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What we think
The PerfectRec laptop team Learn more
Updated January 10, 2024·
The Acer Swift Edge 16 offers a more vibrant OLED display, longer battery life, and greater portability, making it better suited for general use, especially with work on the go or if you prioritize image quality. However, the Lenovo Legion Slim 5 is the stronger choice for gaming or more intensive tasks like 3D rendering and machine learning due to its powerful dedicated Nvidia graphics card. While it is heavier and has a lower screen color accuracy, it compensates with better performance for specialized applications. Both laptops are similarly priced, but your final decision should hinge on whether portability and display quality or computing power for specialized tasks is your 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 overall display quality
- Very good portability
Advantages of the Lenovo Legion Slim 5
- Good for gaming and AI
- Good speakers
- Very good keyboard
Key differences
Gaming and AI
6.7
7.7
4.0/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.4/10
3200 x 2000
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
8.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The Lenovo Legion Slim 5 is good for gaming and AI, while the Acer Swift Edge 16 is only fair.
The Acer Swift Edge 16, with its 120Hz OLED screen and AMD Radeon 780M graphics, offers bright, high-contrast visuals suitable for immersive gaming and 3D applications; however, the Lenovo Legion Slim 5 surpasses it with a higher 144Hz refresh rate and a more powerful Nvidia RTX 4060 GPU, which better supports graphically intensive tasks and offers advanced features like ray tracing and DLSS. While both possess solid CPUs and good quality displays, the superior GPU and refresh rate of the Lenovo make it a stronger candidate for gaming and 3D purposes.
Content Creation
8.1
7.5
8.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.3/10
3200 x 2000
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Acer Swift Edge 16 is very good for content creation, while the Lenovo Legion Slim 5 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.
Screen Quality
8.8
7.2
16.0in
SIZE
16.0in
3200 x 2000
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
383.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
300.0 nits
The Acer Swift Edge 16 has a better screen than the Lenovo Legion Slim 5 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The Acer Swift Edge 16 has a high-resolution display with vibrant colors and brightness that make it ideal for everyday tasks and detailed engineering or design work, but its moderate refresh rate is less suited for the fast-paced visuals required in gaming and 3D applications. The Lenovo Legion Slim 5 offers a balance with good resolution and color reproduction that works well for general use and professional tasks, yet like the Acer, it falls short for gaming due to a lower refresh rate that doesn't match the smoothness demanded by most modern games. For users whose main focus is on productivity and visual accuracy in work-related tasks, both laptops are capable, but serious gamers might find them lacking in providing a fluid visual experience.
Portability
Very Good
Fair
16.0in
SIZE
16.0in
2.7 lbs
WEIGHT
5.2 lbs
0.5in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The Acer Swift Edge 16 has very good portability, while the Lenovo Legion Slim 5 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$820
$1,000
$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 Slim 5 costs $1,000.
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Key similarities
General Use
7.9
7.6
3200 x 2000
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
383.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
300.0 nits
7.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
7.0 Hours
6.7/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
8.8/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.7/10
The Acer Swift Edge 16 and Lenovo Legion Slim 5 are both good for general use.
The Acer Swift Edge 16 stands out for general use with its lighter weight and OLED screen, offering vibrant colors and deep blacks, paired with a capable CPU and ample RAM for smooth multitasking, while still maintaining decent battery life.
Engineering and Design
8.1
8.0
8.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.3/10
4.0/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.4/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Acer Swift Edge 16 and Lenovo Legion Slim 5 are both very good for engineering and design.
The Acer Swift Edge 16's OLED screen provides superior color and contrast, beneficial for design work, and it's lighter and thinner, enhancing its portability for engineers on the go, but the Lenovo Legion Slim 5 includes a more powerful Nvidia RTX GPU, which is better for engineering tasks that require intensive graphical computation. Additionally, the Legion Slim 5's larger battery capacity suggests longer usage time, but it's also heavier, which can be a downside for frequent travel.
Software Development
7.9
7.4
8.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.3/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
3200 x 2000
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
6.7/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
The Acer Swift Edge 16 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.
Battery
7.0 Hours
7.0 Hours
The Acer Swift Edge 16 has 7 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.
Build Quality
7.2
7.4
The Lenovo Legion Slim 5 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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We’re constantly working to improve.
How the Acer Swift Edge 16 and the Lenovo Legion Slim 5 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Acer Swift Edge 16 | Lenovo Legion Slim 5 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$820 | $1,000 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | May 1, 2023 | May 1, 2023 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14.1'' x 9.7'' x 0.51'' | 14.2'' x 10.3'' x 0.99'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 2.73 lbs | 5.29 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 14.08" | 14.16" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 9.68" | 10.25" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | AMD Ryzen 7 7840U | AMD Ryzen 5 7640HS | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 1024 GB | 512 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 7 Hours | 7 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 54 Wh | 80 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 16" | 16" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | OLED | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 3200 x 2000 | 1920 x 1200 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 120Hz | 144Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 383 nits | 300 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.2/10 | 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 | 8/10 | 6.5/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 6.8/10 | 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 Ports | |||
Thunderbolt Ports | 0 | 0 | |
Shopping
Acer Swift Edge 16
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Dig into reviews and images
PCWorld
Matthew S. Smith | October 2023
"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."
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 Edge 16 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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