Acer refreshes Swift laptops with Panther Lake — claims 'world's largest haptic touchpad' on Swift 16 AI

acer laptops
(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

Acer is refreshing its thin Swift laptop lineup at CES 2026, updating to the latest Intel processors and adding OLED screens across the entire lineup.

The flagship, the Acer Swift 16 AI, goes up to Intel's high-end Core Ultra X9 388H, with Intel Arc graphics. Acer claims it has the "world's largest haptic touchpad," measuring 6.91 x 4.32-inch (175.5 X 109.7 mm) in a 16:10 aspect ratio. The touchpad also supports MPP 2.5 stylus input. (This isn't Acer's first laptop with a touchpad to support a stylus. We saw this on the Predator Triton 14 AI.)

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Acer Swift 16 AI

Acer Swift Edge 16 AI

Acer Swift Edge 14 AI

CPU

Up to Intel Core Ultra X9 388H

Up to Intel Core Ultra 9 386H

Up to Intel Core Ultra 9 386H

GPU

Up to Intel Arc B390 (integrated)

Intel graphics

Intel graphics

RAM

Up to 32GB LPDDR5x

Up to 32GB LPDDR5x

Up to 32GB LPDDR5x

Storage

Up to 2TB M.2 SSD

Up to 1TB PCIe Gen 4 SSD

Up to 1TB PCIe Gen 4 SSD

Display

16-inch, OLED, up to 2880 x 1800, touch, 120 Hz

16-inch, OLED, up to 2880 x 1800, touch on high-end model

14-inch, OLED, up to 2880 x 1800

Ports

2x Thunderbolt 4, 2x USB 3.2 Type-A, HDMI 2.1, microSD card reader, 3.5 mm headphone jack

2x Thunderbolt 4, 2x USB 3.2 Type-A, HDMI 2.1, 3.5 mm headphone jack

2x Thunderbolt 4, 2x USB 3.2 Type-A, HDMI 2.1, 3.5 mm headphone jack

Networking

Intel Killer Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4

Intel Killer Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4

Intel Killer Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4

Battery

70 WHr

65 WHr

65 WHr

Availability

Q1 2026

Q2 2026

Q2 2026

Starting Price

TBD

TBD

TBD

The Swift 16 AI also includes display options up to a 2880 x 1800, 120 Hz touch screen, along with a full HD IR webcam and DTS:X Ultra speakers. The chassis itself is just 0.58 inches (14.9 mm) thick and includes a mix of Thunderbolt 4 ports over USB Type-C and a pair of USB Type-A ports.

The Swift 16 AI is set to debut in Q1 of this year, but Acer isn't talking about the price just yet, which appears to be a running theme this year.

The company also announced two lightweight Swift Edge models, a 16-inch and a 15-inch. Both are almost identical in specs, with up to a Core Ultra 9 386H, Intel graphics, up to 1TB PCIe Gen 4 SSDs.

Lastly, Acer is refreshing its 14-inch and 16-inch Swift Go models with up to Intel Core Ultra X9 388H processors. Those will launch in Q2, with pricing yet to be determined.

acer laptop

(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

Acer's other CES announcements include a variety of gaming laptops, monitors, and enterprise systems.

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Andrew E. Freedman

Andrew E. Freedman is a senior editor at Tom's Hardware focusing on laptops, desktops and gaming. He also keeps up with the latest news. A lover of all things gaming and tech, his previous work has shown up in Tom's Guide, Laptop Mag, Kotaku, PCMag and Complex, among others. Follow him on Threads @FreedmanAE and BlueSky @andrewfreedman.net. You can send him tips on Signal: andrewfreedman.01

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