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Acer Aspire 14 AI (2025): Two-minute review
The Acer Aspire 14 AI (2025) is a mid-range laptop with AI capabilities that aim to streamline advanced tasks without compromising processing power.
It looks smart and sleek with its minimal design. The blue colorway of my review unit also added an element of vibrancy to proceedings, offering something a little different from the usual black and silver finishes.
It’s also very light and thin, which makes it easy to use and carry around. The bezel around the screen is very small, too, which helps to maximize the size of the display.
The materials feel premium enough, especially the keys, but it’s not the sturdiest unit. There’s a considerable amount of flex to the lid and chassis, falling some way short of the best laptop constructions.
As you’d expect given its name, there are various AI features in the Aspire 14 AI (2025). However, there aren’t as many as you might think, with the flagship app appearing to be Acer LiveArt – a disappointingly basic image editing suite.
The AI apps run fairly smoothly in the main, though, and the Aspire 14 AI (2025) performs everyday tasks quite well, from productivity and browsing to streaming. However, it can succumb to the occasional slowdown and lag, and doesn’t handle 4K content particularly well. More strenuous tasks, such as gaming, are beyond it, as you might expect given the middling GPU it’s saddled with.
What’s more, there’s a pretty consistent fan noise, even during moderate workloads, which increases the harder the Aspire 14 AI (2025) is pushed. I also noticed a strange rattling sound at times, which was slightly concerning.
The display is more impressive, providing plenty of sharpness and brightness. Colors are rendered quite well, too, although they’re not the most vivid, with some of its rivals achieving greater saturation.
The keyboard is mostly pleasant to use, thanks in no small part to the sizable and generously spaced keys. The trackpad is smooth enough, but taps and clicks lack consistency and feedback.
Perhaps the most impressive aspect of the Aspire 14 AI (2025) is the battery life. It lasted 22 hours in our movie playback test, which trounces most of the competition, even at the top end of the market.
Ultimately, the Aspire 14 AI (2025) ends up being a somewhat underwhelming laptop considering its price tag. You might be better off paying a little more to have a laptop with a better design and overall performance.
Acer Aspire 14 AI (2025) review: Price & Availability
- Starts from £699 / AU$1,399
- Currently unavailable in the US
- Well-price for the spec
The Aspire 14 AI (2025) starts from £699 / AU$1,399 and is available now in various finishes. It can be configured with 512GB or 1TB of storage. Currently, the only model available in the US is the larger Aspire 16 AI.
On the face of it, this is a reasonable price for a laptop with this spec. But it does face some stern competitors who, despite being a bit more expensive, might represent better value, all things considered.
Take the Microsoft Surface Laptop: this starts at $899.99 / £1,039 / AU$1,498, and while it has a similar everyday performance to the Aspire 14 AI (2025) and a marginally shorter – but still impressive – battery life, it’s built to a higher standard and more enjoyable to use in our view.
Similarly, there’s also the Dell Inspiron 14. Again, this is more expensive than the Aspire 14 AI (2025), but its everyday performance is better – although it still can’t handle the most intensive workloads, like video editing and AAA gaming. It too has an impressive battery life, although it’s still not quite as enduring as that of the Aspire 14 AI (2025).
Acer Aspire 14 AI (2025) review: Specs
| Row 0 – Cell 0 |
Acer Aspire 14 AI (2025) Base Config |
Acer Aspire 14 AI (2025) Max Config |
|
Price |
$TBA / £699 / AU$1,399 |
$TBA / £749 (about AU$1570) |
|
CPU |
Qualcomm Snapdragon X X1-26-100 (8 cores), 3GHz |
Qualcomm Snapdragon X X1-26-100 (8 cores), 3GHz |
|
GPU |
Qualcomm Adreno GPU (shared memory) |
Qualcomm Adreno GPU (shared memory) |
|
RAM |
16GB LPDDR5X |
16GB LPDDR5X |
|
Storage |
512GB PCI Express NVMe 4.0 (M.2) |
1TB PCI Express NVMe 4.0 (M.2) |
|
Display |
14-inch WUXGA (1920 x 1200), 16:10, Active Matrix TFT LCD, IPS, 120Hz |
14-inch WUXGA (1920 x 1200), 16:10, Active Matrix TFT LCD, IPS, 120Hz |
|
Ports and Connectivity |
2x USB-C (Thunderbolt 4), 2x USB-A, 1x HDMI 2.1, 1x headset jack, 1x microSD, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4 |
2x USB-C (Thunderbolt 4), 2x USB-A, 1x HDMI 2.1, 1x headset jack, 1x microSD, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4 |
|
Battery |
65Wh |
65Wh |
|
Dimensions |
0.6 x 12.3 x 8.9in / 15.9 x 312 x 225.9mm |
0.6 x 12.3 x 8.9in / 15.9 x 312 x 225.9mm |
|
Weight |
2.7lbs / 1.24kg |
2.7lbs / 1.24kg |
Acer Aspire 14 AI (2025) review: Design
- Very thin and light
- Flimsy build quality
- Poor AI features
The Aspire 14 AI (2025) is very portable, even for a 14-inch laptop, thanks to its light and slender frame, free from any bulges or protrusions. This also adds to its sleek appearance. The dark blue colorway of my review unit suited it very well, and helped distinguish it from the monochromatic homogeneity of the sector.
The lid is easy to open, yet offers sufficient stability. Pleasingly, it also reclines all the way back by 180 degrees, making it versatile for various stands and setups.
Instead of four feet, the Aspire 14 AI (2025) features two long bars running across its width, with the rear one being taller than the front. They don’t provide as much grip as more traditional rubber feet, but they suffice for keeping the Aspire 14 AI (2025) stable while in use. What’s more, some may find this lack of traction preferable, as it makes the laptop easier to slide around on a given surface.
Build quality is good in places, such as the keyboard, with the plastics looking and feeling premium. I also appreciated the very thin bezel around the screen, which serves to maximize the full real estate.
However, there’s a considerable amount of flex to the chassis and the lid, which is somewhat disconcerting. It’s probably not one to take on more extreme adventures – it’s certainly no match for the best rugged laptop units in this regard – but it should suffice for basic travel.
As for software, the Aspire 14 AI (2025) is mercifully free from bloatware – although that statement largely depends on how you feel about AI features. Thankfully, those that are installed are unintrusive and only there if you need them.
The included AI features of the Aspire 14 AI (2025) are mainly confined to image and video editing, courtesy of Acer LiveSense. This app has some very basic image editing and webcam effects to play around with, but to call this an AI feature is a stretch. Its generative features boil down to buttons that open Microsoft’s Copilot app instead.
If you want more AI offerings from Acer than those preinstalled, you’ll have to download Acer Intelligence Space, which acts as a hub for its suite of AI apps. However, I couldn’t get this to install on my unit, with the app failing to appear once the installer had finished running.
As a side note, if you’re looking to install third-party apps, keep in mind that the Aspire 14 AI (2025) uses an ARM processor, so you may run into compatibility issues. Check with the software provider where you can to determine suitability for the architecture.
There’s a well-judged selection of ports on the Aspire 14 AI (2025). It features two USB-C ports, both of which employ the Thunderbolt 4 standard. These are both located on the left-hand side, in front of the HDMI 2.1 port and USB-A port, which may prove inconvenient for certain setups, since you’ll need to connect the power adapter to one of them.
On the right you’ll find a USB-A port, followed by a headset jack and a microSD slot. It’s a shame there isn’t at least one more port on this side, but this is a minor complaint.
Acer Aspire 14 AI (2025) review: Performance
- Reasonable workaday performance
- AI apps eat memory
- Noisy even under moderate loads
The performance of the Aspire 14 AI (2025) is good, if nothing spectacular. It can handle most everyday tasks, including word processing, spreadsheet editing, and video streaming, although 4K content can result in significant pauses for buffering. There were also a few occasions where it was a little sluggish, such as when waking from sleep.
The AI apps and features run well enough, although they do tend to eat up a considerable amount of memory, despite the 16GB of RAM on board. Models with more would be preferable to deal with such workloads on a regular basis.
Even under moderate loads, the fans of the Aspire 14 AI (2025) are audible. The noise isn’t too loud or shrill, but it’s still noticeable and unexpected. The volume does increase with heavier tasking, though – but at least the unit remains cool throughout.
I also noticed a strange rattling sound at times, as if some part was loose and vibrating. Pressing the offending area fixed the issue temporarily, but this speaks further to the less-than-stellar build quality of the Aspire 14 AI (2025).
Intensive tasks are beyond the Aspire 14 AI (2025). It doesn’t handle gaming very well, even when playing moderately demanding titles with modest settings. I encountered severe stuttering and lag when playing Counter-Strike 2 on the Medium preset, rendering it virtually unplayable; this certainly isn’t a device to replace the best gaming laptops.
The 1920 x 1200 display is sharp and renders colors quite well, although it’s not the most vibrant you’ll ever see. It has high levels of brightness, too, which helps to keep reflections at bay.
The keys are large and generously spaced, which makes them easy to type with. They lack the feedback and satisfying feel of the best laptops for writers, and the omission of a number pad might deter those after maximum productivity, but for basic note taking and essay writing, the keyboard should suffice.
The trackpad manages to stay out of the way while typing for the most part, with it refraining from registering palm contact. It’s smooth and pleasingly large, but the taps are a little inconsistent, and the click feels quite nasty and lacks feedback, making it awkward to use for constant navigation around documents and web pages.
Acer Aspire 14 AI (2025) review: Battery Life
- Incredible longevity
- Beats all the competition
The battery life of the Aspire 14 AI (2025) is very impressive. During our movie playback test, it managed to last an incredible 22 hours – a few hours shy of Acer’s 28-hour claim, but this is forgivable given there are very few rivals that can match this kind of endurance.
It trounces even more premium laptops, such as the Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M3) (the best student laptop in our view), which only managed a little over 14 hours. The Microsoft Surface Laptop managed just over 17 hours, while the Dell Inspiron 14 Plus lasted over 18 hours.
Should I buy the Acer Aspire 14 AI (2025)?
|
Attributes |
Notes |
Rating |
|---|---|---|
|
Value |
It’s at the lower end of the mid-range pack, but there are perhaps better value alternatives. |
3.5 / 5 |
|
Design |
It’s light and slender, but hardly the most solid. The included AI software is poor. |
3.5 / 5 |
|
Performance |
It’ll suffice for everyday tasks and productivity, but more serious workloads are beyond it. The display is bright and clear. |
3.5 / 5 |
|
Battery Life |
You’ll struggle to find many laptops that can last as long as the Aspire 14 AI (2025). |
5 / 5 |
|
Total |
The Aspire 14 AI (2025) is somewhat inconsistent, with great portability and battery life, but middling performance and build quality. There are better options if you’re prepared to pay a bit more. |
3.5 / 5 |
Buy the Acer Aspire 14 AI (2025) if…
Don’t buy it if…
Acer Aspire 14 AI (2025) review: Also Consider
How I tested the Acer Aspire 14 AI (2025)
- Tested for a few days
- Used for various tasks
- Plenty of laptop reviewing experience
I tested the Aspire 14 AI (2025) for a few days, using it for productivity, entertainment, and general browsing.
I did plenty of typing and content streaming, and even tested its gaming credentials. I also ran our series of benchmarks to assess various aspects of its performance, and made sure to use as many of its in-built AI apps and features as I could.
I have reviewed many laptops before, ranging in their price points and usage types. I’ve also used them consistently for decades for all manner of tasks.
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lewis.maddison@futurenet.com (Lewis Maddison)
