For a balance of performance and portability with a vibrant OLED display, the Acer Swift Edge 16 is an excellent choice, especially if you're mindful of budget. It's lighter and thinner, making it more suitable for on-the-go use, and still offers a solid CPU and GPU combination for general use and light gaming or creative work. However, if you're looking for a powerhouse that can handle demanding tasks like intensive gaming, 3D rendering, or machine learning, the MSI Creator 16 AI Studio's high-end components, including a more powerful GPU and additional RAM, will serve you better. It also has a touchscreen and a brighter Mini LED display, though it's heavier and less portable. The MSI's higher price reflects its superior performance capabilities and build quality, making it a worthwhile investment for professionals who need that level of 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 Edge 16
Very good portability
Advantages of the MSI Creator 16 AI Studio
Very good for general use
Best in class for engineering and design
Very good for gaming and AI
Very good for software development
Excellent for content creation
Best in class overall display quality
Very good speakers
Good keyboard
Key differences
General Use
7.9/10
8.8/10
3200 x 2000
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
383.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
1000.0 nits
7.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
9.0 Hours
6.7/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
8.8/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.3/10
The MSI Creator 16 AI Studio is very good for general use, while the Acer Swift Edge 16 is good.
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.
Gaming and AI
6.7/10
8.9/10
4.0/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.5/10
3200 x 2000
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
8.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
8.0/10
The MSI Creator 16 AI Studio is very good for gaming and AI, while the Acer Swift Edge 16 is only fair.
PerfectRec’s Gaming and AI Score strongly emphasizes graphics processing capability, while also taking into account other factors that impact suitability for gaming and AI work.
Engineering and Design
8.1/10
9.5/10
8.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.6/10
4.0/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.5/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The MSI Creator 16 AI Studio is best in class for engineering and design, while the Acer Swift Edge 16 is very 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.
Content Creation
8.1/10
9.1/10
8.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.6/10
3200 x 2000
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
The MSI Creator 16 AI Studio is excellent for content creation, while the Acer Swift Edge 16 is very 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
8.9/10
8.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.6/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
3200 x 2000
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
6.7/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
The MSI Creator 16 AI Studio is very good for software development, while the Acer Swift Edge 16 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
8.8/10
9.7/10
16.0in
SIZE
16.0in
3200 x 2000
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
383.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
1000.0 nits
The MSI Creator 16 AI Studio has a better screen than the Acer Swift Edge 16 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
PerfectRec’s screen quality scores take into account various important factors that are relevant for different use cases.
Battery
7.0 Hours
9.0 Hours
The Acer Swift Edge 16 has 7 hours of battery life. The MSI Creator 16 AI Studio has 9 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
Good
16.0in
SIZE
16.0in
2.7 lbs
WEIGHT
4.3 lbs
0.5in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Acer Swift Edge 16 has very good portability, while the MSI Creator 16 AI Studio has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$820
$2,999
$0
$1,000
$2,000
$3,000
$4,000
The Acer Swift Edge 16 has a price of $820 and the MSI Creator 16 AI Studio costs $2,999.
"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."
Get a great deal on the Acer Swift Edge 16 or the MSI Creator 16 AI Studio
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 MSI
MSI, also known as Micro-Star International, is a Taiwanese technology corporation. MSI is known for their wide range of gaming devices. Their series include the entry-level Cyborg/Thin and Sword/Katana series, the mid-range Bravo/Delta and Crosshair/Pulse series, and their high-end Vector, Raider, Stealth, and Titan GT series. At every performance level, MSI offers a variety of devices with varying balances between performance, battery life, weight, and price, making them a solid option to consider at every price point.
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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About the laptop team
Joe Golden, Ph.D
CEO and Laptops Editor
Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
Jason Lew
Staff Expert & Software Engineer
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Chandradeep Chowdhury
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.
Craig Russell
Laptops Expert
Craig is a UK-based laptops expert. Craig works in IT, where he recommends and supports laptops and PCs for clients and has been recommending laptops on Reddit for five years.