Acer’s 14-Inch Swift 3 Gets Whiskey Lake-U CPU, GeForce MX150, Goes on a Diet

In addition to launching its ultra-portable 13.3-inch Swift 3 laptops, Acer also introduced revamped versions of its more traditional 14-inch Swift 3 notebooks on Wednesday. The new mobile PCs sport Intel’s latest Whiskey Lake-U processors along with a slimmer design and a longer battery life.

The Acer Swift 3 SF314-55-series notebooks outfitted with a 14-inch Full-HD display are based around Intel’s latest quad-core Core i7-8565U/Core i5-8265U CPUs, or dual-core Core i3-8145U processors that belong to the Whiskey Lake-U family. The new CPUs are accompanied by 4 or 8 GB of DDR4 memory, a PCIe/NVMe SSD featuring up to 512 GB capacity, and an optional NVIDIA GeForce MX150 discrete GPU.

On the connectivity side of things, the Acer Swift 3 (SF314-55/SF314-55G) comes equipped with an 802.11ac + Bluetooth module, two USB 3.0 Type-A ports, an USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-C port, a HDMI output, a TRRS audio connector, a SD card reader, an optional fingerprint scanner, and a Windows Hello-compliant webcam. The manufacturer does not disclose capacity of the battery for the Swift 3 SF314-55-series laptops, but says that it lasts 12 hours on one charge, which is about two hours longer than on previous-gen models.

Moving on to the key selling point of the new Acer Swift 3 SF314-55-series notebooks: their new design. The new chassis is 14.9 mm (0.59 inches) thick, which is considerably thinner when compared to the 18.9-mm (0.71-inch) chassis of existing 14-inch Swift 3 laptops. For some reason, Acer hasn't touched upon the weight the new Swift 3 PCs as of yet, but it is reasonable to expect the new units to be lighter than their predecessors. To make the new Swift 3 more attractive to those seeking for something eye-catching, the new laptops will be offered not only in the standard silver, but also with a red finish.

In addition to the Swift 3 SF314-55-series laptops, Acer also unveils the Swift 3 SF314-56-series notebooks that come in a slightly thicker chassis which accommodates a hard drive. These machines offer the same CPU and GPU options as their slimmer brethren, but will naturally be able to store considerably larger amounts of data. As for color schemes, the Swift 3 SF314-56-series notebooks will be available in red, blue, pink, and silver enclosures. 

Acer’s 14-inch Swift 3 (SF314-55 / SF314-55G) laptops will be hitting the market in North America this November at price points starting at $799.99. Meanwhile, the 14-inch Swift 3 (SF314-56 / SF-314-56G) with a hard drive will be available in EMEA markets in early 2019 starting at €799.

Related Reading:

• Acer’s Swift 3 Laptop Gets 13.3-Inch Display, Slimmer Chassis, LTE Modem
• More Ryzen Mobile: Acer Swift 3 with 2700U and 2500U Listed, From $750
• Acer Announces new Swift brand of Ultrathin Notebooks with Kaby Lake SoCs
• Acer’s New Swift 7 Gets 14-inch Display, LTE Modem, Becomes Thinner & Pricier