The Acer Swift X with its RTX 3050 GPU is suited for gaming and creative tasks but is pricier and slightly heavier, while the Dell Inspiron 14 Plus offers more storage and a professional-grade operating system at a lower price point and marginally greater weight. The Acer has a higher refresh rate and pixel density, providing smoother visuals, particularly for fast-paced activities. If you prioritize extensive storage and a professional OS, consider the Dell; if gaming or high-performance creative work is your goal, the Acer could serve you better. 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 for engineering and design
Very good for content creation
Very good overall display quality
Very good battery life
Very good speakers
Advantages of the Dell Inspiron 14 Plus
The Dell Inspiron 14 Plus has no clear advantages over the Acer Swift X (2023).
Key differences
Screen Quality
8.0/10
7.0/10
14.5in
SIZE
14.0in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2240 x 1400
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
390.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
326.0 nits
The Acer Swift X has a better screen than the Dell Inspiron 14 Plus for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, and content creation.
The Acer Swift X's high resolution and bright display enhance everyday tasks and detailed design work, offering sharpness and clarity. For engineering and design, it covers a wide range of colors, rendering graphics more accurately. However, its lower refresh rate hampers gaming and 3D work where fluid motion is vital, leading to choppier visuals.
Battery
10.0 Hours
6.0 Hours
The Acer Swift X has 10 hours of battery life. The Dell Inspiron 14 Plus has 6 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.
Cost
$1,100
$1,200
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
$1,600
$1,800
The Acer Swift X (2023) has a price of $1,100 and the Dell Inspiron 14 Plus costs $1,200.
The Acer Swift X (2023) and Dell Inspiron 14 Plus are both good for general use.
The Acer Swift X (2023) is designed with a strong CPU and dedicated graphics that make it suitable for daily tasks and light gaming, complemented by a high-resolution screen that is both bright and offers great color coverage, elevating the user experience. The Dell Inspiron 14 Plus, while having a powerful CPU and ample storage, falls a bit short on battery life and carries a lower-quality onboard graphics solution, which together with its slightly heftier form, might limit its appeal to users prioritizing long usage times and portability.
Gaming and AI
6.9/10
6.6/10
5.1/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.8/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2240 x 1400
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
8.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.5/10
The Acer Swift X (2023) and Dell Inspiron 14 Plus are both only fair for gaming and AI.
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
8.0/10
7.8/10
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
5.1/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.8/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Acer Swift X (2023) to be very good for engineering and design, while the Dell Inspiron 14 Plus is good.
The Acer Swift X (2023) shines for engineering and design use due to its powerful Intel i5 CPU and dedicated Nvidia RTX 3050 GPU, which support demanding software, complemented by a high-quality screen with strong color accuracy and brightness. The Dell Inspiron 14 Plus, while also suitable for such tasks, offers a robust Intel i7 CPU with integrated graphics, accommodating complex computations, and sports ample storage; however, it lacks the dedicated graphics power of the Acer, potentially limiting performance in graphically-intensive applications.
Content Creation
8.0/10
7.9/10
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2240 x 1400
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Acer Swift X (2023) to be very good for content creation, while the Dell Inspiron 14 Plus 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
7.9/10
7.7/10
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2240 x 1400
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Acer Swift X (2023) and Dell Inspiron 14 Plus 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.
Portability
Very Good
Very Good
14.5in
SIZE
14.0in
3.3 lbs
WEIGHT
3.7 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Acer Swift X (2023) and Dell Inspiron 14 Plus both have very good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.6/10
7.4/10
The Acer Swift X (2023) and Dell Inspiron 14 Plus both have good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Give feedback
We’re constantly working to improve.
How the Acer Swift X (2023) and the Dell Inspiron 14 Plus 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."
"The Dell Inspiron 14 Plus is for power users on a budget. If you're looking to maximize CPU and GPU performance on your next 14-inch laptop, then consider the pricier Razer Blade 14 or Asus Zephyrus G14. If you're looking for a thin-and-light 14-inch Ultrabook, then the Asus Zenbook 14 or LG Gram 14 may be better options. For the best of both worlds, however, the Dell Inspiron 14 Plus 7420 rides a fine line between extreme performance and portability while keeping prices at reasonable levels. Frequent travelers who rely on performance beyond what the Core U-series and integrated graphics series can offer will find the Dell to be a solid solution."
Get a great deal on the Acer Swift X (2023) or the Dell Inspiron 14 Plus
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.
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.