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We have been keenly awaiting our first review of a laptop powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon X and the sad truth is that we are slightly disappointed.
Acer has done a decent job with the Swift 14 AI, although we wish the keyboard and touchpad were better, and this budget thin and light is a perfectly decent laptop. The screen is fine, it weighs a mere 1.3kg, the ports and connectors are satisfactory and the battery life is epic. With this laptop the problems lie inside the chassis and centre around the Arm SoC.
The single biggest issue is that you cannot be sure which software will run on the Qualcomm Snapdragon X, and that is especially frustrating as Windows 11 for Arm looks exactly the same as regular Windows 11 x86. You have no reason to think there is anything different or awkward about your new laptop so you click, you download and install and … crash. It is clear that Microsoft is putting a huge amount of time and money into Windows on Arm and the situation will surely improve but as things stand this new platform is riddled with problems.
You can buy the Acer Swift 14 AI for £1,199 HERE.
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Pros:
- Excellent battery life.
- Impressive WiFi 7 connectivity.
- 1440p webcam is very good
Cons:
- Software compatibility with Windows on Arm is hit and miss.
- Keyboard and touchpad are mediocre.
- This thin and light laptop offers a very basic gaming experience.
KitGuru says: The Acer Swift 14 AI is a decent laptop but Qualcomm's Snapdragon X performs poorly in Windows 11.
