The Acer Swift 14 is more portable and has a higher screen resolution, suitable for general use and tasks that benefit from a brighter and more color-accurate display. It comes at a midrange price and offers longer battery life, but has an integrated GPU which is less powerful for 3D rendering, machine learning, or gaming. The Lenovo Legion Slim 5, while heavier and less portable, includes a dedicated Nvidia RTX GPU, making it better for intensive gaming, 3D rendering, and engineering software. It costs somewhat less but has a shorter battery life and a less color-accurate screen than the Swift 14. Choose the Swift 14 for portability and everyday tasks, or the Legion Slim 5 for better gaming and engineering performance. 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
Excellent portability
Advantages of the Lenovo Legion Slim 5
Very good for engineering and design
Good for gaming and AI
Good speakers
Very good keyboard
Key differences
General Use
8.2/10
7.6/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
458.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
300.0 nits
9.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
7.0 Hours
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
9.0/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.7/10
The Acer Swift 14 is very good for general use, while the Lenovo Legion Slim 5 is good.
PerfectRec’s General Use Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for general productivity, web browsing, streaming, video calls, and running a wide variety of apps and programs.
Gaming and AI
6.7/10
7.7/10
3.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.4/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
8.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The Lenovo Legion Slim 5 is good for gaming and AI, while the Acer Swift 14 is only fair.
The Acer Swift 14 is equipped with an integrated Intel Iris Xe GPU and a screen refresh rate of 60Hz, which provides a baseline for gaming and 3D applications in a lightweight and more energy-efficient package. In contrast, the Lenovo Legion Slim 5 sports a much more powerful Nvidia RTX 4060 GPU and a higher screen refresh rate of 144Hz, making it better suited for more demanding gaming and 3D work but at the cost of increased weight and likely reduced battery life.
Content Creation
8.2/10
7.5/10
9.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.3/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Acer Swift 14 is very good for content creation, while the Lenovo Legion Slim 5 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
7.4/10
9.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.3/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
The Acer Swift 14 is very good for software development, while the Lenovo Legion Slim 5 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
7.2/10
14.0in
SIZE
16.0in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
458.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
300.0 nits
The Acer Swift 14 has a better screen than the Lenovo Legion Slim 5 for general use, engineering and design, software development, and content creation, while the Lenovo Legion Slim 5 has a better screen for gaming and AI.
For general use where clarity, sharpness, and viewing comfort matter, the Acer Swift 14 delivers with its high resolution and brightness, outshining the Lenovo Legion Slim 5 slightly despite both being suitable. Engineering and design professionals need accurate color representation; here, the Acer Swift 14 excels due to its broader color gamuts, making it preferable over the Lenovo. However, gamers and 3D users seeking fluid visuals will find both laptops lackluster since neither offers the high refresh rates needed for smooth graphics and fast-paced action.
Battery
9.0 Hours
7.0 Hours
The Acer Swift 14 has 9 hours of battery life. The Lenovo Legion Slim 5 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
Excellent
Fair
14.0in
SIZE
16.0in
2.6 lbs
WEIGHT
5.2 lbs
0.5in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The Acer Swift 14 has excellent portability, while the Lenovo Legion Slim 5 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$1,400
$1,000
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
The Acer Swift 14 has a price of $1,400 and the Lenovo Legion Slim 5 costs $1,000.
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Lenovo Legion Slim 5 to be very good for engineering and design, while the Acer Swift 14 is good.
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.
Build Quality
7.4/10
7.4/10
The Acer Swift 14 and Lenovo Legion Slim 5 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 Lenovo Legion Slim 5 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."
"The Lenovo Legion Slim 5 Gen 8 acknowledges that a gaming laptop doesn’t have to be as thick as possible and can still ensure adequate cooling when the muscles need flexing. To this end, in the Slim 5 Gen 8, it finds a neat balance of refined, trimmed-down design that still lets its internals cruise (even above their max power ratings). Lenovo then added in some high-end build quality with an altogether excellent keyboard that’s useful for both work and play."
Get a great deal on the Acer Swift 14 or the Lenovo Legion Slim 5
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.
About Lenovo
Lenovo is a Chinese technology company, and one of the largest personal computer vendor. They are well known for a variety of technology products, including laptops. Their consumer series include their entry level IdeaPad and LOQ series and mid-to-high-end Yoga and Legion series. On the business-oriented side, their series include their entry-level ThinkBook series and mid-to-high-end ThinkPad series. Lenovo laptops offer strong performance for reasonable prices, and are often on sale.
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
130,995
Recommendations made
28,383
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.