of an Intel integrated graphics chipset.

Acer Swift Go 14 Meteor: Specifications

Despite its diminutive size and light weight, the Acer Swift Go 14 Meteor is a laptop that packs a formidable punch. There is a 14-inch Full HD IPS display included, as well as up to 16GB of LPDDR5 RAM, a processor with up to an Intel Core i7-13700H, and a PCIe Gen 4 NVMe SSD with up to 1TB of storage space. Additionally, it has a long battery life, which makes it an excellent option for professionals and students who are constantly on the move.

Acer Swift Go 14 Meteor review: Design

The Acer Swift Go 14, which was sent to us for the purpose of testing Meteor Lake, is a gorgeous little laptop. It has a sturdy chassis made of silver aluminium, and it has small grey rubber nubs on the bottom and the rear to provide it with a little bit of comfort. We were supposed to evaluate Meteor Lake, thus it was delivered to us for that purpose. It is easy to move due to its dimensions, which are around 12.3 inches by 8.6 inches by 0.59 inches, and its weight, which is less than three pounds.

My ability to work remotely from a coffee shop was made possible by the fact that I was able to easily store it in the glove compartment of my vehicle. After you have opened it, you will notice a keyboard that is well-spaced and contains keys that are designed in the chiclet manner. There is a good, large touchpad that is centred beneath the keyboard, and it is located to the right of the keyboard.

There is a great amount of travel on the keys, and I never had any problems getting the touchpad to register my clicks, taps, and swipes. Although my hands are a bit too big for the keyboard on this 14-inch display, the travel on the keys is satisfying despite the fact that the keyboard is a little too tiny.

Acer Swift Go 14 Meteor review: Display

Our Acer Swift Go 14 review model comes equipped with a 14-inch WUXGA (1920×1200) IPS touchscreen that is more than adequate for performing tasks such as working, viewing movies, and playing games. With that being said, it is not exactly remarkable. In my opinion, the touchscreen works quite well, and the quality is excellent for the size of this laptop; nonetheless, the colours have a tendency to appear rather muted and subdued.

It is also a frustrating experience to use in direct sunshine, unless you turn the brightness all the way up. Even then, you will still be unable to see certain small features owing to the glare. Both my hands-on experience and our first display testing are supported by findings. The display of this Acer Swift Go 14 managed to display 111.7% of the sRGB colour spectrum and 79.1% of the more demanding DCI-P3 gamut, which is satisfactory for a laptop of this size and price.

Acer Swift Go 14 Meteor review: Performance

With its new Intel Core 7 Ultra Meteor Lake chip, our Acer Swift Go 14 has felt pretty fast in everyday use. I have no issues about how quickly it opens apps or switches between them. I sometimes noticed that some apps, like the independent game Caves of Qud, took a long time to start, but overall, this Swift Go 14 felt quick and responsive.

That’s about what I’d expect from an ultraportable 14-inch computer with 16GB of RAM and a cutting-edge Intel chip. What I wasn’t expecting was that this Swift Go 14 would run current 3D games like Ghostrunner 2 pretty well. Even on average settings, it fights to hit 30 frames per second in such a demanding game. But that’s the kind of game I wouldn’t have thought would even run on a $999 Windows laptop a few years ago.

In the tests, this Acer Swift Go 14 is pretty fast. The Intel Core 7 Ultra Meteor Lake chip inside did pretty well in Geekbench 6. In fact, it did a little better than the more expensive entry-level 14-inch MacBook Pro M3 in terms of multi-core speed. This is how long it takes the laptop to use Handbrake to change a 4K movie to 1080p. The Acer Swift Go 14 was also tied with Apple’s entry-level 14-inch Pro in our video editing test. This Meteor Lake laptop isn’t as good as Apple’s newest chips, but it’s still competitive in some important ways.

Acer Swift Go 14 Meteor review: Keyboard And Trackpad

Inside of the Acer Swift Go 14, there is a huge keyboard that is located in the middle of the device. The shape is large, and there is sufficient space between the keys that represent the letters and the numbers. Some of the control keys, such as Shift and Caps Lock, are a touch too small, but they are not any larger than what you would anticipate on a laptop with a screen size of 14 inches.

The feel of the key is lovely. One of the features that sets the Acer Swift Go 14 apart from other laptops is its clean and tactile keyboard, which also features a bottoming motion that is both firm and discernible. In addition, the keys do not move very far, which makes it simpler to type swiftly using your touch. This is an excellent experience in every respect, and it is particularly useful for individuals who write a significant amount on a daily basis.

This laptop, like the majority of others with a 14-inch screen, does not feature a number button. If you are looking for a laptop with a number pad and a screen size of 14 inches, you might want to consider the Vivobook or Zenbook range from Asus. There is a number pad concealed within the touchpads of each of these devices.

Acer Swift Go 14 Meteor review: Port

There are a number of outstanding features that can be found on the Acer Swift Go 14, which is a laptop of this size. Located on the left-hand side of the tablet are two Thunderbolt 4/USB-C connectors, an HDMI 2.1 port, and a USB-A port for older devices. All of these ports are compatible with earlier accessories. More USB-A ports, a microSD card reader, a headphone jack, and a Kensington lock slot are all found on the right-hand side of the device.

Additionally, there is a Kensington lock slot. For the purpose of charging the laptop, you will be required to make use of one of the USB-C ports that are situated on the left side of the device. If you are sat in a position that does not have any power outlets on the right side of the device, this could be a very challenging situation for you.

Aside from that, however, it possesses a dependable port array that can be employed for a wide variety of applications, which changes this compact Swift Go into a 14-inch laptop that is fairly convenient to use.

Acer Swift Go 14 Meteor review: Webcam, microphone, biometrics

A 1440p camera is concealed under the top bezel of the Acer Swift Go 14, which is a narrow bezel. The picture has a very clear and sharp appearance, and the colours appear to be accurate. Aside from that, the brightness is just right. Even while the picture will appear grainy in low light, it will not be any worse than it is with other cameras.

In addition, the viewing angle is too broad for my preferences; nevertheless, this is something that can be easily corrected in software, and the 1440p resolution enables me to crop the picture without taking away from its sharpness. The microphone quality is also strong, with a noise that is loud enough and a sound that is crisp and clear, which should make it simple for your coworkers to understand what you are saying when you are on a video call.

Despite this, there is not much noise reduction, which means that background noise may still be present. In order to complete the biometric registration process, a fingerprint scanner is located on the power button of the Swift Go 14. In spite of the fact that the fingerprint reader is effective, it will not function properly if your finger is even slightly filthy or moist. In order to log in, you are unable to use facial recognition.

Final Words

For the sake of this review, I was provided with an Acer Swift Go 14 model, which is an amazing ultraportable laptop that is both economical and a wonderful little computer. Although the display is not especially great and the speakers are a little weak and tinny, you are receiving precisely what you paid for at a price of $999. This is the case despite the fact that the display is not very impressive.

A port array that is helpful, a keyboard that is satisfying, and a decent level of speed for work and some light gaming are all included in the package that you will receive. In addition, although the battery life of 10 hours that was tested is not particularly outstanding, it is good enough that you can frequently bring this laptop to the office or to a coffee shop without having to worry about bringing a charger along with you. This is because the battery life is suitable enough.

Acer Swift Go 14 Meteor review: The Good and Bad

This Acer Swift Go 14 Meteor debuts with Intel’s new Meteor Lake chips inside its slim, sturdy chassis, making it one of the first “AI laptops” on the market. However, the nascent AI features and middling improvements to battery life leave me wanting more.

Questions and Answers