CES 2026: Acer unveiled the Aspire 14 AI and Aspire 16 AI laptops with Intel Panther Lake processors
By ForGeeks
Acer announced the updated Aspire 14 AI and Aspire 16 AI notebooks at CES 2026. The new models build on the Lunar Lake chip Aspire models shown at IFA 2025 and now feature the latest Intel Core Ultra 9 300 series (Panther Lake-H) processors.
The two models are in the Copilot+ PC class and are based on the Intel Core Ultra 9 386H. Configurations include up to 32GB of LPDDR5x RAM and up to 2TB of M.2 NVMe SSD storage.
Acer Aspire 14 AI gets a 14-inch display with a 16:10 aspect ratio, FHD+ resolution and 120Hz refresh rate. The color gamut is 45% NTSC. Buyers will be able to choose between a touchscreen or regular screen version, as well as an OLED panel. The Aspire 16 AI offers similar options but with a larger 16-inch diagonal. The hinges on both laptops allow the lid to open 180 degrees.
The Aspire 16 AI offers a similar option, but with a larger 16-inch diagonal screen.
General specs include — a 1080p IR webcam with a physical privacy curtain, a three-microphone array, stereo speakers with DTS Audio support, two Thunderbolt 4 ports, two USB Type-A ports, HDMI 2.1 and a combo audio jack. Wi-Fi 6E with Bluetooth 5.3 is responsible for wireless connectivity. A 65Wh battery provides battery life.
Acer is putting a special emphasis on built-in AI features. The laptops feature Acer Intelligence Space, as well as Acer PurifiedVoice and PurifiedView technologies to improve sound and image quality during video calls. Rounding out the suite are Acer My Key for quick access to user actions and Live Captions for real-time captioning.
Sales of the Acer Aspire 14 AI (A14-171M/T) and Aspire 16 AI (A16-171M/T) will begin in June-July 2026. Pricing for the devices will be announced closer to the launch date.
