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Swift 3
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MacBook Air (2020)
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What we think

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The PerfectRec laptop team Learn more
Updated January 10, 2024·

The Acer Swift 3 is less expensive, offers more storage and RAM, and includes a touchscreen, which could be useful for hands-on tasks. However, the MacBook Air provides higher-resolution display despite a smaller screen, superior build quality, and a longer battery life. The MacBook Air's M1 chip is well-suited for general use and ensures silent operation, but the Swift has better connectivity options with more ports. Choose the Swift if cost, more memory and touch capabilities are priorities, but opt for the MacBook Air if you prefer a higher-quality display, build, and longer battery life for general computing and media consumption. 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 Apple MacBook Air (2020).
Advantages of the Apple MacBook Air (2020)
  • Good overall display quality
  • Best in class overall build quality
  • Excellent battery life
  • Best in class speakers
  • Best in class keyboard

Key differences

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Screen Quality

6.8
Swift 3
MacBook Air (2020)
7.5
14.0in
SIZE
13.3in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
309.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
395.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Air has a better screen than the Acer Swift 3 for general use, AI, and engineering and design.

Battery

12.0 Hours
Swift 3
MacBook Air (2020)
15.0 Hours
The Acer Swift 3 has 12 hours of battery life. The Apple MacBook Air has 15 hours of battery life.

Build Quality

7.4
Swift 3
MacBook Air (2020)
10.0
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) has best in class build quality, while the Acer Swift 3 has good build quality.

Cost

$500
Swift 3
MacBook Air (2020)
$1,000
Product image
Product image

$200

$400

$600

$800

$1,000

$1,200

$1,400

$1,600

The Acer Swift 3 has a price of $500 and the Apple MacBook Air (2020) costs $1,000.
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Key similarities

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General Use

7.7
Swift 3
MacBook Air (2020)
7.6
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
309.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
395.0 nits
12.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
15.0 Hours
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.5/10
8.9/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
8.9/10
The Acer Swift 3 and Apple MacBook Air (2020) are both good for general use.

Gaming and AI

6.3
Swift 3
MacBook Air (2020)
6.2
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.9/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
60Hz
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 (2020) are both only fair for gaming and AI.

Engineering and Design

7.1
Swift 3
MacBook Air (2020)
7.3
7.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.0/10
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.9/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) and Acer Swift 3 are both good for engineering and design.

Content Creation

7.6
Swift 3
MacBook Air (2020)
7.8
7.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.0/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) and Acer Swift 3 are both good for content creation.

Software Development

7.6
Swift 3
MacBook Air (2020)
7.7
7.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.0/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.5/10
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) and Acer Swift 3 are both good for software development.

Portability

Very Good
Swift 3
MacBook Air (2020)
Very Good
14.0in
SIZE
13.3in
2.7 lbs
WEIGHT
2.8 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) 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 (2020) compare to other laptops

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Spec Comparison

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Acer Swift 3Apple MacBook Air (2020)
Acer Swift 3Apple MacBook Air (2020)

GENERAL

Price
$500
$1,000
Release Date
May 1, 2023November 1, 2020
Overall Dimensions
12.6'' x 8.3'' x 0.63''12'' x 8.4'' x 0.63''
Weight
2.76 lbs2.8 lbs
Width
12.6"11.97"
Depth
8.3"8.36"

INTERNAL

Processor
Intel i5-1240PApple M1
RAM
16 GB8 GB
DDR Memory Version
44
RAM Slots
00
Storage
512 GB256 GB

BATTERY

Battery Life
12 Hours15 Hours
Battery Capacity
56 Wh49.9 Wh

SCREEN

Diagonal Size
14"13.3"
Display Technology
IPSIPS
Resolution
1920 x 10802560 x 1600
Refresh Rate
60Hz60Hz
Display Brightness
309 nits395 nits

RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS

Build Quality Score
7.4/1010/10
Portability Score
8.9/109/10
Gaming Laptop Appearance
NoNo
Premium Business Laptop
NoYes
Fan Noise Score
8.8/1010/10

HARDWARE FEATURES

Keyboard Quality Score
7/109.5/10
Speaker Quality Score
6.5/109.5/10
Webcam
1080p720p
Fingerprint Reader
YesYes
Backlit Keyboard
YesYes
Number Pad
NoNo

CONNECTIVITY

USB Type-A
20
USB-C ports
22
USB-C Charging
YesYes
Display Outputs
31
Thunderbolt Version
43

Shopping

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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 (2020)

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Dig into reviews and images

NotebookCheck

Andreas Osthoff | July 2022
"The Apple MacBook Air M2 Entry is a very good, but too expensive daily MacBook. The new MacBook Air M2 is undoubtedly once again a very good mobile companion, but we are still a little bit disappointed on a very high level, which is definitely connected with the increased price point. The new chassis is extremely slim and the front edge is no problem during typing, but the bezels are pretty wide for a modern device and in addition with the vertical space required for the notch, the new Air has larger footprint than some Windows rivals."

Get a great deal on the Acer Swift 3 or the Apple MacBook Air (2020)

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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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.

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