The Acer Swift X (2023) is more affordable and slightly more portable with a smaller 14.5-inch screen, making it a good fit if you are on a modest budget and value portability. The larger screen size and storage capacity of the Acer Swift X 16, along with slightly better screen color performance, might be more suitable if you are looking for added screen real estate for multitasking and a more storage-intensive setup. Both laptops have solid general performance with identical RAM and comparable graphics cards, but the Acer Swift X 16 has a bit better performance for 3D tasks and engineering work due to its more powerful processor. However, the Swift X (2023) manages heat a bit more efficiently. If long battery life is a priority, the Swift X (2023) lasts a couple of hours longer on a typical charge. 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 X (2023)
Very good portability
Very good battery life
Advantages of the Acer Swift X 16
Very good for general use
Good for gaming and AI
Very good for software development
Key differences
Screen Quality
8.0/10
8.2/10
14.5in
SIZE
16.0in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
390.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
402.0 nits
The Acer Swift X 16 has a better screen than the Acer Swift X for gaming and AI, content creation, and software development.
The Acer Swift X offers a display with high resolution and brightness paired with a panel type that presents sharp, clear images for daily tasks and detailed work in engineering or design, ensuring text is crisp and colors are accurate. These attributes contribute to the screen's very good quality for general use and professional applications where color fidelity and clarity are crucial. However, this laptop's lower refresh rate may not deliver the smooth visuals preferred in Gaming and 3D applications, where fast-moving images are common, making it less ideal for those specific needs.
Battery
10.0 Hours
8.0 Hours
The Acer Swift X has 10 hours of battery life. The Acer Swift X 16 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.
Portability
Very Good
Good
14.5in
SIZE
16.0in
3.3 lbs
WEIGHT
4.1 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Acer Swift X (2023) has very good portability, while the Acer Swift X 16 has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$1,100
$1,250
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
The Acer Swift X (2023) has a price of $1,100 and the Acer Swift X 16 costs $1,250.
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Acer Swift X 16 to be very good for general use, while the Acer Swift X (2023) is good.
The Acer Swift X (2023) is regarded as good for general use because it offers a balance of a capable Intel CPU, ample RAM, high-quality screen, and very good portability with a significant battery life. On the other side, the Acer Swift X 16 is considered very good for the same purposes due to its superior AMD CPU, double the storage, similarly excellent screen, while still maintaining a good level of portability despite being slightly larger and heavier.
Gaming and AI
6.9/10
7.0/10
5.1/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.9/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Unknown
8.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
8.0/10
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Acer Swift X 16 to be good for gaming and AI, while the Acer Swift X (2023) is only fair.
The Acer Swift X (2023) and Acer Swift X 16 are good for gaming and 3D tasks due to their powerful Nvidia RTX 3050 GPUs, which are crucial for high-fidelity graphics, and their high-refresh-rate displays—120Hz and 165Hz respectively—providing smooth visuals. While both have suitable processors and quality IPS screens, the Swift X 16 offers a slightly higher screen refresh rate, which could enhance the gaming experience even more.
Engineering and Design
8.0/10
8.2/10
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
5.1/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.9/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Acer Swift X 16 and Acer Swift X (2023) are both very good for engineering and design.
The Acer Swift X (2023) is well-suited for engineering and design due to its powerful Intel i5 processor, dedicated Nvidia RTX 3050 GPU, and high-resolution IPS screen, offering a good balance of processing power and display quality for such tasks. However, the Acer Swift X 16 steps up with a larger screen and greater storage capacity, alongside an AMD Ryzen 7 processor, making it better equipped for more demanding engineering and design workloads, though this also results in slightly less portability due to its larger size and weight.
Content Creation
8.0/10
8.3/10
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Acer Swift X 16 and Acer Swift X (2023) are both very 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
7.9/10
8.0/10
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Acer Swift X 16 to be very good for software development, while the Acer Swift X (2023) 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.
Build Quality
7.6/10
7.6/10
The Acer Swift X (2023) and Acer Swift X 16 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 X (2023) and the Acer Swift X 16 compare to other laptops
"The Swift X is an Acer for entry-level gaming. With the entry-level graphics chip, our Acer not only beats every single current AMD and Intel iGPU, but also Intel's dGPU Iris Xe Max. However, despite being a GDDR6 version, the GTX does not match the expectations set by its own counterparts from our database. This may be a result of the single fan, which only produces moderate noise levels under load. The performance level of the thin and light 1.4 kg (~3.09 lbs) 14-inch laptop is impressive nonetheless."
"Acer’s Swift X 16 is an excellent choice for shoppers who want a 16-inch laptop and care more for performance than attractive design or long battery life. The Swift X 16’s gorgeous OLED display, spacious keyboard, and big touchpad make it pleasant to use in basic day-to-day tasks. It also has an AMD Ryzen 9 processor and Nvidia RTX 4050 graphics, which combine to deliver good performance in a wide variety of productivity applications and games. A few minor mistakes, like poorly-placed USB-C ports that lack DisplayPort, will turn off some shoppers, but those who can accept its shortcomings will find the Swift X 16 a versatile daily driver."
Get a great deal on the Acer Swift X (2023) or the Acer Swift X 16
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.
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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