What you need to know
- Acer announced the Swift Go 14 AI laptop with the new 8-core Snapdragon X Plus (X1P-42) processor at IFA 2024.
- The laptop is available with up to a QHD+ display with 120Hz refresh rate and 100% sRGB color.
- A 75Wh battery is expected to offer all-day battery life; Acer claims up to 28 hours of video playback.
- The Swift Go 14 AI is expected to launch in NA and EMEA markets in September starting at $1,000/€999. It's also coming to Australia in Q4 2024 starting at $2,799 AUD.
IFA 2024 officially begins on September 6 in Berlin, but Acer's next-gen product lineup has been announced. Alongside a bunch of new Nitro V and Predator Orion gaming PCs, new monitors, and laptops, Acer has unveiled the Swift Go 14 AI (SFG14-01) powered by Qualcomm's fresh 8-core Snapdragon X Plus System-on-Chip (SoC).
The new AI PC is also a Copilot+ PC thanks to the SoC's Neural Processing Unit (NPU) with 45 TOPS of power for local AI acceleration, and it boasts up to a 14.5-inch QHD+ display with 120Hz refresh rate and 100% sRGB color.
With an expected starting price of about $1,000 when it launches in September, Acer's new laptop won't be one of the $700 budget machines that Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon says to expect in 2025. Still, it's great to see Acer jump on board with the new Snapdragon X chip at a (still) reasonable price.
The Swift Go 14 AI with Snapdragon X Plus is part of a three-pronged approach to Acer's Copilot+ strategy. Acer also announced an AMD-powered Swift 14 AI (SF14-61/T), Intel-powered Swift 14/16 AI laptops, and the TravelMate P6 14 AI, and they're all expected to get access to Copilot+ in November.
Let's dig into the Acer Swift Go 14 AI with Snapdragon X Plus SoC right here, but don't forget to check out my coverage on the other new Copilot+ PCs with AMD and Intel hardware coming this year from Acer.
The new 8-core Snapdragon X Plus SoC comes to Acer Swift
One of the most noteworthy pieces of news coming out of IFA 2024 is the launch of Qualcomm's new 8-core Snapdragon X Plus SoC. It's a more affordable alternative to the other Snapdragon chips we've already seen and tested, and it should fit in very well with the mobile-minded Swift Go 14 AI (SFG14-01).
The chip is joined by up to 32GB of LPDDR5x dual-channel RAM and up to a 1TB M.2 PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD, so there's no question that the chip won't have enough support. And with a relatively huge 75Wh battery, the X Plus efficiency should be on full display. Acer says to expect up to 28 hours of video playback, which should easily convert to a full workday and more of actual productivity tasks.
Price: From $999.99
CPU: Snapdragon X Plus (X1P-42)
GPU: Qualcomm Adreno
NPU: Qualcomm Hexagon (45 TOPS)
RAM: Up to 32GB LPDDR5x
SSD: Up to 1TB M.2 PCIe 4.0 NVMe
Display: 14.5 inches, IPS, 16:10, 120Hz, 100% sRGB, NVIDIA Advanced Optimus, up to 2560x1600, 350 nits
Ports: Two USB4, two USB-A 3.2, 3.5mm audio
Battery: 75Wh
Camera: 1440p
Wireless: Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4
Dimensions: 12.7 x 8.9 x 0.39-0.71 inches
Weight: From 2.91 pounds (1.32kg)
The Swift Go 14 AI looks a lot like Acer's other modern Swift laptops, with a sleek silver finish and a chassis that weighs in at just 2.91 pounds (1.32kg). I love the look of Acer's AI icon that's apparent on the laptop's lid, though the accompanying AI Activity indicator on the laptop's touchpad doesn't seem as neat. It lights up anytime the NPU (or Copilot) is in use, which could get annoying over time; I'm hoping it can be disabled.
Despite the slim build — which measures just 0.39 inches at its thinnest point — the laptop offers dual USB4, dual USB-A 3.2, and a 3.5mm audio jack. Wireless connectivity is handled by modern Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4.
Two 14.5-inch displays are listed as options, starting with a more affordable 1920x1200 (FHD+) IPS screen with a 120Hz refresh rate and 100% sRGB color. You'll also be able to step up to a 2560x1600 (QHD+) display with 350 nits brightness, 120Hz refresh rate, and 100% sRGB color. At this size, you'll get plenty of clarity even at FHD+, but it's nice to see the upgrade option available for those with deeper pockets.
Other standout features I love to see are a 1440p webcam with a privacy shutter and a fingerprint reader in the power button. All this for a starting price of $999.99 when it launches in September should make it quite attractive to many users who want to test out Copilot+.
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How the 8-core X Plus fits into Qualcomm's Snapdragon X lineup
Qualcomm's Snapdragon X SoCs were originally unveiled with four different options, including three from Snapdragon X Elite and one from Snapdragon X Plus. The first wave of impressive Copilot+ PCs launched in May 2024 and have since wowed us with performance and efficiency. But Qualcomm wasn't finished.
It's not much of a surprise that Qualcomm quickly expanded its selection of chips, and you can now find a more powerful X Elite (X1E-00-IDE) chip with 12 cores as well as a more affordable X Plus (X1P-42) chip with 8 cores. The latter X Plus chip was only just announced earlier today at IFA 2024, and it should prove to be a popular choice for more affordable laptops like the Swift Go 14 AI.
Despite it having fewer cores than its siblings, the X Plus (X1P-42) boasts a 3.4GHz clock speed and the same Hexagon NPU with up to 45 TOPS of power for local AI acceleration. You might notice that the CPU and GPU portions of the chip don't match up to the higher-tier Snapdragon X chips, but the NPU should deliver Copilot+ features on par thanks to the same TOPS count.
The usual range of Copilot+ features will be available, including the beleaguered Windows Recall, Live Captions, Cocreator, Windows Studio Effects, and more.
