Acer Swift 14 AI Review: Copilot+ Laptop With The Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus X1P-64100  – SF14-11-X6YU

The Acer Swift 14 AI was recently announced at IFA 2024 in Berlin. It features the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon X1P-64100 processor and is in the middle of the Snapdragon PC lineup.

I originally covered Windows on Arm devices with the HP Envy X2, which featured the Snapdragon 835 Mobile PC Platform. At the time, Qualcomm pushed this as an always-on, always-online device, and I loved the idea of a lightweight PC with all-day battery life.

Sadly, my experience with it was not amazing. It was very sluggish, and app compatibility was poor. It worked OK when using the limited Windows 10S, but when you unlocked it, it really struggled.

Then, in 2022, I reviewed the Samsung Book Go, which featured the Qualcomm Snapdragon 7c and in 2022, the Apcsilmic DOT 1, which featured the same processor.

Again, I was disappointed with the performance, but at least with the Samsung Book Go, it was an affordable PC and would make an excellent alternative to a Chromebook.

Since then, Qualcomm has made tremendous progress with their ARM chipsets for Windows laptops, and a growing number of brands have launched ARM laptops.

I was eager to try the Acer Swift 14 AI and see how much things have improved in the past few years. Thankfully, my overall experience this time around has been very positive. I used the Acer Swift 14 AI as my main laptop for a couple of weeks, and it performed great for all the tasks I used it for.

Acer Swift 14 AI Specification

Unboxing / Design

The Acer Swift 14 AI boasts a slim profile, measuring just 14.90 mm in height, 322.6 mm in width, and 226 mm in depth. Its lightweight construction, weighing only 1.32 kg, makes it an excellent choice for users who are always on the move.

The laptop’s grey colour scheme gives it a professional appearance, suitable for both work and personal use. The build quality feels solid, with no noticeable flex in the chassis or keyboard deck.

Port Selection

Despite its thin design, the Swift 14 AI doesn’t skimp on connectivity options:

• 2 USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A ports
• 2 USB 4.0 Gen 1 Type-C ports
• Audio line out (3.5mm jack)

This selection of ports should be sufficient for most users, offering a good balance between modern and legacy connections.

Display

The Acer Swift 14 AI features a 14.5-inch IPS LCD display with a WQXGA resolution (2560 x 1600 pixels). This high resolution ensures crisp text and detailed images, which is particularly beneficial for tasks like photo editing and content creation.

One of the standout features of this display is its 120 Hz refresh rate. This high refresh rate contributes to smoother scrolling and a more responsive feel when navigating the user interface or playing games.

While I don’t have specific colour gamut measurements for this model, IPS displays typically offer good colour accuracy and wide viewing angles. This should make the Swift 14 AI suitable for light photo and video editing work.

The display’s brightness levels are adequate for indoor use, but it may struggle in very bright outdoor environments. Users who frequently work outdoors might want to consider this limitation.

Keyboard

The Acer Swift 14 AI comes with a backlit keyboard, which is a welcome feature for those who often work in low-light conditions. The keys have a comfortable amount of travel and provide good tactile feedback, making for a pleasant typing experience.

he touchpad is responsive and supports multi-touch gestures. Its size is generous, allowing for comfortable navigation without feeling cramped. The surface is smooth, facilitating precise cursor control.

Windows Hello WebCam

The Swift 14 AI is equipped with a 1440p QHD camera, which is a step up from the 720p cameras often found in laptops. This higher resolution should result in clearer video calls and improved image quality for streaming or content creation.

The webcam supports Windows Hello facial recognition, allowing for quick and secure logins without the need to type a password. This feature adds a layer of convenience and security to the user experience.

Performance and Benchmarks

At the heart of the Acer Swift 14 AI is the Qualcomm Snapdragon X1P-64100 processor. This deca-core (10-core) CPU runs at a base clock speed of 3.40 GHz and features 42 MB of cache.

The Snapdragon X1P-64100 is designed to offer a balance between performance and energy efficiency. In day-to-day tasks such as web browsing, document editing, and light photo editing, the processor performs admirably, with snappy response times and smooth multitasking.

However, it’s worth noting that ARM-based processors like the Snapdragon X1P-64100 may still face some compatibility issues with certain x86 applications. While the situation has improved significantly over the years, users who rely on specific software should check compatibility before purchasing.

The laptop comes with 16 GB of LPDDR5X RAM, which should be sufficient for most users’ multitasking needs. The 1 TB PCIe NVMe SSD provides ample storage space and ensures quick boot times and fast application launches.

It is no surprise that this laptop is not designed for gaming. You have two issues: the Qualcomm chipset will not be powerful enough for many modern games, and most modern games are not designed to be run on an Arm chipset. Out of curiosity, I installed some older games from Steam to see how playable they were.

• Neither Fallout 4 or Just Cause would start at all.
• Starfield launched and appears to work OK
• Civilisation V loads OK and appears to work fine, though I didn’t play it for very long, so can’t comment on how it performs when a lot of units are in play.
• XCom 2 Loads fine, and I played the first mission without any issues

For benchmarks, the laptop achieved:

• 3Dmark CPU Profile (Maz threads / 16 / 8 / 4 / 2 / 1)
  • Acer Swift Go 14 with Intel Core Ultra 7 155H: 5369 / 5018 / 4269 / 3005 / 1799 / 943
  • Acer Swift 14 AI with Qualcomm: 7863 / 7703 / 6413 / 3269 / 1636 / 821
• Steal Nomad Light:
  • Acer Swift Go 14 with Intel Core Ultra 7 155H: 2536
  • Acer Swift 14 AI with Qualcomm: 1942
• Storage Benchmark: 1958
• Solar Bay: 9775

AI Features

The Acer Swift 14 AI, as its name suggests, places a strong emphasis on artificial intelligence capabilities. These features are designed to enhance productivity and user experience.

Copilot Plus

One of the standout AI features is the dedicated Copilot Plus key. This allows users to quickly access AI-assisted functions with a single button press. The trackpad also features a cool animation that indicates when you’re interacting with AI, adding a nice visual touch to the experience.

Windows Studio Effects

The Swift 14 AI supports Windows Studio Effects, which uses AI to enhance video calls. These effects include background blur, automatic framing, and eye contact correction, all of which can help you look more professional during video conferences.

Live Captions

Another useful AI feature is Live Captions, which can provide real-time translations from 44 languages into English. This can be particularly helpful for watching foreign language content or participating in international video calls.

Windows Recall

One controversial feature is due to be rolled out to Copilot+ PC experiences powered by Snapdragon X Series processors is Windows Recall.

Windows Recall will allow users to search their PC history by capturing and storing snapshots of their screen every five seconds while in use. Users can search for past content using natural language to find images, text, or apps they’ve previously accessed. Recall offers interaction with saved snapshots, enabling users to resume previous activities like reopening webpages or apps. It includes filtering and exclusion options for certain apps and websites.

While it sounds like a useful feature, many people have expressed serious concerns about privacy. I would assume you can switch off the feature when it finally rolls out.

 WiFi 7 and Connectivity

The Acer Swift 14 AI will be future-proofed with WiFi 7 (IEEE 802.11be) support. This latest WiFi standard offers faster speeds and improved performance in congested network environments. However, it’s worth noting that WiFi 7 routers are still relatively uncommon, so you may not be able to take full advantage of this feature immediately.

During my testing, I was connected to the Ubiquiti Unifi U7 Pro WiFi 7 Access Point and achieved 1600Mbps throughout on local LAN connection and saturated my gigabit Virgin media connection.

The laptop also supports Bluetooth 5.4 for wireless peripherals and audio devices.

Battery, Heat and Fan Noise

The Acer Swift 14 AI is equipped with a 3-cell Lithium-Ion battery. While specific battery life figures aren’t provided, ARM-based processors like the Snapdragon X1P-64100 are known for their energy efficiency, which should translate to good battery life.

The laptop’s thin design may raise concerns about heat management, especially during intensive tasks. However, the energy-efficient ARM processor should help keep temperatures in check. In general use, the Swift 14 AI remains comfortably cool.

I though this may lack a fan and be completely silent but unfortunate not. The fan rarely spins up, or if it does, it is inaudible the majority of the time. When it does spin up the noise is minimal during most loads.

Price and Alternative Options

The Acer Swift 14 AI SF14-11 has an RRP of £1200, and at the time of writing, it was available from Currys for £1100.

The HP OmniBook X 14″ has an RRP of £1200 but is available for the same price as the Acer and uses the more powerful Snapdragon X Elite X1E-78-100 processor, though it has less storage with a 512GB drive.

The Microsoft Surface Pro has multiple models available with the Snapdragon X Plus (10 Core) model with 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD is available for £1250 but this price does not include they detachable keyboard.

The Surface Laptop with the Snapdragon  X Plus (10 Core), a 13.8” display, 16GB of RAM and 512GB storage is available for £1249.

The LENOVO Yoga Slim 7X 14″ is £1300 but has the Snapdragon X Elite X1E-78-100 Processor, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD and a OLED display.

Overall

The Acer Swift 14 AI SF14-11 is the first Qualcomm-based Windows laptop that I could use as my main laptop, and I am finally sold on the idea of using a Qualcomm Snapdragon laptop.

It is obviously not ideal for gaming, but it is superb for general productivity and office use. It feels just as fast as my Intel and AMD-based laptops while running silently most of the time, and it has an outstanding battery life.

The only criticism I can think of is that there are a growing number of Qualcomm-based laptops at this price point. I think the Acer is priced appropriately compared to the others, but it doesn’t necessarily stand out as the best option. For example, the HP OmniBook X is the same price and more powerful but has less storage and slower WiFi 6E.

Overall, the Acer Swift 14 AI is a great ultra-portable laptop with an incredible battery life and is ideal for anyone who travels a lot with their laptop.

James Smythe( Editor-in-chief )

I am James, a UK-based tech enthusiast and the Editor and Owner of Mighty Gadget, which I’ve proudly run since 2007. Passionate about all things technology, my expertise spans from computers and networking to mobile, wearables, and smart home devices.

As a fitness fanatic who loves running and cycling, I also have a keen interest in fitness-related technology, and I take every opportunity to cover this niche on my blog. My diverse interests allow me to bring a unique perspective to tech blogging, merging lifestyle, fitness, and the latest tech trends.

In my academic pursuits, I earned a BSc in Information Systems Design from UCLAN, before advancing my learning with a Master’s Degree in Computing. This advanced study also included Cisco CCNA accreditation, further demonstrating my commitment to understanding and staying ahead of the technology curve.

I’m proud to share that Vuelio has consistently ranked Mighty Gadget as one of the top technology blogs in the UK. With my dedication to technology and drive to share my insights, I aim to continue providing my readers with engaging and informative content.