CNET’s key takeaways
Laptop computer costs are on the rise — and the extra they improve, the higher Acer’s Aspire 14 AI appears.
- The Acer Aspire 14 AI is on the market for $500 at Costco.
- The Intel Lunar Lake CPU gives good efficiency for the worth and lengthy battery life.
- The show and design will not wow you.
When I reviewed it in April, it price $700 at Costco and was the most cost effective Copilot Plus PC I had reviewed. Quick-forward two months, and it is now $500 at Costco, making it the most cost effective Copilot Plus PC I’ve seen — and a terrific worth.
Acer cuts the correct corners to hit such a low worth for the Aspire 14 AI, delivering a well-rounded laptop computer with fashionable elements. That is no funds laptop computer with outdated elements. It options the most recent Intel Core Extremely Sequence 2 processor (codenamed Lunar Lake) that serves up aggressive utility and AI efficiency together with nice battery life and a design that does not look all that totally different from Acer’s pricier Swift laptops. The Aspire 14 AI’s no-frills however future-proofed package deal makes it one of many finest funds laptops of 2025.
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My expertise with the Acer Aspire 14 AI
I am nonetheless ready for the killer AI app to make a laptop computer AI CPU a should, nevertheless it’s good to know that when it arrives, you may have a machine that is constructed for it.
Due to its Intel Core Extremely 5 CPU that has a neural processing unit able to 40 trillion operations per second, the Aspire 14 AI hits the minimal requirement for Microsoft’s Copilot Plus PC platform. Its AI processor can offload AI workloads — continually taking Home windows Recall snapshots, blurring backgrounds for video calls and producing stay translations — to its NPU, maintaining the CPU and GPU freed up for no matter main activity you are engaged on.
Future-proofing is at all times worthwhile in any laptop computer, particularly so in a funds mannequin the place it is not at all times a given. You’ll want to watch out when searching for a low-cost laptop computer as a result of many choices are older fashions with previous-generation elements which are discounted in an try and filter stock for newer items.
In testing, the Aspire 14 AI hung with the costlier Copilot Plus PCs I’ve examined. Its scores on our utility, graphics and AI benchmarks weren’t all that far off from these of its pricier opponents. Its built-in Intel GPU does not present a lot in the best way of 3D gaming, however the identical will be stated for any Copilot Plus PC, as I’ve but to come across one with devoted graphics.
With the Aspire 14 AI, you keep away from the funds laptop computer lure of shopping for a machine with outdated or soon-to-be-outdated elements. And also you additionally skip previous the specter of the Creaky Plastic Monster. Many funds laptops have flimsy plastic enclosures, however the Aspire 14 AI has aluminum high and backside panels with solely a plastic keyboard deck. The keyboard deck feels inflexible and does not bend or flex just like the thinner plastic generally discovered on different funds fashions. It is a solidly constructed laptop computer, and also you’d should look intently to inform it aside from certainly one of Acer’s mainstream Swift laptops.
The specs
- CPU: Intel Core Extremely 5 226V
- Reminiscence: 16GB LPDDR5-8533
- Graphics: Intel Arc 130V
- Storage: 1TB solid-state drive
- Show: 14-inch 1,920×1,200-pixel contact IPS LCD
- Ports: 2x USB-C Thunderbolt 4, 2x USB-A USB 3.2 Gen 1, HDMI 2.1, combo audio
- Networking: Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3
- Weight: 3.05 kilos
- Battery life: 18 hours, 56 minutes
- Working system: Microsoft Home windows 11 Residence
CNET’S shopping for recommendation
The perfect a part of the Aspire 14 AI is getting a contemporary CPU that delivers the efficiency wanted for the laptop computer to behave as your main machine and never only a low-cost, underpowered second system. And the environment friendly Intel Core Extremely CPU additionally permits the Aspire 14 AI to run for nearly 19 hours on a single cost whereas additionally providing a little bit of future-proofing with its AI capabilities.
The uninspired design and meh show are actually the one gadgets that scream “funds laptop computer.” The remainder of the package deal is extra mainstream than funds, together with the 16GB of RAM and the roomy 1TB SSD. You might be often 8GB of RAM and both a 256GB or 512GB SSD when searching for a $700 laptop computer.
In case you are keen to spend a bit extra, I’ve a few different Copilot Plus PCs it is best to try. The Microsoft Floor Laptop computer 7 is a winner for its slick and durable design and superior haptic touchpad and the Asus Zenbook A14 boasts an ultralight but inflexible enclosure with a beautiful OLED show. Plus, each provide even higher battery life than the Aspire 14 AI.