CHOICE verdict
The Acer Swift Go 16 is surprisingly portable for a large-screen laptop thanks to its slim 22mm profile and weight of just 1.6kg. This is a good thing, because you won't want to leave that gorgeous high-resolution OLED screen behind. We tested the Acer Swift Go 16 (SFG16-71-73AX model) and though it's well put together with a very good performance and a solid range of connections and features, including Thunderbolt 4, Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.3, the 3200 x 2000 pixel OLED screen is the true highlight of this machine.
Price: $1999
Contact: acer.com.au
The Acer Swift Go 16 has quite a bright screen for a laptop (we measured it at 358 nits) and in particular, the OLED screen is great for watching movies because you don't get the backlight bleed around the edges that's typical of many LED screens.
The blacks are deep, the colours are rich, and we found it had excellent brightness, contrast and viewing angles. As the screen finish is glossy, you might need to angle it to avoid reflections from external light sources. The built-in high-resolution (1440p) webcam also offers very good clarity and detail.
How does the Acer Swift Go 16 perform?
With Intel's 13th generation Intel Core-i7-13700H CPU on board, this is a very quick performer that will easily cope with demanding work.
We found the SSD (solid-state drive) very fast as well, with a read speed of 5108MBps on average in our testing, and a write speed of 4626MBps.
This is a very quick performer with fast CPU and SSD that will easily cope with demanding work
We recorded Wi-Fi performance of 44MBps in our testing using an 802.11ac router, which was very good, but it's best to pair this laptop with an 802.11ax router. We did so and gained a bit more speed across short distances (56MBps). There's also wireless connectivity via the latest Bluetooth 5.3.
The Acer Swift Go 16 is certified for the Intel Evo platform, which dictates requirements for hardware, performance and battery life. It also supports Intel Unison, which connects with select Android- or iOS phone models for shared calling, messaging and notifications.
Plenty of plug-ins
Connectivity is plentiful and useful on either side. There are two USB-3 (Type-A) ports and two high-speed USB-C (Thunderbolt 4) ports, plus a full-sized HDMI port, microSD card slot, and cable lock slot. Power is connected via a USB-C adapter.
The USB-C ports give you the opportunity to easily expand your connectivity further via a USB-C dock or hub, if necessary.
On the right-hand side you have a microSD card slot, headset port, USB 3 (Type-A) and a security lock slot.
On the left-hand side you have two USB-C (Thunderbolt 4) ports, plus a full-sized HDMI port and USB 3 (Type-A).
Keyboard and touchpad
The keyboard overall is good, with keys that have noticeable travel and good response. They give satisfying feedback, which is important for those who do a lot of typing, and two levels of backlighting for low-light situations.
There's also a fingerprint reader on the power button for easy logins, but use a light touch – we found it a little too easy to inadvertently press the power button when using the fingerprint reader.
The numeric pad is a bit squished, however, so it will take some getting used to for those who are accustomed to a desktop-style numpad. For example, the plus and minus keys are along the top rather than the usual position along the right side.
The 'OceanGlass' touchpad, on the other hand, is very large (126mm x 83mm) and there's plenty of space to rest your palms. This helps make the Acer Swift Go 16 quite comfortable to use on your lap, despite its size.
Battery life
For the most part, any laptop of this size is better suited to a desk position where possible, and usually near a power outlet. The battery life of the Acer Swift Go 16 averaged just under six hours in our heavy use testing. But it took us just 51 minutes to charge up to 80% full, which is pretty quick.
If you're looking for a good large-sized laptop with the rich colours that come with OLED, and plenty of peripheral connectivity options, the Acer Swift Go 16 should be on your list. It comes bundled with Windows 11 Home.
Our test model came with 16GB of RAM (memory), which should be enough for most people's needs, but it should be noted that the RAM is soldered to the board, so you can't increase it down the track.
However, you can replace the SSD (though there is 1TB installed), the Wi-Fi module, and the battery, all of which can help give the laptop a longer useful life.
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Stock images: Getty, unless otherwise stated.
