When choosing between the Acer Swift 3 and the Lenovo ThinkPad X13, consider that the Swift 3 offers value for money with reasonable performance for everyday tasks and is lighter on the wallet, but it may not match the ThinkPad X13 in build quality, keyboard comfort, and enterprise features. The ThinkPad X13, while typically more expensive, is designed for business users with robust construction, better security features, and might provide a superior typing experience. If you need a laptop for heavier workloads or prefer a premium feel, the ThinkPad X13 is often the choice, but for casual use, the Swift 3 could save money without sacrificing too much performance. 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 battery life
Advantages of the Lenovo ThinkPad X13
Very good for general use
Very good for engineering and design
Very good for software development
Very good for content creation
Very good overall build quality
Good speakers
Excellent keyboard
Key differences
General Use
7.7/10
8.4/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
309.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
321.0 nits
12.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
8.5 Hours
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
8.9/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
8.9/10
The Lenovo ThinkPad X13 is very good for general use, while the Acer Swift 3 is good.
The Acer Swift 3 offers solid performance with ample RAM and a capable CPU, ensuring smooth operation for everyday tasks, while remaining light and portable with a long battery life, making it a strong choice for general use. However, the Lenovo ThinkPad X13 steps up with a sharper screen, renowned keyboard comfort, and typically superior construction that handles heat and noise better, providing a premium experience for those who prioritize higher quality and durability in their regular computing.
Engineering and Design
7.1/10
8.0/10
7.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.8/10
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.0/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The Lenovo ThinkPad X13 is very good for engineering and design, while the Acer Swift 3 is good.
The Acer Swift 3 offers robust performance with its powerful CPU, abundant RAM, and dedicated GPU, making it suitable for demanding engineering software, while its high-quality screen provides clear visuals for design tasks. The Lenovo ThinkPad X13, although highly portable with a comfortable keyboard, trades off some graphical power for its smaller size, which may affect performance in GPU-intensive applications but remains a solid choice for engineering tasks that require less graphical intensity.
Content Creation
7.6/10
8.2/10
7.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.8/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Lenovo ThinkPad X13 is very good for content creation, while the Acer Swift 3 is good.
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
8.1/10
7.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.8/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
The Lenovo ThinkPad X13 is very good for software development, while the Acer Swift 3 is good.
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
6.8/10
6.9/10
14.0in
SIZE
13.3in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
309.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
321.0 nits
The Lenovo ThinkPad X13 has a better screen than the Acer Swift 3 for content creation, and software development.
For general use, the Acer Swift 3 and Lenovo ThinkPad X13 both offer screens with resolutions that are crisp, bright displays ensuring comfortable viewing for everyday tasks, and panel types that deliver wide viewing angles. When it comes to engineering and design, these laptops have decent color coverage, making them suitable for professionals who require accurate color representation for their work. However, both fall short for gaming and 3D applications due to their lower refresh rates, which means less smooth visuals during fast-paced scenes or complex animations compared to laptops with higher refresh rates.
Battery
12.0 Hours
8.5 Hours
The Acer Swift 3 has 12 hours of battery life. The Lenovo ThinkPad X13 has 8.5 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.
Build Quality
7.4/10
8.5/10
The Lenovo ThinkPad X13 has very good build quality, while the Acer Swift 3 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$500
$1,459
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
The Acer Swift 3 has a price of $500 and the Lenovo ThinkPad X13 costs $1,459.
The Lenovo ThinkPad X13 and Acer Swift 3 are both only fair for gaming and AI.
The Acer Swift 3 and the Lenovo ThinkPad X13, while equipped with GPUs that provide acceptable performance for casual gaming and basic 3D work, don't offer the high refresh rates or powerful graphics units required for more demanding gaming and professional 3D applications. The CPUs and screen quality of both laptops are capable, but for users with intensive needs in these areas, the limited GPU power and lower refresh rates will hinder performance.
Portability
Very Good
Very Good
14.0in
SIZE
13.3in
2.7 lbs
WEIGHT
2.8 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The Lenovo ThinkPad X13 and Acer Swift 3 both have very good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
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How the Acer Swift 3 and the Lenovo ThinkPad X13 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 ThinkPad X13 G4 has very good input devices, a wide array of security features and ports as well as 5G in the tested configuration. It is more compact and lightweight compared with its predecessor, and it has improved speakers and a slightly better webcam. On the other hand, the fan is more annoying and the performance is barely improved. The battery is worse as well, but this is primarily attributable to the OLED screen - if this aspect is important, buyers should choose the IPS Low Power LCD."
Get a great deal on the Acer Swift 3 or the Lenovo ThinkPad X13
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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