ZDNET’s key takeaways
- Acer announced 14- and 16-inch ultra-lightweight laptops at IFA, plus a new repairable Vero.
- At 1.7 pounds, the Swift Blade 14 is one of the lightest OLED laptops I’ve gone hands-on with.
- Entry-level hardware and only 12GB of RAM may limit its power.
Acer announced several new computers today at IFA in Berlin, but two of the most attention-grabbing are the Swift Blade 14 and Swift Air 16, the latest additions to its ultra-lightweight portfolio. The Swift Blade 14 weighs as little as 1.7 pounds (799g) and measures half an inch thick, while sporting a 3K OLED display and an Intel Core 7 350 processor from Intel’s 2026 lineup of lightweight and battery-efficient chips.
Also: Dell XPS 13 review: The first budget laptop to rival Neo raises the bar for all PCs
“Swift Blade” is an all-new sub-brand for Acer (not to be confused with a competing, similarly named laptop) targeting mobile professionals working with “visual-driven workflows”, but the hardware might impose limits on more demanding workflows. It features 12GB of LPDDR5 RAM and an integrated GPU, paired with 1TB of local storage, making it qualified for everyday tasks and some light photo or video editing, but not exactly as a powerful, main-driver workstation.
As a sleek and portable laptop, however, it certainly looks the part. The 4.3mm bezels and 90% screen-to-body ratio emphasize the display, which runs a 16:10 aspect ratio and 100% of the DCI-P3 color gamut, capping out at 90Hz refresh and 400 nits of brightness. In hand, it’s incredibly lightweight, with a matte white finish on the magnesium-aluminum alloy and just enough key travel to still feel premium.
The Swift Blade 14 follows the trend we’re seeing in the second half of 2026: ultra-thin, battery-efficient PCs with premium elements and lightweight hardware for a competitive price — particularly with Dell’s 2026 XPS 13, a much-needed response to Apple’s $699 MacBook Neo, which shook up the budget PC market this spring.
Acer has yet to announce prices for the Swift Blade 14, but it’s slated for availability in early 2027.
Kyle Kucharski/ZDNETAcer also announced a new Vero 16 — its sustainability-focused laptop line — with some improved modularity and repairability. On the back, it features an easy-to-snap-off cover that requires no tools, a consumer-replaceable battery and SSD, a detachable hinge to easily disconnect the display, and a new modular port design for easy replacement.
Internally, the Vero features a 16-inch OLED and Intel Core Ultra Series 3 processors — all the way up to a Core Ultra X9 388H, paired with up to an Intel Arc B390 and 32GB of RAM. The physical body, incorporating 60% post-consumer recycled plastic, has the same textured feel as previous models I’ve tested, but design-wise looks a little more sleek this year, even with the goofy diagram engraved on the back.
Also: I tested Lenovo’s new modular ThinkPad, and it renewed my faith in repairable laptops
The trend of improved repairability has been slow to take off, but welcome in mainstream consumer laptops, even if it comes in incremental developments. The question of laptop longevity is an ongoing one, but these changes certainly equip the conscious consumer with a strong foundation.
Kyle Kucharski/ZDNETAcer also announced the Swift Air 16, a lightweight follow-up to the 14-inch Acer announced at Computex. It’s got similar specs to the Swift Blade: up to an Intel Core 7 processor 350, 16GB of RAM, and a 2880 x 1800 OLED panel at 500 nits and 120Hz refresh, and weighs 3.31 pounds.
