We’ve seen Windows-based PCs built around Arm processors before, but this year Microsoft and Qualcomm are pushing a new generation of more powerful, more efficient machines. And OEMs are involved in large numbers. Acer’s first new laptop running on the updated SoC design will be the Swift 14 AI — and yes, the “AI” in the name means it has a Neural Processing Unit (NPU).

But on the outside, there’s nothing to suggest that the Swift 14 AI is anything more than its siblings in the Swift series — a simple laptop design with good materials and a certain lack of glitz. The clamshell uses an aluminum alloy body and a 2560×1600 IPS display with a faster-than-average 120Hz refresh rate. The hinges are 180 degrees, and while this isn’t a convertible laptop, you can upgrade to a touchscreen if you want.

Beneath the backlit keyboard is a choice of Snapdragon X Plus or X Elite processors, 10 and 12 cores respectively, both running at 3.4GHz when you get them to sing. Storage and RAM seem a little more familiar: “up to” 1TB Gen 4 and 32GB DDR5. Acer says the onboard NPU can handle up to 45 TOPS (trillion operations per second), though Windows’ ability to actually take advantage of that for anything other than blurring the video background is still questionable.

Speaking of which, Acer has upgraded the webcam a bit — it’s a 1440p model instead of the typical 1080p, along with an IR sensor for compatibility with Windows Hello logins. As for ports, you get two USB-C ports that support both charging and video, two more USB-A 3.2 ports, and a headphone jack. Acer says there’s a USB-C-to-HDMI adapter in the box. The entire kit and caboodle weighs 3.7 pounds, pretty average for a 14-inch laptop with those ports.

The battery is strong at 75 watt-hours with fast charging. Acer claims up to 12 hours, which is unusually low for an Arm-based laptop – just last week we spotted some Dell estimates (on a smaller battery, no less) that were way above that. But I’m getting ahead of myself; we need to take these things to the lab to do our own testing before we make any final judgment.

And when could we – and you – get our hands on the Swift 14 AI? Acer says it will hit shelves sometime in July in North America, with a starting price of $1,099.99.