The Acer Swift Go 16 isn’t exactly a budget machine, but it packs a lot of great features for the price, prime among them a dazzling OLED display. Just don’t expect a ton of life out of the battery.
Sometimes users want a large-screen laptop for the obvious reason: They’re looking for a top-notch display for demanding tasks like video editing and 3D rendering. The market is full of those. But that’s not everybody. Other buyers are more interested in a large display for multitasking and media consumption—and don’t want to lug around a ton of laptop. That’s where Acer’s $1,149.99 Swift Go 16 comes in. It serves up a 16-incher that’s fast enough for productivity work and sports a gorgeous OLED display, but is also reasonably thin and light. This Acer’s not perfect—for one thing, the battery life is subpar—but the price makes it an attractive option. If you’re in the market for an expansive display that’s easy to carry, the Swift Go 16 is worth considering.Configurations: One Model, One Decent Value
The Swift Go 16 comes in only one configuration, at least in its 2025 iteration. I reviewed the SFG16-73-92RC model, which gives you an Intel Core Ultra 9 285H chipset, 32GB of RAM, a 1TB SSD, and a 16.0-inch WQXGA+ (2,880-by-1,800-pixel) OLED display.
All that will run you $1,149.99—an attractive price for such a well-configured laptop. Many other machines at the same price offer less RAM, less storage, and an IPS display. The Swift Go 16 isn’t exactly a budget model, but it’s a very reasonable value.Design: Skinny and Subtle for 16
The Swift Go 16 takes a minimalist aesthetic—the laptop fashion du jour—and adds some distinctive flourishes. The lid is decorated with a subtle geometric pattern, for instance, and underneath you’ll see a (mostly) unbroken black colorway. What’s more, the rear chassis edge has a slight angle, and the trailing edge of the display is offset a bit.
As I said, the Swift Go 16 is very thin and light: just 3.31 pounds, which would be reasonably lightweight even for a 14-inch machine, and a trim 0.66 inch thick. The bezels, too, are reasonably thin. Overall, this Swift is built to tote.
The chassis and lid are all aluminum, which gives it a premium feel. On the other hand, the plastic bezels detract from the design, and the machine doesn’t feel quite as sturdy as it looks. I found the lid just a little too bendable, and there’s a tiny bit of give in the keyboard deck, making the Swift feel a little less robust than some other laptops in the same price range. The feel’s not egregious, though, and many people probably won’t even notice.Keyboard, Touchpad, and Webcam: A Subpar Use of Lots of Space
A 16-inch laptop usually gives you a lot of room for a comfortable keyboard deck, but unfortunately, Acer chose to squeeze in a numeric keypad. Number crunchers and gamers will appreciate the feature, but this isn’t a gaming rig, and I’m sure most users would rather have larger keycaps and more generous spacing. Count me among them: To these fingers, the board felt a little cramped, which is a shame because the switches are light and snappy enough.
The frustration continues when you get to the touchpad.
