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Company ProductName Specs
Company ProductName Specs
Advantages of the Acer Swift 3
- Very good for engineering and design
- Very good overall display quality
Advantages of the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023)
- Best in class overall build quality
- Excellent battery life
- Best in class speakers
- Best in class keyboard
Key differences
Screen Quality
8.4
7.8
14.0in
SIZE
15.3in
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1864
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
90Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
389.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
501.0 nits
The Acer Swift 3 has a better screen than the Apple MacBook Air 15 for general use, gaming and AI, and engineering and design, while the Apple MacBook Air 15 has a better screen for content creation.
PerfectRec’s screen quality scores take into account various important factors that are relevant for different use cases.
Battery
5.0 Hours
15.0 Hours
The Acer Swift 3 has 5 hours of battery life. The Apple MacBook Air 15 has 15 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.
Build Quality
7.4
10.0
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) has best in class build quality, while the Acer Swift 3 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,166
$1,599
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
The Acer Swift 3 has a price of $1,166 and the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) costs $1,599.
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Key similarities
General Use
8.0
8.4
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1864
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
389.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
501.0 nits
5.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
15.0 Hours
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
10.0/10
8.5/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
8.9/10
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) and Acer Swift 3 are both very good for general use.
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
6.8
6.6
3.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.3/10
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1864
90Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
8.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
10.0/10
The Acer Swift 3 and Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) 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.
Engineering and Design
8.2
7.9
9.2/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.6/10
3.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.3/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Acer Swift 3 to be very good for engineering and design, while the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) 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.
Content Creation
8.2
8.3
9.2/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.6/10
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1864
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) and Acer Swift 3 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
8.0
8.4
9.2/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.6/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2880 x 1800
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1864
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
10.0/10
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) and Acer Swift 3 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.
Portability
Very Good
Very Good
14.0in
SIZE
15.3in
3.0 lbs
WEIGHT
3.3 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.4in
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) and Acer Swift 3 both have very good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
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How the Acer Swift 3 and the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Acer Swift 3 | Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$1,166 | $1,599 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | July 1, 2022 | June 1, 2023 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 12.3'' x 8.4'' x 0.7'' | 13.4'' x 9.4'' x 0.45'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 3.09 lbs | 3.3 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 12.3" | 13.4" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 8.4" | 9.35" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i7-12700H | Apple M2 | |
Graphics | |||
Graphics | Iris Xe G7 | M2 (8C) | |
Mux Switch / Advanced Optimus | |||
Mux Switch / Advanced Optimus | No | No | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 5 | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 5 Hours | 15 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 57 Wh | 66.6 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 14" | 15.3" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | OLED | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 2880 x 1800 | 2880 x 1864 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 90Hz | 60Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 389 nits | 501 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.4/10 | 10/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 8.6/10 | 9/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | No | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | Yes | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 8.8/10 | 10/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 7/10 | 10/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 6.5/10 | 10/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 1080p | 1080p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | Yes | Yes | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | No | No | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 2 | 0 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 2 | 2 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 3 | 1 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | 4 | 3 | |
Shopping
Acer Swift 3
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Sebastian Jentsch | February 2022
"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."
Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023)
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Andreas Osthoff | June 2023
"The Apple MacBook Air 15 is boringly good. The new MacBook Air 15 is a very good, but also boring device, because apart from the larger screen and the higher price, there are no differences compared to the smaller MacBook Air M2 from last year. No new processor, no additional ports, just the usual basic hardware - but the overall package is extremely good and it simply works. Above all, the lack of fans is an aspect that should not be underestimated in everyday use. In our opinion, the Air could be a lot better, but Apple goes easy on itself here."
Get a great deal on the Acer Swift 3 or the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023)
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 Apple
Apple, an American technology company, is one of the world’s largest company in terms of market capitalization. Their MacBook laptops feature a slim, minimalistic design, class-leading battery life, and premium display and speaker quality. In 2020 Apple switched from using Intel processors to their own silicon chips which have excellent performance and efficiency. The macOS operating system is the second most widely used OS, after Windows.
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Why trust us
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
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Laptops evaluated
48,640
Laptops stats compiled
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Proprietary Laptops ratings developed
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Recommendations made
15,773
Consumer hours saved
About the laptop team
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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.
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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.
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