A comparison of specs, key information, reviews, and best pricing from top retailers
Last updated -- hours ago | Report incorrect information
Company ProductName Specs
Company ProductName Specs
What we think
The PerfectRec laptop team Learn more
Updated January 10, 2024·
The Acer Swift X (2023) comes at a lower midrange price, making it often significantly less expensive than the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2, which has an upper midrange price and is often significantly more expensive. If keeping costs down is a priority, the Acer might be the better option. However, if you're willing to invest in a higher-priced laptop, the Surface Laptop Studio 2 may offer additional premium features or better performance. Consider your budget and whether the potential extra features and performance of the Surface Laptop Studio 2 are worth the higher cost. 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 overall display quality
- Very good portability
- Very good battery life
Advantages of the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2
- Very good for general use
- Good for gaming and AI
- Very good for software development
- Very good overall build quality
Key differences
Gaming and AI
6.9
7.7
5.1/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.5/10
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 Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 is good for gaming and AI, while the Acer Swift X (2023) is only fair.
The Acer Swift X (2023) with an Nvidia RTX 3050 and a 120Hz refresh rate display offers solid performance for gaming and 3D applications, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 steps up with an Nvidia RTX 4060 and a similarly high refresh rate display, also 120Hz, but adds versatility with its touchscreen capability. Despite both being well-suited for demanding tasks, the Surface Laptop Studio 2's higher-tier GPU will generally deliver better graphics performance, potentially making it the preferable choice for the most intensive gaming and 3D workloads.
Engineering and Design
8.0
8.7
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
5.1/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.5/10
16.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 and Acer Swift X (2023) are both very good for engineering and design, though the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 is somewhat better.
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 stands out for engineering and design use with a more powerful CPU, significantly more RAM, and a superior GPU compared to the Acer Swift X, which still offers ample performance through a recent Intel i5 processor and decent graphics capabilities with an Nvidia RTX 3050. While both laptops boast high-quality IPS displays, the Surface Laptop Studio 2's screen is more versatile due to its touchscreen feature and higher brightness, making it very suitable for design tasks; however, the Swift X is lighter and therefore more portable, which could be an advantage for users on the go.
Screen Quality
8.0
7.9
14.5in
SIZE
14.4in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
390.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
503.0 nits
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 has a better screen than the Acer Swift X for content creation, and software development.
The Acer Swift X and Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 both have high-resolution displays with excellent brightness and panel quality, which make them suitable for everyday tasks like browsing and video streaming. They also cover a wide color gamut, ensuring that engineers and designers see accurate colors, crucial when precision is key in their work. However, for gaming and 3D tasks where fluid motion is crucial, both laptops falter due to their lower refresh rates, which means the on-screen action may not be as smooth as on laptops designed with higher refresh rates specifically for gaming.
Battery
10.0 Hours
8.0 Hours
The Acer Swift X has 10 hours of battery life. The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 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
14.4in
3.3 lbs
WEIGHT
4.4 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.8in
The Acer Swift X (2023) has very good portability, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.6
8.5
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 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
$3,300
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
$4,000
The Acer Swift X (2023) has a price of $1,100 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 costs $3,300.
Let Us Help Find Your Perfect Laptop
Find your new laptop
Key similarities
General Use
7.9
8.3
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
390.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
503.0 nits
10.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
8.0 Hours
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
8.2/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.5/10
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 to be very good for general use, while the Acer Swift X (2023) is good.
The Acer Swift X (2023) offers a balance that's suitable for general use with a strong processor, substantial RAM, and a high-quality IPS screen, all in a light frame with good portability and a full workday's battery life. In contrast, the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 prioritizes higher performance with vastly more RAM, a more powerful CPU, and a more capable GPU, has double the storage, and features a brighter touch-enabled display that can be used as a tablet, yet this comes with a shorter battery life and less portability due to increased weight.
Content Creation
8.0
8.4
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
16.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 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
8.2
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
16.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 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.
Give feedback
We’re constantly working to improve.
How the Acer Swift X (2023) and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Acer Swift X (2023) | Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$1,100 | $3,300 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | May 1, 2023 | September 1, 2023 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 12.7'' x 9'' x 0.7'' | 12.7'' x 9.1'' x 0.86'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 3.31 lbs | 4.41 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 12.7" | 12.72" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 9" | 9.06" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i5-13500H | Intel i7-13700H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 64 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 0 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 1024 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 | 503 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.6/10 | 8.5/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 8.3/10 | 7.5/10 | |
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)
See more
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 2
See more
Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Andreas Osthoff | March 2022
"The new Surface Laptop Studio with its foldable display is supposed to replace the old Surface Book and the overall impression is good after our review. The build quality and the materials are top-notch, the performance utilization of the two components is solid and the device does not show any major flaws in terms of display or speakers, either. The folding mechanism leaves a sold impression as well, but it remains to be seen how it will hold up over the years. The so-called presentation mode is also not ideal since it covers the whole keyboard."
Get a great deal on the Acer Swift X (2023) or the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2
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.
Give feedback
We're constantly perfecting our model
Laptop guides you might be interested in
More comparisons for you
Compare Acer Swift X (2023) vs. MSI Cyborg 15
VS
Compare Acer Swift X (2023) vs. MSI GF65 Thin
VS
Compare Acer Swift X (2023) vs. Gigabyte G5
VS
Compare Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 vs. ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 (2024)
VS
Compare Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 vs. ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14
VS
Compare Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 vs. Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023)
VS
FAQs
FAQs about laptops
Why trust us
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.
By the numbers
380
Laptops evaluated
48,640
Laptops stats compiled
13
Proprietary Laptops ratings developed
131,595
Recommendations made
28,513
Consumer hours saved
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
Jason is a staff expert and software engineer that has been making laptop recommendations for 7 years and moderates one of the largest laptop subreddits.
Chandradeep Chowdhury
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.
Craig Russell
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.
Featured in
