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Updated January 10, 2024·
Choosing between the Acer Swift Go 14 and the Dell Inspiron 14 5420, consider your priorities. If you need longer battery life and a more vibrant display for general use, the Dell Inspiron could suit you better. However, it is heavier and has less ports available for peripherals. The Acer, being lighter and often less expensive, is more portable, with a satisfactory screen for everyday tasks and backlit keyboard. Both offer similar storage and performance for general use, but if your work involves graphics, the dedicated graphics card in the Dell may provide an edge over the Acer's integrated graphics. 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
- Very good keyboard
Advantages of the Dell Inspiron 14 5420
- Very good battery life
- Good speakers
Key differences
Screen Quality
6.8
6.5
14.0in
SIZE
14.0in
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
2240 x 1400
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
300.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
279.0 nits
The Acer Swift Go 14 has a better screen than the Dell Inspiron 14 5420 for general use, engineering and design, and software development.
The Acer Swift Go 14 offers a higher resolution and brighter display, which makes the screen finer and easier to view in various lighting conditions, ideal for general use and detailed engineering tasks that benefit from crisp visuals. Its color coverage may be substantial enough to satisfy the requirements for most engineering and design work, where accurate color reproduction is critical. However, for gaming and 3D applications, its lower refresh rate may result in less fluid motion, making it less suitable for those who need smoother, real-time graphics rendering.
Battery
8.0 Hours
10.0 Hours
The Acer Swift Go 14 has 8 hours of battery life. The Dell Inspiron 14 5420 has 10 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
Excellent
Very Good
14.0in
SIZE
14.0in
2.7 lbs
WEIGHT
3.4 lbs
0.5in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Acer Swift Go 14 has excellent portability, while the Dell Inspiron 14 5420 has very good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$794
$971
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
$1,600
The Acer Swift Go 14 has a price of $794 and the Dell Inspiron 14 5420 costs $971.
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Key similarities
General Use
7.7
7.6
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
2240 x 1400
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
300.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
279.0 nits
8.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
10.0 Hours
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
9.0/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
8.2/10
The Acer Swift Go 14 and Dell Inspiron 14 5420 are both good for general use.
The Acer Swift Go 14 is well-suited for general use due to its strong CPU and RAM, high screen quality with a touchscreen, excellent portability with a lightweight design and good battery life, and its heat management and fan noise are rated well, enhancing user comfort during long use. The Dell Inspiron 14 5420 also offers strong performance with a comparable CPU and RAM, higher screen resolution, and slightly better battery life, but trades off some portability with more weight; it's built well with a quality keyboard and good heat management, though speaker and screen color quality are less impressive.
Gaming and AI
6.4
6.4
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.3/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
2240 x 1400
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
8.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The Dell Inspiron 14 5420 and Acer Swift Go 14 are both only fair for gaming and AI.
The Acer Swift Go 14 offers fair gaming and 3D capabilities with its integrated Intel Iris Xe graphics and a standard screen refresh rate, making it suitable for casual gaming, but it may struggle with demanding titles. The Dell Inspiron 14 5420, although similar in refresh rate, comes with an Nvidia MX570 GPU which provides a bit more power for gaming and 3D tasks, but it still won't match the performance of dedicated gaming laptops.
Engineering and Design
7.2
7.1
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.9/10
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.3/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Acer Swift Go 14 and Dell Inspiron 14 5420 are both good for engineering and design.
The Acer Swift Go 14 is equipped with the newer Intel i7 CPU and integrated Iris Xe graphics, making it suitable for engineering tasks and well built for tasks that require good CPU and GPU performance but is not optimal for heavy graphics work due to its integrated graphics. In contrast, the Dell Inspiron 14 5420 with an older but capable Intel i7 CPU and a dedicated Nvidia MX570 GPU provides stronger graphics performance, which is essential for certain design tasks; however, the Acer has a slightly higher screen quality which might be more visually appealing for design work.
Content Creation
7.6
7.5
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.9/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
2240 x 1400
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Acer Swift Go 14 and Dell Inspiron 14 5420 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
7.4
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.9/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
2240 x 1400
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
The Acer Swift Go 14 and Dell Inspiron 14 5420 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.
Build Quality
7.4
7.0
The Acer Swift Go 14 and Dell Inspiron 14 5420 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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How the Acer Swift Go 14 and the Dell Inspiron 14 5420 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Acer Swift Go 14 | Dell Inspiron 14 5420 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$794 | $971 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | April 1, 2023 | May 1, 2022 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 12.3'' x 8.6'' x 0.59'' | 12.4'' x 9'' x 0.7'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 2.76 lbs | 3.4 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 12.32" | 12.36" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 8.58" | 8.96" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i7-1355U | Intel i7-1255U | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 4 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 512 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 8 Hours | 10 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 65 Wh | 54 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 14" | 14" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1200 | 2240 x 1400 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 60Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 300 nits | 279 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.4/10 | 7/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 9/10 | 8.3/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | No | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 8.8/10 | 6.5/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 8/10 | 7.5/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 6.5/10 | 7.5/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 1440p | 1080p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | Yes | No | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | No | No | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 2 | 2 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 2 | 1 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 3 | 2 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | 4 | N/A | |
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."
Dell Inspiron 14 5420
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Smarthouse
Nick Ross | March 2023
"If laptops were food, then the Dell Inspiron 14 5420 is arguably a Big Mac. There are cheaper and more expensive options, but this arguably represents the baseline of quality and value in the world of mobile computing… something that’s underlined by the attractive $1,279 price tag."
Get a great deal on the Acer Swift Go 14 or the Dell Inspiron 14 5420
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 Dell
Dell is a highly recognizable American technology company, and is one of the largest personal computer vendor by market share. Their laptops are very popular for both personal and professional use, and they also own the Alienware brand which makes mid to high end gaming laptops. Their premium XPS range of laptops offer great build quality and portability, while Latitude and Precision laptops are known for reliability, repairability and performance for business users.
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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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