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Updated January 10, 2024·
Choosing between the Acer Swift 3 and the ASUS Zenbook Pro 17 comes down to your preferences and needs. If portability, longer battery life, and budget-friendliness are top priorities, and your usage centers around general tasks, the Acer Swift 3 will serve you well. On the other hand, if you require a laptop with a larger screen, more power for engineering, 3D rendering, and machine learning tasks, and you do not mind a heavier laptop with a slightly shorter battery life, the ASUS Zenbook Pro 17, albeit at a higher cost, would be a better fit. 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
- Very good battery life
- Good keyboard
Advantages of the ASUS Zenbook Pro 17
- Very good for general use
- Very good for engineering and design
- Very good for content creation
- Good overall display quality
- Very good speakers
Key differences
General Use
7.7
8.3
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
309.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
400.0 nits
12.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
9.0 Hours
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
6.7/10
8.9/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.1/10
The ASUS Zenbook Pro 17 is very good for general use, while the Acer Swift 3 is good.
The Acer Swift 3's lower weight and smaller screen size make it more portable, while the ASUS Zenbook Pro 17 provides superior performance thanks to a more powerful CPU, double the RAM, and a dedicated graphics card; both offer suitable screens for general use but the Zenbook's screen is noted for higher brightness and color coverage, contributing to its higher rating, albeit with reduced battery life and higher weight which can impact portability.
Gaming and AI
6.3
6.9
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
5.1/10
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
7.5/10
The ASUS Zenbook Pro 17 and Acer Swift 3 are both only fair for gaming and AI, though the ASUS Zenbook Pro 17 is somewhat better.
The ASUS Zenbook Pro 17 offers superior gaming and 3D performance compared to the Acer Swift 3 primarily because it includes a dedicated Nvidia RTX 3050 graphics card, which is more powerful than the integrated Intel Iris Xe graphics in the Swift 3. While both laptops have similar screen refresh rates, the Zenbook's better GPU and stronger CPU (AMD Ryzen 9 versus Intel i5) contribute to its higher quality gaming and 3D capabilities.
Engineering and Design
7.1
8.1
7.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.5/10
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
5.1/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The ASUS Zenbook Pro 17 is very good for engineering and design, while the Acer Swift 3 is good.
The Acer Swift 3 is favored in engineering and design due to its balance of power with the Intel i5 CPU and Iris Xe graphics, adequate RAM, and a high-resolution touchscreen, all in a fairly lightweight package that enhances portability. In contrast, the ASUS Zenbook Pro 17 offers superior performance with an AMD Ryzen 9 CPU and Nvidia RTX GPU, more RAM, a larger high-quality screen, and better color coverage, making it ideal for intensive design work, but it's heavier and hence less portable.
Content Creation
7.6
8.2
7.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.5/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The ASUS Zenbook Pro 17 is 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.
Screen Quality
6.8
7.2
14.0in
SIZE
17.3in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
309.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
400.0 nits
The ASUS Zenbook Pro 17 has a better screen than the Acer Swift 3 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
The Acer Swift 3 and ASUS Zenbook Pro 17 have screens with resolutions and panel types that provide clarity and detail suitable for tasks like web browsing, document editing, and video playback, making them good for general use. For engineering and design, where color accuracy is crucial, both laptops have displays that cover a wide range of color gamuts, ensuring that professionals can trust the color representation in their projects. However, for gaming and 3D applications where fast motion is common, the screens on these laptops may not keep up as they lack high refresh rates, leading to less fluid visuals during rapid movements or action sequences.
Battery
12.0 Hours
9.0 Hours
The Acer Swift 3 has 12 hours of battery life. The ASUS Zenbook Pro 17 has 9 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.
Portability
Very Good
Good
14.0in
SIZE
17.3in
2.7 lbs
WEIGHT
5.1 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Acer Swift 3 has very good portability, while the ASUS Zenbook Pro 17 has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$500
$1,500
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
The Acer Swift 3 has a price of $500 and the ASUS Zenbook Pro 17 costs $1,500.
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Key similarities
Software Development
7.6
7.9
7.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.5/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
6.7/10
The ASUS Zenbook Pro 17 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.
Build Quality
7.4
7.2
The Acer Swift 3 and ASUS Zenbook Pro 17 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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We’re constantly working to improve.
How the Acer Swift 3 and the ASUS Zenbook Pro 17 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Acer Swift 3 | ASUS Zenbook Pro 17 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$500 | $1,500 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | May 1, 2023 | June 1, 2022 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 12.6'' x 8.3'' x 0.63'' | 15.6'' x 10.2'' x 0.74'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 2.76 lbs | 5.18 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 12.6" | 15.55" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 8.3" | 10.18" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i5-1240P | AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 32 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 4 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 0 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 1024 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 12 Hours | 9 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 56 Wh | 76 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 14" | 17.3" | |
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 | 400 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.4/10 | 7.2/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 8.9/10 | 7.1/10 | |
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 | 7.5/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 7/10 | 6.8/10 | |
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 | Yes | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 2 | 2 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 2 | 2 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 3 | 3 | |
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."
Get a great deal on the Acer Swift 3 or the ASUS Zenbook Pro 17
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.
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