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What we think
The PerfectRec laptop team Learn more
Updated January 10, 2024·
If affordability is a priority and everyday tasks like browsing, office work, and media consumption are your main activities, the Acer Swift 3 is a suitable choice. Conversely, if you engage in intensive tasks like 3D modeling, machine learning, gaming, or require exceptional graphics and computing power, and don't mind spending more, the Dell Alienware m18 R1 offers high-performance capabilities but it's quite heavy, making it less convenient to carry around. Both laptops offer distinct experiences, the Acer Swift 3 being budget-friendly and portable, and the Dell Alienware m18 R1 being a high-end, desktop-replacement option. Choose based on your primary use and budget. 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
Advantages of the Dell Alienware m18 R1
- Very good for general use
- Excellent for engineering and design
- Excellent for gaming and AI
- Very good for software development
- Very good for content creation
- Good overall display quality
- Very good overall build quality
- Very good speakers
- Very good keyboard
Key differences
General Use
7.7
8.2
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
309.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
281.0 nits
12.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
4.0 Hours
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
8.9/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
5.1/10
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 is very good for general use, while the Acer Swift 3 is good.
The Acer Swift 3 is a solid choice for general use with a good balance of CPU performance, amount of RAM, a high-quality IPS touchscreen, and excellent portability due to its lighter weight and longer battery life. However, the Dell Alienware m18 R1 excels in general use with a much more powerful CPU, double the RAM for multitasking, a superior GPU, and a larger, higher resolution non-touchscreen display, but it is less portable and has shorter battery life, making it less ideal for frequent travel.
Gaming and AI
6.3
9.1
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.8/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
8.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.0/10
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 is excellent for gaming and AI, while the Acer Swift 3 is only fair.
PerfectRec’s Gaming and AI Score strongly emphasizes graphics processing capability, while also taking into account other factors that impact suitability for gaming and AI work.
Engineering and Design
7.1
9.1
7.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.8/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 is excellent for engineering and design, while the Acer Swift 3 is good.
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 is considered excellent for engineering and design due to its more powerful CPU and GPU, double the RAM, and a higher resolution and quality display compared to the Acer Swift 3. However, the Swift 3 is more portable and offers quieter operating noise, making it a decent option for on-the-go engineering and design tasks where maximum performance is less critical.
Content Creation
7.6
8.4
7.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 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
7.8
14.0in
SIZE
17.3in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
309.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
281.0 nits
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 has a better screen than the Acer Swift 3 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
For general use, the Acer Swift 3 and Dell Alienware m18 R1 both offer pleasing visuals suitable for everyday tasks, due to their decent resolution and brightness, which enhance the clarity and visibility of content. For engineering and design, both laptops display colors accurately, critical for tasks requiring precision, but their screen quality may not cover the full range of professional color gamuts, affecting those working with high-fidelity graphics. However, for gaming and 3D applications, their lower refresh rates could lead to less fluid motion and responsiveness, which is less than ideal for fast-paced visuals or rendering detailed animations.
Battery
12.0 Hours
4.0 Hours
The Acer Swift 3 has 12 hours of battery life. The Dell Alienware m18 R1 has 4 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
Poor
14.0in
SIZE
17.3in
2.7 lbs
WEIGHT
8.9 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
1.0in
The Acer Swift 3 has very good portability, while the Dell Alienware m18 R1 has poor portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.4
8.5
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 has very good 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
$2,600
$0
$1,000
$2,000
$3,000
$4,000
The Acer Swift 3 has a price of $500 and the Dell Alienware m18 R1 costs $2,600.
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Key similarities
Software Development
7.6
8.0
7.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Dell Alienware m18 R1 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.
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How the Acer Swift 3 and the Dell Alienware m18 R1 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Acer Swift 3 | Dell Alienware m18 R1 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$500 | $2,600 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | May 1, 2023 | October 1, 2022 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 12.6'' x 8.3'' x 0.63'' | 16.2'' x 12.6'' x 1.05'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 2.76 lbs | 8.9 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 12.6" | 16.15" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 8.3" | 12.59" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i5-1240P | Intel i9-13900HX | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 32 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 4 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 1024 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 12 Hours | 4 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 56 Wh | 97 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 14" | 17.3" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 2560 x 1600 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 165Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 309 nits | 281 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.4/10 | 8.5/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 8.9/10 | 5.1/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | Yes | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 8.8/10 | 7/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 7/10 | 8.5/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 6.5/10 | 8/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 1080p | 720p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | Yes | No | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | No | Yes | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 2 | 4 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 2 | 2 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 3 | 4 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | 4 | 4 | |
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."
Dell Alienware m18 R1
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Dig into reviews and images
PCMag
Matthew Buzzi | July 2023
"Dell's Alienware m18 delivers on its promises: This is a large, powerful gaming laptop with the premium flair and feel you expect from an expensive purchase. The drawbacks are really the price and battery life, which in context are reasonable. (We'd also like to see more ports on the laptop's sides.) This price tier exists for deep-pocketed enthusiasts, and if you’re considering anything in this range, the m18 isn’t an outlier. For the majority of shoppers, of course, all of these mighty 18-inch systems are likely too expensive."
Get a great deal on the Acer Swift 3 or the Dell Alienware m18 R1
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 Dell
Dell is a highly recognizable American technology company, and is one of the largest personal computer vendor by market share. Their laptops are very popular for both personal and professional use, and they also own the Alienware brand which makes mid to high end gaming laptops. Their premium XPS range of laptops offer great build quality and portability, while Latitude and Precision laptops are known for reliability, repairability and performance for business users.
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Why trust us
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.
By the numbers
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Laptops evaluated
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Laptops stats compiled
13
Proprietary Laptops ratings developed
130,995
Recommendations made
28,383
Consumer hours saved
About the laptop team
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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
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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.
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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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