Everything a bit bigger: After we recently took a look at the Acer Swift 14 AI with a 14-inch display, the manufacturer has now followed suit: The Acer Swift 16 AI comes with a noticeably larger 16-inch display, but is hardly any taller. The features are identical, although the 16-inch model is also available with a more powerful CPU and more memory. Our test.
Technical data
| The product | Swift 16 AI |
| Processor | Core Ultra 5 226V (8 cores up to 4.5 GHz) / Core Ultra 7 256V (8 cores up to 4.8 GHz) |
| Graphics performance | Intel Arc Graphics 130V / Intel Arc Graphics 140V |
| Display | 16 inch OLED; 2,880 x 1,800; 120 Hz |
| Memory capacity | 512 GB PCIe 4.0 installed / 1,024 GB PCIe 4.0 installed |
| Working memory | 16 GB DDR5 RAM |
| Keyboard | Chiclet; with white illumination |
| Operating system | Windows 11 Home |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 7; Bluetooth 5.4 |
| Dimensions | 356 mm x 249.4 mm x 16 mm |
| Weight | 1,462 grams (without power adapter) |
| Battery capacity | 70 Wh |
| Price | € 1,099.00 * / € 1,289.00 * |
Acer Swift 16 AI review: Stylish 16-inch notebook in blue
- attractive design
- Impeccable workmanship
- soldered RAM; only 1 M.2 slot
You can tell at first glance that the Swift 14 AI and the Acer Swift 16 AI are siblings. The case has the same bluish-grey color scheme (Steam Blue) and the same high-quality aluminum finish.
Visually, the 16-inch model also looks great and impresses with its elegant look and feel. With dimensions of 356 mm x 249.4 mm x 15.95 mm, the 16-inch model is of course noticeably larger than its smaller sibling, but is still pleasantly handy for its size. The weight of 1.46 kg also makes the Swift 16 AI a convincing companion for mobile use.
The notebook has also inherited the display, which can be opened by a full 180° so that the laptop can be laid flat on the table. The robust hinges leave a very high-quality impression.
As with the Swift 14 AI, 10 Torx screws are used to access the interior for maintenance. Unfortunately, the RAM is soldered, just like on the Swift 14 AI, while an M.2 SSD slot is available for memory expansion.
Features and connections
- Intel Core Ultra 5 226V with 16 GB RAM, only 512 GB SSD (base model)
- Intel Core Ultra 7 256V with 16 GB RAM and 1,024 GB SSD
- Various configurations; but hardly any maintenance options
- Wi-Fi 7; Bluetooth 5.4
The equipment of the basic model of the Acer Swift 16 AI is also identical to its smaller sibling. Acer has equipped the notebook with a current Intel Core Ultra 5 226V processor with eight cores and clock speeds of up to 4.5 GHz. The built-in graphics solution is the Intel Arc Graphics 130V.
This is joined by 16 gigabytes of LPDDR5X RAM and an SSD with a capacity of 512 GB, which is extremely tight. Modern connectivity standards such as Intel Killer Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4 skilfully round off the equipment.
Other variants
Our second test model is based on the Intel Core Ultra 7 256V, which also has eight cores, but with a higher clock rate of 2,200 MHz to 4,800 MHz. Here too, 16 GB of RAM is used, while the SSD is twice as large at 1 TB.
Another advantage: The internal GPU in the form of the Intel Arc Graphics 140V is significantly more powerful, which should improve 3D and gaming performance. The surcharge for this variant is limited at 200 euros: the model currently costs € 1,289.00 *. However, the remaining specifications and features are identical.
For an additional 100 euros, you can also get the Swift 16 AI with an Intel Core Ultra 7 258V, 32 GB RAM and 1 TB SSD. Undoubtedly the more future-proof choice if you have these 300 euros at your disposal. For €1,899, you can also get the notebook with an Intel Core Ultra 9 288V chip, the most powerful version.
All models share the fingerprint sensor in the power button and the QHD webcam with Windows Hello login. The image quality is fine. There is also a mechanical privacy shutter if you want to hide the camera.
The speakers are also taken from the 14-inch model and are unfortunately not convincing despite DTS:X tuning. Despite the high maximum volume, the sound quality is unfortunately only average.
USB 4 and HDMI 2.1: The connections
In terms of connections, the Acer Swift 16 AI unfortunately gives away some potential, as the selection of ports is exactly the same as in the case of the smaller model. Meaning:
- 1x HDMI 2.1
- 2x USB-A 3.2
- 2x USB-C 4.0
- 1x 3.5 mm jack
This is understandable for a 14-inch notebook. Here, however, there would be considerably more space available due to the larger casing. It’s a mystery to me why Acer has chosen not to include a card reader here. But hey, at least there are two USB-A ports.
Keyboard, touchpad and display
- Good keyboard with pleasant feedback
- Very good trackpad
I already liked the chiclet keyboard with its good feedback in the Swift 14 AI. This also applies to the Acer Swift 16 AI. The keyboard is good, but the key travel and pressure points could be a little better or crisper. However, the manufacturer makes good use of the extra space in the casing and offers a number pad on the right-hand side.
In contrast to the smaller model, however, the inside is black – I like the bluish design of the 14-inch model a little better.
The size and quality of the touchpad, on the other hand, are identical: it measures 12.6 cm x 8 cm and scores points with its excellent gliding properties, which also allow multi-touch gestures to be implemented flawlessly. The symbol in the top right-hand corner of the touchpad displays a light effect when you are using an AI app. If you don’t want this, you can deactivate this function in the accompanying software.
Beautiful OLED display with 120 Hz
- Bright OLED display
- 120 Hz
- 100 percent DCI-P3 color space coverage
We also already know the display of the Acer Swift 16 AI. Acer has given the laptop an excellent OLED display with a resolution of 2,880 x 1,800 pixels in 16:10 format and an outstanding brightness of up to 500 cd/m².
However, the 16-inch model has a refresh rate of 120 Hz, while the Acer Swift 14 AI only uses 90 Hz. This makes everything look noticeably smoother – very pleasant. The display is really great. High-contrast, colorful and with 100% DCI-P3 color space coverage, it is also extremely color-accurate.
However, the glossy display suffers from extreme reflections in direct light. In outdoor use, content is difficult to read when the sun shines directly on the screen. Otherwise, however, there is nothing to complain about: An absolute top screen.
Acer Swift 16 AI: Practical test, volume and cooling
- mostly fanless operation
- low noise level
- low heat development
The Acer Swift 16 AI is a very quiet notebook. Even under constant load from benchmarks or stress tests, the fans only rarely turn up and reach a maximum noise level of 35 dB(A). This is noticeably quieter than the Swift 14 AI and very pleasant.
The temperature development is also kept within limits and is on the same level as its smaller sibling. I measured a maximum of 41 C° below the display under load. This is also slightly lower than the 14-inch model. This shows that Acer has the 16-inch model in particular very well under control.
Acer delivers the notebook with the practical companion app AcerSense, which offers you various setting options. In addition to system monitoring and analysis, you can choose between three different performance modes. In quiet mode, the notebook noticeably reduces the fan volume by throttling the performance, while the performance mode utilizes the maximum power – but at the cost of a significantly higher noise level.
The performance mode provides a slight performance boost, especially in the graphics area, but the difference is not really decisive. Somewhat annoying: As usual with Acer, the device is pre-installed with some bloatware. This includes games such as Forge of Empires and Elvenar as well as apps such as Booking.com or ExpressVPN.
Benchmark: Productivity, system, SSD and gaming
What about the performance of the Swift 16 AI? Of course, I took a closer look at this in the various benchmarks. Unless otherwise stated, the “Standard” mode was used, which does not deliver the maximum possible performance, but keeps the notebook quite quiet even under load.
I measured the productivity and system performance with PCMark 10 and Cinebench R23. PCMark 10 simulates different workflows when running the benchmark, which include word processing, surfing the Internet and spreadsheets. Cinebench, on the other hand, measures the speed of the CPU cores individually and in multi-core mode.
Geekbench 6, which measures the performance of the CPU in single and multi-core mode, as well as the power of the GPU, is now also available in our benchmark test section. In addition, Cinebench 2024 is now also available, which offers better comparison options with a new engine and a more uniform benchmark scene since September 2023.
In terms of performance, we can keep things fairly brief, as the Acer Swift 16 AI is largely on a par with the 14-series model. However, all areas, including CPU, GPU and system, are slightly below the smaller sibling. This is probably due to the more restrained fans, but doesn’t make too much of a difference in practice.
Interesting: Acer not only gives the better equipped model with Core i7 a larger SSD, but also a much faster one from Western Digital, which achieves sequential read speeds of over 5,000 MB/s. Unsurprisingly, the system performance is also significantly higher than that of the notebook with Core Ultra 5, without the more powerful laptop becoming noticeably louder or warmer.
| Benchmark | Core Ultra 5 | Core Ultra 7 |
| Cinebench R23 Multi Core | 9,374 pts | 9,327 points |
| Cinebench R23 Single Core | 1,785 pts | 1,888 pts |
| Cinebench 2024 Multi Core | 512 pts | 521 pts |
| Cinebench 2024 Single Core | 112 pts | 121 pts |
| PCMark 10 Total | 5,927 pts | 6,735 pts |
| PCMark 10 Essentials | 9,184 pts | 9,901 points |
| PCMark 10 Productivity | 6,839 pts | 8,611 pts |
| PCMark 10 Digital Content | 8,997 pts | 9,724 pts |
| Geekbench 6 Multi Core | 10,019 pts | 10,890 pts |
| Geekbench 6 Single Core | 2,437 pts | 2,713 pts |
| Geekbench 6 GPU | 24,992 pts | 28,637 pts |
Surprisingly, both chips are quite close to each other in the multi-core range. In places, the Core Ultra 5 even has the edge, despite lower clock rates. The situation is completely different in the overall system test, where the Core Ultra 7 outperforms the cheaper model in all respects.
So if you work a lot with spreadsheets and documents or edit images and videos, the Core Ultra 7 is noticeably better, whereas the 3D and gaming benchmarks show how much stronger the Intel Arc 140V is. The Acer Swift 16 AI with Core Ultra 7 is noticeably ahead here.
| Benchmark | Core Ultra 5 (Arc 130V) | Core Ultra 7 (Arc 140V) |
| 3DMark Fire Strike | 6,495 pts | 8,266 points |
| 3DMark Time Spy | 3,684 pts | 4,169 pts |
| 3DMark Speed Way | 649 pts | 742 pts |
| 3DMark Port Royal | 1,615 pts | 1,698 pts |
| 3DMark Steel Nomad | 550 pts | 708 pts |
| Final Fantasy 15 (1080p; High) | 3,796 pts | 4,190 pts |
So if you want to play games occasionally, you can definitely do so with the Acer Swift 16 AI. The more powerful model in particular displays games smoothly in 1080p with medium or low details.
Battery life of the Acer Swift 16 AI
- 70 Wh battery
- 8 hours and 17 minutes runtime (Core Ultra 5)
- 12 hours and 19 minutes runtime (Core Ultra 7)
Acer has equipped the 16-inch device with a 70 Wh battery, which is 5 Wh larger than that of the Swift 14 AI. It is charged via USB-C using a compact 65-watt power adapter, with a full charge taking around an hour and a half.
Despite the slightly larger battery, the runtime is somewhat shorter compared to the 14 model. However, 8 hours and 17 minutes in the PCMark 10 battery benchmark at maximum brightness is still a very good value, especially for a notebook with an OLED display.
Surprisingly, the Acer Swift 16 AI with Core Ultra 7 256V processor is much more energy efficient. This is despite the fact that the battery capacity is the same and, apart from the processor and the SSD, nothing has changed in terms of features.
The more expensive version lasts considerably longer than the 8 hours of battery life of the model with Core Ultra 5. At the end of the Modern Office benchmark, a very good 12 hours and 19 minutes are recorded.
Acer Swift 16 AI Review: Conclusion
The Acer Swift 16 AI also presents itself as a convincing notebook for everyday use and delivers sufficient performance for office tasks, streaming, light image editing and light gaming.
Acer equips the laptop with an appealing and high-quality design and also delivers convincing build quality at an impressive level. The whole thing is combined with modern features and a really great OLED display, which even achieves a refresh rate of 120 hertz.
Compared to the Swift 14 AI, the 16-inch model is significantly quieter. Even under continuous load, the fans remain quiet for a comparatively long time and do not reach the volume of the smaller model even when they do turn up. This makes the laptop interesting for anyone who wants the lowest possible noise development.
In our eyes, the low surcharge for the model with Intel Core Ultra 7 256V is absolutely worth it. This is because the SSD is not only better sized at 1 terabyte, but also noticeably faster. The chip and especially the GPU deliver better results, sometimes more and sometimes less, which makes the laptop more future-proof. Especially if you want to handle more intensive tasks or play games from time to time.
But not everything is gold. Unfortunately, the RAM is soldered and cannot be expanded. There is only one M.2 slot available for memory expansion and the manufacturer has unfortunately omitted an SD card reader. The built-in speakers are also average at best and the webcam is okay. If that doesn’t bother you, the Acer Swift 16 AI is a convincing notebook at a fair price.
- Great OLED display
- Chic design
- Modern features
- Soldered RAM
- Only one M.2 slot
- Disappointing speakers
Acer Swift 16 AI
Design & Workmanship
Display
Features
Performance
Battery
Value For Money
87/100
Elegant notebook with modern features and good battery life at a fair price. The display is great, but the soldered RAM and speakers are less so.
