Acer Swift Go 14 review - The Meteor Lake Core Ultra 7 impresses with its AI core

Intel itself often compares its new processors with AMD's Ryzen R7 7840U and, for this reason, we will be taking a look at the HP Pavillon Plus 14 which comes with both Intel and AMD processor variants, as part of our comparison. A rather unusual representative could come in the shape of the Ayaneo Air 1S but this device also comes with AMD's powerful competing chip. And, finally, the LG Gram 2in1 and the Acer Swift Go 14 SFG14-71 and their 13th generation processor concludes our illustrious group.

Even though first impressions would suggest the device hasn't undergone any changes, we still noticed that Acer has undertaken detailed improvements to the aluminum case. The angular frame design doesn't reveal any manufacturing flaws and this means we could almost copy and paste the predecessor's entire description. However, Acer has managed to install a significantly larger touchpad resulting in a noticeable improvement to the laptop's usability. 

It is possible to connect up to three monitors to the small laptop via HDMI 2.1 and both Thunderbolt 4 ports. The current Intel Meteor Lake processor supports output to up to four monitors simultaneously. Likewise, Acer has even managed to house a microSD card reader and even a mini Kensington Lock slot.

There are no improvements to be seen in the microSD card reader. With its slow 28 MB/s read speed, it is comparable to last year's model and is only suitable for small amounts of data. Our AV Pro microSD is up to ten times faster.

Using iPerf3 and the Asus GT-AXE11000, in our Wi-Fi test, the Acer Swift Go demonstrated considerably higher transfer speeds both in the 5 GHz and 6 GHz networks. At up to 1.9 GBit/s, uploads and downloads to a home network move along at a brisk pace.

A fingerprint sensor, a Kensington Lock slot and a TPM 2.0 are on board. This means all the basic security requirements concerning physical theft and access protection are fulfilled. 

We required a TX5 screwdriver and a suction cup to open the Acer Swift Go. Just as with the predecessor, many maintenance options are to be found inside the laptop. Two M.2 slots, (one occupied) as well as an installed Wi-Fi module are available. The fans can be easily removed for cleaning purposes. Only the generously sized 32 GB RAM is soldered. Incidentally, the free M.2 slot can be found under the ribbon cable next to the fans. 

Above all, the backlit key's pressure point could be a little crisper. Otherwise, the keyboard offers a pleasant typing experience. In dark environments, the key backlighting can be adjusted to two levels. Similar to the predecessor, the upper shell can also be bent slightly and this could irritate some users when pressing the keys firmly.

All three color spaces are almost completely covered by the excellent OLED. Only the Adobe RGB color space falls 3 % short of perfection.

The new Acer Swift Go 14 offers an Intel Meteor Lake processor. For the first time, the Intel Core Ultra 7 155H is also home to an Arc iGPU with eight cores and an NPU. The device is rounded off with 32 GB of DDR5 RAM and an SK Hynix 1 TB NVMe SSD.

As mentioned at the beginning, the Acer Swift Go 14 we are dealing with is a device that corresponds to the standard spec hardware. Our review machine's software and firmware aren't yet quite perfected. For example, in our Swift Go 14, the values for the boost performance were initially configured somewhat too high. In the course of the test, we also had problems with the preinstalled AlterView which creates visually enticing 3D backgrounds. After a lively exchange with Acer, we decided to remove the software. We were also able to lower the PL2 to 55 watts while leaving the PL1 at 45 watts, all with the aid of TechPowerUp's Throttle Stop. This helped the laptop run considerably better and more stable. Acer will undertake some significantly more detailed fine-tuning when it comes the final performance management. This should result in the laptop enjoying better performance than it currently does. 

Intel's new processor brings with it some long-awaited changes. For the first time, the 7 nm manufacturing process chip now offers an NPU and the new Arc iGPU. The Core Ultra 7 155H houses six P-cores, eight E-cores and two additional LP E-cores which are said to be particularly energy efficient. This means a total of 22 threads are available.

The latest Intel processor generation doesn't enjoy a clear performance advantage over its most similar 13th-generation predecessor. Here we are dealing with two devices with the Intel Core i7-13700H. Likewise, it offers six P and eight E-cores. Only both low-power E-cores are missing. Intel's newest processor usually fares well compared to its direct competitor, the AMD Ryzen 7 7840U. In recent times (and surprisingly), the red team now has its nose in front when it comes to single-core performance in Cinebench R23. We have already published a detailed analysis of the new processor generation.

According to Intel, the new Arc iGPU is predominantly responsible for significant improvements in the graphics performance. This becomes clear as soon as we take a look at the digital content creation section in PCMark 10. In this area, the Swift Go 14 and its Arc iGPU are impressive. Overall, the Acer Swift Go 14's system performance is much higher than its predecessor and most of the comparison devices. This means we are dealing with a potent device that has no reason to back down even when faced with 3D applications.