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Updated January 10, 2024·
Choosing between the Acer Swift X (2023) and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio will depend on your priorities. If price is a major consideration and you prefer something more affordable, the Acer Swift X could be more appealing. It also has a slightly better battery life, a better portability score due to its lower weight, and higher scores in fan noise and heat management, making it potentially more comfortable for long use sessions. On the other hand, the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio offers a touchscreen, which along with its unique design could be valuable if you are into digital arts or prefer a more hands-on approach. It also offers better build quality and a premium business laptop appearance, with a slightly higher general use performance score. Both laptops come with similar storage and RAM, and have dedicated GPUs suitable for demanding tasks, but the Microsoft model packs a slightly more powerful GPU. If you're an engineer or do 3D rendering and machine learning, both models are capable, but you may notice better performance with the Microsoft option due to its GPU advantage. The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio's screen also has a higher brightness and better contrast ratio, which could be advantageous for multimedia consumption and creative work. 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 portability
- Very good battery life
Advantages of the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio
- Very good overall build quality
Key differences
General Use
7.9
7.4
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
390.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
491.0 nits
10.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
8.0 Hours
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
8.2/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.8/10
The Acer Swift X (2023) and Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio are both good for general use, though the Acer Swift X (2023) is somewhat better.
The Acer Swift X (2023) earns its merit for general use from its combination of a solid CPU and GPU, sufficient RAM and storage, high screen pixel density for sharp display quality, impressive battery life, excellent heat management, and high portability due to its light weight and compact dimensions. On the other hand, the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio, while having similar RAM and a slightly more powerful GPU, also offers good general usability with a higher-resolution touchscreen which can be utilized for diverse tasks, though it falls short in battery life and portability compared to the Acer Swift X.
Engineering and Design
8.0
7.3
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.5/10
5.1/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.9/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Acer Swift X (2023) is very good for engineering and design, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio is good.
The Acer Swift X (2023) suits engineering and design with its capable CPU and dedicated Nvidia RTX 3050 GPU, alongside 16GB RAM, which is on par with the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio that offers a slightly more powerful Nvidia RTX 3050 Ti GPU for potentially better graphics performance but with a higher-end CPU. Both have quality IPS displays with high color accuracy, but the Surface Laptop's screen is touch-enabled, providing an extra utility for design work, at the cost of being slightly heavier and less portable than the Swift X.
Content Creation
8.0
7.4
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.5/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Acer Swift X (2023) is very good for content creation, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 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
7.3
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.5/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Acer Swift X (2023) and Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio are both good for software development, though the Acer Swift X (2023) is somewhat better.
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.
Screen Quality
8.0
8.0
14.5in
SIZE
14.4in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
390.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
491.0 nits
The Acer Swift X has a better screen than the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio for software development, and content creation.
For general use, both the Acer Swift X and Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio offer crisp images and clear text due to their high-resolution displays and bright panels, making everyday tasks like browsing and document editing visually comfortable. Engineers and designers will appreciate the wide color gamuts of both laptops, ensuring accurate color rendition for tasks like photo editing or CAD work. However, gamers might find both laptops less ideal as they lack high refresh rates, which are crucial for smooth visuals and a competitive edge in fast-paced gaming environments.
Battery
10.0 Hours
8.0 Hours
The Acer Swift X has 10 hours of battery life. The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 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.
Build Quality
7.6
8.5
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio has very good build quality, while the Acer Swift X (2023) has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,100
$1,700
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
The Acer Swift X (2023) has a price of $1,100 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio costs $1,700.
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Key similarities
Gaming and AI
6.9
6.6
5.1/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.9/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
8.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.7/10
The Acer Swift X (2023) and Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio are both only fair for gaming and AI.
The Acer Swift X (2023) with its Nvidia RTX 3050 GPU and a 120Hz refresh rate excels in gaming and 3D applications compared to the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio, which, despite having a slightly more powerful Nvidia RTX 3050 Ti GPU, falls short primarily due to its lower battery capacity and less optimal screen aspect ratio for gaming.
Portability
Very Good
Good
14.5in
SIZE
14.4in
3.3 lbs
WEIGHT
4.0 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.7in
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Acer Swift X (2023) to have very good portability, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
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How the Acer Swift X (2023) and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Acer Swift X (2023) | Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$1,100 | $1,700 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | May 1, 2023 | September 1, 2021 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 12.7'' x 9'' x 0.7'' | 12.7'' x 9'' x 0.75'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 3.31 lbs | 4 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 12.7" | 12.72" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 9" | 8.98" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i5-13500H | Intel i7-11370H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 4 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 0 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 512 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 10 Hours | 8 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 76 Wh | 58 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 14.5" | 14.4" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 2560 x 1600 | 2400 x 1600 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 120Hz | 120Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 390 nits | 491 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.6/10 | 8.5/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 8.3/10 | 7.9/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | No | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 8/10 | 6.8/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 8/10 | 8/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 8/10 | 8/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 1080p | 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 | 0 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 2 | 2 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 3 | 2 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | 4 | 4 | |
Shopping
Acer Swift X (2023)
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Sebastian Jentsch | March 2022
"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."
Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio
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Dig into reviews and images
PCMag
Tom Brant | October 2021
"There’s no doubt that the Surface Laptop Studio is groundbreaking. We’ve come to expect such things from the Surface lineup, so it’s always nice to see a product that exceeds our expectations. The pull-forward laptop-screen concept has been tried before, but never in a device that’s so stylish and packed with innovative features like a haptic touchpad and robust digital stylus support."
Get a great deal on the Acer Swift X (2023) or the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio
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 Microsoft
Microsoft is an American technology corporation. Microsoft is best known for their Windows operating system and Surface laptop series. The Surface Laptop is their standard notebook offering, while their Surface Go, Surface Pro, and Surface Studio are their 2-in-1/tablet offerings in order of increasing capability. Although Microsoft charges a premium price tag for their laptops, buyers can expect a well integrated and packaged device since Microsoft develops the Windows operating system.
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