I recently went hands-on with the new Acer Aspire 14 AI, one of the latest 14-inch AI laptops with an Intel Core Ultra Series 2 processor to hit the market.
During my time analyzing this device, I ran it through a gauntlet of benchmark testing to see how it compared to similar AI laptops.
From performance to battery life and pricing, here’s everything you need to know about the Acer Aspire 14 AI.
This hands-on was made possible thanks to a review sample provided by Acer. The company had no input nor saw the contents of this preview prior to publication.
Acer Aspire 14 AI benchmarks
After I first booted the laptop up, I spent time using it to browse the internet, stream shows, and work with various programs. It was able to do all of this quite easily and even handled some heftier Photoshop projects.
Just to satisfy my curiosity, I even had the laptop locally run Cyberpunk 2077, one of the more intensive games out right now.
At Low default graphics settings, the laptop managed an average 27 FPS (frames per second), and looked pretty smooth.
When I upped the graphics setting to the Ray tracing: Low preset, the laptop managed an average 25 FPS. It’s not ideal, but it’s not bad for a non-gaming laptop, either.
For the best playing experience on this laptop, I used NVIDIA GeForce Now to play Cyberpunk 2077 via powerful RTX servers. This allowed me to enjoy the game on the Overdrive preset at an amazing 71 FPS average.
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For a more quantitative read on performance, I ran the Acer Aspire 14 AI through the usual computer benchmarks to see how it stacks up next to similarly configured PCs.
To start things off, I ran benchmarks to analyze the Intel Core Ultra 5 226V CPU. The laptop’s results in both Geekbench 6 and Cinebench were respectable and competitive.
After that, I ran some graphics testing for the Intel Arc 130V integrated graphics card 3DMark’s Time Spy and Night Raid tests. In either instance, the laptop proved that it delivers the kind of performance expected for its configuration.
|
Benchmark |
Result |
|---|---|
|
Geekbench |
SINGLE-CORE: 1,470 / MULTI-CORE: 8,259 |
|
Cinebench |
SINGLE-CORE: 113 / MULTI-CORE: 563 |
|
Procyon OpenVINO Float16 (NPU) |
623 |
|
Procyon Microsoft WindowsML Float32 (CPU) |
52 |
|
3DMark Time Spy |
3,607 |
|
3DMark Night Raid |
31,405 |
|
Handbrake (Tears of Steel 4K) |
3,216 seconds |
|
CrystalDiskMark |
READ: 6,388 MB/s / WRITE: 5,428 MB/s |
|
CrossMark |
1,680 |
From there, I had CrystalDiskMark run sequential read and write tests. The laptop produced a very good 6,388 MB/s read speed and 5,428 MB/s write speed.
I further tested the Aspire 14 AI by having it transcode a 4K version of Tears of Steel in Handbrake. The process took a bit more than 53 minutes to complete, which isn’t super fast but also not ridiculously slow.
TL;DR — Overall, the Acer Aspire 14 AI is a very good laptop that can handle everyday workloads like video calls, web surfing, creative programs like Photoshop, and more with ease.
Just don’t expect it to run more graphically demanding software or video games locally.
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How is Acer Aspire 14 AI cooling and fan noise?
The Acer Aspire 14 AI doesn’t get too hot, but the left side of the keyboard area definitely gets hotter than the right side. Still, it was always cool enough to rest on my lap without scalding.
I stressed the CPU for 20 minutes and then I used a thermal camera to see how warm the laptop got. The hottest area was the part above the keyboard, which peaked at 110 degrees F (~43 degrees C).
While stressing the CPU, I also sat in front of this laptop, pulled out my decibel meter, and took a reading near my ear. The Aspire 14 AI measured in at 44.3 dB, which isn’t all that loud.
However, the laptop does make a whining noise when the processors are stressed, which might be unpleasant.
Rebecca Spear (She/Her)
Rebecca has been reviewing laptops for a few years now and always runs each device through a gauntlet of benchmark testing to see how it compares against other options out there.
Acer Aspire 14 AI: Everything you need to know
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How much does Acer Aspire 14 AI cost?
The Acer Aspire 14 AI with Intel Core Ultra 5 226V has an MSRP of $699.99 and can only be purchased at Costco.
👉 See at: Costco.com
What are Acer Aspire 14 AI specs?
• Display: 14-inch WQXGA (1920 x 1200) LED IPS touch screen, 300 nits
• CPU: Intel Core Ultra 5 226V (8 cores, 8 threads, up to 4.5 GHz)
• GPU: Intel Arc 130V (7 cores)
• NPU: Intel AI Boost (40 TOPS)
• RAM: 16GB LPDDR5X
• Storage: 1TB NVMe PCIe Gen4 SSD
• Ports: 2x USB4 Type-C, 2x USB-A 3.2 Gen 1, 1x HDMI 2.1, 1x headphone jack
• Camera: 1080p FHD IR
• Connectivity: Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3
• Battery: 65W PD Type C-adapter
• Dimensions: 22.5 (W) x 31.9 (D) x 1.7cm (H) (8.86 x 12.56 x 0.46-0.67 in)
• Weight: ~1.38 kg (3.05 lbs)
Who is the Acer Aspire 14 AI for?
With its AI-boosted Series 2 Intel Core Ultra 5 processor and lower-than-average pricing, this laptop is ideal for work, school, and family use.
It’s also great for anyone who wants a portable AI PC at a budget price.
Does the Acer Aspire 14 AI laptop have a good display?
The Acer Aspire 14 AI’s touchscreen display is a very budget IPS panel. It is responsive to fingertips and produces crisp detail, but doesn’t get very bright and doesn’t have a very good color range.
Basically, this display gets the job done, but there are far nicer laptop screens out there.
|
Setting |
Brightness |
Black |
Contrast |
White point |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
0% |
25.4 |
0.03 |
1000 : 1 |
6400 (0.313,0.333) |
|
25% |
82.3 |
0.07 |
1120 : 1 |
6400 (0.315,0.335) |
|
50% |
139.3 |
0.12 |
1150 : 1 |
6300 (0.315,0.335) |
|
75% |
224.9 |
0.19 |
1150 : 1 |
6300 (0.315,0.336) |
|
100% |
316.5 |
0.27 |
1180 : 1 |
6300 (0.316,0.337) |
In a color gamut test, the Acer Aspire’s display only produced 63% of sRGB, 47% of AdobeRGB, and 47% of P3, which is a pretty mediocre result.
Meanwhile, the Acer Aspire 14 AI display only reached up to a max 316 nits brightness in my testing, so the panel can be hard to see outside or in extremely bright areas.
As such, it’s not ideal for creatives who care about color quality or anyone that wants a laptop with an amazing screen.
Is the Acer Aspire 14 AI a Copilot+ PC?
Yes, the Acer Aspire 14 AI meets the criteria of being not only an AI PC but also a Copilot+ PC since it has a Copilot button on the keyboard and utilizes an AI-boosted processor that is fitted with an NPU (neural processing unit) that can reach 40 TOPS (Tera Operations per Second).
How is Acer Aspire 14 AI battery life?
Acer says this laptop’s battery can last for up to 22 hours before needing a recharge.
In my own testing, I found that the laptop tended to last roughly 16 hours and 28 minutes when doing everyday work tasks (while the display was around 200 nits brightness).
But when I had the laptop running more graphically demanding programs or video games at 200 nits, it only lasted roughly an hour and 57 minutes. This is pretty typical.
This is good battery life overall and is more than capable of lasting you a full workday if you are doing average workloads.
Is Acer Aspire 14 AI a good AI laptop?
It depends on what you’re looking for. This laptop offers solid performance overall, but it isn’t the most powerful AI laptop out there.
The Acer Aspire 14 AI is, first and foremost, a budget AI laptop with an Intel Core Ultra processor, so it’s a great option if you’re looking for a less expensive AI PC that still offers good performance.
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Does Acer Aspire 14 AI have a good keyboard and touchpad?
Yes. The Acer Aspire 14 AI’s keys press down nicely and are well-spaced for easy typing.
The function row is filled with helpful, quick controls for volume, display brightness, Airplane mode, key backlighting, the AcerSense app, and more.
Meanwhile, the touchpad is very responsive and doesn’t require excessive swiping to navigate the screen.
Does Acer Aspire 14 AI support Windows Hello facial recognition?
Yes! You can set up the Acer Aspire 14 AI so that it logs in when it detects your face.
Does Acer Aspire 14 AI have a fingerprint reader?
No, the Acer Aspire 14 AI doesn’t have a fingerprint reader for biometric login.
You’ll need to rely on facial recognition, or else you will need to enter a PIN to get past the login screen.
Does the Acer Aspire 14 AI have a good webcam and microphone?
Yes, the Aspire 14 AI’s webcam and mic aren’t the very best, but they are good enough for video calls.
The laptop has a 1080p IR webcam that captures crisp detail and good coloring as long as you’re in a bright enough environment.
Meanwhile, the speakers get plenty loud, but they do sound tinny and distant. I recommend using a headset or external speakers to get a better listening experience.
Additionally, this laptop comes with a few features to enhance the camera and mic. Acer PurifiedView can be used to apply effects to your video calls, while PurifiedVoice can be used to enhance your audio.
Does the Acer Aspire 14 AI have a webcam shutter?
No. This laptop has neither a physical nor a digital shutter for the webcam.
If you really want a shutter, you can always purchase an adhesive one separately.
Acer Aspire 14 AI: Alternatives
Acer Aspire 14 AI: Final thoughts
You should buy this if …
✅You want an inexpensive AI laptop
There are plenty of other AI laptops on the market right now, but the Acer Aspire 14 AI is one of the more economical options that still has one of the newer Intel Core Ultra Series 2 AI processors.
You should not buy this if …
❌You need a laptop that offers more power or has a better screen
Since this is on the budget side, this device cannot go toe-to-toe with flagship AI laptops. As such, it isn’t a good fit for anyone who regularly needs to run graphically demanding games. It’s also not a great fit for creatives who need a laptop display with a really good color gamut.
