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What we think
The PerfectRec laptop team Learn more
Updated March 21, 2024·
If price is a primary concern and you're looking for a laptop that is easier to carry around for everyday tasks, then the Acer Swift 14 could be the better option for you. On the other hand, if you need a laptop for more demanding activities like 3D work, machine learning, gaming, or complex engineering software, the MSI Stealth 18 AI Studio may justify the higher cost with its superior performance. Keep in mind, the MSI's larger size may make it less convenient for travel, and generally, laptops with more powerful components may have shorter battery life compared to less powerful, more portable models. 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
- Excellent portability
Advantages of the MSI Stealth 18 AI Studio
- Excellent for engineering and design
- Very good for gaming and AI
- Very good overall display quality
- Very good overall build quality
- Very good speakers
- Very good keyboard
Key differences
Gaming and AI
6.7
8.9
3.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.7/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
8.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.5/10
The MSI Stealth 18 AI Studio is very good for gaming and AI, while the Acer Swift 14 is only fair.
The Acer Swift 14 has a competent graphics unit and an adequate screen refresh rate, making it suitable for casual gaming and some 3D work, but its capabilities are outpaced by the MSI Stealth 18 AI Studio, which boasts a more powerful graphics unit and a higher screen refresh rate, providing a smoother and more immersive experience particularly demanded by high-end gaming and complex 3D tasks. Additionally, while both laptops have capable processors and good screen quality, the superior performance components of the MSI Stealth 18 AI Studio emphasize its strength for more graphics-intensive applications.
Engineering and Design
7.9
9.1
9.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.6/10
3.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.7/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The MSI Stealth 18 AI Studio is excellent for engineering and design, while the Acer Swift 14 is good.
The Acer Swift 14, with capable CPU, sufficient RAM, and a high-quality screen, can handle engineering tasks, but compared to the MSI Stealth 18 AI Studio, which excels with an even more powerful CPU, additional RAM, superior GPU, and top-notch screen, it falls short for more demanding design applications. While both offer decent keyboards and speakers, the larger size and likely louder operating noise of the MSI may affect portability and user comfort during long work sessions.
Screen Quality
7.6
8.4
14.0in
SIZE
18.0in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
458.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
305.0 nits
The MSI Stealth 18 AI Studio has a better screen than the Acer Swift 14 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, and software development.
The Acer Swift 14 offers a balance with its display that favors clarity and color reproduction, making it ideal for everyday tasks such as browsing and document editing, which benefits from its resolution and panel quality. For engineering and design work, this laptop's color accuracy, with respect to rendering true-to-life colors across different color spaces, makes it suitable. However, for gaming and 3D applications where quick image transitions are vital, the Acer Swift 14 falls short due to its lower refresh rate, which can lead to motion blur or a less smooth visual experience.
Battery
9.0 Hours
6.0 Hours
The Acer Swift 14 has 9 hours of battery life. The MSI Stealth 18 AI Studio has 6 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
18.0in
2.6 lbs
WEIGHT
6.1 lbs
0.5in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The Acer Swift 14 has excellent portability, while the MSI Stealth 18 AI Studio has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.4
8.0
The MSI Stealth 18 AI Studio has very good build quality, while the Acer Swift 14 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,400
$2,900
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
$4,000
The Acer Swift 14 has a price of $1,400 and the MSI Stealth 18 AI Studio costs $2,900.
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Key similarities
General Use
8.2
8.4
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
458.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
305.0 nits
9.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
6.0 Hours
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
9.0/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.0/10
The MSI Stealth 18 AI Studio and Acer Swift 14 are both very good for general use.
The Acer Swift 14 offers a balance of strong CPU performance, ample RAM, and high-quality screen, making it well-suited for everyday tasks and easy to carry around, while also providing long battery life. In contrast, the MSI Stealth 18 AI Studio, although less portable due to its size, delivers even higher performance for demanding applications and maintains a comfortable user experience with its premium keyboard and efficient heat management.
Content Creation
8.2
8.5
9.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.6/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The MSI Stealth 18 AI Studio and Acer Swift 14 are both very good for content creation.
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
8.2
9.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.6/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
The Acer Swift 14 and MSI Stealth 18 AI Studio are both very 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.
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How the Acer Swift 14 and the MSI Stealth 18 AI Studio compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Acer Swift 14 | MSI Stealth 18 AI Studio |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$1,400 | $2,900 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | March 1, 2023 | March 1, 2024 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 12.2'' x 8.4'' x 0.59'' | 15.8'' x 11.4'' x 0.94'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 2.65 lbs | 6.15 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 12.22" | 15.75" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 8.4" | 11.4" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i7-13700H | Intel Core Ultra 9 185H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 32 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 1024 GB | 1024 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 9 Hours | 6 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 56 Wh | 99.9 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 14" | 18" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 2560 x 1600 | 2560 x 1600 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 240Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 458 nits | 305 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.4/10 | 8/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 9.1/10 | 6/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | Yes | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 8.8/10 | 7.5/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 7/10 | 8.5/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 6.5/10 | 8/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 1440p | 1080p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | Yes | Yes | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | No | Yes | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 2 | 2 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 2 | 2 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 3 | 3 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | 4 | 4 | |
Shopping
Acer Swift 14
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Rtings
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."
Get a great deal on the Acer Swift 14 or the MSI Stealth 18 AI Studio
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 MSI
MSI, also known as Micro-Star International, is a Taiwanese technology corporation. MSI is known for their wide range of gaming devices. Their series include the entry-level Cyborg/Thin and Sword/Katana series, the mid-range Bravo/Delta and Crosshair/Pulse series, and their high-end Vector, Raider, Stealth, and Titan GT series. At every performance level, MSI offers a variety of devices with varying balances between performance, battery life, weight, and price, making them a solid option to consider at every price point.
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