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What we think
The PerfectRec laptop team Learn more
Updated January 10, 2024·
The Acer Aspire 5 17 offers a larger screen and a decent battery life which is great for everyday tasks like web browsing, document editing, and media consumption. However, the Acer Swift Edge 16, while slightly more expensive, has a higher resolution OLED screen which is better for vivid colors and sharp images, making it ideal for creative professionals. Its more powerful processor and doubled RAM compared to the Aspire 5 make it well-suited for more intensive tasks such as 3D rendering and machine learning. Additionally, the Swift Edge is significantly lighter and thinner, enhancing its portability. Both have good build quality and sufficient connectivity options, but if performance and portability are priorities, the extra cost for the Swift Edge might be justified. 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 17
- Good keyboard
Advantages of the Acer Swift Edge 16
- Very good for engineering and design
- Very good for content creation
- Very good overall display quality
- Good overall build quality
- Very good portability
Key differences
General Use
7.3
7.9
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3200 x 2000
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
266.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
383.0 nits
7.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
7.0 Hours
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
6.7/10
7.3/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
8.8/10
The Acer Swift Edge 16 and Acer Aspire 5 17 are both good for general use, though the Acer Swift Edge 16 is somewhat better.
The Acer Aspire 5 17, with its ample screen size and standard resolution coupled with a capable Intel i5 CPU and 8 GB of RAM, makes it a solid choice for everyday activities, but its larger size and weight may detract from its portability. In contrast, the Acer Swift Edge 16 offers better performance through its AMD Ryzen 7 CPU and double the RAM, with superior screen quality from an OLED display and higher resolution, alongside a lighter build and longer battery life, which results in higher portability.
Engineering and Design
6.7
8.1
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.8/10
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.0/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Acer Swift Edge 16 is very good for engineering and design, while the Acer Aspire 5 17 is only fair.
PerfectRec’s Engineering and Design Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for graphic design and 3D rendering work.
Content Creation
7.2
8.1
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.8/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3200 x 2000
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
The Acer Swift Edge 16 is very good for content creation, while the Acer Aspire 5 17 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
7.2
7.9
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.8/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3200 x 2000
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
6.7/10
The Acer Swift Edge 16 and Acer Aspire 5 17 are both good for software development, though the Acer Swift Edge 16 is somewhat better.
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
8.8
17.3in
SIZE
16.0in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3200 x 2000
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
266.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
383.0 nits
The Acer Swift Edge 16 has a better screen than the Acer Aspire 5 17 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
For general use, both the Acer Aspire 5 17 and the Acer Swift Edge 16 screens serve well, with the Edge offering a higher resolution and brightness that enhance everyday viewing experiences more vividly. The Swift Edge 16 stands out for engineering and design work due to its wider color gamuts, rendering it capable of displaying more accurate colors, which is crucial in these fields. However, for gaming and 3D applications, both laptops fall short due to their poor refresh rates, which can limit the smoothness and responsiveness critical in these fast-paced scenarios.
Portability
Good
Very Good
17.3in
SIZE
16.0in
4.6 lbs
WEIGHT
2.7 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.5in
The Acer Swift Edge 16 has very good portability, while the Acer Aspire 5 17 has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
6.5
7.2
The Acer Swift Edge 16 has good build quality, while the Acer Aspire 5 17 has only fair build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$700
$820
$200
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
The Acer Aspire 5 17 has a price of $700 and the Acer Swift Edge 16 costs $820.
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Key similarities
Gaming and AI
6.2
6.7
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.0/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3200 x 2000
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
8.0/10
The Acer Swift Edge 16 and Acer Aspire 5 17 are both only fair for gaming and AI.
The Acer Swift Edge 16 outperforms the Acer Aspire 5 17 in gaming and 3D mainly because it has a superior AMD Radeon 780M GPU and a higher screen refresh rate of 120 Hz, providing smoother visuals crucial for gaming. Meanwhile, the Aspire 5 17 is equipped with an Intel Iris Xe GPU and a standard 60 Hz refresh rate screen, which is less optimal for fast-paced gaming scenarios and renders less fluid motion.
Battery
7.0 Hours
7.0 Hours
The Acer Aspire 5 17 has 7 hours of battery life. The Acer Swift Edge 16 has 7 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.
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How the Acer Aspire 5 17 and the Acer Swift Edge 16 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Acer Aspire 5 17 | Acer Swift Edge 16 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$700 | $820 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | April 1, 2023 | May 1, 2023 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 15.8'' x 10.1'' x 0.71'' | 14.1'' x 9.7'' x 0.51'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 4.61 lbs | 2.73 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 15.83" | 14.08" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 10.1" | 9.68" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i5-1335U | AMD Ryzen 7 7840U | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 8 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 | 7 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 50.3 Wh | 54 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 17.3" | 16" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | OLED | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 3200 x 2000 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 120Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 266 nits | 383 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 6.5/10 | 7.2/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 7.3/10 | 8.9/10 | |
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 | 6.8/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 6/10 | 6.5/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 1080p | 1080p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | No | Yes | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | Yes | No | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 2 | 2 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 1 | 2 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | No | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 2 | 3 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | 4 | N/A | |
Shopping
Acer Aspire 5 17
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Marcus Schwarten | March 2021
"The Acer Aspire 5 17 laptop shows the expected strengths in the test. Besides the usual high build quality, the configuration convinces in most benchmarks and tests. The combination of CPU, GPU, and RAM is absolutely sufficient for the everyday office and browsing tasks of a laptop. It also renders the odd game passably if the requirements aren't too high. We liked the matte display in the test as well as the fairly manageable dimensions despite the screen size. It can also be used outdoors, even if it's certainly not a laptop designed for mobility."
Acer Swift Edge 16
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Dig into reviews and images
PCWorld
Matthew S. Smith | October 2023
"The Acer Swift Edge 16 is a solid super thin-and-light that pairs a large, gorgeous 16-inch display with portable design that rivals the weight of LG’s superlight Gram 16. Remarkably, Acer achieves this at a lower price point without sacrificing performance. Boring design and disappointing battery life hold the laptop back from stardom, but its rivals frequently suffer in these areas, too. That makes the Swift Edge 16 an alluring value pick."
Get a great deal on the Acer Aspire 5 17 or the Acer Swift Edge 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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