Acer’s New AMD Ryzen 8040 Series Laptops: Swift Edge 16 and Swift Go 14 – AI Powered Workhorses

Acer, a leading technology company, recently unveiled two new laptops, the Swift Edge 16 and Swift Go 14, powered by AMD Ryzen 8040 series chips. These laptops, marketed as AI workhorses, come with dedicated neural processing units (NPUs) that make them up to 1.4 times faster than their predecessors in terms of Llama 2 and AI vision model performance.

The Ryzen 8040 chip series, revealed in December, boasts a dedicated AI Engine, which AMD claims significantly enhances the performance of the chips. Acer has integrated this NPU into the Swift Edge 16 and Swift Go 14 for AI-related tasks such as PurifiedVoice and PurifiedView.

PurifiedVoice is a feature that removes background noise from calls and recordings, making communication clearer and more efficient. PurifiedView, on the other hand, blurs backgrounds in images and corrects the positioning of the eyes during video calls, ensuring a more professional and focused appearance.

Both laptops come with a dedicated Microsoft Copilot button on their keyboards for quick AI queries. This feature taps into Microsoft and OpenAI’s servers through the cloud rather than using the machines’ on-device NPUs. The laptops also include Microsoft’s Pluton security co-processor, which bakes security directly into the processor, helping protect users’ credentials, encryption keys, and personal data from hackers.

The Acer Swift Edge 16 is marketed as a performance powerhouse without sacrificing portability. It features a 16-inch OLED panel with a WQXGA (3200 x 2000) resolution, a 120Hz frame rate, and less than a 0.2ms response time. The laptop supports 100 percent of the DCI-P3 color gamut and VESA DisplayHDR True Black 500 certification for accurate and nuanced visuals.

The Swift Edge 16 is equipped with a Ryzen 7 8840U processor, AMD Radeon 780M integrated graphics, up to 32GB of LPDDR5 RAM, and up to 2TB PCIe 4.0 SSD storage. It supports Wi-Fi 7 or Wi-Fi 6E, depending on the configuration. The laptop weighs 2.71 lbs and is 12.95mm tall, making it a portable powerhouse. It comes with two USB-C ports (with USB4 speeds of up to 40Gbps), two USB-A, one HDMI 2.1, and a microSD slot.

The smaller of the pair, the Swift Go 14, offers a more portable option. It comes with up to an AMD Ryzen 9 8945HS octa-core processor and AMD Radeon 780M graphics. The top-shelf 14-inch variant features a WQXGA (2880×1800) OLED display with a 90Hz refresh rate, while another version has a 1920 x 1200 IPS panel with touchscreen capabilities. The device’s hinge can extend to 180 degrees, and its glass trackpad is 44 percent larger than the previous model’s. It supports Wi-Fi 6E.

The Swift Go 14 weighs 2.91 lbs and is about seven percent heavier than the Swift Edge 16. It comes in configurations with either a 65 or 50 Wh battery. Both models have 1440p QHD webcams, although only the Swift Go 14 is listed as having a privacy shutter. The Swift Go 14 has two USB-C ports (both supporting USB4 speeds), an HDMI 2.1 connector, and a microSD slot.

The Swift Edge 16 is priced starting at $1,300 and will be available in North America in March. The Swift Go 14, on the other hand, starts at $700 and will be available in April. Acer has yet to detail how pricing will break down across various configurations.

In conclusion, Acer’s new AMD Ryzen 8040 series laptops, the Swift Edge 16 and Swift Go 14, offer powerful AI capabilities and impressive performance without sacrificing portability. With dedicated NPUs, Microsoft Copilot integration, and Microsoft’s Pluton security co-processor, these laptops are well-equipped to handle AI-related tasks and provide users with a secure and efficient computing experience.