Since the Acer Swift 3 is more expensive than the ASUS Zenbook 14, consider whether the higher cost aligns with your needs. If you need stronger performance for applications like 3D modeling, machine learning, or gaming, the Acer might justify its price. However, if you prioritize portability and battery life for everyday tasks like browsing and documents, the ASUS could provide better value. Remember, higher costs are generally linked to better specifications or build quality, so ensure the features of the Acer match what you need to justify the expenditure. Otherwise, the ASUS might offer a more cost-effective solution for general use. 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
Advantages of the ASUS Zenbook 14
Very good overall display quality
Good speakers
Very good keyboard
Key differences
General Use
7.7/10
7.2/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1800
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
309.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
339.0 nits
12.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
8.0 Hours
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
8.9/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
8.6/10
The Acer Swift 3 and ASUS Zenbook 14 are both good for general use, though the Acer Swift 3 is somewhat better.
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.
Screen Quality
6.8/10
8.3/10
14.0in
SIZE
14.0in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1800
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
90Hz
309.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
339.0 nits
The Acer Swift 3 has a better screen than the ASUS Zenbook 14 for software development, and content creation, while the ASUS Zenbook 14 has a better screen for general use, gaming and AI, and engineering and design.
If you're mainly using your laptop for everyday tasks like browsing the web and working with documents, both the Acer Swift 3 and the ASUS Zenbook 14 offer sharp images and brightness that make for a pleasant viewing experience, with the Zenbook providing an edge in screen clarity and vividness. For engineering and design work that demands a wider range of colors, the ASUS Zenbook 14's superior color reproduction capabilities make it a better fit for professional creatives needing precise color accuracy. However, neither laptop is ideal for gaming or 3D rendering because their screens don't have the high refresh rates that smooth out motion, but both will still handle these tasks adequately if refresh rate isn't a priority for you.
Battery
12.0 Hours
8.0 Hours
The Acer Swift 3 has 12 hours of battery life. The ASUS Zenbook 14 has 8 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
$300
$100
$200
$300
$400
$500
$600
$700
$800
The Acer Swift 3 has a price of $500 and the ASUS Zenbook 14 costs $300.
The Acer Swift 3 and ASUS Zenbook 14 are both only fair for gaming and AI.
The Acer Swift 3 and the ASUS Zenbook 14 offer similar gaming and 3D capabilities since both have the same integrated Intel Iris Xe GPU that can handle modest gaming demands, but aren't designed for high-end gaming performance. However, the ASUS Zenbook 14 may provide a slightly smoother visual experience in some games and 3D applications thanks to its higher screen refresh rate, while both laptops have high-quality screens albeit with different technologies, with the Acer Swift 3 using an IPS panel and the ASUS Zenbook 14 employing an OLED panel which typically offers better contrast and color depth.
Engineering and Design
7.1/10
7.2/10
7.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.1/10
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.7/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
The ASUS Zenbook 14 and Acer Swift 3 are both good for engineering and design.
The Acer Swift 3 is well-suited for engineering and design due to its combination of substantial RAM and capable integrated graphics, along with a touch-enabled IPS display, making multitasking and interactive design work efficient. The ASUS Zenbook 14, with its high-resolution OLED screen offering excellent color coverage and contrast, paired with similar CPU and GPU capabilities, provides exceptional visual clarity and detail for design tasks, though it has less RAM which may affect performance with very demanding applications. Both laptops offer decent portability, good keyboards, and manageable operating noise, with the Zenbook's speakers being of higher quality.
Content Creation
7.6/10
7.3/10
7.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.1/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1800
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
The Acer Swift 3 and ASUS Zenbook 14 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
7.6/10
7.2/10
7.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.1/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1800
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Acer Swift 3 and ASUS Zenbook 14 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
0.6in
The Acer Swift 3 and ASUS Zenbook 14 both have very good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.4/10
7.8/10
The ASUS Zenbook 14 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.
Give feedback
We’re constantly working to improve.
How the Acer Swift 3 and the ASUS Zenbook 14 compare to other laptops
"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."
"Users who travel frequently and are looking for a portable laptop are in the right place with the Asus ZenBook 14. The sleek case is extremely light (1.2 kg) and surprisingly thin (1.5 cm). Outdoor use is also enjoyable thanks to the bright Full HD display, which is something that can rarely be said about laptops with TN or IPS panels. The excellent battery life complements this as well. Longer trips are no problem with the ZenBook 14. Another plus point is the high-performance Ryzen 7 5700U, which often leaves the Intel competition in the dust thanks to its large number of cores."
Get a great deal on the Acer Swift 3 or the ASUS Zenbook 14
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 ASUS
ASUS, a Taiwanese electronics brand, is one of the largest personal computer vendor by market share. The majority of their laptops are targeted towards personal use or gaming. Their most popular product lines include the budget-friendly VivoBook, more premium ZenBook, and their TUF and ROG gaming laptops, the latter of which has a reputation for excellent gaming performance.
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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About the laptop team
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Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
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Staff Expert & Software Engineer
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