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Updated January 12, 2024·
The Acer Aspire 5 is less expensive and offers solid performance for general use with its Intel CPU and integrated graphics, suitable for everyday tasks like web browsing, office work, and media consumption. Its larger battery translates to longer usability on the go, which, combined with its lighter weight, makes it more portable. On the other hand, the Acer Swift X is pricier but features a more powerful AMD CPU and Nvidia graphics, making it better suited for demanding applications like 3D rendering, machine learning, and gaming. Additionally, its higher-resolution display provides a better visual experience, particularly for creative work. If portability and cost savings are crucial, the Aspire 5 is a sensible choice, but if you need greater performance for intensive tasks and a superior screen, consider investing in the Swift X. Give Feedback
this description is based on the product variant with some specs and product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars and the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Advantages of the Acer Aspire 5 15
- The Acer Aspire 5 15 has no clear advantages over the Acer Swift X 16.
Advantages of the Acer Swift X 16
- Very good for general use
- Very good for engineering and design
- Good for gaming and AI
- Very good for software development
- Very good for content creation
- Very good overall display quality
- Good overall build quality
- Very good speakers
- Very good keyboard
Key differences
General Use
7.5
8.2
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
275.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
402.0 nits
7.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
8.0 Hours
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
7.7/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.6/10
The Acer Swift X 16 is very good for general use, while the Acer Aspire 5 15 is good.
The Acer Aspire 5 15 is suitable for general use with a decent processor, ample RAM, and a good screen in terms of size and quality, providing a balance between performance and cost-effectiveness. The Acer Swift X 16, with its superior CPU, larger and higher quality display, and a more powerful dedicated graphics unit, stands out for very good general use, but comes at a higher price and with a modest increase in weight, making it less portable.
Gaming and AI
6.1
7.0
2.4/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.9/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Unknown
7.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
8.0/10
The Acer Swift X 16 is good for gaming and AI, while the Acer Aspire 5 15 is only fair.
The Acer Swift X 16 outperforms the Acer Aspire 5 15 in gaming and 3D because it has a more capable Nvidia RTX 3050 graphics card and a higher screen refresh rate, which are very important for these tasks. While both laptops have similar CPU and screen quality, which are somewhat important, the Swift X 16's superior GPU and refresh rate make it better suited for the demands of gaming and 3D applications.
Engineering and Design
6.6
8.2
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
2.4/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.9/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Acer Swift X 16 is very good for engineering and design, while the Acer Aspire 5 15 is only fair.
The Acer Aspire 5 15 is good for engineering and design because it offers a decent processor and integrated graphics, with a sufficient screen for detailed work, but the Acer Swift X 16 is better suited for more demanding engineering tasks with a superior processor, dedicated graphics card, and a higher resolution display, coupled with a larger and more color-accurate screen, even though it's slightly less portable and marginally heavier.
Content Creation
7.3
8.3
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Acer Swift X 16 is very good for content creation, while the Acer Aspire 5 15 is good.
PerfectRec’s Content Creation Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for photo editing, video editing and other content creation tasks.
Software Development
7.3
8.0
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Acer Swift X 16 is very good for software development, while the Acer Aspire 5 15 is good.
PerfectRec’s Software Development Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for software developers.
Screen Quality
6.2
8.2
15.6in
SIZE
16.0in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
275.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
402.0 nits
The Acer Swift X 16 has a better screen than the Acer Aspire 5 15 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
The Acer Aspire 5 15's fair screen quality for general use is due to its adequate resolution and brightness, but it may lack the crispness of higher-end displays. Its screen is suitable for engineering and design with decent color accuracy but falls short for gaming and 3D work due to a lower refresh rate, which means less smooth visuals in fast-paced scenes. On the other hand, the Acer Swift X 16 offers very good screen quality for both general use and engineering and design because it has a higher resolution, better brightness, and wider color gamut coverage, yet it still isn't ideal for gaming and 3D due to a suboptimal refresh rate.
Battery
7.0 Hours
8.0 Hours
The Acer Aspire 5 15 has 7 hours of battery life. The Acer Swift X 16 has 8 hours of battery life.
Battery life estimate is based on a mix of common use patterns. More portable and higher performing laptops tend to have less battery life.
Build Quality
6.5
7.6
The Acer Swift X 16 has good build quality, while the Acer Aspire 5 15 has only fair build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$480
$1,250
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
The Acer Aspire 5 15 has a price of $480 and the Acer Swift X 16 costs $1,250.
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Key similarities
Portability
Good
Good
15.6in
SIZE
16.0in
3.9 lbs
WEIGHT
4.1 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Acer Aspire 5 15 and Acer Swift X 16 both have good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
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How the Acer Aspire 5 15 and the Acer Swift X 16 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Acer Aspire 5 15 | Acer Swift X 16 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$480 | $1,250 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | May 1, 2023 | May 1, 2023 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14.2'' x 9.4'' x 0.7'' | 14'' x 9.8'' x 0.7'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 3.97 lbs | 4.19 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 14.21" | 14.02" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 9.4" | 9.81" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i5-1335U | AMD Ryzen 7 7840HS | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 0 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 1024 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 7 Hours | 8 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 50 Wh | 76 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 15.6" | 16" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 2560 x 1600 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 165Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 275 nits | 402 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 6.5/10 | 7.6/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 7.8/10 | 7.6/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | No | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 7.5/10 | 8/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 7/10 | 8/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 6/10 | 8/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 1080p | 1080p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | No | Yes | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | Yes | Yes | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 2 | 2 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 1 | 2 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | No | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 2 | 3 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | 4 | N/A | |
Shopping
Acer Aspire 5 15
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Sascha Mölck | November 2022
"The Acer Aspire 5 15 is a good value office laptop with reasonable battery life. The combination of slim exterior, relatively low weight (approx. 1.7 kg) and 8 hour real-life battery runtime makes the Acer Aspire a truly mobile laptop. The modest Tiger Lake processor supports this area and simultaneously ensures an affordable price point. The Aspire produces little noise and stays cool. The screen (FHD, IPS) might not win any prizes but is entirely appropriate for the price."
Acer Swift X 16
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Dig into reviews and images
PCWorld
Matthew S. Smith | September 2023
"Acer’s Swift X 16 is an excellent choice for shoppers who want a 16-inch laptop and care more for performance than attractive design or long battery life. The Swift X 16’s gorgeous OLED display, spacious keyboard, and big touchpad make it pleasant to use in basic day-to-day tasks. It also has an AMD Ryzen 9 processor and Nvidia RTX 4050 graphics, which combine to deliver good performance in a wide variety of productivity applications and games. A few minor mistakes, like poorly-placed USB-C ports that lack DisplayPort, will turn off some shoppers, but those who can accept its shortcomings will find the Swift X 16 a versatile daily driver."
Get a great deal on the Acer Aspire 5 15 or the Acer Swift X 16
About Acer
Acer is a prominent Taiwanese electronics brand which makes a wide range of laptops, with multiple product lines catering to personal use, gaming, and business use. They are renowned for having exceptional value for money, as they frequently offer good specifications at a lower price than other manufacturers.
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This information was produced and vetted by the PerfectRec laptops team. We are a product research and recommendation organization that meticulously reviews and evaluates the latest laptop information and makes it digestible for you.
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