The 14-inch laptop market is saturated, with options ranging from premium ultrabooks to budget-friendly workhorses. The Acer Swift Go 14 firmly positions itself in the latter category, offering a compelling combination of high-end performance and a vibrant OLED display at a competitive price point. While some premium laptops, like the Lenovo Yoga 9i Gen 8, prioritize aesthetics and extra features, the Swift Go 14 focuses on delivering excellent performance and visual fidelity for a more affordable price. This review explores the Swift Go 14’s strengths and weaknesses, determining whether it lives up to its value proposition.
Performance Prowess for Productivity
Acer Swift Go 14 rear view showing logo and lid.Image: Acer Swift Go 14 rear view
The Acer Swift Go 14 is equipped with a powerful 45-watt Intel Core i7-13700H processor, boasting 14 cores (six Performance cores at 4.7GHz and eight Efficient cores at 3.5GHz) and 20 threads. This configuration makes it a productivity powerhouse, excelling in demanding tasks. While it relies on integrated Intel Iris Xe graphics, limiting its gaming capabilities, its CPU performance rivals and even surpasses some laptops with dedicated GPUs in productivity benchmarks. Compared to AMD’s Ryzen 7 7735HS and even the larger Samsung Galaxy Book3 Ultra, the Swift Go 14 demonstrates impressive speed. While the PCMark 10 Complete benchmark showed slightly lower scores, its overall performance remains exceptional for its price range. This makes the Swift Go 14 an ideal choice for users who prioritize CPU-intensive tasks over gaming or graphics-heavy applications.
Acer Swift Go 14 rear side view showing vents.Image: Acer Swift Go 14 rear side view showcasing vents
Display: Vibrant OLED with a Potential Quirk
Acer Swift Go 14 front view showing display.Image: Acer Swift Go 14 displaying its front view
The Swift Go 14’s 14.0-inch WQXGA+ (2,880 x 1,800) OLED display is undoubtedly a highlight. Boasting a peak brightness of 523 nits, a wide color gamut covering 97% of AdobeRGB and 100% of DCI-P3, and an exceptional contrast ratio of 36,170:1, it delivers vibrant visuals and deep blacks. However, the review unit exhibited lower color accuracy than expected, with a DeltaE of 5.96. This contrasts with other OLED laptops, which typically score closer to 1.0. While Acer suggests this might be an anomaly specific to the review unit, potential buyers should be aware of this possibility.
Design and Features: Practicality Over Flash
Acer Swift Go 14 front angled view showing display and keyboard deck.Image: Acer Swift Go 14 – Angled front view of the display and keyboard deck
The Swift Go 14 embraces a minimalist design philosophy. Its silver aluminum chassis is sturdy and well-built, but it lacks distinctive design elements. The keyboard offers comfortable key spacing and travel, while the touchpad, though slightly small, is responsive. The inclusion of a 1440p webcam is a welcome addition, providing crisp video conferencing. Connectivity is robust, featuring Thunderbolt 4, USB-A ports, HDMI 2.1, a microSD card reader, and Wi-Fi 6E. While a touch display is absent, the overall package offers solid practicality.
Acer Swift Go 14 top down view showing keyboard and touchpad.Image: Top-down view of the Acer Swift Go 14, showcasing the keyboard and touchpad.
Battery Life and Configurations: Balancing Power and Portability
The Swift Go 14’s battery life is respectable, but not exceptional. The 45-watt CPU and OLED display contribute to higher power consumption. Users should expect around 8-12 hours of use depending on the workload, which might not last a full workday for heavy users. Multiple configurations are available, catering to different budgets and needs. The reviewed model, with the Core i7-13700H, 16GB of RAM, a 512GB SSD, and the OLED display, offers excellent value.
Acer Swift Go 14 left side view showing ports.
Image: Left side view of the Acer Swift Go 14, displaying its ports.
acer swift go 14 review right
Image: Right side view of the Acer Swift Go 14, displaying its ports.
Conclusion: A Strong Contender in the Budget-Performance Segment
The Acer Swift Go 14 presents a compelling option for budget-conscious users seeking powerful performance and a stunning OLED display. While the review unit’s color accuracy raises some concerns, its overall strengths, including its robust CPU performance, vibrant visuals, and competitive price, make it a strong contender. Assuming the color accuracy issue is an anomaly, the Swift Go 14 earns a solid recommendation for productivity-focused users who prioritize performance and value.
