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What we think
The PerfectRec laptop team Learn more
Updated January 10, 2024·
The Acer Swift 3 offers better portability and longer battery life, which makes it suitable for users who need a lightweight laptop to carry around and use on the go. It also has a touchscreen and is a good fit for general use. On the other hand, the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3, with its powerful AMD processor and Nvidia graphics card, is more suitable for gaming, 3D rendering, and machine learning tasks despite being heavier and having lower battery life. So, if you prioritize performance for intensive tasks and gaming, and don't mind the extra weight, the Lenovo might be your choice, whereas if you prefer a lighter, more portable device for everyday tasks, the Acer should suffice. 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 Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3
- Good overall display quality
- Very good keyboard
Key differences
Screen Quality
6.8
7.2
14.0in
SIZE
15.6in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
309.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
329.0 nits
The Acer Swift 3 has a better screen than the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 for software development, while the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 has a better screen for general use, gaming and AI, and engineering and design.
The Acer Swift 3 and Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 both have panels with sufficient resolution and brightness, making them suitable for a variety of everyday tasks and enjoyable for watching videos or browsing the web. Both laptops have a decent color range which is critical for engineering and design work, allowing for accurate color representation, but they may not cover the advanced color gamuts fully that professionals might require. However, for gaming and 3D tasks, they lack high refresh rates, which are essential for smooth motion and a more immersive experience, making them less ideal for fast-paced games or intensive 3D applications.
Battery
12.0 Hours
8.0 Hours
The Acer Swift 3 has 12 hours of battery life. The Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 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
5.1 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.8in
The Acer Swift 3 has very good portability, while the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$500
$549
$200
$300
$400
$500
$600
$700
$800
The Acer Swift 3 has a price of $500 and the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 costs $549.
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Key similarities
General Use
7.7
7.4
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
309.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
329.0 nits
12.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
8.0 Hours
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
8.9/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.0/10
The Acer Swift 3 and Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 are both good for general use.
The Acer Swift 3 is praised for general use due to its reasonable balance between a powerful Intel CPU and 16GB of RAM for smooth multitasking, a sharp and bright touchscreen IPS display, and its lightweight design coupled with long battery life enhances its portability. In contrast, the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3, while offering solid performance with an AMD Ryzen CPU and NVidia graphics card suited for more intensive tasks, is bulkier and heavier with a shorter battery life, yet provides a larger screen with a high refresh rate, making it a good candidate for general use with an added gaming advantage.
Gaming and AI
6.3
6.5
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.2/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
8.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.0/10
The Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 and Acer Swift 3 are both only fair for gaming and AI.
The Acer Swift 3, with its integrated Intel Iris Xe graphics, offers fair performance for gaming and 3D tasks but is limited by its lower GPU capabilities and standard 60 Hz refresh rate screen, which is less optimal for fast-paced gaming where higher refresh rates provide smoother visuals. In contrast, the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3, equipped with a dedicated Nvidia RTX 2050 GPU and a 120 Hz refresh rate screen, provides better performance suitable for gaming and 3D applications but may come at a higher price and potentially reduced battery life due to more power-demanding hardware.
Engineering and Design
7.1
7.2
7.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.9/10
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.2/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
The Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 and Acer Swift 3 are both good for engineering and design.
The Acer Swift 3, with its Intel CPU and integrated graphics, offers ample computing power and is more portable, making it suitable for on-the-go engineering and design tasks, though it may not handle graphics-intensive applications as well as dedicated GPUs. In contrast, the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3, equipped with an AMD CPU and Nvidia GPU, excels in handling more demanding engineering and design software, and offers a larger screen with higher refresh rates, at the cost of being bulkier and less portable.
Content Creation
7.6
7.4
7.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.9/10
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 Gaming 3 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
7.3
7.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.9/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Acer Swift 3 and Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 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 Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 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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How the Acer Swift 3 and the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Acer Swift 3 | Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$500 | $549 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | May 1, 2023 | May 1, 2023 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 12.6'' x 8.3'' x 0.63'' | 14.2'' x 10.5'' x 0.86'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 2.76 lbs | 5.1 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 12.6" | 14.16" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 8.3" | 10.49" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i5-1240P | AMD Ryzen 7 7735HS | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 8 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 4 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 512 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 12 Hours | 8 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 56 Wh | 60 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 | 120Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 309 nits | 329 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 | 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 | 8/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 6.5/10 | 6.8/10 | |
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 | 2 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 2 | 1 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 3 | 2 | |
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."
Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Florian Glaser | October 2022
"The Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 is one of the most powerful RTX 3050 Ti laptops. If you disregard the mediocre quality of the case in terms of the material and workmanship, Lenovo has created a successful budget gaming laptop with the IdeaPad Gaming. Thanks to high TDPs and constant performance development, the Core i5-12500H and GeForce RTX 3050 Ti are able to show their full power, while in contrast, the (mostly slower) competitors deliver a better battery life. However, hardly any of the alternative laptops are able to reach the image quality of the Gaming 3. Most of the competitors are left behind in terms of the color space and brightness."
Get a great deal on the Acer Swift 3 or the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3
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.
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