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Acer Aspire 14 AI (2025): Two-minute review
The Acer Aspire 14 AI (2025) is a mid-range laptop computer with AI capabilities that purpose to streamline superior duties with out compromising processing energy.
It seems to be good and modern with its minimal design. The blue colorway of my assessment unit additionally added a component of vibrancy to proceedings, providing one thing just a little totally different from the same old black and silver finishes.
It’s also very light and thin, which makes it easy to use and carry around. The bezel around the screen is very small, too, which helps to maximize the size of the display.
The materials feel premium enough, especially the keys, but it’s not the sturdiest unit. There’s a considerable amount of flex to the lid and chassis, falling some way short of the best laptop constructions.
As you’d count on given its title, there are numerous AI options within the Aspire 14 AI (2025). Nevertheless, there aren’t as many as you would possibly suppose, with the flagship app showing to be Acer LiveArt – a disappointingly fundamental picture modifying suite.
The AI apps run pretty easily in the primary, although, and the Aspire 14 AI (2025) performs on a regular basis duties fairly effectively, from productiveness and searching to streaming. Nevertheless, it might probably succumb to the occasional slowdown and lag, and doesn’t deal with 4K content material notably effectively. Extra strenuous duties, akin to gaming, are past it, as you would possibly count on given the middling GPU it’s saddled with.
What’s extra, there’s a reasonably constant fan noise, even throughout reasonable workloads, which will increase the more durable the Aspire 14 AI (2025) is pushed. I additionally observed a wierd rattling sound at occasions, which was barely regarding.
The show is extra spectacular, offering loads of sharpness and brightness. Colours are rendered fairly effectively, too, though they’re not probably the most vivid, with a few of its rivals attaining better saturation.
The keyboard is usually nice to make use of, thanks in no small half to the sizable and generously spaced keys. The trackpad is clean sufficient, however faucets and clicks lack consistency and suggestions.
Maybe probably the most spectacular side of the Aspire 14 AI (2025) is the battery life. It lasted 22 hours in our film playback take a look at, which trounces a lot of the competitors, even on the high finish of the market.
Finally, the Aspire 14 AI (2025) finally ends up being a considerably underwhelming laptop computer contemplating its price ticket. You could be higher off paying just a little extra to have a laptop computer with a greater design and general efficiency.
Acer Aspire 14 AI (2025) review: Price & Availability
- Starts from £699 / AU$1,399
- Currently unavailable in the US
- Well-price for the spec
The Aspire 14 AI (2025) starts from £699 / AU$1,399 and is available now in various finishes. It can be configured with 512GB or 1TB of storage. Currently, the only model available in the US is the larger Aspire 16 AI.
On the face of it, this is a reasonable price for a laptop with this spec. But it does face some stern competitors who, despite being a bit more expensive, might represent better value, all things considered.
Take the Microsoft Surface Laptop computer: this begins at $899.99 / £1,039 / AU$1,498, and whereas it has an identical on a regular basis efficiency to the Aspire 14 AI (2025) and a slightly shorter – however nonetheless spectacular – battery life, it’s constructed to the next commonplace and extra gratifying to make use of in our view.
Equally, there’s additionally the Dell Inspiron 14. Once more, that is costlier than the Aspire 14 AI (2025), however its on a regular basis efficiency is healthier – though it nonetheless can’t deal with probably the most intensive workloads, like video modifying and AAA gaming. It too has a formidable battery life, though it’s nonetheless not fairly as enduring as that of the Aspire 14 AI (2025).
Acer Aspire 14 AI (2025) review: Specs
| Row 0 – Cell 0 |
Acer Aspire 14 AI (2025) Base Config |
Acer Aspire 14 AI (2025) Max Config |
|
Price |
$TBA / £699 / AU$1,399 |
$TBA / £749 (about AU$1570) |
|
CPU |
Qualcomm Snapdragon X X1-26-100 (8 cores), 3GHz |
Qualcomm Snapdragon X X1-26-100 (8 cores), 3GHz |
|
GPU |
Qualcomm Adreno GPU (shared memory) |
Qualcomm Adreno GPU (shared memory) |
|
RAM |
16GB LPDDR5X |
16GB LPDDR5X |
|
Storage |
512GB PCI Express NVMe 4.0 (M.2) |
1TB PCI Express NVMe 4.0 (M.2) |
|
Display |
14-inch WUXGA (1920 x 1200), 16:10, Active Matrix TFT LCD, IPS, 120Hz |
14-inch WUXGA (1920 x 1200), 16:10, Active Matrix TFT LCD, IPS, 120Hz |
|
Ports and Connectivity |
2x USB-C (Thunderbolt 4), 2x USB-A, 1x HDMI 2.1, 1x headset jack, 1x microSD, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4 |
2x USB-C (Thunderbolt 4), 2x USB-A, 1x HDMI 2.1, 1x headset jack, 1x microSD, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4 |
|
Battery |
65Wh |
65Wh |
|
Dimensions |
0.6 x 12.3 x 8.9in / 15.9 x 312 x 225.9mm |
0.6 x 12.3 x 8.9in / 15.9 x 312 x 225.9mm |
|
Weight |
2.7lbs / 1.24kg |
2.7lbs / 1.24kg |
Acer Aspire 14 AI (2025) review: Design
- Very thin and light
- Flimsy build quality
- Poor AI features
The Aspire 14 AI (2025) is very portable, even for a 14-inch laptop, thanks to its light and slender frame, free from any bulges or protrusions. This also adds to its sleek appearance. The dark blue colorway of my review unit suited it very well, and helped distinguish it from the monochromatic homogeneity of the sector.
The lid is easy to open, yet offers sufficient stability. Pleasingly, it also reclines all the way back by 180 degrees, making it versatile for various stands and setups.
Instead of four feet, the Aspire 14 AI (2025) features two long bars running across its width, with the rear one being taller than the front. They don’t provide as much grip as more traditional rubber feet, but they suffice for keeping the Aspire 14 AI (2025) stable while in use. What’s more, some may find this lack of traction preferable, as it makes the laptop easier to slide around on a given surface.
Build quality is good in places, such as the keyboard, with the plastics looking and feeling premium. I also appreciated the very thin bezel around the screen, which serves to maximize the full real estate.
However, there’s a considerable amount of flex to the chassis and the lid, which is somewhat disconcerting. It’s probably not one to take on more extreme adventures – it’s certainly no match for the best rugged laptop items on this regard – however it ought to suffice for fundamental journey.
As for software program, the Aspire 14 AI (2025) is mercifully free from bloatware – though that assertion largely is determined by how you’re feeling about AI options. Fortunately, these which can be put in are unintrusive and solely there in the event you want them.
The included AI options of the Aspire 14 AI (2025) are primarily confined to picture and video modifying, courtesy of Acer LiveSense. This app has some very fundamental picture modifying and webcam results to mess around with, however to name this an AI characteristic is a stretch. Its generative options boil all the way down to buttons that open Microsoft’s Copilot app as a substitute.
If you’d like extra AI choices from Acer than these preinstalled, you’ll should obtain Acer Intelligence Area, which acts as a hub for its suite of AI apps. Nevertheless, I couldn’t get this to put in on my unit, with the app failing to look as soon as the installer had completed working.
As a facet observe, in the event you’re seeking to set up third-party apps, understand that the Aspire 14 AI (2025) makes use of an ARM processor, so chances are you’ll run into compatibility points. Examine with the software program supplier the place you possibly can to find out suitability for the structure.
There’s a well-judged collection of ports on the Aspire 14 AI (2025). It options two USB-C ports, each of which make use of the Thunderbolt 4 commonplace. These are each positioned on the left-hand facet, in entrance of the HDMI 2.1 port and USB-A port, which can show inconvenient for sure setups, because you’ll want to attach the ability adapter to one in every of them.
On the correct you’ll discover a USB-A port, adopted by a headset jack and a microSD slot. It’s a disgrace there isn’t a minimum of another port on this facet, however this can be a minor criticism.
Acer Aspire 14 AI (2025) review: Performance
- Reasonable workaday performance
- AI apps eat memory
- Noisy even under moderate loads
The performance of the Aspire 14 AI (2025) is good, if nothing spectacular. It can handle most everyday tasks, including word processing, spreadsheet editing, and video streaming, although 4K content can result in significant pauses for buffering. There were also a few occasions where it was a little sluggish, such as when waking from sleep.
The AI apps and features run well enough, although they do tend to eat up a considerable amount of memory, despite the 16GB of RAM on board. Models with more would be preferable to deal with such workloads on a regular basis.
Even under moderate loads, the fans of the Aspire 14 AI (2025) are audible. The noise isn’t too loud or shrill, but it’s still noticeable and unexpected. The volume does increase with heavier tasking, though – but at least the unit remains cool throughout.
I also noticed a strange rattling sound at times, as if some part was loose and vibrating. Pressing the offending area fixed the issue temporarily, but this speaks further to the less-than-stellar build quality of the Aspire 14 AI (2025).
Intensive tasks are beyond the Aspire 14 AI (2025). It doesn’t handle gaming very well, even when playing moderately demanding titles with modest settings. I encountered severe stuttering and lag when playing Counter-Strike 2 on the Medium preset, rendering it virtually unplayable; this certainly isn’t a device to replace the best gaming laptops.
The 1920 x 1200 show is sharp and renders colours fairly effectively, though it’s not probably the most vibrant you’ll ever see. It has excessive ranges of brightness, too, which helps to maintain reflections at bay.
The keys are massive and generously spaced, which makes them simple to sort with. They lack the suggestions and satisfying really feel of the best laptops for writers, and the omission of a quantity pad would possibly deter these after most productiveness, however for fundamental observe taking and essay writing, the keyboard ought to suffice.
The trackpad manages to remain out of the best way whereas typing for probably the most half, with it refraining from registering palm contact. It’s clean and pleasingly massive, however the faucets are just a little inconsistent, and the clicking feels fairly nasty and lacks suggestions, making it awkward to make use of for fixed navigation round paperwork and net pages.
Acer Aspire 14 AI (2025) review: Battery Life
- Incredible longevity
- Beats all the competition
The battery life of the Aspire 14 AI (2025) is very impressive. During our movie playback test, it managed to last an incredible 22 hours – a few hours shy of Acer’s 28-hour claim, but this is forgivable given there are very few rivals that can match this kind of endurance.
It trounces even more premium laptops, such as the Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M3) (the best student laptop in our view), which solely managed just a little over 14 hours. The Microsoft Floor Laptop computer managed simply over 17 hours, whereas the Dell Inspiron 14 Plus lasted over 18 hours.
Should I buy the Acer Aspire 14 AI (2025)?
|
Attributes |
Notes |
Rating |
|---|---|---|
|
Value |
It’s at the lower end of the mid-range pack, but there are perhaps better value alternatives. |
3.5 / 5 |
|
Design |
It’s light and slender, but hardly the most solid. The included AI software is poor. |
3.5 / 5 |
|
Performance |
It’ll suffice for everyday tasks and productivity, but more serious workloads are beyond it. The display is bright and clear. |
3.5 / 5 |
|
Battery Life |
You’ll struggle to find many laptops that can last as long as the Aspire 14 AI (2025). |
5 / 5 |
|
Total |
The Aspire 14 AI (2025) is somewhat inconsistent, with great portability and battery life, but middling performance and build quality. There are better options if you’re prepared to pay a bit more. |
3.5 / 5 |
Buy the Acer Aspire 14 AI (2025) if…
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Acer Aspire 14 AI (2025) review: Also Consider
How I tested the Acer Aspire 14 AI (2025)
- Tested for a few days
- Used for various tasks
- Plenty of laptop reviewing experience
I tested the Aspire 14 AI (2025) for a few days, using it for productivity, entertainment, and general browsing.
I did plenty of typing and content streaming, and even tested its gaming credentials. I also ran our series of benchmarks to assess various aspects of its performance, and made sure to use as many of its in-built AI apps and features as I could.
I have reviewed many laptops before, ranging in their price points and usage types. I’ve also used them consistently for decades for all manner of tasks.