For general use, the Acer Swift X offers a larger screen with higher resolution and better color accuracy, which is great for everyday tasks and media consumption. It also has a dedicated Nvidia RTX 3050 GPU, making it more suitable for light gaming and creative work. However, the Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 has a touchscreen and a more business-oriented design with Windows 11 Pro, which might be preferable if you need touch input or are invested in the Microsoft ecosystem.
In terms of performance, the Acer's Intel i5-13500H and RTX 3050 will provide better gaming, 3D rendering, and machine learning capabilities compared to the Surface Laptop's Intel Core Ultra 7 and Intel Arc GPU. The Acer's performance is more balanced for demanding tasks, while the Surface Laptop is optimized for general productivity and business applications.
Battery life is slightly better on the Surface Laptop, which could be a deciding factor if you need longer usage away from an outlet. The Surface Laptop is also more portable, with a slimmer and lighter design, making it ideal for on-the-go professionals.
Consider the Acer Swift X if you need stronger graphics performance and a higher-quality screen for entertainment or creative tasks. Opt for the Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 for its touchscreen, portability, and business features. Both are priced similarly, so your choice should be based on whether you prioritize performance and screen quality or portability and touch input. 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 keyboard
Advantages of the Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 13.5"
The Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 13.5" has no clear advantages over the Acer Swift X (2023).
Key differences
Screen Quality
8.0/10
7.8/10
14.5in
SIZE
13.5in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2256 x 1504
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
390.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
400.0 nits
The Acer Swift X has a better screen than the Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 13.5" for engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
PerfectRec’s screen quality scores take into account various important factors that are relevant for different use cases.
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 Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 13.5" costs $1,200.
The Acer Swift X (2023) and Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 13.5" are both good for general use.
PerfectRec’s General Use Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for general productivity, web browsing, streaming, video calls, and running a wide variety of apps and programs.
Gaming and AI
6.9/10
6.6/10
5.1/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.2/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2256 x 1504
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
8.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
8.0/10
The Acer Swift X (2023) and Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 13.5" 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
7.7/10
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.5/10
5.1/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.2/10
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 Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 13.5" is good.
PerfectRec’s Engineering and Design Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for graphic design and 3D rendering work.
Content Creation
8.0/10
7.7/10
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.5/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2256 x 1504
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 Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 13.5" 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
8.5/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2256 x 1504
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
The Acer Swift X (2023) and Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 13.5" 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.
Battery
10.0 Hours
9.0 Hours
The Acer Swift X has 10 hours of battery life. The Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 13.5" has 9 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
Very Good
14.5in
SIZE
13.5in
3.3 lbs
WEIGHT
3.0 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 13.5" and Acer Swift X (2023) 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 Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 13.5" 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 Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 13.5" 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."
Get a great deal on the Acer Swift X (2023) or the Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 13.5"
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.
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
104,295
Recommendations made
22,598
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.