For general use, the Acer Swift 3 may be a slightly better choice due to its higher RAM, which allows for smoother multitasking and overall performance. It also appears to have slightly better longevity in typical usage with its battery capacity. The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 may save you some money and offers a larger screen, which could be more comfortable for watching videos or working on documents, but keep in mind it has lower RAM which could affect performance with multiple applications open. Neither are suitable for intensive gaming or high-end engineering work, but the Swift 3 slightly edges out for those interested in occasional 3D or machine learning tasks. If portability is a concern, the Swift 3 is lighter and may be easier to carry around, while the IdeaPad has lower portability. Both have a touch screen and similar screen quality, with the Swift 3 having a slightly better color coverage which might be preferable for photo editing or design work. 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
Good keyboard
Advantages of the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3
The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 has no clear advantages over the Acer Swift 3.
Key differences
General Use
7.7/10
7.0/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
309.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
281.0 nits
12.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
10.0 Hours
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
6.5/10
8.9/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.9/10
The Acer Swift 3 and Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 are both good for general use, though the Acer Swift 3 is somewhat better.
The Acer Swift 3 is better suited for general use than the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 partly because it has a more powerful CPU and more RAM, which contributes to faster and smoother performance. Additionally, the Acer has higher screen quality with better brightness and color coverage, a longer battery life, and is more portable due to its lighter weight and smaller dimensions, while the Lenovo, though with an equally good main processor, falls short in RAM capacity, screen quality, and portability.
Engineering and Design
7.1/10
6.1/10
7.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
3.6/10
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 Slim 3 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
6.4/10
14.0in
SIZE
15.6in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
309.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
281.0 nits
The Acer Swift 3 has a better screen than the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 for general use, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
For general use, the Acer Swift 3 offers a higher resolution and brighter display, making it superior to the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3, whose fair screen provides acceptable clarity and brightness but isn't as sharp or vivid. In engineering and design, the Acer's display covers a wider range of colors, crucial for accurate color work, while the Lenovo has more modest color coverage, making it less ideal for professional design tasks. However, for gaming and 3D, both laptops fall short due to lower refresh rates, but the resolution and panel technology of the Acer still trumps the Lenovo, although neither would be optimal for high-frame-rate gaming or intense 3D applications.
Battery
12.0 Hours
10.0 Hours
The Acer Swift 3 has 12 hours of battery life. The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 has 10 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
3.5 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Acer Swift 3 has very good portability, while the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 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 Slim 3 has only fair build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$500
$400
$200
$300
$400
$500
$600
$700
$800
The Acer Swift 3 has a price of $500 and the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 costs $400.
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Acer Swift 3 to be only fair for gaming and AI, while the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 is poor.
The Acer Swift 3 and Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 have fair gaming and 3D capabilities primarily because both have integrated GPUs, with the Acer sporting an Intel i5-1240P Iris Xe and the Lenovo an AMD Ryzen 3 7330U Vega 6, neither of which are top-of-the-line dedicated gaming graphics chips. Additionally, both laptops have a standard screen refresh rate of 60Hz, which is adequate for casual gaming but may not provide the smoothest experience for fast-paced games or professional 3D applications.
Content Creation
7.6/10
7.2/10
7.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
3.6/10
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 Slim 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
7.6/10
7.1/10
7.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
3.6/10
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 Slim 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.
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How the Acer Swift 3 and the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 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."
Olivier Martin, Ryan Lim, and John Peroramas | May 2023
"The Lenovo IdeaPad 3i is decent for use as a workstation. Its Intel CPU and integrated graphics can only handle light productivity tasks, not demanding workloads like video editing or 3D graphics. You also can't do any color-critical work because the available displays have a narrow color gamut. It has a good port selection, but its USB-C lacks Thunderbolt 4 support. On the upside, it has a comfortable keyboard and doesn't get hot or loud under load."
Get a great deal on the Acer Swift 3 or the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 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.
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 Golden, Ph.D
CEO and Laptops Editor
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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Laptops Expert
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