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What we think
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Updated January 10, 2024·
The Acer Swift 3 is often significantly less expensive and comes with more storage and RAM, which is beneficial for multitasking and data-heavy tasks. Its processor and graphics are well-suited for general use and can handle some engineering tasks, but it isn't the top choice for 3D rendering or intensive gaming. With a slightly larger screen and touch capability, it offers a budget-friendly option with decent performance for everyday tasks. On the other hand, the Apple MacBook Air is more expensive, offers a higher resolution display, and a premium build quality with scores indicating it's better in aspects like keyboard quality, webcam, and speakers. Although it has less storage and RAM, the M2 chip provides efficient performance suitable for general use, engineering, and creative tasks, but like the Swift 3, it's not ideal for intensive gaming. The MacBook Air has a longer battery life and is slightly lighter, making it more portable and user-friendly for those on the go. In conclusion, if budget and storage are your main concerns, and you need a laptop for general use with some engineering tasks, the Acer Swift 3 is practical. If you're willing to invest more for a higher-quality display, better build, and slightly better portability, and your work includes more creative or engineering tasks, the MacBook Air would suit you better. Both are not tailored for intensive gaming or the most demanding 3D tasks. 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 (2022).
Advantages of the Apple MacBook Air (2022)
- Very good for software development
- Good overall display quality
- Best in class overall build quality
- Excellent portability
- Excellent battery life
- Best in class speakers
- Best in class keyboard
Key differences
Screen Quality
6.8
7.6
14.0in
SIZE
13.6in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1664
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
309.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
486.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Air has a better screen than the Acer Swift 3 for general use, AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
The Acer Swift 3 offers a balance in screen resolution and brightness suitable for everyday tasks and engineering applications but lacks the high refresh rate desired for smooth 3D and gaming experiences. The MacBook Air excels in providing a high-resolution display with wide color gamut coverage, which ensures vivid and accurate colors for tasks like engineering and design, though it also doesn't cater to the high refresh rate preferred for 3D content. Both laptops are not ideal for 3D usage, primarily because they prioritize screen characteristics that enhance work and media consumption over the fast refresh rates required for dynamic 3D visuals.
Battery
12.0 Hours
15.0 Hours
The Acer Swift 3 has 12 hours of battery life. The Apple MacBook Air 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 (2022) 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
$500
$839
$200
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
The Acer Swift 3 has a price of $500 and the Apple MacBook Air (2022) costs $839.
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Key similarities
General Use
7.7
7.9
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1664
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
309.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
486.0 nits
12.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
15.0 Hours
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
10.0/10
8.9/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
9.4/10
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) and Acer Swift 3 are both good for general use.
The Acer Swift 3's solid processor, larger RAM, and ample storage make it a reliable choice for various tasks, while its touchscreen and good portability add versatility. The Apple MacBook Air stands out with its high-resolution display, exceptional battery life, and advanced cooling system that runs silently, making it ideal for users prioritizing a seamless and quiet user experience.
Gaming and AI
6.3
6.4
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.1/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1664
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
8.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
10.0/10
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) and Acer Swift 3 are both only fair for gaming and AI.
The Acer Swift 3 has a fair performance for gaming and 3D due to its integrated GPU which can handle some less demanding games at standard screen refresh rates, but it's not suitable for high-end gaming experiences. The Apple MacBook Air, while having a capable GPU, faces limitations due to a lower number of popular games available for macOS and the same standard screen refresh rate, making it fair for some 3D tasks, but not the ideal choice for gaming.
Engineering and Design
7.1
7.5
7.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.7/10
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.1/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) and Acer Swift 3 are both good for engineering and design.
The Acer Swift 3, with its higher amount of memory and spacious storage, plus a touch-enabled Full HD screen, makes it a strong contender for engineering and design work that demands multitasking and quick access to data. In contrast, the Apple MacBook Air (2022) boasts a higher-resolution display and a more powerful GPU integrated within the M2 chip, providing a smoother experience in graphic-intensive tasks and better screen detail, which is essential for design precision.
Content Creation
7.6
7.9
7.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.7/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1664
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) and Acer Swift 3 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
8.0
7.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.7/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1664
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
10.0/10
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Apple MacBook Air (2022) to be very good for software development, while the Acer Swift 3 is good.
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
Excellent
14.0in
SIZE
13.6in
2.7 lbs
WEIGHT
2.7 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.4in
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Apple MacBook Air (2022) to have excellent portability, while the Acer Swift 3 has 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 (2022) compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Acer Swift 3 | Apple MacBook Air (2022) |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$500 | $839 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | May 1, 2023 | July 1, 2022 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 12.6'' x 8.3'' x 0.63'' | 12'' x 8.5'' x 0.44'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 2.76 lbs | 2.7 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 12.6" | 11.97" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 8.3" | 8.46" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i5-1240P | Apple M2 | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 8 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 4 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 0 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 256 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 12 Hours | 15 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 56 Wh | 52.6 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 14" | 13.6" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 2560 x 1664 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 60Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 309 nits | 486 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.4/10 | 10/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 8.9/10 | 9.4/10 | |
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 (2022)
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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 (2022)
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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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.
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