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Updated January 10, 2024·
If portability and battery life are essential for you, the Acer Swift 3, which is lighter and offers a longer battery life, will be convenient to carry around and use for extended periods without charging. However, if performance, especially for 3D rendering, machine learning, or gaming, is a priority, the Acer Swift X comes equipped with a dedicated Nvidia RTX 3050 graphics card, providing significantly better graphics capabilities. The Swift X would be more suitable for tasks that require powerful graphics processing, but it's slightly heavier and has less battery life than the Swift 3. Keep in mind that the Swift X typically costs more than the Swift 3. Both share a 512GB storage capacity and have 14-inch IPS displays with similar screen quality, but the Swift 3 has more RAM for multitasking. 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
- The Acer Swift 3 has no clear advantages over the Acer Swift X (2021).
Advantages of the Acer Swift X (2021)
- Very good speakers
- Very good keyboard
Key differences
Screen Quality
6.8
6.9
14.0in
SIZE
14.0in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
309.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
372.0 nits
The Acer Swift 3 has a better screen than the Acer Swift X for software development, while the Acer Swift X has a better screen for general use.
For general use, both the Acer Swift 3 and Acer Swift X offer displays with adequate resolution and brightness that make text and images sharp and easy to view, though their panel types ensure clarity from various viewing angles. For engineering and design, these laptops possess quality screens with color accuracy that covers a broad spectrum of colors, crucial for detailed and precise work; however, they lack the specialized color gamuts that professionals may need for the most color-critical tasks. While suitable for less demanding visual tasks, neither is ideal for gaming or 3D work due to their lower refresh rates, which could lead to less fluid motion and responsiveness during fast-paced activities.
Battery
12.0 Hours
10.0 Hours
The Acer Swift 3 has 12 hours of battery life. The Acer Swift X has 10 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
$580
$200
$300
$400
$500
$600
$700
$800
$900
The Acer Swift 3 has a price of $500 and the Acer Swift X (2021) costs $580.
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Key similarities
General Use
7.7
7.4
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
309.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
372.0 nits
12.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
10.0 Hours
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
8.9/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
8.5/10
The Acer Swift 3 and Acer Swift X (2021) are both 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
6.3
6.3
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.4/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
8.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
8.0/10
The Acer Swift X (2021) and Acer Swift 3 are both only fair for gaming and AI.
The Acer Swift X (2021) is equipped with an NVIDIA RTX 3050 graphics card, which is suitable for gaming and 3D applications but its gaming performance is just fair due to a standard 60Hz screen refresh rate. The Acer Swift 3 also offers fair performance in these areas, utilizing an Intel Iris Xe GPU, but like the Swift X, is limited by the same refresh rate, although it may perform slightly less effectively in graphic-intensive tasks due to the less powerful integrated graphics as compared to Swift X's dedicated GPU.
Engineering and Design
7.1
7.0
7.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.6/10
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.4/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
The Acer Swift 3 and Acer Swift X (2021) are both good for engineering and design.
The Acer Swift 3 is equipped with an Intel CPU and integrated graphics, making it suitable for engineering and design tasks that require solid processing power, with the benefit of a touchscreen display for interactive use. In contrast, the Acer Swift X offers a dedicated Nvidia GPU, favoring more graphics-intensive workloads, albeit with less RAM than the Swift 3, which might limit performance in very demanding applications.
Content Creation
7.6
7.5
7.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.6/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Acer Swift 3 and Acer Swift X (2021) are both 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
7.6
7.3
7.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.6/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Acer Swift 3 and Acer Swift X (2021) 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
14.0in
2.7 lbs
WEIGHT
3.0 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Acer Swift 3 and Acer Swift X (2021) both have very good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.4
7.6
The Acer Swift X (2021) 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.
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How the Acer Swift 3 and the Acer Swift X (2021) compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Acer Swift 3 | Acer Swift X (2021) |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$500 | $580 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | May 1, 2023 | June 1, 2021 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 12.6'' x 8.3'' x 0.63'' | 12.7'' x 8.4'' x 0.7'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 2.76 lbs | 3.06 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 12.6" | 12.7" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 8.3" | 8.4" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i5-1240P | AMD Ryzen 5 5600U | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 8 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 4 | 4 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 0 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 512 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 12 Hours | 10 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 56 Wh | 59 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 14" | 14" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 1920 x 1080 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 60Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 309 nits | 372 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.4/10 | 7.6/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 8.9/10 | 8.6/10 | |
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 | 8/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 6.5/10 | 8/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 1080p | 720p | |
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 | 1 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 3 | 2 | |
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 X (2021)
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Sebastian Jentsch | March 2022
"The Swift X is an Acer for entry-level gaming. With the entry-level graphics chip, our Acer not only beats every single current AMD and Intel iGPU, but also Intel's dGPU Iris Xe Max. However, despite being a GDDR6 version, the GTX does not match the expectations set by its own counterparts from our database. This may be a result of the single fan, which only produces moderate noise levels under load. The performance level of the thin and light 1.4 kg (~3.09 lbs) 14-inch laptop is impressive nonetheless."
Get a great deal on the Acer Swift 3 or the Acer Swift X (2021)
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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