Choosing between the Acer Swift Go 14 and the Apple MacBook Air depends on your preferences and work needs. The Acer Swift Go 14 will usually cost you less, offers a larger storage capacity out of the box, and has a processor with high performance that's suitable for intensive tasks. However, the MacBook Air is recognized for its superior build quality, display resolution, and boasts an Apple M2 chip which is highly efficient, allowing for better battery life and a fanless design for quiet operation. The MacBook Air is also lighter and comes with MacOS, which may be preferable for iPhone users looking for seamless integration with other Apple devices. If you prioritize a Windows environment, more storage and RAM for less money, the Acer could be the better choice. Meanwhile, if you're looking for a long-lasting battery, a high-resolution display, and a lightweight machine with a premium build, the MacBook Air could be worth the extra cost. 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 Go 14
The Acer Swift Go 14 has no clear advantages over the Apple MacBook Air (2022).
Advantages of the Apple MacBook Air (2022)
Very good for software development
Good overall display quality
Best in class overall build quality
Excellent battery life
Best in class speakers
Best in class keyboard
Key differences
Screen Quality
6.8/10
7.6/10
14.0in
SIZE
13.6in
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1664
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
300.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
486.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Air has a better screen than the Acer Swift Go 14 for general use, AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
The Acer Swift Go 14 offers a solid balance between resolution and brightness, which lends itself to a clear and vibrant display suitable for daily tasks and engineering applications that don't prioritize color accuracy to the highest degree. The MacBook Air, with its high-resolution display and wider color gamut, provides a more precise visual representation for professional design work and engineering where fine detail and color fidelity are crucial. However, neither are optimized for 3D environments as they lack high refresh rates, which are essential for smooth visuals in fast-paced gaming and interactive 3D simulations.
Battery
8.0 Hours
15.0 Hours
The Acer Swift Go 14 has 8 hours of battery life. The Apple MacBook Air has 15 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
10.0/10
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) has best in class build quality, while the Acer Swift Go 14 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) and Acer Swift Go 14 are both good for general use.
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
6.4/10
6.4/10
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.1/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1664
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
8.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
10.0/10
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) and Acer Swift Go 14 are both only fair for gaming and AI.
The Acer Swift Go 14 has a dedicated GPU, which is better for gaming and 3D applications; however, it runs at a standard screen refresh rate, which is adequate but not ideal for fast-paced games. In contrast, the Apple MacBook Air (2022) also runs at this refresh rate and has a capable integrated GPU, but gaming options are limited due to less software compatibility with macOS and no dedicated GPU, despite its high-quality screen.
Engineering and Design
7.2/10
7.5/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.7/10
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.1/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) and Acer Swift Go 14 are both good for engineering and design.
The Acer Swift Go 14 is well-suited for engineering and design tasks due to its powerful Intel i7 processor coupled with a robust integrated GPU for rendering tasks, alongside 16GB of RAM and an IPS screen with decent color accuracy and resolution.
Content Creation
7.6/10
7.9/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.7/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1664
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) and Acer Swift Go 14 are both good for content creation.
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
8.0/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.7/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1664
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
10.0/10
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Apple MacBook Air (2022) to be very good for software development, while the Acer Swift Go 14 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.
Portability
Excellent
Excellent
14.0in
SIZE
13.6in
2.7 lbs
WEIGHT
2.7 lbs
0.5in
THICKNESS
0.4in
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) and Acer Swift Go 14 both have excellent portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$793
$799
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
The Acer Swift Go 14 has a price of $793 and the Apple MacBook Air (2022) costs $799.
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How the Acer Swift Go 14 and the Apple MacBook Air (2022) compare to other laptops
"The Acer Swift Go 14 is a surprising machine. Its performance, display, and battery life leave little to be desired from a device at this price. You might think it’d be cheaper given the “Go” in the name, or thinner given its close competition with thin-and-light laptops, but it manages to strike a decent enough balance between its capabilities and hardware to really stand out as an exceptional value."
"The Apple MacBook Air M2 Entry is a very good, but too expensive daily MacBook. The new MacBook Air M2 is undoubtedly once again a very good mobile companion, but we are still a little bit disappointed on a very high level, which is definitely connected with the increased price point. The new chassis is extremely slim and the front edge is no problem during typing, but the bezels are pretty wide for a modern device and in addition with the vertical space required for the notch, the new Air has larger footprint than some Windows rivals."
Get a great deal on the Acer Swift Go 14 or the Apple MacBook Air (2022)
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 Apple
Apple, an American technology company, is one of the world’s largest company in terms of market capitalization. Their MacBook laptops feature a slim, minimalistic design, class-leading battery life, and premium display and speaker quality. In 2020 Apple switched from using Intel processors to their own silicon chips which have excellent performance and efficiency. The macOS operating system is the second most widely used OS, after Windows.
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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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
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.