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This 16-inch laptop is lighter than a MacBook Air — I just tested Acer’s ultrabook that defies physics
Thin and light seem to be the direction of tech travel in 2025. Whether it’s in TVs, phones like the incoming iPhone 17 Air or laptops, nothing seems to be off limits from going through a weight loss journey.
But as a bit of a laptop nerd myself, Acer is the first to really stun me with this. The Swift Air 16 has just been announced at IFA 2025, and after going hands-on with it, my brain is struggling to really get a grasp of just how impressively thin and insanely light it is. Let me tell you about it.
Acer Swift Air 16 specs
| Row 0 – Cell 0 | Acer Swift Air 16 |
Price | From €999 |
Display | 16-inch WQXGA+ (2880×1800) AMOLED, 120Hz, 16:10 |
CPU | Up to AMD Ryzen AI 7 350 |
Memory | Up to 32GB DDR5 |
Storage | Up to 1TB |
Connectivity | Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.4 |
Colors | Light Silver, Fresh Blue, Steel Gray, White |
Dimensions | Up to 14.13 x 9.44 x 0.65 inches |
Weight | Up to 2.43 pounds |
Impossibly light
It should come as absolutely no surprise that the first thing you notice immediately is the weight. My jaw dropped the moment I felt next to no resistance picking it up with one hand. In fact, I nearly threw it in the air, feeling like I’d have to apply more strength to it!
At just 2.4 pounds, this is actually lighter than the 13-inch M4 MacBook Air, which, given the specs of the system, just seems bonkers to me. A full 16-inch OLED display adorns the front, and inside you’ve got an AMD Ryzen 7 AI 350 CPU, up to 32GB of DDR5 RAM and a 1TB SSD.
On top of that, the thinness and lightness of the design don’t make this feel weak or plasticky in the hand. This frame feels strong and withstood any attempts I made to bend it or flex the keyboard deck. Speaking of…
The keyboard may take some getting used to
Yep, it’s one of those keyboards — a chiclet board where there’s no spacing between the keys. I know Dell Premium has kept this trend going, and it does look kind of futuristic. But it’ll take you a while to get used to typing on this thing.
Without the spaces between keys or any kind of subtle dishing to them, there’s a lot of guesswork when it comes to touch typing, and you’ll find yourself having to look down every so often to make sure your hands are in the right place on the board.
It’s a whole ergonomics vs design thing, and I think Acer has taken the wrong road here.
Outlook
That being said, though, if you’re willing to put in the time to get used to the keyboard, this is one helluva achievement — a 16-inch laptop that’s lighter than a MacBook Air, has solid performance and (claimed by Acer) a 16-hour battery life.
Of course, we’ll have to put this through our testing for a full review to see if that lofty claim can be backed up. But first impressions are really strong here.
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