Copilot+ PCs are all the buzz in the tech industry, but are they worth the upgrade from already great Windows laptops? That's the question we're answering with the Acer Swift 14 AI and Asus Zenbook 14.
The Acer Swift and Asus Zenbook series are the lightweight champions at their respective companies. And with Acer sipping the Copilot+ PC juice, where does that leave Asus with its Zenbook 14 that just released this year?
Should you get an Acer Swift 14 Copilot+ PC? Or is the reliable Zenbook 14 good enough? Let's find out.
Acer Swift 14 AI vs. Asus Zenbook 14: Specs compared
Acer Swift 14 AI vs. Asus Zenbook 14: Price
There's a decent price gap to jump onto the Copilot+ PC train, at least with the Acer Swift 14 AI. But what does Acer offer that the Asus Zenbook 14 can't?
For $1,199, the Acer Swift 14 AI features a Snapdragon X Elite X1E-78-100 processor, 16GB of RAM, 1TB SSD, and a 14.5-inch, 2560 x 1600, 120Hz display.
For $749, the Asus Zenbook 14 sports an Intel Core Ultra 7 155H processor, 16GB of RAM, a 1TB SSD, and a 14-inch, 1920 x 1200, 60Hz, OLED display.
The Zenbook 14 is $450 cheaper. That's practically a whole laptop, an inexpensive one, mind you, but a whole nonetheless. It competes in RAM and storage, but the Acer supports a higher-spec display with more real estate. However, the Zenbook 14 does offer an OLED display, whereas the Acer's is IPS. OLED technology offers bolder colors and deeper blacks.
If you're on a budget, the Asus Zenbook 14 is the easy choice.
Winner: Asus Zenbook 14
Acer Swift 14 AI vs. Asus Zenbook 14: Design
Asking me to choose between two gray laptops is like asking me to choose between two rocks I found on the street. The Acer Swift 14 AI and Asus Zenbook 14 are gray metal rocks.
The Zenbook 14 is a shade darker, but that's about it. As far as ports go, they're similar, except the Swift 14 offers an additional Type-A port, whereas the Zenbook 14 features an HDMI port instead.
In terms of size, the Zenbook 14 is more portable due to the lower screen size, coming in at 3 pounds and 12.3 x 8.67 x 0.59 inches. The Swift 14 stacks up to 3.2 pounds and is 12.7 x 9.0 x 0.66~0.72 inches.
It really depends on your preference, but if you're looking for the more portable of the two, the Asus Zenbook 14 is the easy choice.
Winner: Asus Zenbook 14
Acer Swift 14 AI vs. Asus Zenbook 14: Display
Now here is where things get interesting.
The Acer Swift 14 AI rocks a 14.5-inch, 2560 x 1600, 120Hz, IPS display, while the Asus Zenbook 14 has a 14-inch, 1920 x 1200, 60Hz, OLED display.
The odds seem to be in the Swift 14's favor, but it's never so simple.
From the specs alone, you might want to side with the Acer Swift 14 AI. However, the display technology is vastly different, and the difference in how content is displayed on an OLED vs. IPS panel is shocking. But what does that mean regarding their benchmarks?
The Acer Swift 14 AI covers 75.6% of the DCI-P3 color gamut and emits 367 nits of brightness. The Asus Zenbook 14 outputs 79.8% of the DCI-P3 color gamut and supports 339 nits of brightness.
The Swift 14 AI is bigger, brighter, sharper, and smoother. Yet, I'd rather watch content on the Asus Zenbook 14. Let me explain. It may look like it's only 4.2% more colorful, but in practice, the OLED is pulling a boulder's worth of weight.
The depth of color and the deep blacks will make you feel like you're there. Even in our review, we were fooled by the display and naturally assumed that the color depth was much higher. In the real world, the Zenbook 14 wins.
Winner: Asus Zenbook 14
Acer Swift 14 AI vs. Asus Zenbook 14: Performance
Now here's where the key difference comes in between a Copilot+ PC and the rest: The Snapdragon X Elite X1E-78-100 chipset. So how does Acer's Qualcomm chip stack up against the Asus Zenbook 14's Intel Core Ultra 7 155H CPU?
On the Geekbench 6.3 overall performance test, the Acer Swift 14 AI scored 14,531, speeding past the Asus Zenbook 14, which scored 12,707.
Looking at real-world tests, the Acer Swift 14 AI transcoded a 4K video to 1080p in 4 minutes and 46 seconds, just slipping past the Zenbook 14's 6:36 time.
The Acer also performed well in our storage test. We measured the transfer rate of 25GB of multimedia files, and the Swift 14’s 1TB SSD scored 1,891 megabytes per second, while the Zenbook 14’s 1TB SSD managed 1,236 megabytes per second.
Winner: Acer Swift 14 AI
Acer Swift 14 AI vs. Asus Zenbook 14: Battery life
Copilot+ PCs quickly rose to fame due to their incredible battery life, and the Acer Swift 14 AI lives up to that standard. However, the Asus Zenbook 14 ranks among the laptops with best battery life.
So, which comes out on top?
On the Laptop Mag battery test — which continuously surfs through webpages over Wi-Fi at 150 nits of brightness — the Acer Swift 14 AI lasted a whopping 17 hours and 30 minutes.
The Zenbook 14 died over an hour ago, at 15 hours and 52 minutes.
While that's a decent gap, the Zenbook 14 still offers incredible battery life. But if you need to squeeze out every minute of battery life, the Acer Swift 14 AI is better.
Winner: Acer Swift 14 AI
Overall winner: Asus Zenbook 14
Everyone wants to know how the Asus Zenbook 14 stands up to a Copilot+ PC like the Acer Swift 14 AI, and it's a tight race. Qualcomm is pulling its weight, and in fact it's better than Intel right now in terms of performance and battery life (at least in this case). But as far as overall laptops go, the Asus Zenbook 14 is the victor.
The Asus Zenbook 14 is more affordable, it offers a portable design, and it's tough to beat an OLED display. However, the Acer Swift 14 AI is a great choice if you want the leading laptop in performance and battery life. It'll likely last longer throughout the years.
Overall, for a whopping $450 price gap, the Asus Zenbook 14 offers more than comparable performance and battery life. I'd get the Zenbook before anything else.
Winner: Asus Zenbook 14
