For general use, if you prioritize a larger, high-quality display and better overall performance, the Acer Swift Edge 16 is suitable, but expect a slight compromise on battery life. On the other hand, the Surface Laptop Go 3, while less powerful, is more portable and offers a longer battery life; if you're also looking for a touchscreen and a smaller, more manageable size for on-the-go use, it's a good fit, especially if you prefer to spend a bit less. Neither device is designed for intensive gaming; instead, they cater to everyday productivity tasks. 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 engineering and design
Very good for content creation
Very good overall display quality
Advantages of the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3
Excellent portability
Very good speakers
Good keyboard
Key differences
General Use
7.9/10
7.2/10
3200 x 2000
RESOLUTION
1536 x 1024
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
383.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
337.0 nits
7.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
8.0 Hours
6.7/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
8.8/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
9.2/10
The Acer Swift Edge 16 and Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 are both good for general use, though the Acer Swift Edge 16 is somewhat better.
The Acer Swift Edge 16 offers better performance for general use due to its higher-quality CPU, more RAM, superior OLED screen, and larger screen size, but it has a shorter battery life compared to the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3. While the Surface Laptop Go 3 has a smaller, less powerful CPU and screen, it excels in portability with its lightweight design and longer battery life, despite having less storage and a lower-quality display.
Gaming and AI
6.7/10
6.1/10
4.0/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
3200 x 2000
RESOLUTION
1536 x 1024
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
8.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.5/10
The Acer Swift Edge 16 and Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 are both only fair for gaming and AI, though the Acer Swift Edge 16 is somewhat better.
The Acer Swift Edge 16 is better suited for gaming and 3D applications due to its more powerful AMD Radeon GPU and a higher screen refresh rate, enhancing visual fluidity and rendering capabilities, compared to the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 which has an integrated Intel Iris Xe GPU and a standard refresh rate, aligning it more with casual use and less demanding tasks.
Engineering and Design
8.1/10
6.8/10
8.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.4/10
4.0/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
The Acer Swift Edge 16 is very good for engineering and design, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 is only fair.
The Acer Swift Edge 16 is deemed good for engineering and design because it comes with a powerful AMD Ryzen CPU, ample RAM, and a high-quality AMD Radeon GPU, accompanied by a large, high-resolution OLED screen, which are essential for demanding tasks and detailed visuals. Conversely, the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 is seen as fair in this domain due to a less powerful Intel CPU, less RAM, an integrated GPU, and a smaller, lower-resolution IPS screen, which limits performance for intensive engineering applications despite its better portability and touch screen feature.
Content Creation
8.1/10
7.3/10
8.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.4/10
3200 x 2000
RESOLUTION
1536 x 1024
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Acer Swift Edge 16 is very good for content creation, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 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
7.9/10
7.1/10
8.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.4/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
3200 x 2000
RESOLUTION
1536 x 1024
6.7/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
The Acer Swift Edge 16 and Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 are both good for software development, though the Acer Swift Edge 16 is somewhat better.
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
8.8/10
6.8/10
16.0in
SIZE
12.4in
3200 x 2000
RESOLUTION
1536 x 1024
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
383.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
337.0 nits
The Acer Swift Edge 16 has a better screen than the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The Acer Swift Edge 16 boasts a high-resolution display with vibrant colors and strong brightness, making it ideal for daily tasks and professional design work where precision and detail are key. Its expansive color gamut coverage ensures that engineers and designers see accurate, consistent colors, critical for their work. However, for gaming and 3D environments, it falls short due to a lower refresh rate, which can lead to less fluid motion and responsiveness in fast-paced scenes.
Battery
7.0 Hours
8.0 Hours
The Acer Swift Edge 16 has 7 hours of battery life. The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 has 8 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
7.2/10
7.8/10
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 and Acer Swift Edge 16 both have good build quality, though the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 has somewhat better build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$820
$699
$200
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
The Acer Swift Edge 16 has a price of $820 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 costs $699.
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 to have excellent portability, while the Acer Swift Edge 16 has very good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
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How the Acer Swift Edge 16 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 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."
"When it comes to affordably priced laptops, the numbers after the dollar sign are crucially important—more so than in any other price category. By increasing the starting price of its Laptop Go line by $200 and not changing much else, Microsoft irrevocably altered the calculus surrounding the decision of whether to buy the Surface Laptop Go 3. Sure, it has a newer processor and longer battery life, but don’t think for a second you’re not paying dearly for that extra RAM and SSD capacity at that new price."
Get a great deal on the Acer Swift Edge 16 or the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 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 Microsoft
Microsoft is an American technology corporation. Microsoft is best known for their Windows operating system and Surface laptop series. The Surface Laptop is their standard notebook offering, while their Surface Go, Surface Pro, and Surface Studio are their 2-in-1/tablet offerings in order of increasing capability. Although Microsoft charges a premium price tag for their laptops, buyers can expect a well integrated and packaged device since Microsoft develops the Windows operating system.
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
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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
Chandradeep is a staff expert and software engineer and expert in televisions and monitors. He’s been making monitor recommendations for ten years.
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Laptops Expert
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