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Updated January 10, 2024·
Based on your needs, consider the following: The Acer Swift 3 is less expensive and offers good performance for general use along with a longer battery life, making it quite portable. It also has a touchscreen, which might be convenient for daily tasks. However, it's less suited for demanding tasks like intensive gaming or 3D work. On the other hand, the Lenovo Legion Slim 5 costs more but provides superior performance for 3D, machine learning, gaming, and engineering purposes, with a dedicated graphics card. It's heavier and has a shorter battery life, affecting portability, but it has a higher-quality keyboard and better screen resolution. Choose the Acer if you prioritize portability and value for general use or the Lenovo if you need higher performance for specialized tasks and can handle less portability. 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 Legion Slim 5
- Very good for engineering and design
- Good for gaming and AI
- Good overall display quality
- Good speakers
- Very good keyboard
Key differences
Gaming and AI
6.3
7.7
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.4/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
8.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The Lenovo Legion Slim 5 is good for gaming and AI, while the Acer Swift 3 is only fair.
The Lenovo Legion Slim 5 offers better gaming and 3D performance owing to its more powerful Nvidia RTX 4060 graphics card and higher screen refresh rate compared to the Acer Swift 3's less powerful Intel Iris Xe graphics and lower refresh rate. While the Acer Swift 3 provides adequate performance for less demanding games, the Lenovo has the advantage for those demanding more graphics power and smoothness in fast-paced games.
Engineering and Design
7.1
8.0
7.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.3/10
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.4/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Lenovo Legion Slim 5 is very good for engineering and design, while the Acer Swift 3 is good.
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
7.2
14.0in
SIZE
16.0in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
309.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
300.0 nits
The Lenovo Legion Slim 5 has a better screen than the Acer Swift 3 for general use, and gaming and AI.
When considering screen quality for general use, both the Acer Swift 3 and Lenovo Legion Slim 5 offer panels with adequate resolution and brightness, which create clear and vibrant displays for everyday tasks. For engineering and design, these laptops provide a wide range of colors due to their color gamuts, ensuring accurate color reproduction vital for professional work. However, for gaming and 3D applications, their screens suffer because of lower refresh rates, which can result in less smooth movement and responsiveness in fast-paced scenarios.
Battery
12.0 Hours
7.0 Hours
The Acer Swift 3 has 12 hours of battery life. The Lenovo Legion Slim 5 has 7 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
Fair
14.0in
SIZE
16.0in
2.7 lbs
WEIGHT
5.2 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The Acer Swift 3 has very good portability, while the Lenovo Legion Slim 5 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$500
$1,000
$200
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
$1,600
The Acer Swift 3 has a price of $500 and the Lenovo Legion Slim 5 costs $1,000.
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Key similarities
General Use
7.7
7.6
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
309.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
300.0 nits
12.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
7.0 Hours
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
8.9/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.7/10
The Acer Swift 3 and Lenovo Legion Slim 5 are both good for general use.
PerfectRec’s General Use Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for general productivity, web browsing, streaming, video calls, and running a wide variety of apps and programs.
Content Creation
7.6
7.5
7.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.3/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Acer Swift 3 and Lenovo Legion Slim 5 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
7.4
7.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.3/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
The Acer Swift 3 and Lenovo Legion Slim 5 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
7.4
The Acer Swift 3 and Lenovo Legion Slim 5 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 Legion Slim 5 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Acer Swift 3 | Lenovo Legion Slim 5 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$500 | $1,000 | ||
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 10.3'' x 0.99'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 2.76 lbs | 5.29 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 12.6" | 14.16" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 8.3" | 10.25" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i5-1240P | AMD Ryzen 5 7640HS | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 16 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 | 7 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 56 Wh | 80 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 14" | 16" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 1920 x 1200 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 144Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 309 nits | 300 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.4/10 | 7.4/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 8.9/10 | 6.7/10 | |
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 | 6.5/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 7/10 | 8.5/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 6.5/10 | 7/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 1080p | 1080p | |
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 | 2 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 3 | 3 | |
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 Legion Slim 5
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Dig into reviews and images
PCMag
Mark Knapp | August 2023
"The Lenovo Legion Slim 5 Gen 8 acknowledges that a gaming laptop doesn’t have to be as thick as possible and can still ensure adequate cooling when the muscles need flexing. To this end, in the Slim 5 Gen 8, it finds a neat balance of refined, trimmed-down design that still lets its internals cruise (even above their max power ratings). Lenovo then added in some high-end build quality with an altogether excellent keyboard that’s useful for both work and play."
Get a great deal on the Acer Swift 3 or the Lenovo Legion Slim 5
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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