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Updated January 12, 2024·
The Acer Swift 3 is indeed less expensive than the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019), making it a budget-friendly option. For general use, the Acer Swift 3 offers good value with decent display quality and performance for everyday tasks. However, if your work involves more intensive tasks like video editing or software development, the MacBook Pro's higher screen resolution and more powerful graphics may justify the higher price. The MacBook Pro also typically has a sturdier build and longer battery life, benefiting those who need a laptop to last through long work sessions without charging. On the other hand, the Swift 3 is lighter and more portable, which might be preferable if you travel frequently or have a long commute. In summary, the Acer Swift 3 is suited for users looking for an affordable laptop for day-to-day tasks, while the MacBook Pro is more suitable for demanding applications and users who prefer the Mac ecosystem. 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 portability
Advantages of the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019)
- Very good for content creation
- Good overall display quality
- Best in class overall build quality
- Best in class speakers
- Best in class keyboard
Key differences
Screen Quality
6.8
7.8
14.0in
SIZE
16.0in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3072 x 1920
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
309.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
477.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 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, with its moderate resolution and brightness, provides a display that is sharp and clear enough for everyday tasks and detailed enough for engineering applications, but its lower refresh rate limits its ability to smoothly handle fast-moving images, which is essential for gaming and 3D applications. The Apple MacBook Pro 16, thanks to its higher resolution and brighter display, offers an excellent visual experience for both day-to-day use and professional engineering and design work, where accurate color representation is crucial, but like the Swift, it falls short for 3D due to the lower refresh rate. Although both laptops have displays that are less than ideal for gaming and 3D work, they excel in providing quality visuals for general and professional use, with the MacBook Pro offering superior brightness and color accuracy for the most demanding visual tasks.
Portability
Very Good
Good
14.0in
SIZE
16.0in
2.7 lbs
WEIGHT
4.3 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The Acer Swift 3 has very good portability, while the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.4
10.0
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) 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
$569
$200
$300
$400
$500
$600
$700
$800
$900
The Acer Swift 3 has a price of $500 and the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) costs $569.
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Key similarities
General Use
7.7
7.8
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3072 x 1920
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
309.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
477.0 nits
12.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
12.0 Hours
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.5/10
8.9/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.7/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) and Acer Swift 3 are both good for general use.
The Acer Swift 3 offers a balance of functionality with its adequate CPU and RAM for smooth multitasking, a touchscreen for ease of use, and is lightweight for better portability, though its screen and speaker quality are modest compared to higher-end models.
Gaming and AI
6.3
6.4
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.2/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3072 x 1920
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
8.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
8.7/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) and Acer Swift 3 are both only fair for gaming and AI.
The Acer Swift 3, with its integrated Intel graphics, offers moderate gaming performance but may struggle with high-end 3D games due to its fair GPU and standard refresh rate screen. In contrast, the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) has a dedicated AMD GPU which is better for 3D tasks, but it is limited in gaming capability due to the lack of compatibility with many popular games on macOS, despite also having a standard refresh rate display.
Engineering and Design
7.1
7.5
7.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.5/10
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.2/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) and Acer Swift 3 are both good for engineering and design.
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
7.6
8.0
7.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.5/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3072 x 1920
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) 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
4.5/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3072 x 1920
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.5/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) 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.
Battery
12.0 Hours
12.0 Hours
The Acer Swift 3 has 12 hours of battery life. The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has 12 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.
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How the Acer Swift 3 and the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Acer Swift 3 | Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019) |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$500 | $569 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | May 1, 2023 | October 1, 2019 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 12.6'' x 8.3'' x 0.63'' | 14.1'' x 9.7'' x 0.64'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 2.76 lbs | 4.3 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 12.6" | 14.09" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 8.3" | 9.68" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i5-1240P | Intel i7-9750H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 16 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 | 12 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 56 Wh | 100 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 14" | 16" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 3072 x 1920 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 60Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 309 nits | 477 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.4/10 | 10/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 8.9/10 | 7.7/10 | |
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 | 8.8/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 7/10 | 9.5/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 6.5/10 | 10/10 | |
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 | 0 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 2 | 4 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 3 | 4 | |
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 Pro 16 (Late 2019)
See more
Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Andreas Osthoff | February 2023
"The Apple MacBook Pro 16 2023: M2 Max challenges GeForce RTX 3080 Ti. The new MacBook Pro 16 2023 with the M2 Max SoC is the most powerful laptop Apple has on sale right now. While we do not get the expected performance and efficiency improvements from completely new 3 nm chips, which we expected ahead of the launch, the 2023 model is still a solid update. The CPU of the M2 Max can be up to 20 % faster than the old model and we also see an advantage of 25-30 % for the GPU with 38 cores. However, both components also consume more power, so the efficiency did not change that much under maximum load."
Get a great deal on the Acer Swift 3 or the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2019)
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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