ZDNET's key takeaways The Acer Swift Go 14 (2024) is on sale now at B&H for $599.
It's a lightweight, responsive laptop with a touchscreen, and a slick media playback menu.
However, for a laptop so optimized for media, its speakers aren't the best. $599 at B&H Photo-Video
The 14-inch Acer Swift Go was among the first round of laptops to come loaded with Intel's Meteor Lake AI processors last year, and it does so for $899 (on sale now for $599), a mid-range price point right in the sweet spot for many consumers.
The Intel Core Ultra 7 or 9 processor isn't this laptop's only draw, but it does offer impressive performance that propels it to hang with other machines like the Asus Zenbook A14, and the Lenovo ThinkPad E14, both of which are more expensive.
Also: I replaced my ThinkPad with a Lenovo Legion laptop for work, and didn't regret it
The thin and lightweight form factor of the 2.87-pound Swift Go 14, one of its best properties, makes this one of the more compact laptops available right now, particularly for this price point.
AI-powered tasks and generative features in Adobe Photoshop work smoothly and efficiently by taking advantage of the dedicated neural processing unit (NPU) so you don't see a hit to overall performance. And this performance edge will likely become more noticeable over time.
Also: Finally, an ultraportable Windows laptop that gives my MacBook Air serious competition
The display is crisp and bright enough for most people at 400 nits. The 1920 x 1200-pixel IPS touchscreen has an anti-glare, matte coating, which looks good but also makes it responsive and precise, and I found myself using it more often than I typically do.
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