Why this 16-inch Acer is the ideal ThinkPad replacement (especially at this price)

jul / 2025

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Acer’s Swift 16 AI is a skinny and lightweight laptop computer with a beautiful OLED show, good full-sized keyboard, and Intel Core Extremely 7 or 9 “Lunar Lake” processor beginning at $1,200: a aggressive worth for a tool that feels extra premium than you’d count on. 

I have been commuting with the Swift 16 AI for the previous two weeks, and it is develop into a shock favourite of the yr. It stands out as a great-value ultraportable that is as versatile as it’s succesful and has unbelievable battery life. 

The Acer Swift 16 AI contains a minimalist bodily construct, with an all-over, metallic matte black coating that appears so much just like the LG Gram Professional 16. Its full-sized keyboard and beneficiant number of I/O make it sensible for quite a lot of makes use of, and the bodily kind is glossy and well-designed. 

The configuration I examined had an Intel Core Extremely 7 256V, 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM, and a 1TB SSD — a versatile loadout that may perform a little little bit of all the things. It is significantly well-suited as a piece machine with Wi-Fi 7 and a responsive, very snug keyboard with a slight upward tilt due to Acer’s hinge design. 

I used to be blissful to see that each USB-C ports assist Thunderbolt 4, which is nice for people who need their exterior screens. In any other case, you additionally get an HDMI port that helps as much as 8K decision. The webcam can be surprisingly good, with 1440p decision for a crisp picture throughout video calls. 

The shiny, 3K OLED show at 120Hz is without doubt one of the laptop computer’s strongest options. It is a crisp and vibrant picture that appears unbelievable whether or not you are gaming, modifying video, or simply working in productiveness software program. Regardless of its very skinny clamshell design, I skilled little or no display wobble — one of many first issues I search for once I see a show this skinny. 

You too can get some surprisingly good gaming efficiency out of this laptop computer with the Intel Arc GPU, so long as you are not pushing the boundaries on top-tier titles. I ran a handful of my common Steam titles, and though it is not a gaming laptop computer, it feels aggressive and responsive, solely stuttering with texture shaders turned as much as max. 

The one factor is that the show is extremely shiny — we’re speaking near-mirror standing. You will want to regulate it in the event you’re in an workplace or someplace with overhead lighting, one thing I discovered myself doing quite ceaselessly. When you’re sitting along with your again to a vibrant window, it turns into borderline unusable. 

That stated, the show seems unbelievable in any other case, so I would nonetheless advocate this laptop computer to most customers until you are particularly on the lookout for a tool to make use of outdoor or should not a fan of a shiny show. 

One other critique I’ve of this laptop computer (which is an inevitable results of its worth level) is its speaker system, which isn’t nice. Whereas it is true that laptop computer audio system are infamously missing in bass and depth, this one takes that fame and runs with it.

Normally, I’d say it is a trade-off I do not thoughts, however it is a bit of a bummer that the sound is so shallow when the gaming efficiency is so good. When you’re somebody who all the time has a pair of headphones on, nevertheless, this would possibly not be a difficulty. 

In the end, the Acer Swift 16 AI’s strengths outweigh its drawbacks. In relation to on a regular basis use, the efficiency is there, and as a conveyable 16-inch laptop computer, it is well-designed and simple to commute with. 

The battery can be a banger. The laptop computer has a really skinny kind issue, however nonetheless manages to slot in a big 20Wh battery with a 65-watt cost. Relying on how you utilize it, you will get a number of days of use on one cost, and it ranks up there with different environment friendly gadgets I’ve examined this yr such because the Asus Zenbook A14, Microsoft’s Floor Laptop computer, and the Dell XPS 13 with the Snapdragon X Elite chip. 

Throughout our normal video playback take a look at, I received almost 18 hours of video playback on one cost. In relation to utilizing this laptop computer for work, you will simply final by way of the work day and into the following, until you are pushing it with extra demanding workloads. Like the entire different Lunar Lake-powered gadgets I’ve examined this yr, energy drain drops to a trickle when it is not in use. 

The Intel Core Extremely 7 chip generates little to no warmth throughout on a regular basis use, however pushing it with heavier activity hundreds and plugging within the charger will lead to temperature will increase. 

Notably, the charging course of appears to be hotter in the course of the first half-hour, or under 30%, then tapers right down to a a lot cooler temperature at increased battery percentages. Additionally, once you begin or cease charging, the laptop computer emits a chirp. All that stated, it prices very quick and might strategy 100% in about an hour in Balanced Mode. 

Past gaming, this laptop computer makes for a reliable laptop computer for creatives with its quick refresh charge and wonderful show. The 16GB of RAM may restrict high-end workloads with massive video information or 4K rendering, however it’s in any other case a pleasure to work on.

Evaluating this laptop computer to some friends, we see very shut (with one equivalent) benchmarking scores to Dell’s XPS 13 with the identical Intel Core Extremely 7 “Lunar Lake” chip. 

ZDNET’s shopping for recommendation

The Acer Swift 16 AI is a unbelievable worth and a sleeper hit from Acer’s lineup. The underside line right here is that for round $1,250, you are getting a 16-inch OLED show at 120Hz and 3K decision, a glossy, minimalist construct, full suite of I/O, and a marathon battery. These components alone work collectively to make a sensible, succesful major driver that may do a little bit of all the things. 

As a piece laptop computer, it feels premium and highly effective, regardless of the subpar audio system, which is a tradeoff I am prepared to take. 

Why the Acer Swift 16 AI will get an Editors’ Alternative award

We have awarded the Acer Swift 16 AI our Editors’ Alternative award primarily for its options, {hardware}, and construct high quality relative to cost. The “Lunar Lake” Intel Core Extremely 7 processor future-proofs this laptop computer with commendable efficiency, and its bodily construct feels extra premium than its worth level would counsel. 

In the end, it is a superb alternative for anybody wanting a beautiful show paired with unbelievable battery life. Beginning at $1,250, it is already a price, and in the event you can catch it on sale, it is even higher.