The Acer Swift Air 16 was an instant star at IFA 2025 in Berlin, which ran from September 5 to 9. Unsurprisingly a 16-inch laptop weighing under 1kg is something the competition hasn’t offered yet. It’s even lighter than the 13-inch MacBook Air, which seems like a minor miracle in the world of laptops. That’s why it immediately caught the media’s attention and won the “Best Laptop of IFA 2025” award from Tom’s Guide. The Acer Swift Air 16 brings a slim magnesium-aluminum body, advanced AMD Ryzen AI 300-series processors, optional OLED displays and Windows Copilot features. For users who want a large display but don’t want to carry around a heavy laptop, this is a very attractive option.
Design and weight: A new standard in portability
The most debated feature of the Acer Swift Air 16 is its weight. The base version with an IPS display weighs just 990 grams, while the variant with an OLED screen weighs slightly more at 1.1 kilograms. By comparison, the 13-inch MacBook Air weighs 1.24 kilograms. Acer has thus broken a barrier that seemed impossible not long ago – a 16″ laptop that is lighter than most 13″ ultrabooks.
The material processing combines aluminum and magnesium. The chassis is strong, resistant to damage and at the same time very elegant. The thickness of the device is around 0.6 inch, so the notebook looks like a luxury ultrabook that does not hang in the backpack even when carrying it all day.
Also check out the short video of the Acer Swift Air 16, which shows the design and first impressions of this ultrabook. Video prepared by YouTube channel My Next Tablet.
Display: IPS for durability, OLED for visuals
The Acer Swift Air 16 comes in two display variants, so each user can choose whichever is more important to them – practicality or visual quality.
The IPS panel offers a resolution of 1920×1200 px, an aspect ratio of 16:10 and a refresh rate of 60 Hz. This is a traditional choice for those who need longer battery life and prefer the lowest possible weight. IPS is ideal for word processing, office applications or surfing the internet.
The OLED panel, on the other hand, targets users who want a premium visual experience. The display has a resolution of 2880×1800 px, a fast 120Hz refresh rate and 100% coverage of the DCI-P3 colour space. This means rich colours, perfect contrasts and smooth viewing when gaming or watching videos. Graphic designers and content creators will appreciate the colour accuracy, while movie fans will appreciate the deep blacks and true-to-life images.
While the OLED version adds a few dozen grams and will be more expensive, it takes the visual experience up a notch. For people who work with graphics, video, or simply love a quality image on a daily basis, this is the obvious choice. IPS, on the other hand, is a more sensible option for students and professionals who want the longest lasting display and a lower price.
Photos direct from the IFA 2025 conference were provided by TouchIT, who had the chance to see the Acer Swift Air 16 live.
Hardware, AI features and connectivity
At the heart of the Acer Swift Air 16 is a processor from the AMD Ryzen AI 300-series. The base configuration starts at Ryzen AI 5 330, the more powerful version offers Ryzen AI 7 350. Graphics are taken care of by the integrated Radeon 860M chip, which can handle multimedia playback, streaming and less demanding graphics tasks without any problems. The notebook is available with up to 32GB of LPDDR5X RAM and 1TB of PCIe SSD storage, so it provides plenty of power for working on larger projects or multitasking.
Since it is a Copilot PC device, the user also has native AI features in Windows 11. Some of the most interesting ones include Recall, which lets you search the history of screens and documents, Click to Do, which speeds up routine activities, and generative functions in applications such as Word, PowerPoint, and Outlook. This makes the Swift Air 16 not just an ultrabook, but also an intelligent assistant ready to help with everyday work.
The trade-off is a 50 Wh battery that, according to Acer, lasts about 13 hours of video playback. While that’s enough for a normal work day, competitors sometimes offer larger batteries. On the other hand, the Swift Air 16 impresses with its port lineup – there’s 2× USB-C, 1× USB-A 3.2, HDMI 1.4, and 0.14 inch audio jack. This gives it a wider range of connectivity options than, say, the MacBook Air, which relies on USB-C alone. Of course, modern wireless connectivity is also available.
| Acer Swift Air 16 specifications | |
|---|---|
| Display | 16″ IPS (1920×1200, 60 Hz) or 16″ OLED (2880×1800, 120 Hz) |
| Processor | AMD Ryzen AI 5 330 to Ryzen AI 7 350 |
| Graphics | Radeon 860M (integrated) |
| RAM | up to 32 GB LPDDR5X |
| Storage | up to 1 TB PCIe SSD |
| Weight | 0.99 kg (IPS) / 1.1 kg (OLED) |
| Battery | 50 Wh, up to 13 hours of battery life |
| Ports | 2× USB-C, 1× USB-A 3.2, HDMI 1.4, audio jack |
| Wireless connectivity | Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.4 |
| Price and availability | from $1,177, on sale from November 2025 |
Price, availability and awards
The Acer Swift Air 16 will go on sale from November 2025 with prices starting from $1,177. That’s the starting price for the version with an IPS display, while the model with an OLED panel will logically be more expensive. The exact price depends on the specific processor configuration, RAM capacity and storage. It can be expected that the fully featured version with OLED display and 32 GB of RAM can approach the $1,769 mark, which is still a competitive amount considering the specs and portability.
Acer is also planning a gradual rollout of the model to other markets – Europe and the Middle East are up first, with availability for Asia and the US to follow. This indicates that the company sees global potential in this model and is targeting a wide group of users, from students to professionals.
At IFA 2025, the Acer Swift Air 16 won the prestigious “Best Laptop” award from Tom’s Guide. Reviewers highlighted the unique combination of a large 16-inch display, ultra-light weight and AI features that take ultrabooks into a new era. Several tech portals, including The Verge and PCMag, praised Acer’s commitment to pushing the boundaries of portability without sacrificing design or feature set.
Acer Swift 16 AI: the future as early as 2026
Alongside the Air, Acer also showed the Acer Swift 16 AI concept, which is set to arrive on the market in 2026. It is the first laptop with Intel’s Panther Lake processor, which will bring higher performance and cutting-edge AI capabilities directly to the device.
The novelty also caught the eye with a unique haptic touchpad, the world’s largest, which also supports a stylus. Users can use it not only for control, but also for drawing and note-taking. Together with the 3K OLED display with a high refresh rate, the Swift 16 AI will look more like a workstation than a classic ultrabook.
Although it’s only a prototype for now, it’s already clear that Acer wants to split the Swift series into two clear lines – the Air as the ultimate portable ultrabook and the AI as a futuristic device with experimental features and high AI performance.
The photos below were once again provided by TouchIT, which captured the Acer Swift Air 16 AI during the unveiling in Berlin.
Acer Swift Air 16 summary
The Acer Swift Air 16 proves that a laptop with a large display doesn’t have to be heavy and impractical. Weighing under 1 kg, with modern AMD Ryzen AI hardware, a choice between IPS and OLED display and Copilot PC support, it’s a device that combines portability with productivity.
For students, executives and creatives who need a laptop with them at all times, this is a very appealing choice. And if you’re wondering where the future of AI laptops is headed, be sure to keep an eye out for the upcoming Acer Swift 16 AI, which is expected to bring the next revolution as early as 2026.