If you need a laptop with higher performance for 3D rendering, machine learning, or gaming, the Acer Nitro 16 with its powerful dedicated graphics card is a better choice. However, it's heavier and has shorter battery life, which could be a drawback if portability and all-day battery are important to you. On the other hand, the Acer Swift Edge 16 is much lighter, making it easy to carry around, and offers an OLED screen with better color coverage, which can be ideal for tasks that require color accuracy. It also tends to be less expensive and has double the storage space but comes with integrated graphics, which are not as good for intensive tasks as the dedicated graphics card in the Nitro 16. 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 Nitro 16
Very good for gaming and AI
Good speakers
Very good keyboard
Advantages of the Acer Swift Edge 16
Very good for content creation
Very good portability
Key differences
Gaming and AI
8.0/10
6.7/10
8.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.0/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
3200 x 2000
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
8.0/10
The Acer Nitro 16 is very good for gaming and AI, while the Acer Swift Edge 16 is only fair.
The Acer Nitro 16, with its higher refresh rate display and Nvidia RTX 4070 GPU, is particularly suited for demanding gaming and 3D tasks, offering smooth visuals and strong graphics performance. In contrast, the Acer Swift Edge 16, while also good for gaming and 3D applications, has a less powerful AMD Radeon 780M GPU and a lower refresh rate display, but it compensates with a higher resolution OLED screen for vibrant colors and contrast.
Screen Quality
8.3/10
8.8/10
16.0in
SIZE
16.0in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
3200 x 2000
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
494.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
383.0 nits
The Acer Swift Edge 16 has a better screen than the Acer Nitro 16 for general use, engineering and design, and software development.
The Acer Nitro 16 likely offers a vibrant display with high resolution and luminosity, rendering it excellent for everyday tasks and detailed engineering designs where color accuracy and clear visuals are essential. The Acer Swift Edge surpasses this with outstanding color coverage and a bright, sharp display, making it a top contender for professionals looking for precision in color-work and crisp text. However, both fall short for gamers and 3D designers due to lower refresh rates, which means less fluid motion and a potential disadvantage in fast-paced gaming environments where smoothness is key.
Battery
9.0 Hours
7.0 Hours
The Acer Nitro 16 has 9 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.
Portability
Fair
Very Good
16.0in
SIZE
16.0in
5.9 lbs
WEIGHT
2.7 lbs
1.1in
THICKNESS
0.5in
The Acer Swift Edge 16 has very good portability, while the Acer Nitro 16 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$1,050
$820
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
$1,600
The Acer Nitro 16 has a price of $1,050 and the Acer Swift Edge 16 costs $820.
The Acer Swift Edge 16 and Acer Nitro 16 are both good for general use.
The Acer Nitro 16, with its powerful CPU, dedicated GPU, and substantial battery, is great for general use with an emphasis on performance and longevity; however, it's heavier and less portable. In contrast, the Acer Swift Edge 16 offers excellent portability due to its lightweight design and smaller battery, with an OLED screen providing superior visual quality, but has reduced performance compared to the Nitro 16 due to its integrated graphics.
Engineering and Design
8.2/10
8.1/10
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.8/10
8.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.0/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Acer Nitro 16 and Acer Swift Edge 16 are both very good for engineering and design.
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
7.8/10
8.1/10
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.8/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
3200 x 2000
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Acer Swift Edge 16 to be very good for content creation, while the Acer Nitro 16 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
7.7/10
7.9/10
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.8/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
3200 x 2000
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
6.7/10
The Acer Swift Edge 16 and Acer Nitro 16 are both good for software development.
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.
Build Quality
7.4/10
7.2/10
The Acer Nitro 16 and Acer Swift Edge 16 both have good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Give feedback
We’re constantly working to improve.
How the Acer Nitro 16 and the Acer Swift Edge 16 compare to other laptops
"Video editing, rendering and, of course, gaming represent the Nitro 16's core competencies with a Ryzen 7 7735HS and GeForce RTX 4070 providing the necessary power. Both chips run at consistently high clock speeds. A fast PCIe 4 SSD (1 TB) provides the required storage space and ensures short loading times. With the Nitro 16 AN16-41, Acer has a well-specced, mid-range gaming laptop in its portfolio."
"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 Nitro 16 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.
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.
By the numbers
380
Laptops evaluated
48,640
Laptops stats compiled
13
Proprietary Laptops ratings developed
109,995
Recommendations made
23,833
Consumer hours saved
About the laptop team
Joe Golden, Ph.D
CEO and Laptops Editor
Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
Jason Lew
Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Jason is a staff expert and software engineer that has been making laptop recommendations for 7 years and moderates one of the largest laptop subreddits.
Chandradeep Chowdhury
Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Chandradeep is a staff expert and software engineer and expert in televisions and monitors. He’s been making monitor recommendations for ten years.
Craig Russell
Laptops Expert
Craig is a UK-based laptops expert. Craig works in IT, where he recommends and supports laptops and PCs for clients and has been recommending laptops on Reddit for five years.