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Updated January 10, 2024·
If you prioritize a laptop with a high-resolution OLED screen that offers excellent color accuracy and contrast for creative tasks like photo and video editing, the Acer Swift Edge 16 is the better option. However, it has a shorter battery life, which could be a concern if you need to use your laptop on the go without frequent charging. On the other hand, the Acer Swift 3 offers longer battery life and a touchscreen, which may be useful for productivity or ease of use. It's also slightly lighter, making it more portable, but its screen is less impressive in terms of resolution and color. Both laptops have similar processing power and memory, making them suitable for general use and some engineering applications, but neither are ideal for intensive gaming. If budget is a concern, the Acer Swift 3 generally costs less and might be the more economical choice. 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 3
- Very good battery life
- Good keyboard
Advantages of the Acer Swift Edge 16
- Very good for engineering and design
- Very good for content creation
- Very good overall display quality
Key differences
Engineering and Design
7.1
8.1
7.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.8/10
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.0/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Acer Swift Edge 16 is very good for engineering and design, while the Acer Swift 3 is good.
The Acer Swift 3 with its Intel CPU and integrated graphics is well-suited for general engineering and design tasks, offering a solid balance of performance for computing and visual work, and its higher portability makes it easy to carry around. Meanwhile, the Acer Swift Edge 16 steps up with an AMD CPU and superior dedicated AMD Radeon graphics, coupled with a higher resolution OLED screen that provides exceptional color and clarity for more demanding engineering and design work, but with a slight tradeoff in portability and a lower battery life.
Screen Quality
6.8
8.8
14.0in
SIZE
16.0in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3200 x 2000
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
309.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
383.0 nits
The Acer Swift Edge 16 has a better screen than the Acer Swift 3 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
When considering screen quality for general use, the Acer Swift 3 provides a balance of clarity and vividness through its resolution and brightness but lacks the superior panel found in the Swift Edge 16, which offers exceptional sharpness and visibility. For engineering and design, the Swift Edge 16 stands out with its wide color gamuts, allowing precise color work that the Swift 3 cannot match due to its more limited color range. However, for gaming and 3D applications, both models fall short as neither are designed with the high refresh rates needed for smooth motion, and despite their resolutions and panel types, these do not compensate for the lack of fluidity in fast-paced visuals.
Battery
12.0 Hours
7.0 Hours
The Acer Swift 3 has 12 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.
Cost
$500
$820
$200
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
The Acer Swift 3 has a price of $500 and the Acer Swift Edge 16 costs $820.
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Key similarities
General Use
7.7
7.9
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3200 x 2000
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
309.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
383.0 nits
12.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
7.0 Hours
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
6.7/10
8.9/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
8.8/10
The Acer Swift Edge 16 and Acer Swift 3 are both good for general use.
The Acer Swift 3, with its sufficient RAM and capable Intel CPU, offers a balance between performance and portability, complemented by a decent screen for everyday tasks and good battery life. In contrast, the Acer Swift Edge 16 boasts a high-resolution OLED screen and a powerful AMD CPU, with more storage space, though it compromises slightly on battery life, which is a meaningful consideration for users needing all-day unplugged usability.
Gaming and AI
6.3
6.7
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.0/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3200 x 2000
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
8.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
8.0/10
The Acer Swift Edge 16 and Acer Swift 3 are both only fair for gaming and AI.
The Acer Swift Edge 16 outperforms the Acer Swift 3 in gaming and 3D tasks mainly due to its superior GPU, the AMD Radeon 780M, which is more powerful than the Swift 3's Intel Iris Xe, and its higher screen refresh rate of 120 Hz compared to the Swift 3's 60 Hz. Additionally, the Swift Edge 16 has an OLED display with better overall quality, including higher resolution and contrast ratio, enhancing the visual experience for gaming and graphics-intensive tasks.
Content Creation
7.6
8.1
7.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.8/10
1920 x 1080
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 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
7.6
7.9
7.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.8/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3200 x 2000
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
6.7/10
The Acer Swift Edge 16 and Acer Swift 3 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.
Portability
Very Good
Very Good
14.0in
SIZE
16.0in
2.7 lbs
WEIGHT
2.7 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.5in
The Acer Swift 3 and Acer Swift Edge 16 both have very good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.4
7.2
The Acer Swift 3 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.
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How the Acer Swift 3 and the Acer Swift Edge 16 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Acer Swift 3 | Acer Swift Edge 16 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$500 | $820 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | May 1, 2023 | May 1, 2023 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 12.6'' x 8.3'' x 0.63'' | 14.1'' x 9.7'' x 0.51'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 2.76 lbs | 2.73 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 12.6" | 14.08" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 8.3" | 9.68" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i5-1240P | AMD Ryzen 7 7840U | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 4 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 0 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 1024 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 12 Hours | 7 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 56 Wh | 54 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 14" | 16" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | OLED | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 3200 x 2000 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 120Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 309 nits | 383 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.4/10 | 7.2/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 8.9/10 | 8.9/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | No | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 8.8/10 | 8/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 7/10 | 6.8/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 6.5/10 | 6.5/10 | |
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 | 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 | N/A | |
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."
Acer Swift Edge 16
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Dig into reviews and images
PCWorld
Matthew S. Smith | October 2023
"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 Swift 3 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.
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