, is a few steps up in terms of hardware and features, but maintains a competitive price point of $699.
It features two Thunderbolt 4 USB-C ports that can support an external monitor at an 8K resolution, an HDMI 2.1, support for Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.4, and a Kensington lock slot. This spread of ports makes it a capable business laptop for remote or hybrid workers, particularly when paired with the battery.
Battery life, however, is the Aspire 14 AI’s best feature. I know we’ve been singing the praises of many laptops with marathon battery life over the past year, but Acer’s Aspire 14 AI fills a niche: an AI-ready budget laptop with an absolute marathon battery that will last for days on end.
Kyle Kucharski/ZDNET
During my testing, I brought the Aspire 14 AI into the office on a full charge and used it intermittently throughout the day. It was still above 90% by the end of the workday, and when I closed it up and brought it back out the next day, it hadn’t dropped a single percentage point.
The next day, I brought it back in and used it quite a bit more aggressively: holding multiple videocalls, doing more sustained multitasking, and keeping the display jacked up. It finally started to dent the battery life, but by the end of the day, it was still just right around 30%.
Like other power-efficient devices in its class, the Aspire 14 AI’s power consumption drops to a trickle when it’s not being pushed too hard and virtually stops depleting altogether when asleep and not in use. This makes it perfect for all-day use.
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The fantastic battery life is enabled thanks partly to the Intel Core Ultra 7 (Series 2) processor, which has performed very well on other machines I’ve tested, like the Asus Zenbook S 14 and the Dell XPS 13. With Acer’s 14 AI, the trend continues, as this device not only competes with these two laptops but slightly exceeds them.
Kyle Kucharski/ZDNET
Depending on how it’s configured, the Aspire 14 AI comes with either a 14-inch WUXGA IPS touch display or an OLED. The IPS display is functional but not particularly noteworthy in terms of brightness or color gamut. The OLED, on the other hand, makes it feel more premium.
Additionally, the Intel Arc GPU supports up to 53 TOPS, with upscaling technology for gaming and better performance when it comes to graphics rendering and video editing.
That being said, while gaming on the Aspire 14 AI is well-supported by the hardware, the IPS display may hold back the experience. Therefore, I’d suggest opting for the OLED configuration if you have any notions about gaming on this laptop.
If you’re looking for a “budget plus” laptop with respectable hardware that opts for a more utilitarian form factor (and approachable price), the Aspire 14 AI is a solid choice. I would suggest opting for the OLED configuration if you’re willing to pay for the upgrade, especially if you’ll be using it for visually creative work or gaming.