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Updated January 10, 2024·
The Acer Swift Go 14 is less expensive, offering more storage and RAM which is better for intensive multitasking and storage-heavy applications. Meanwhile, Apple MacBook Air featuring the M2 chip is more expensive but offers superior build quality, a higher-resolution display, and longer battery life. The MacBook Air's screen also delivers more vivid colors, which could be an advantage for creative work. If weight is a concern, note that the MacBook is slightly heavier. The Acer is a Windows laptop, providing flexibility for a variety of software, whereas the MacBook Air runs macOS, preferred for its ecosystem and user experience. If you prioritize performance per dollar and need a Windows device, the Acer may be better, but for premium build quality, better display, and longer battery life, the MacBook Air is excellent, albeit at a higher price point. 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
- Excellent portability
Advantages of the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023)
- Very good for software development
- Very good for content creation
- 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
7.8
14.0in
SIZE
15.3in
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1864
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
300.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
501.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Air 15 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 balance suitable for general activities and design work with its resolution and brightness, complemented by decent color coverage, but it falls short for gaming and 3D due to a lower refresh rate. The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023), with its advanced display technology, excels in delivering vibrant and accurate colors for both everyday tasks and professional engineering applications, yet its refresh rate isn't designed for the high-demand world of 3D gaming. Both laptops prioritize clarity and color accuracy over the smooth visuals required by high-end gaming.
Battery
8.0 Hours
15.0 Hours
The Acer Swift Go 14 has 8 hours of battery life. The Apple MacBook Air 15 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
10.0
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) 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.
Cost
$793
$1,299
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
The Acer Swift Go 14 has a price of $793 and the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) costs $1,299.
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Key similarities
General Use
7.7
7.9
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1864
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
300.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
501.0 nits
8.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
15.0 Hours
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
10.0/10
9.0/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
8.9/10
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) and Acer Swift Go 14 are both good for general use.
The Acer Swift Go 14 offers a high performance CPU with ample RAM and a solid-state drive which is great for multitasking and general productivity; its 14-inch screen offers good quality and it's relatively lightweight, making it portable with decent battery life. In contrast, the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) features the M2 chip that delivers powerful performance in a thin and light design, along with a larger and higher-resolution screen and longer battery life, but it has less RAM and storage capacity, which may affect heavy multitasking or storage-intensive tasks.
Gaming and AI
6.4
6.5
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.3/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1864
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 15 (2023) and Acer Swift Go 14 are both only fair for gaming and AI.
The Acer Swift Go 14 offers fair gaming capabilities with its Intel Iris Xe GPU, but its screen is limited to a standard refresh rate, while the MacBook Air 15's higher-scoring screen with the Apple 10-core GPU can handle 3D tasks effectively; however, its MacOS limits game compatibility compared to the Acer's Windows 11 which supports a broader range of games.
Engineering and Design
7.2
7.6
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.7/10
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.3/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) and Acer Swift Go 14 are both good for engineering and design.
The Acer Swift Go 14 is equipped with a capable Intel i7 CPU, 16GB of RAM, and an Iris Xe GPU, making it well-suited for engineering and design tasks, along with a high-resolution IPS screen that maintains image quality. Meanwhile, the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) features the efficient Apple M2 chip and a 10-core GPU, along with an even higher-resolution screen, but offers less RAM at 8GB, which might limit performance with very demanding tasks.
Content Creation
7.6
8.0
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.7/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1864
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) to be very good for content creation, while the Acer Swift Go 14 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
7.6
8.1
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.7/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1864
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
10.0/10
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) 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
Very Good
14.0in
SIZE
15.3in
2.7 lbs
WEIGHT
3.3 lbs
0.5in
THICKNESS
0.4in
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Acer Swift Go 14 to have excellent portability, while the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) has very good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
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How the Acer Swift Go 14 and the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Acer Swift Go 14 | Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$793 | $1,299 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | April 1, 2023 | June 1, 2023 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 12.3'' x 8.6'' x 0.59'' | 13.4'' x 9.4'' x 0.45'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 2.76 lbs | 3.3 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 12.32" | 13.4" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 8.58" | 9.35" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i7-1355U | Apple M2 | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 8 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 0 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 256 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 8 Hours | 15 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 65 Wh | 66.6 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 14" | 15.3" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1200 | 2880 x 1864 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 60Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 300 nits | 501 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.4/10 | 10/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 9/10 | 9/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | No | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | Yes | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 8.8/10 | 10/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 8/10 | 10/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 6.5/10 | 10/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 1440p | 1080p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | Yes | Yes | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | No | No | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 2 | 0 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 2 | 2 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 3 | 1 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | 4 | 3 | |
Shopping
Acer Swift Go 14
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Dig into reviews and images
PCMag
Mark Knapp | May 2023
"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."
Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023)
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Andreas Osthoff | June 2023
"The Apple MacBook Air 15 is boringly good. The new MacBook Air 15 is a very good, but also boring device, because apart from the larger screen and the higher price, there are no differences compared to the smaller MacBook Air M2 from last year. No new processor, no additional ports, just the usual basic hardware - but the overall package is extremely good and it simply works. Above all, the lack of fans is an aspect that should not be underestimated in everyday use. In our opinion, the Air could be a lot better, but Apple goes easy on itself here."
Get a great deal on the Acer Swift Go 14 or the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023)
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.
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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
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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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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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