The Acer Swift Edge 16 emerges as a compelling choice for those seeking a swift and efficient productivity laptop coupled with a stunning 16-inch OLED display. Despite being thin and lightweight, it packs a punch with the AMD Ryzen 7 7840U processor, a notable member of AMD's elusive Phoenix lineup. This processor, belonging to the Ryzen 7040 series, stands out with its advanced features, including a dedicated AI engine named 'Ryzen AI.' Built on a 4nm process and utilising the Zen 4 architecture, these processors boast up to eight Zen 4 cores and AMD's latest RDNA 3 graphics, challenging even Apple's M2 chips.
Unfortunately, this laptop is not available in the Indian market, as the Acer Swift Edge 16 left a lasting impression during my hands-on test. Let's delve into its specifications and performance to understand its capabilities further.
Acer Swift Edge 16 Specifications:
Processor: AMD Ryzen 7 7840U (8 Cores | 16 Threads)
Max Boost Speed: 5.1 GHz
RAM: 16GB-5200 LPDDR5
Storage: 512GB M.2 NVMe SSD
Display: 16-inch, 3.2K (16:10 WQXGA+) OLED Display, 120Hz Refresh Rate
Price: $1299 (India pricing not available)
Overview
The Acer Swift Edge 16 is deceptively slim, boasting a surprisingly large 16-inch display. Weighing a mere 1.23 kg and measuring close to 13 mm in thickness, it competes with the 15-inch Apple MacBook Air M2, offering a larger display despite being slightly heavier. The build quality, featuring a magnesium-aluminium alloy, exudes a premium feel.
Build and design
The laptop's aesthetics are understated yet classy, with a full-sized keyboard providing a comfortable typing experience. The touchpad is precise, albeit a little too small for my liking. The laptop offers a range of ports, including two USB-A ports, two USB-C ports, an HDMI 2.1 port, and a microSD card reader. Notably, it includes a 1440p webcam, surpassing the MacBook Air in resolution, and a fingerprint sensor in the power button.
Display
The Swift Edge 16 boasts a stellar 16-inch 3.2K OLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate. This display is a standout feature, particularly for creative workloads, considering its size and resolution.
Performance
Equipped with the AMD Ryzen 7 7840U, the Swift Edge 16 excels in performance — it can take whatever you throw at it and will ask you for a second helping, be it creative workloads, or just some light writing or web browsing.
Ryzen AI
This is the spice that makes the meal worth it. The Acer Swift Edge 16, armed with AMD Ryzen AI, integrates advanced video conference features directly into Windows 11, impacting any application utilising the built-in camera output. Crucially, these features, including Eye Contact, Automatic Framing, and Background Effects, are exclusive to processors with a dedicated AI engine — a capability absent in processors like Intel's 13th Gen mobile processors.
To access these features, navigate to Windows Settings > Bluetooth and Devices > Cameras > Integrated Camera settings. Additionally, software with built-in controls, such as the Windows camera app, provides an alternative route for users seeking seamless control.
1. Eye Contact: This feature centres your vision, making it seem like you're looking at whoever you're speaking to during a meeting rather than at an off-angle as you normally would while looking at the screen. This creates an impression of consistent engagement during video interactions.
2. Automatic Framing: Ever got restless during a video call and had to shift your butt? And when you did that, did you ever notice that you're no longer in the centre of the frame? This feature intelligently keeps you centred in the frame, even while moving around a room. It also dynamically pans and zooms, ensuring you remain the focal point.
3. Background Effects: It's standard now for video calls and conferencing apps to allow you to blur or change your background. But these features are app-dependent. However, with this feature, it now becomes a native option, allowing high-quality background blur without taxing system resources.
Ryzen AI also is excellent at searching — on both the cloud and local hardware. This local processing capability ensures image accessibility even without cloud connectivity. The AMD XDNA™ dedicated AI accelerator and intelligent workload optimisation make this task a breeze.
Battery life
While the Acer Swift Edge 16 excels in various aspects, its Achilles' heel is its battery life. With just over four hours on a single charge, it is less than ideal and indeed, makes it less portable, despite its premium thin and light design.
In conclusion
The Acer Swift Edge 16 is a strong recommendation for those in search of a high-performance laptop with a stunning 16-inch OLED display. Its sleek design, powerful processor, and vibrant display make it an attractive choice for productivity and creative tasks. However, the subpar battery life is a factor to consider. While lacking an official India pricing, the laptop's speculated value for money, based on direct conversion, suggests it would be a worthwhile purchase if made available in the Indian market.
(Edited by : Shoma Bhattacharjee)
Note To Readers
Acer, in collaboration with AMD, sent CNBC-TV18 a review unit of this laptop, which is not available in India. Neither company had early or final copy approval and editorial approval.
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