Acer Aspire 14 Ai Review: Refined worked horse
Acer Aspire 14 Ai
The Acer Aspire 14 Ai offers exceptional battery life and AI features, justifying its premium price with a solid build and warranty.
Positives
- Exceptional battery life
- Strong productivity performance
- Integrated AI features (Acer Assist, PurifiedVoice/View)
- Generous I/O ports
- 2-year warranty
- Can do some light gaming
Negatives
- Mid-range display color accuracy
This time we’ve got our hands on a familiar face with a significant upgrade: the refreshed Acer Aspire 14 Ai. This popular workhorse laptop has been injected with a potent dose of modern technology, most notably the inclusion of an Intel Core Ultra 7 processor. But this isn’t just a standard CPU bump; the Ultra 7 brings with it a powerful Neural Processing Unit (NPU), and that’s where the real magic happens.
Acer is clearly aiming to redefine the office laptop experience by incorporating AI directly into its functionality. Think seamless real-time subtitles during conference calls, intelligent facial optimization for video meetings, and a suite of other AI-powered features designed to boost productivity and streamline your workflow.
The question, of course, is: how well does this ambitious integration of AI perform in the real world? Join us as we put the Acer Aspire 14 Ai through its paces in this comprehensive review and uncover whether it truly delivers on its promise of an AI-enhanced office experience.
Aspire 14 Ai Overview
Build Quality and Design:
The Acer Aspire 14 Ai immediately conveys a sense of durability thanks to its solid build and the inclusion of an aluminum chassis. Acer has opted for a modern, almost brutalist aesthetic, characterized by clean lines and a no-nonsense design.
Opening the laptop reveals a thoughtful keyboard design; it’s slightly sunk down into the chassis, a deliberate choice that contributes to a more generous key travel distance.
This, in turn, provides a distinctive membrane typing experience that feels comfortable for extended work sessions. The laptop can lay completely flat on a table, and the display boasts a 180-degree hinge, allowing it to fold fully.
However, the placement of the exhaust fan, located at the top right of the main body chassis, is a point worth noting. During our testing of the Acer Aspire 14 Ai, we observed that the expelled hot air tends to bounce off the screen and dissipate upwards rather than being directed away and below the display.
While some might raise concerns about potential long-term effects on the display, our assessment indicates that the exhaust air is not hot enough to cause any significant damage. In fact, in cooler environments, it might even provide a gentle warmth for your hand.
Overall, the Acer Aspire 14 Ai shares a striking resemblance with its sibling, the Swift 14 Ai, albeit with a slightly bulkier build, suggesting a focus on robustness without straying too far from Acer’s contemporary design language.
Display:
The Acer Aspire 14 Ai features a 14-inch IPS display with a practical 1920 x 1200 WUXGA resolution and a standard 60Hz refresh rate. This resolution provides ample screen real estate, making it comfortable to view multiple documents side-by-side and enhancing overall productivity.
In terms of color performance, the display falls squarely within the mid-range category based on our testing. It achieved a color gamut coverage of 56.2% sRGB, 38.8% Adobe RGB, and 39.9% DCI-P3. This translates to an overall visual experience that leans towards being less saturated and somewhat flat.
However, it’s important to consider the target audience of the Acer Aspire 14 Ai. Designed primarily for professional users and office tasks, absolute color accuracy might not be the top priority for everyone. As long as the display can accurately represent the colors needed for everyday work, it should suffice for its intended purpose.
Interestingly, Acer’s official website indicates the availability of an OLED display variant for the Acer Aspire 14 Ai. This upgraded option boasts HDR support and a significantly wider 100% DCI-P3 color gamut (the website does not specify whether this is coverage or volume). For users who require greater color accuracy for tasks such as photo or video editing, opting for the OLED variant would be a worthwhile consideration.
Audio:
The Acer Aspire 14 Ai is equipped with a simple dual-speaker setup located at the bottom of the device. We were pleasantly surprised by the sheer volume this laptop can produce for a typical laptop, the audio output is notably loud, exceeding expectations for its class.
The sound quality is perfectly sufficient for daily use, whether you’re participating in video conferences, watching online tutorials, or listening to background music while working.
I/O Ports:
The Acer Aspire 14 Ai doesn’t skimp on connectivity, offering a generous array of I/O ports designed to cater to a wide range of peripherals and accessories. A standout feature is the inclusion of two of both USB Type-C ports and Type A ports.
The USB-C ports support the high-bandwidth USB4 standard at 40Gbps and the equally capable Thunderbolt 4, ensuring lightning-fast data transfer speeds and compatibility with a variety of modern devices. Furthermore, these Type-C ports also support USB charging at 5 V; 3 A, and doubles as the DC-in port, supporting taking charge up to 20 V; 100 W.
As for the two USB Standard-A ports are both at USB 3.2 Gen 1 standard, one of them features the convenient power-off USB charging capability, allowing you to charge your devices even when the laptop is turned off.
For audio needs, there’s a standard 3.5mm audio combo jack, and for added security in public spaces, Acer has included a Kensington lock slot.
We particularly appreciate the balanced approach of offering two of each primary USB port type. Having two USB-A ports and two USB-C ports simplifies the management of multiple connected devices without the constant need for dongles.
Aspire 14 Ai CPU and Performance:
The heart of the Acer Aspire 14 Ai is the Intel Core Ultra 7 258V processor with 32GB of onboard LPDDR5X memory. It’s worth noting that, by default, a substantial 16GB of this memory is allocated to the integrated Intel Arc Graphics 140V, highlighting the importance of the GPU in this configuration.
From a user perspective, the Acer Aspire 14 Ai offers little need for future upgrades. The components chosen represent a well-balanced and high-end configuration for its intended purpose. The inclusion of a spacious 1TB PCIe NVMe Gen4 SSD provides ample fast storage, and with the increasing prevalence of cloud storage solutions, the likelihood of needing additional internal storage is minimal.
| PC Mark 10 | Word | Excel | PowerPoint | Edge |
| Score | 9340 | 24227 | 13583 | 15124 |
In terms of real-world performance, the Acer Aspire 14 Ai performs admirably for its class. In our PCMark 10 benchmark, it achieved a respectable overall score of 14683. Breaking down the individual productivity tasks, the laptop excelled in Excel with a score of 24227, demonstrating the prowess of the Core Ultra 7 in handling demanding spreadsheet work. Word scored 9340, PowerPoint achieved 13583, and the Edge browser test yielded a score of 15124, all indicating smooth and responsive performance for everyday office tasks.
While not a dedicated gaming machine, the Intel Arc Graphics 140V, bolstered by its dedicated 16GB of RAM, showcases a respectable level of 3D performance. In benchmarks, it scored 812 in Steel Nomad, 3276 in Steel Nomad Light, 2112 in Port Royal, and 2004 in Time Spy Extreme.
| 3D Mark | Steel Nomad | Steel Nomad Light | Port Royal | Time Spy Extreme |
| Score | 812 | 3276 | 2112 | 2004 |
Battery Life:
The Acer Aspire 14 Ai is equipped with a 65 Wh 4-cell Li-ion battery, supports 5 V 3 A charging. In our run with PC Mark 10 battery test, the Acer Aspire 14 Ai impressively lasted for a full 14 hours.
This exceptional longevity means you can confidently power through an entire workday and beyond without needing to reach for a charger. For professionals on the go or those who frequently find themselves away from power outlets, the Acer Aspire 14 Ai offers unparalleled peace of mind, ensuring uninterrupted productivity throughout the day.
Aspire 14 Ai User experience
Ai Experience
While online AI experiences like interacting with Gemini or ChatGPT function as expected, it’s the local AI capabilities that truly differentiate this laptop. Microsoft’s Copilot, for instance, felt noticeably snappier and more responsive compared to our experience on a Huawei Matebook 14 equipped with a Core Ultra 5 125H. This improved performance can likely be attributed to the more powerful NPU in the Core Ultra 7, boasting a reported 47 TOPS (Tera Operations Per Second) for AI tasks.
Acer’s own AI integration is Acer Assist. Unlike typical AI assistants that rely on large language models and cloud connectivity, Acer Assist draws its knowledge base from Acer’s extensive archive of product manuals and locally assesses your files, enabling you to quickly find elusive documents or specific text within them – all without the need for an internet connection or sending sensitive data to the cloud. This fully local operation makes Acer Assist an invaluable first line of tech support, providing instant, private assistance directly on your device.
Another intriguing AI-powered feature is Acer VisionArt. This image generator allows users to create personalized, AI-generated backgrounds based on their current location and chosen themes. It aims to produce high-fidelity wallpapers that reflect your surroundings and personal narrative. In our testing here in Selangor, Malaysia, Acer VisionArt interpreted our location and a general “jungle” theme to create a rather imaginative wallpaper depicting a rocky mountain jungle landscape.
Productivity experience
The core promise of the Acer Aspire 14 Ai is to be a highly productive machine, and our experience aligns perfectly with this intention. As highlighted by the strong benchmark scores, this laptop possesses the processing power and memory to effortlessly handle a demanding workload.
Whether is juggling multiple documents, running complex spreadsheets, or delivering presentations, the Acer Aspire 14 Ai remains responsive and capable.
Content Creator Experience
To be frank, our exploration into professional content creation suites like DaVinci Resolve and Adobe Premiere Pro with the Acer Aspire 14 Ai was limited. This decision primarily stems from the observed limitations of the display, particularly its color gamut coverage, which wouldn’t be ideal for color-critical work.
Gaming
Given the laptop relies on its integrated Intel Arc Graphics 140V rather than a dedicated discrete GPU, our gaming exploration focused on less graphically demanding titles. We were pleasantly surprised by the results. In Counter-Strike 2 (CS2), running at low settings and a Full HD (1920 x 1080) resolution, we achieved a consistently playable frame rate of around 60 frames per second. We engaged in several rounds with bots and even ventured into casual online matches without encountering any significant performance hiccups.
Intrigued by the capabilities of the Intel Arc Graphics 140V, we even took the liberty of running the benchmark tool for the visually impressive Black Myth: Wukong. While certainly a more demanding title, the Acer Aspire 14 Ai managed to achieve an average of 60 frames per second at low settings and FHD resolution in the benchmark.
These results indicate that despite being primarily designed as a workhorse laptop, the Acer Aspire 14 Ai possesses enough graphical grunt to handle some lighter gaming titles. This unexpected capability adds a layer of versatility to the device, allowing users to enjoy casual gaming during their downtime, perhaps after a productive day.
Acer Aspire 14 Ai Conclusion: A Premium Price for Unrivaled Endurance and Peace of Mind
In conclusion, the Acer Aspire 14 Ai emerges as a compelling option for professionals seeking a highly productive and exceptionally long-lasting laptop. Priced at RM4699 at the official Acer store here in Malaysia, it represents a significant investment. However, this premium is justified by a remarkable feature set, most notably its ability to deliver an astounding 14 hours of battery life even under heavy Microsoft Office workloads. Coupled with a generous 32GB of high-speed LPDDR5X RAM and the integrated AI capabilities of the Intel Core Ultra 7 258V processor, the Acer Aspire 14 Ai offers a smooth and efficient user experience for a wide range of tasks.
While the display might not satisfy the needs of color-critical creative professionals, its functionality is more than adequate for everyday office work.
Furthermore, the inclusion of a 2-year warranty, where one of it being international travelers warranty, provides an added layer of security and peace of mind for users that operate locally and when on the move globally. The Acer Aspire 14 Ai positions itself as a premium workhorse that prioritizes endurance and reliability, making it a worthwhile consideration for those who value uninterrupted productivity above all else.
For its outstanding features, performance, and longevity, the Acer Aspire 14 Ai earns the Hello Express Gold Award. It’s a highly recommended choice for users seeking a versatile and capable small tablet that doesn’t break the bank.
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