The Acer Swift Edge 16 is less expensive and offers better portability due to its lighter weight and longer battery life, making it suitable for on-the-go use and general tasks. It features an OLED display with high color accuracy and brightness, excellent for professional photo editing and watching videos. On the other hand, the Lenovo Legion 5i Pro, while more expensive and heavier with a shorter battery life, provides superior performance for 3D rendering, machine learning, and gaming thanks to its powerful Intel processor and Nvidia graphics. Its higher refresh rate screen benefits fast-paced gaming, and it boasts a more robust build for intensive use. Choose the Acer for portability and everyday tasks or the Lenovo if performance in demanding applications and gaming is a priority. 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 Edge 16
Very good for content creation
Very good portability
Good battery life
Advantages of the Lenovo Legion Pro 5i
Very good for gaming and AI
Good speakers
Very good keyboard
Key differences
Gaming and AI
6.7/10
8.0/10
4.0/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.5/10
3200 x 2000
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
8.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5i is very good for gaming and AI, while the Acer Swift Edge 16 is only fair.
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5i edges out ahead in gaming and 3D performance largely due to its Nvidia RTX 4060 GPU, which is superior to the AMD Radeon 780M GPU found in the Acer Swift Edge 16, and its higher screen refresh rate at 165Hz compared to the Acer's 120Hz, making visuals smoother during fast-paced gaming. While both laptops have quality screens, the additional power and faster refresh contribute to the Legion Pro 5i's very good suitability for gaming and 3D tasks.
Screen Quality
8.8/10
8.1/10
16.0in
SIZE
16.0in
3200 x 2000
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
383.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
368.0 nits
The Acer Swift Edge 16 has a better screen than the Lenovo Legion Pro 5i for general use, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The Acer Swift Edge 16 offers superior screen resolution and brightness with a wide color gamut, making it suitable for precise visual tasks in engineering and general use, though it lacks a high refresh rate which is crucial for smooth visuals in gaming and 3D applications. The Lenovo Legion Pro 5i provides very good resolution and color accuracy that benefits general tasks and engineering design work, yet its screen falls short in gaming due to a lower refresh rate which can't deliver the fluid motion gamers seek. In essence, while both laptops cater well to professionals seeking clarity and color depth for productivity, neither is optimized for the high refresh demands of gaming and 3D rendering.
Battery
7.0 Hours
3.5 Hours
The Acer Swift Edge 16 has 7 hours of battery life. The Lenovo Legion Pro 5i has 3.5 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.
Portability
Very Good
Fair
16.0in
SIZE
16.0in
2.7 lbs
WEIGHT
5.6 lbs
0.5in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The Acer Swift Edge 16 has very good portability, while the Lenovo Legion Pro 5i has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$820
$999
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
$1,600
The Acer Swift Edge 16 has a price of $820 and the Lenovo Legion Pro 5i costs $999.
The Acer Swift Edge 16 and Lenovo Legion Pro 5i are both good for general use.
The Acer Swift Edge 16 excels in general use with its higher battery life, lighter build, and OLED screen with sharp resolution, making it more portable and offering a vivid display. In contrast, the Lenovo Legion 5i Pro provides better performance suited for demanding tasks due to a more powerful CPU and GPU, at the cost of lower battery life and portability, but benefits from better keyboard and speaker quality, making it more suited for stationary use where power is key.
Engineering and Design
8.1/10
8.4/10
8.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.6/10
4.0/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.5/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5i and Acer Swift Edge 16 are both very good for engineering and design.
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5i typically offers a higher-end CPU and GPU, along with more RAM, which are crucial for demanding engineering software and multitasking, making it very good for engineering and design tasks; its screen also generally has high fidelity which is beneficial for detailed work. On the other hand, the Acer Swift Edge 16, while competent with a decent processor and graphics capabilities, emphasizes portability and a quieter operation, which makes it good for engineering but less optimal for highly intensive tasks.
Content Creation
8.1/10
7.6/10
8.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.6/10
3200 x 2000
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Acer Swift Edge 16 to be very good for content creation, while the Lenovo Legion Pro 5i 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
7.9/10
7.5/10
8.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.6/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
3200 x 2000
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
6.7/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
The Acer Swift Edge 16 and Lenovo Legion Pro 5i 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
7.2/10
7.4/10
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5i and Acer Swift Edge 16 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 Edge 16 and the Lenovo Legion Pro 5i compare to other laptops
"The Acer Swift Edge 16 is a solid super thin-and-light that pairs a large, gorgeous 16-inch display with portable design that rivals the weight of LG’s superlight Gram 16. Remarkably, Acer achieves this at a lower price point without sacrificing performance. Boring design and disappointing battery life hold the laptop back from stardom, but its rivals frequently suffer in these areas, too. That makes the Swift Edge 16 an alluring value pick."
"The midpriced Lenovo Legion Pro 5i Gen 8 follows some of our favorite gaming machines, including last year's model and the higher-end Legion Pro 7i Gen 8 tested earlier this year. But pedigree doesn't count for much in the computer world, and gaming laptops require a certain level of power and graphics performance to justify their prices. The Pro 5i Gen 8 just doesn't do that, offering middling CPU and GPU performance rather than the sort of muscle that would make it a great value."
Get a great deal on the Acer Swift Edge 16 or the Lenovo Legion Pro 5i
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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