ZDNET's key takeaways Acer's Aspire 14 AI is on sale at Costco for $499.
It has a fantastic battery and some of the latest hardware: all for a very approachable price point.
I suggest opting for the OLED, since the low-end display isn't the best. $645 at Amazon
I went hands-on with Acer's Aspire Go 15 last year, and praised it as one of the best cheap laptops you can get, priced at around $300. This year, one of the latest additions to Acer's Aspire line, the Aspire 14 AI, is a few steps up in terms of hardware and features, but maintains a competitive price point of $699 -- or $499 on sale.
Acer's brand messaging has positioned itself as at the forefront of eco-friendly components and post-consumer recycled materials, and the aesthetic of its laptops from the past few years reflects this.
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From the exposed grill on the hinge, to the visible copper heat pipes on the bottom of the device, to the thick bezels surrounding the display, the Aspire 14 AI isn't the sleekest laptop around. Still, it reflects an unpretentious, eco-conscious aesthetic with a solid suite of hardware that shows up ready to work.
It features two Thunderbolt 4 USB-C ports that can support an external monitor at an 8K resolution, an HDMI 2.1, support for Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.4, and a Kensington lock slot. This spread of ports makes it a capable business laptop for remote or hybrid workers, particularly when paired with the battery.
Battery life, however, is the Aspire 14 AI's best feature. I know we've been singing the praises of many laptops with marathon battery life over the past year, but Acer's Aspire 14 AI fills a niche: an AI-ready budget laptop with an absolute marathon battery that will last for days on end.
Kyle Kucharski/ZDNET
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