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What we think
The PerfectRec laptop team Learn more
Updated January 10, 2024·
The Acer Swift 3, while generally more expensive, offers a more robust set of features, such as more storage and RAM, a slightly more powerful processor, touch screen capabilities, and a better battery life. On the other hand, the HP 15" Laptop is generally less expensive. It provides the essentials with a larger screen, although it has less storage, RAM, and a less powerful processor, plus shorter battery life. The Swift 3 is more suitable for intensive workloads like engineering, 3D rendering, or machine learning, and offers better portability due to its lighter weight. If affordability and a larger screen size are your main criteria, consider the HP; otherwise, for better performance and portability, the Swift 3 is advisable. 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 general use
- Good for engineering and design
- Good for software development
- Good for content creation
- Good overall build quality
- Very good portability
- Very good battery life
- Good keyboard
Advantages of the HP 15" Laptop
- The HP 15" Laptop has no clear advantages over the Acer Swift 3.
Key differences
General Use
7.7
6.7
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
309.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
250.0 nits
12.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
6.0 Hours
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
6.0/10
8.9/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.8/10
The Acer Swift 3 is good for general use, while the HP 15" Laptop is only fair.
The Acer Swift 3 is better for general use due to its more powerful Intel i5 CPU and larger RAM, which provide better performance than the HP 15'' Laptop’s Intel i3 CPU and smaller RAM capacity. Additionally, the Acer Swift 3 has better portability with a higher portability score and longer battery life, making it more convenient for use on the go compared to the bulkier HP 15" Laptop with shorter battery life.
Engineering and Design
7.1
6.2
7.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.8/10
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
The Acer Swift 3 is good for engineering and design, while the HP 15" Laptop is only fair.
The Acer Swift 3 is better for engineering and design due to its higher performance CPU and integrated GPU, double the RAM, and a significantly brighter and more color-accurate display, critical for design work. The HP 15" Laptop, while larger, has a less powerful CPU and GPU, less RAM, and a lower-quality display, but offers a numeric keypad and is more affordable, yet these advantages might not compensate for its performance deficit in demanding tasks.
Content Creation
7.6
6.9
7.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.8/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Acer Swift 3 is good for content creation, while the HP 15" Laptop is only fair.
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
5.8/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
6.0/10
The Acer Swift 3 is good for software development, while the HP 15" Laptop 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
6.3
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 HP 15" Laptop for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The Acer Swift 3 offers a display with higher resolution and brightness, making text and images sharp and easy to view, which enhances the experience for general tasks and detailed engineering work where clarity is crucial. Its color gamut coverage, while sufficient for engineering and design, falls short for gaming and 3D applications where broader color ranges and faster refresh rates are key for optimal visuals and fluid motion. Conversely, the HP 15" Laptop's screen meets the basic requirements for both general use and engineering with fair resolution and decent color representation, but like the Acer, it lacks the high refresh rate gamers need for a smooth experience.
Battery
12.0 Hours
6.0 Hours
The Acer Swift 3 has 12 hours of battery life. The HP 15" Laptop has 6 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
3.7 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Acer Swift 3 has very good portability, while the HP 15" Laptop has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.4
6.0
The Acer Swift 3 has good build quality, while the HP 15" Laptop has only fair build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$500
$375
$200
$300
$400
$500
$600
$700
$800
The Acer Swift 3 has a price of $500 and the HP 15" Laptop costs $375.
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Key similarities
Gaming and AI
6.3
5.9
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
8.7/10
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Acer Swift 3 to be only fair for gaming and AI, while the HP 15" Laptop is poor.
The Acer Swift 3 has an Intel i5-1240P Iris Xe GPU and a screen refresh rate of 60Hz, which provide fair gaming and 3D capabilities within a moderate performance range, whereas the HP 15" Laptop with an Intel i3-1215U UHD Graphics GPU and the same 60Hz screen refresh rate offers fair performance, but potentially less so due to a less powerful graphics processor.
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How the Acer Swift 3 and the HP 15" Laptop compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Acer Swift 3 | HP 15" Laptop |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$500 | $375 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | May 1, 2023 | May 1, 2022 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 12.6'' x 8.3'' x 0.63'' | 14.1'' x 9.5'' x 0.7'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 2.76 lbs | 3.73 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 12.6" | 14.11" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 8.3" | 9.53" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i5-1240P | Intel i3-1215U | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 8 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 4 | 4 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 128 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 12 Hours | 6 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 56 Wh | 41 Wh | |
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 | 6/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 8.9/10 | 7.8/10 | |
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 | 8.8/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 7/10 | 6/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 6.5/10 | 6.5/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 1080p | 720p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | Yes | No | |
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."
HP 15" Laptop
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Dig into reviews and images
LaptopMedia
Alex Iliev | August 2022
"Chances are high that the HP 15 is one of the first laptops to pop up when you search for an inexpensive notebook. Indeed, its price tag is very tempting for many, and of course, this is the reason for its popularity. However, the HP 15" suffers from poor performance due to low power consumption. On the bright side, one of the good things about it is the port selection. On the inside, this includes two SODIMM slots for memory, an M.2 PCIe x4 slot for storage, and a SATA drive bay. However, the TN panel, and mediocre input devices are not ideal."
Get a great deal on the Acer Swift 3 or the HP 15" Laptop
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 HP
HP, also known as Hewlett-Packard, is an American technology company that develops personal computers and computer peripherals. In the laptop industry, HP is known for its entry level Essential series laptops, its mid-range Pavilion, Envy, and Victus series, and high-end Omen and Spectre series, in addition to its business-oriented EliteBook, ProBook, and Dragonfly series laptops. HP laptops generally undercut other mainstream competitors in terms of price, placing itself as the value-oriented mainstream brand.
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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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