CNET’s key takeaways 

Laptop prices are on the rise — and the extra they enhance, the higher Acer’s Aspire 14 AI seems to be. 

• The Acer Aspire 14 AI is on the market for $500 at Costco and $628 at Amazon.
• The Intel Lunar Lake CPU presents good efficiency for the worth and lengthy battery life.
• The show and design will not wow you.

When I reviewed it in April, it price $700 at Costco and was the most affordable Copilot Plus PC I had reviewed. Quick-forward two months, and a Labor Day deal has introduced that value right down to $500 at Costco, making it the most affordable Copilot Plus PC I’ve seen — and an ideal worth.

Finances laptop computer consumers will discover no scarcity of low-cost fashions round $500 which might be priced so low for the easy incontrovertible fact that they’re older laptops with ageing elements that get extra outdated with every passing day. The Acer Aspire 14 AI would not fall into this class. It is the uncommon laptop computer with each a very funds value and trendy elements. It’s based mostly on a present Intel Core Extremely Sequence 2 processor (codenamed Lunar Lake) that delivers good efficiency for the worth, together with nice battery life and aggressive AI efficiency. The Aspire 14 AI additionally wins factors for supplying extra RAM and storage than most funds laptops. Actually, it is one in all my best budget laptops of 2025.

My expertise with the Acer Aspire 14 AI

I am nonetheless ready for the killer AI app to make a laptop computer AI CPU a should, nevertheless it’s good to know that when it arrives, you will have a machine that is constructed for it. 

Due to its Intel Core Extremely 5 CPU that has a neural processing unit able to 40 trillion operations per second, the Aspire 14 AI hits the minimal requirement for Microsoft’s Copilot Plus PC platform. Its AI processor can offload AI workloads — continuously taking Home windows Recall snapshots, blurring backgrounds for video calls and producing stay translations — to its NPU, maintaining the CPU and GPU freed up for no matter main job you are engaged on.

Future-proofing is all the time priceless in any laptop computer, particularly so in a funds mannequin the place it isn’t all the time a given. It’s worthwhile to watch out when looking for a low-cost laptop computer as a result of many choices are older fashions with previous-generation elements which might be discounted in an try to filter stock for newer items.

In testing, the Aspire 14 AI hung with the dearer Copilot Plus PCs I’ve examined. Its scores on our utility, graphics and AI benchmarks weren’t all that far off from these of its pricier rivals. Its built-in Intel GPU would not present a lot in the best way of 3D gaming, however the identical may be mentioned for any Copilot Plus PC, as I’ve but to come across one with devoted graphics.

With the Aspire 14 AI, you keep away from the funds laptop computer lure of shopping for a machine with outdated or soon-to-be-outdated elements. And also you additionally skip previous the specter of the Creaky Plastic Monster. Many funds laptops have flimsy plastic enclosures, however the Aspire 14 AI has aluminum prime and backside panels with solely a plastic keyboard deck. The keyboard deck feels inflexible and would not bend or flex just like the thinner plastic generally discovered on different funds fashions. It is a solidly constructed laptop computer, and also you’d must look carefully to inform it other than one in all Acer’s mainstream Swift laptops.

The specs

• CPU: Intel Core Extremely 5 226V
• Reminiscence: 16GB LPDDR5-8533 
• Graphics: Intel Arc 130V
• Storage: 1TB solid-state drive
• Show: 14-inch 1,920×1,200-pixel contact IPS LCD
• Ports: 2x USB-C Thunderbolt 4, 2x USB-A USB 3.2 Gen 1, HDMI 2.1, combo audio
• Networking: Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3
• Weight: 3.05 kilos
• Battery life: 18 hours, 56 minutes
• Working system: Microsoft Home windows 11 House

CNET’S shopping for recommendation

The most effective a part of the Aspire 14 AI is getting a contemporary CPU that delivers the efficiency wanted for the laptop computer to behave as your main machine and never only a low-cost, underpowered second system. And the environment friendly Intel Core Extremely CPU additionally permits the Aspire 14 AI to run for nearly 19 hours on a single cost whereas additionally providing a little bit of future-proofing with its AI capabilities.

The uninspired design and meh show are actually the one gadgets that scream “funds laptop computer.” The remainder of the bundle is extra mainstream than funds, together with the 16GB of RAM and the roomy 1TB SSD. You’re often 8GB of RAM and both a 256GB or 512GB SSD when looking for a $500 to $700 laptop computer. And this Amazon deal makes the Aspire 14 an even better bargain than it usually is.

If you’re prepared to spend a bit extra, I’ve a few different Copilot Plus PCs it is best to try. The Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 is a winner for its slick and durable design and superior haptic touchpad and the Asus Zenbook A14 boasts an ultralight but inflexible enclosure with a stunning OLED show. Plus, each supply even higher battery life than the Aspire 14 AI.