Good
Excellent design
Built-in LTE option
Decent battery life
Bad
Touchpad doesn’t click
Awfully weak performance for price
Poor webcam placement
Lacking audio
The Acer Swift 7 is an ultra-compact notebook that is well suited for mobile use. The Swift 7 slightly improves on its predecessor in all areas; the greatest difference is the larger 14-inch multi-touch display. Acer has also revised the chassis to make the new Swift 7 even thinner than its predecessor. Unfortunately, this somewhat compromises stability though.
Acer has maintained the limited port selection with its latest Swift 7, but we welcome the inclusion of an LTE modem. We just wish that Acer had included a memory card reader as this would have added to the device’s flexibility.
We have high praise for the included accessories though. The sleeve has a premium feel to it and is well made. This also applies to the USB Type-C hub, which expands the Swift 7’s port selection to one USB Type-A port and a single HDMI port.
The Acer Swift 7 improves on its predecessor in all areas, particularly with its larger multi-touch display. The price has also changed, namely upwards. Has Acer missed a trick in this regard though?
A big criticism of the Swift 7 is its pricing. The Acer Swift 7 costs an eye-watering £1,280 ($1,699, which is a significantly lower price-performance ratio than its predecessor. Ultimately, potential buyers must decide for themselves whether the innovations and slightly increased performance justify this steep increase in price.
Another smaller gripe we have is with the touchpad. Its lack of a click mechanism makes using the device that much more difficult in daily use.
Overall, the Acer Swift 7 is a smart and ultra-mobile device with impressive battery life that is let down by its high price.
Spec
CPU: 1.3GHz Intel Core i7-7Y75 (dual-core, 4MB cache, up to 3.6GHz)
Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 615
RAM: 8GB LPDDR3
Screen: 14-inch, Full HD (1,920 x 1,080) CineCrystal IPS touch display
Storage: 256GB NVMe SSD
Ports: 2 x Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C), headset jack
Connectivity: Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 7265 802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth
Camera: HD (720p) webcam with dual microphones
Weight: 2.6 pounds (1.18kg)
Size: 12.91 x 9.33 x 0.35 inches (32.8 x 23.7 x 0.89cm; W x D x H)
