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What we think
The PerfectRec laptop team Learn more
Updated January 10, 2024·
The Acer Swift 3 and Gateway 15.6" laptops are similarly priced, both offer 512GB of storage space and 16GB of RAM with integrated Iris Xe graphics, suited for general use and light gaming. The Acer Swift 3 provides a more portable option due to its lighter weight and smaller screen, and it comes with Windows 11 and a longer battery life, which is beneficial for on-the-go use. On the other hand, the Gateway 15.6" has a larger display which may be better for viewing content and productivity tasks, but it is heavier and comes with Windows 10, plus the battery capacity is not specified which might indicate a shorter battery life. If portability and battery life are priorities, the Acer Swift 3 appears to be the better choice, while if screen size is more important, consider the Gateway 15.6". 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
- Good for engineering and design
- Good for software development
- Good overall build quality
- Very good portability
- Very good battery life
- Good keyboard
Advantages of the Gateway 15.6"
- The Gateway 15.6" has no clear advantages over the Acer Swift 3.
Key differences
General Use
7.7
7.0
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
309.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
250.0 nits
12.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
8.0 Hours
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
5.3/10
8.9/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.3/10
The Acer Swift 3 and Gateway 15.6" are both good for general use, though the Acer Swift 3 is somewhat better.
The Acer Swift 3 offers a more portable option with higher screen quality and better heat management, important for comfortable general use, along with a backlit keyboard and a longer battery life that add to its user-friendliness on the move. Meanwhile, the Gateway 15.6" provides similar CPU and RAM specifications for general use, but trades off portability with a larger screen size and heavier build, potentially affecting ease of transport and battery endurance.
Engineering and Design
7.1
6.2
7.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.9/10
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Acer Swift 3 is good for engineering and design, while the Gateway 15.6" is only fair.
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
7.0
7.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.9/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Acer Swift 3 and Gateway 15.6" are both good for content creation, though the Acer Swift 3 is somewhat better.
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
6.7
7.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.9/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
5.3/10
The Acer Swift 3 is good for software development, while the Gateway 15.6" is only fair.
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.
Screen Quality
6.8
6.1
14.0in
SIZE
15.6in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
309.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
250.0 nits
The Acer Swift 3 has a better screen than the Gateway 15.6" for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The Acer Swift 3 has superior screen resolution and brightness, which makes it appealing for general tasks and detail-oriented work in engineering and design, where clear and vibrant display quality is crucial. However, its refresh rate isn't high enough to deliver the smooth visuals that gaming and 3D applications require. The Gateway 15.6" offers moderate resolution and brightness, making it satisfactory for everyday tasks and some technical work, but like the Acer, it falls short for gaming and 3D due to a lower refresh rate and less impressive color range.
Battery
12.0 Hours
8.0 Hours
The Acer Swift 3 has 12 hours of battery life. The Gateway 15.6" 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.
Portability
Very Good
Good
14.0in
SIZE
15.6in
2.7 lbs
WEIGHT
4.8 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Acer Swift 3 has very good portability, while the Gateway 15.6" has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.4
5.1
The Acer Swift 3 has good build quality, while the Gateway 15.6" has poor build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$500
$600
$200
$300
$400
$500
$600
$700
$800
$900
The Acer Swift 3 has a price of $500 and the Gateway 15.6" costs $600.
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Key similarities
Gaming and AI
6.3
6.0
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
8.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.0/10
The Acer Swift 3 and Gateway 15.6" are both only fair for gaming and AI.
The Acer Swift 3 and Gateway 15.6" laptops are fair for gaming and 3D due to their integrated Intel Iris Xe GPUs, which offer moderate graphics performance but are not as powerful as dedicated gaming GPUs. Both have a screen refresh rate of 60Hz which is sufficient for non-competitive gaming but not ideal for high-paced games that benefit from higher refresh rates; besides, while both feature IPS screens with full HD resolution, this screen quality is only somewhat conducive to gaming and 3D applications.
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How the Acer Swift 3 and the Gateway 15.6" compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Acer Swift 3 | Gateway 15.6" |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$500 | $600 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | May 1, 2023 | August 1, 2021 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 12.6'' x 8.3'' x 0.63'' | 14.8'' x 9.5'' x 0.77'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 2.76 lbs | 4.8 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 12.6" | 14.75" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 8.3" | 9.5" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i5-1240P | Intel i5-1135G7 | |
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 | 8 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 56 Wh | Unknown | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 14" | 15.6" | |
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 | 250 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.4/10 | 5.1/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 8.9/10 | 7.3/10 | |
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 | 7/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 7/10 | 5.3/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 6.5/10 | 6/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 1080p | 720p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | Yes | Yes | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | No | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | No | Yes | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 2 | 2 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 2 | 1 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | No | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 3 | 1 | |
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."
Gateway 15.6"
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Dig into reviews and images
PCMag
Francisco Lahoz | July 2022
"Some concessions have to be made when shopping for a budget laptop. Walmart's Gateway Ultra Slim laptops succeeds on the affordability front and delivers serviceable specs and good battery life, though it's hard to claim it's the best (or even particularly good) at any particular aspect. Its build quality, especially the touchpad, is mediocre, and its performance is decent but doesn't lead the way. The Gateway does undercut the cost of some competitors and offers ample storage with good connectivity, so it's not to be ignored."
Get a great deal on the Acer Swift 3 or the Gateway 15.6"
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 Gateway
Gateway is a laptop and tablet brand owned by Acer which sells budget-friendly laptops exclusively through Walmart. It was previously an American computer company until its acquisition by Acer in 2007, who then revived the brand in 2020. Gateway laptops are manufactured by Chinese company Shenzhen Bmorn Technology, which also makes EVOO-branded models.
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