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

ZDNET’s key takeaways

• The Acer Swift 16 AI is usually priced at $1,250.
• Its 16-inch OLED show, well-designed light-weight type, and marathon battery work collectively to create a laptop computer that feels extra premium than its worth would recommend.
• Its audio system, nevertheless, depart a lot to be desired, and it has its fair proportion of bloatware.

jul / 2025

Observe ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google.

Acer’s Swift 16 AI is a skinny and light-weight 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 turn into a shock favourite of the 12 months. It stands out as a great-value ultraportable that is as versatile as it’s succesful and has improbable battery life. 

Additionally: How much RAM does your PC really need in 2025? I did the math for Windows and Mac users

The Acer Swift 16 AI contains a minimalist bodily construct, with an all-over, metallic matte black coating that appears loads just like the LG Gram Pro 16. Its full-sized keyboard and beneficiant choice of I/O make it sensible for quite a lot of makes use of, and the bodily type 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 do some little bit of the whole lot. It is significantly well-suited as a piece machine with Wi-Fi 7 and a responsive, very comfy keyboard with a slight upward tilt because of Acer’s hinge design. 

I used to be pleased to see that each USB-C ports assist Thunderbolt 4, which is nice for people who need their exterior displays. 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 improbable whether or not you are gaming, enhancing video, or simply working in productiveness software program. Regardless of its very skinny clamshell design, I skilled little or no display screen wobble — one of many first issues I search for once I see a show this skinny. 

You can even 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 normal Steam titles, and though it isn’t a gaming laptop computer, it feels aggressive and responsive, solely stuttering with texture shaders turned as much as max. 

Additionally: I tested HP’s first-gen EliteBook X, and it’s a powerhouse at the office (and $500 off)

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

That mentioned, the show appears to be like improbable in any other case, so I might nonetheless suggest this laptop computer to most customers until you are particularly in search of a tool to make use of open air or are usually 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 repute and runs with it.

Normally, I might say this can be 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. If you happen to’re somebody who all the time has a pair of headphones on, nevertheless, this may not be a problem. 

In the end, the Acer Swift 16 AI’s strengths outweigh its drawbacks. In the case of on a regular basis use, the efficiency is there, and as a transportable 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 type 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 units I’ve examined this 12 months such because the Asus Zenbook A14, Microsoft’s Surface Laptop, and the Dell XPS 13 with the Snapdragon X Elite chip. 

Throughout our normal video playback check, I received practically 18 hours of video playback on one cost. In the case of utilizing this laptop computer for work, you may simply final by way of the work day and into the subsequent, until you are pushing it with extra demanding workloads. Like all the different Lunar Lake-powered units I’ve examined this 12 months, energy drain drops to a trickle when it isn’t in use. 

Additionally: Sony’s newest headphones are for WH-1000XM6 fans who love to game – and I can attest to that

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

Notably, the charging course of appears to be hotter through 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 mentioned, it fees very quick and might method 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 price and beautiful 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 similar) 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 improbable 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 parts alone work collectively to make a sensible, succesful essential driver that may do a little bit of the whole lot. 

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

Additionally: I found the ultimate MacBook Air alternative for Windows users – and it’s priced well

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

We have awarded the Acer Swift 16 AI our Editors’ Selection 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 recommend. 

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