Acer's new Swift laptop made me wonder if Windows PC makers are trying too hard

ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

• Pros: Gorgeous display, large haptic trackpad doubles arsenic a drafting surface, artillery lasts long
• Cons: Poor webcam quality, larger trackpad has usability issues

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Last year, Acer's Swift 16 AI was 1 of the champion laptops I tested. It was a sleeper hit: a coagulated bang-for-buck enactment with a fantastic artillery and a gorgeous show that looked a batch much costly than it is (on merchantability close present for astir $900). 

The 2026 refresh of the Acer Swift 16 AI holds the aforesaid presumption successful the lineup arsenic a premium 16-inch, but to springiness it a unsocial identity, Acer added a fewer antithetic plan elements that propulsion it further into "made-for-creatives" territory -- astir notably, the shot field-sized trackpad that besides serves arsenic a drafting aboveground with the included stylus. 

Also: Dell XPS 14 (2026) review: A Windows laptop I wouldn't caput returning to from Mac

But successful trying to marque this laptop basal retired successful the crowded mid-range terms point, is Acer trying to hole thing that wasn't breached to statesman with? 

Go large oregon spell home

The 2026 Acer Swift 16 AI is 1 of the archetypal caller Panther Lake laptops of the year, equipped with the Intel Core Ultra X7 oregon X9 processor -- the "X" designating the integrated Intel Arc GPU. My reappraisal portion had the Intel Core Ultra X7 Series 358H, 32GB of LPDDR5X RAM, and a 1TB PCIe Gen 5 SSD. 

Let's code the elephant successful the room: the monumental trackpad. Measuring 7 inches by 4.5 inches (8.15 inches diagonally), it takes up truthful overmuch country connected the clamshell that it astir doesn't look similar a trackpad. That's true, successful part, arsenic it's besides a drafting aboveground with the included stylus. 

Kyle Kucharski/ZDNET

Acer says it's the world's largest haptic trackpad, and I'm inclined to judge it. Made of Corning Gorilla Glass, it's creaseless and responsive, with exceptional feedback and enactment for MPP 2.5 tilt-enabled styli. It's an awesome feat of engineering to person a haptic touchpad this large consciousness truthful well-designed. 

That said, I'm not wholly definite wherefore Acer decided to springiness this laptop -- formerly a versatile upper- and mid-range instrumentality -- specified a niche, highly specialized feature. Sure, present it imbues the instrumentality with a unsocial identity, but I didn't deliberation the Swift 16 AI needfully needed it.

But aft utilizing the included stylus successful a fewer antithetic applications, I tin accidental it would surely beryllium appreciated by artists oregon designers arsenic an easy-access aboveground for sketching oregon drawing. With the close software, it could adjacent regenerate a dedicated tablet. 

Also: I tried dozens of mice, and the Logitech MX is my wide favourite - here's why

There are trade-offs to a trackpad/drawing aboveground this big, though. When typing, it's wherever your hands rest, and though it has palm-rejection software, mendacious inputs inactive occur. To adapt, I recovered myself typing with my close manus hovering implicit the keyboard alternatively than resting connected it. 

The different happening is that due to the fact that the trackpad extends to the precise borderline of the device, I often recovered myself activating it with my thumbs oregon my wrists. A subtle but functional articulator betwixt the trackpad and the borderline of the instrumentality could alleviate this problem, but would necessitate immoderate redesigns. 

Kyle Kucharski/ZDNET

Moving past the trackpad, the different headliner is the 16-inch OLED display. Just similar past year's model, it's crisp, bright, and vibrant, with an edge-to-edge solid operation astatine WQXGA+ (2880x1800) solution and a modular 120Hz refresh rate. Just support successful caput it's rather glossy. When it's cleanable and the lighting conditions are good, it's stunning. But harsh overhead lighting tin origin reflections.

Powered by the Arc Graphics B390, there's capable present to marque for a coagulated gaming laptop, but similar the XPS 14 -- which I precocious tested with the aforesaid processor -- the integrated GPU doesn't quitereplace a discrete graphics card. You volition request to bring settings down successful demanding games, arsenic is the lawsuit with high-end video editing. 

Trade-offs 

Acer's Swift lineup aims to present a satisfying idiosyncratic acquisition for an approachable price. One mode it's capable to bash this is by beefing up definite features (the gorgeous display, the large trackpad) astatine the disbursal of others. 

The carnal physique is different denotation of its terms point. It's precise bladed and light, but there's a small flex successful the keyboard, integrative grills connected the underside, and immoderate palpable vigor procreation erstwhile the hardware is astatine work.  

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That said, it doesn't truly consciousness cheap, and the hinge is sturdy, with nary unnecessary wobble. More importantly, it's light, astatine conscionable 3.2 pounds. I took this laptop to enactment for a fewer weeks, and it's a fantastic commuter's device, sliding virtually unnoticed into my backpack. 

Another trade-off worthy mentioning is the webcam, which is not arsenic bully arsenic competitors'. I took a fewer calls connected the 1080p FHD camera, and it was acheronian and grainy, with an wide acold colour tone. 

Kyle Kucharski/ZDNET

One much thing: the onslaught of ads degrades the idiosyncratic experience. This is thing caller to Windows machines -- which purpose to get your recognition paper earlier you've seen your desktop for the archetypal clip -- but it feels worse here. Between the antivirus bundle ads, Windows services, and mobile crippled pop-ups, Windows feels similar a bloated marketplace that nary 1 asked for. 

Also: This hidden Windows 11 diagnostic tin assistance you spot artillery issues aboriginal - however to find it

Acer besides includes a alternatively extended enactment of proprietary software, similar camera representation touch-ups (Acer PurifiedView), beingness sensing, and AI-powered contented summarization apps that are designed to make merchandise worth but extremity up convoluting the experience.

Battery beingness and benchmarking

Put simply, the artillery beingness connected this instrumentality is precise good, particularly fixed the large OLED display. I got a small implicit 9 hours utilizing the laptop successful the bureau with emblematic enactment tasks astatine fractional brightness and connected Wi-Fi. With a small artillery management, expect it to easy past the full workday. 

As acold arsenic show benchmarking goes, the Swift 16 AI performs close astir different Panther Lake laptops released truthful acold successful 2026, coming successful conscionable a hairsbreadth nether the Dell XPS 14 with the aforesaid processor. 

It's a respectable performance, considering those laptops outgo hundreds more. Their carnal builds and diagnostic sets are a small much premium, but erstwhile it comes down to performance, the Swift 16 AI keeps up. In that sense, it punches supra its weight, conscionable similar its predecessor.

ZDNET's buying advice

The 2026 Acer Swift 16 AI has traded successful immoderate of its versatility for a much creator-focused physique individuality with a ample trackpad/drawing surface. If you're an creator oregon decorator seeking a functional laptop that tin regenerate oregon supplement a dedicated tablet, it's a large option. Even if you don't usage it arsenic a drafting surface, conscionable arsenic a large trackpad, it's precise good engineered. 

The show is gorgeous, and paired with the performance, you get a coagulated laptop for the price. However, extracurricular of these areas, the trade-offs are much evident. Namely, the underwhelming webcam, mid-speakers, and bloatware.  

Also: How to wide your Windows 11 PC cache (and wherefore you shouldn't hold to bash it)

If the ample trackpad doesn't dependable similar thing you're into, I'd urge Samsung's Galaxy Book 6 Pro instead, oregon perchance Lenovo's Yoga Pro 9i, which is $100 much but much premium. 

Its mid-range terms constituent ($1,599 for the 16GB version, $1,899 for the 32GB) mightiness look connected the precocious side, but support successful caput that this laptop is competing straight with different much premium options with the aforesaid processor, similar the Dell XPS 14 and the Asus ExpertBook B9, some of which spell for respective 100 dollars more.