Acer's new Swift 7 is even thinner and lighter than the original
Minimal bezels, weight under two pounds, a high price tag.
Acer's thin, light and expensive Swift 7 laptop was first revealed a year ago at CES, but the company is already back with an updated model that includes Intel's latest processors while cutting size and weight even further. The 2019 Swift 7 includes Intel's 8th-generation Core-i7 processor, a step up over the older silicon in last year's model. It's the 8500Y variant, which means its a dual-core chip and can run without fans -- something that makes sense given the compact dimensions of the Swift 7.
The Swift 7 still costs $1,699 for a configuration with 8GB RAM and 256GB of storage, a lot of money for a laptop with those specs. But the story of the Swift 7 isn't the guts, it's the physical design. Acer managed to cut the weight to just under two pounds and the thinness to 9.95mm -- pairing those dimensions with a 14-inch display is a pretty impressive feat, though we can't yet speak to how the construction feels. Unsurprisingly, the Swift 7's minimal design means that it only has a few ports -- two USB-C Thunderbolt three ports on the right side, with a headphone jack on the left.
Speaking of the display, the Swift 7's 14-inch touchscreen runs at 1920x1080, same as last year -- not the best screen you're going to find, but it's a logical choice to balance sharpness with power consumption. (Acer says the Swift 7 will last "up to 10 hours," something we'll want to verify for ourselves.) And while I love the fact that Acer eliminated the ugly chin at the bottom of the screen in last year's model, the Swift 7's super-thin bezels mean Acer had to go with a webcam that pops up from the keyboard. They aren't the first to try this trick, but chances are good it's going to lead to less-than-flattering video chats.
Acer says the new Swift 7 will be available in the US in May, starting at the aforementioned $1,699 price point. That's a lot of money, but there aren't a ton of options out there combining extreme thin and light designs with a relatively spacious display. Of course, we'll need to test it out before recommending it, but we should get a chance to see the Swift 7 this week and give you more details on how it feels in person.
