Acer’s annual global tech conference in New York is finally done and dusted. Launching a long, laundry list of laptops, desktops and fancy high-refresh monitors, it’s obvious that the firm’s gaze is fixed on the hardcore gamer. However, with all the song and dance about its gaming prowess, there’s one device that fell by the wayside: the new 15in Acer Swift 5.
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You might have heard of Acer’s super-light Swift range before, but this new Swift 5 is certainly something special. Despite its massive display, this 15in laptop weighs less than 1Kg, but doesn’t scrimp on specs like so many of its ultraportable rivals.
Acer Swift 5 15in: UK price and specifications
- 15.6in Full HD IPS (1,920 x 1,080) display
- Intel Core eighth-gen i5 or i7 processors
- 16GB of RAM
- Up to 1TB of SSD storage
- Windows 10 Home
- UK price TBC
- UK release date TBC
Acer Swift 5 15in: Design, key features and first impressions
For a 15in laptop, Acer’s new Swift 5 is incredibly thin and light. Weighing less than 1Kg – Acer didn’t supply exact figures – the Swift 5 is much more backpack-friendly than its 15in counterparts. There’s also a pair of super-skinny side bezels on either side of its 15.6in display – each measuring only 5.8mm thin.
The Swift 5 is fitted with a Full HD (1,920 x 1,080) resolution IPS screen, with a massive 87.6% screen-to-body ratio. Acer also says the Swift 5 benefits from “Acer Colour Intelligence” tech, which dynamically adjusts gamma and saturation in real-time, optimizing screen colour and brightness, supposedly without clipping or over saturation.
Despite its size, the Swift 5 is equipped with the latest eighth-generation Intel Core i5 and i7 processors, with up to 16GB of DDR4 RAM and 1TB of SSD storage. This will be a very speedy laptop, no question, but there’s no word yet on exact configurations in the UK.
As for ports, you’ll find two full-fat USB Type-A ports on the left-hand side, flanked by an HDMI 2 port for hooking the laptop up to an external display. A USB Type-C port, 3.5mm headset jack and SD card reader are on the right and the Swift 5 also has a fingerprint reader with Windows Hello support, which is located on the top right of the keyboard.
Acer Swift 5 15in: Early verdict
Acer’s Swift 5 is an intriguing ultraportable. Skinnier and lighter than most, Acer seems to have achieved the impossible. However, despite the many products on show at this year’s conference, there wasn’t a single working Swift 5 on the show floor. Instead, just the one “dummy” unit – essentially a laptop chassis without the internals.
This is a worrying sign. Most manufacturers, when launching their latest top-end laptop, typically have something to show off and since the Swift 5 was missing this year, I suspect this laptop is still in development and feels much more like a prototype than a finished product.
So, while I’m impressed with what Acer has revealed so far, I’m hesitant as to whether the firm can actually pull this off. One thing’s for sure, though, I don’t think it will be long before I find out.
