The Acer Swift 14 is a midrange laptop that leans towards a premium business laptop appearance, while the Acer Swift 3 has a budget price and a look suitable for intensive gaming. If you need more performance and a more professional style, and don't mind spending more, the Swift 14 could be the better option. However, if you're looking for a less expensive option that can handle demanding games and are okay with a more gaming-oriented design, the Swift 3 may meet your needs. Consider the balance between price, design preference, performance needs, and the laptop's intended use when making your decision. 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 Swift 14
Very good for general use
Very good for software development
Very good for content creation
Good overall display quality
Excellent portability
Advantages of the Acer Swift 3
Very good battery life
Key differences
Engineering and Design
7.9/10
7.1/10
9.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.1/10
3.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.7/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Acer Swift 14 and Acer Swift 3 are both good for engineering and design, though the Acer Swift 14 is somewhat better.
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
8.2/10
7.6/10
9.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.1/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Acer Swift 14 is very good for content creation, while the Acer Swift 3 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
8.2/10
7.6/10
9.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.1/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
The Acer Swift 14 is very good for software development, while the Acer Swift 3 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
7.6/10
6.8/10
14.0in
SIZE
14.0in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
458.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
309.0 nits
The Acer Swift 14 has a better screen than the Acer Swift 3 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
If you're mainly browsing the web and watching videos, both the Acer Swift 14 and Swift 3 offer sufficiently sharp and vivid displays. However, the Swift 14 stands out for engineering and design work due to its superior color accuracy and wider color coverage, which are critical for tasks like photo editing and graphic design. On the other hand, neither of these laptops is ideal for serious gaming and 3D rendering because they lack the high refresh rates required for smooth motion, though their resolutions and panel types are acceptable for less demanding visual tasks.
Battery
9.0 Hours
12.0 Hours
The Acer Swift 14 has 9 hours of battery life. The Acer Swift 3 has 12 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.
Cost
$1,400
$500
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
The Acer Swift 14 has a price of $1,400 and the Acer Swift 3 costs $500.
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Acer Swift 14 to be very good for general use, while the Acer Swift 3 is good.
The Acer Swift 14 excels in general use with a more powerful CPU, higher resolution screen, and larger storage space, making it well-suited for a variety of tasks, albeit at a slightly higher weight and lower battery life than the Swift 3. The Acer Swift 3 still offers good performance for general use with a competent CPU and RAM, alongside greater portability due to its longer battery life and slightly reduced weight.
Gaming and AI
6.7/10
6.3/10
3.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.7/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
8.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
8.7/10
The Acer Swift 14 and Acer Swift 3 are both only fair for gaming and AI.
PerfectRec’s Gaming and AI Score strongly emphasizes graphics processing capability, while also taking into account other factors that impact suitability for gaming and AI work.
Portability
Excellent
Very Good
14.0in
SIZE
14.0in
2.6 lbs
WEIGHT
2.7 lbs
0.5in
THICKNESS
0.6in
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Acer Swift 14 to have excellent portability, while the Acer Swift 3 has very good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.4/10
7.4/10
The Acer Swift 14 and Acer Swift 3 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 Swift 14 and the Acer Swift 3 compare to other laptops
Olivier Martin, Ryan Lim, John Peroramas | April 2023
"The Acer Swift 14 is good for school use. Its compact design makes it easy to carry around, and its battery lasts easily through a typical school day. You can configure the laptop with an FHD+ or QHD+ display; both look sharp and get bright enough to combat glare. The keyboard feels tactile but can be a little tiring to type on over an extended period, and while the touchpad is small, it's responsive to all movements and gestures. Its Intel 13th Gen. CPU can handle nearly every type of workload; however, its integrated graphics perform poorly, so it isn't ideal for students in technical fields like 3D graphics."
"With the Swift 3, Acer delivers a 14-inch laptop with a sleek, slim metal chassis. The latter is of high quality and sturdy enough for everyday use, which is a real plus point among the 700-Euro (~$798) models. A new feature is Thunderbolt 4 in the Type-C format for peripherals or even displays (DisplayPort via Type-C). Unfortunately, a card reader is still missing, and the RAM is completely onboard, so there are no upgrade options here. Acer's 14-incher is affordable, yet it does everything most would want from a truly mobile laptop: Long battery life, a great display, quality, sufficient ports, light weight, and low noise and heat emissions."
Get a great deal on the Acer Swift 14 or the Acer Swift 3
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.
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