If performance during intensive engineering tasks, better portability, and higher screen pixel density are priority, the Acer Swift 3 with its Intel processor and more RAM is a strong option. However, if a larger screen is more important for general use, and a full-sized keyboard with a numeric keypad is a requirement, the Lenovo IdeaPad with its AMD processor may suit you, though it is heavier and may have shorter battery life. Neither are ideal for intensive gaming, but both are similarly priced and can handle general use effectively. 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 overall build quality
Very good portability
Very good battery life
Good keyboard
Advantages of the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17"
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17" has no clear advantages over the Acer Swift 3.
Key differences
Engineering and Design
7.1/10
6.6/10
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 Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17" 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.
Screen Quality
6.8/10
6.7/10
14.0in
SIZE
17.3in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
309.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
307.0 nits
The Acer Swift 3 has a better screen than the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17" for software development, and content creation.
Both the Acer Swift 3 and the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17" have screens that provide sufficient resolution and brightness for general use, ensuring clear and vivid displays for everyday tasks like browsing and document editing. For engineering and design, they offer good color reproduction capabilities, allowing professionals to work with a wide range of colors accurately. However, the lower refresh rates on these screens limit the smoothness and responsiveness needed for gaming and 3D applications, which is why they are not ideal for those use cases.
Battery
12.0 Hours
9.0 Hours
The Acer Swift 3 has 12 hours of battery life. The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 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
4.4 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Acer Swift 3 has very good portability, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17" has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.4/10
6.5/10
The Acer Swift 3 has good build quality, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17" has only fair build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$500
$784
$200
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
The Acer Swift 3 has a price of $500 and the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17" costs $784.
The Acer Swift 3 and Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17" are both good for general use.
The Acer Swift 3 offers a balanced package for general use with its sufficient RAM, solid-state drive storage, and a higher-quality screen that supports touch input, which, paired with a lightweight design, makes it portable with respectable battery life. The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17", while offering the same storage and a large screen for comfortable viewing, comes with less RAM and a bigger form factor which reduces portability, though it compensates with a generally quieter operation and superior heat management.
Gaming and AI
6.3/10
6.1/10
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
9.5/10
The Acer Swift 3 and Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17" are both only fair for gaming and AI.
The Acer Swift 3, with its Intel Iris Xe graphics, and the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17" with its AMD Vega 7 graphics, are both equipped with integrated GPUs that provide moderate performance sufficient for casual gaming and basic 3D applications; however, dedicated GPUs would offer significantly better performance for these tasks. Both laptops have a screen refresh rate of 60Hz which is standard for most tasks but lower than the higher refresh rates preferred by gamers for smoother visuals.
Content Creation
7.6/10
7.4/10
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 and Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17" 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
5.8/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
6.5/10
The Acer Swift 3 and Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17" 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.
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How the Acer Swift 3 and the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17" 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."
"The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17" defies expectations. Indeed, it is just a minor upgrade over last year. However, this doesn’t make the laptop any less terrific. It’s got a great performance, courtesy of the Ryzen 5x25U processors. In addition, you get a pretty good battery life. Perhaps, the 2-hour decrease in video playback, compared to last year is not great, but still, 10 hours of Web browsing and 7 hours of video playback is okay for 17-inch notebooks."
Get a great deal on the Acer Swift 3 or the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 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 Lenovo
Lenovo is a Chinese technology company, and one of the largest personal computer vendor. They are well known for a variety of technology products, including laptops. Their consumer series include their entry level IdeaPad and LOQ series and mid-to-high-end Yoga and Legion series. On the business-oriented side, their series include their entry-level ThinkBook series and mid-to-high-end ThinkPad series. Lenovo laptops offer strong performance for reasonable prices, and are often on sale.
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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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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