Acer introduced the new Swift 14 laptop at CES 2023, which features a beautiful dual-tone design and powerful Intel 13th-generation processors. It also marks a change for the company's naming conventions. It's done away with its numbered tiers like Swift 3, 5, or 7, but that doesn't mean the Swift 14 is wildly different. It's a successor to the Swift 5 and takes a lot of inspiration from it in terms of design. However, it's packing even more performance.

Seeing as the Swift 5 was already one of the best Acer laptops on the market, the new Swift 14 is all the more interesting. If you want to know more about it, we've rounded up everything there is to know before you consider buying one.

Acer Swift 14 specs

Operating system

  • Windows 11 Home

CPU

  • Intel Core i5-13500H (12 cores, 16 threads, up to 4.7GHz, 18MB cache)
  • Intel Core i7-13700H (14 cores, 20 threads, up to 5GHz, 24MB cache)

Graphics

  • Intel Iris Xe graphics

Display

  • 14-inch IPS, 16:10 aspect ratio, WUXGA (1920 x 1200), touch
  • 14-inch IPS, 16:10 aspect ratio, WQXGA (2560 x 1600), touch

Storage

  • 512GB PCIe 4.0 SSD
  • 1TB PCIe 4.0 SSD

RAM (soldered)

  • 8GB LPDDR5
  • 16GB LPDDR5
  • 32GB LPDDR5

Battery and power

  • More than 9.5 hours of battery life (unspecified capacity)

Ports

  • 2 x Thunderbolt 4 (USB Type-C)
  • 2 x USB Type-A
  • HDMI 2.1
  • 3.5mm headphone jack

Audio

  • Dual speakers with DTS Audio
  • Dual microphones with Acer PurifiedVoice

Camera

  • Quad HD 1440p webcam with temporal noise reduction

Windows Hello

  • Fingerprint sensor

Connectivity

  • Intel Killer Wi-Fi 6E 1675i
  • Bluetooth 5.1

Color and finish

  • Mist Green
  • Steam Blue

Size (WxDxH)

310.5 x 213.3 x 14.95mm (12.22 x 8.4 x 0.59 inches)

Weight

Starting at 1.2kg (2.65 pounds)

Price

Starts at $1,399.99

Acer Swift 14: Pricing and availability

Acer announced the Swift 14 right at the start of 2023 during CES, and for customers in EMEA regions, the plan is for it to be available this month. However, in the U.S., it's set to launch in March, so Stateside users will have to wait a while longer.

Angled rear view of Acer Swift 14
Acer Swift 14

Pricing is expected to start at $1,399.99, and you can expect to pay more depending on the configuration you want. It's also possible you'll be paying less. This starting price is usually for the first configurations that are available, so it's possible the laptop will debut with a more expensive SKU and then have more affordable options added later down the line.

What's new in the Acer Swift 14?

While the branding is new, the Acer Swift 14 is a successor to the Acer Swift 5, with the same overall design and the same display options. However, compared to last year's models, Acer has made a couple of upgrades that go beyond just a typical spec bump.

13th-generation Intel H-series processors

Starting with performance, the Acer Swift 14 features 13th-generation Intel Core processors, just like most laptops launching in 2023. That's to be expected, but Acer is also going a step further and switching from the P-series processors it used in last year's model to H-series models this time.

Intel's P-series processors were first introduced in 2022, and they have a 28W TDP, which is already a big increase over the 15W models we used to get. But this time, Acer is bumping the power to 45W, which means even more performance, with up to 14 cores and 20 threads.

Angled view of Acer Swift 14

Interestingly, Acer kept the chassis nearly identical to 2022's Swift 5, which makes this fairly thin device for how much power it offers. The company touts over 9.5 hours of battery life, though it remains to be seen how that holds up in real life with such a power-hungry processor.

An even better webcam

2022 was the year companies started taking laptop webcams seriously, and Acer upgraded the Swift 5 with a great 1080p camera with temporal noise reduction. But this year, the company is stepping up again and using a camera that supports Quad HD, or 1440p resolution. That means even higher quality video from the camera for your video calls and meetings.

While there are laptops with 5MP sensors and higher, a lot of those only support 1080p video, so it's nice to see Acer going even further to deliver better quality. Acer has also built in new PurifiedVoice technology to improve how you sound in these calls.

Angled view of semi closed Acer Swift 14

Where can I buy the Acer Swift 14?

As we've mentioned above, the Acer Swift 14 isn't yet available to buy yet since it's only planned to launch in March in North America. Typically, Acer laptops tend to launch on Amazon first, so that's where we'd expect to find it for purchase. We'll be sure to have a link here as soon as it's available.

In the meantime, if you can't afford to wait, maybe check out the best laptops you can buy right now. You might also want to look at the best laptops under $1,000 if you want something a little more affordable.