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Updated January 10, 2024·
If you prefer a laptop with a higher focus on graphical tasks such as 3D rendering or gaming, the Acer Swift X with its dedicated graphics card may serve you better. On the other hand, if you're looking for a thinner, lighter, and fanless design that offers a robust build and silent operation, the Apple MacBook Air could be the laptop for you. The MacBook Air also offers a higher-resolution display, but with the Acer Swift X, you gain additional ports which might be essential if you frequently connect to peripherals. The MacBook Air, powered by the Apple M1 chip, is optimized for efficiency and tends to have a longer battery life than the Acer Swift X. Consider the MacBook Air if your work includes video editing or software development within the macOS ecosystem. However, if you work primarily on Windows-based applications or you need better GPU performance for tasks like gaming or advanced graphics work, the Acer Swift X might be the appropriate choice despite it being slightly heavier and having a shorter battery life. 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 (2021)
- The Acer Swift X (2021) has no clear advantages over the Apple MacBook Air (2020).
Advantages of the Apple MacBook Air (2020)
- Good overall display quality
- Best in class overall build quality
- Excellent battery life
- Best in class speakers
- Best in class keyboard
Key differences
Screen Quality
6.9
7.5
14.0in
SIZE
13.3in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
372.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
395.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Air has a better screen than the Acer Swift X for general use, AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
For general use, the Acer Swift X and MacBook Air offer high-resolution displays with bright panels that make viewing texts and images crisp and vibrant, ensuring a comfortable viewing experience for everyday tasks. Both laptops have displays with color accuracy and wide color gamuts, which are essential for engineering and design work where precise color representation is critical. However, for gaming and 3D applications, the Swift X falls short due to its lower refresh rate, which can't deliver as smooth motion as gaming-dedicated screens, while the MacBook Air also lacks in this aspect, making neither ideal for fast-paced or immersive 3D experiences.
Battery
10.0 Hours
15.0 Hours
The Acer Swift X has 10 hours of battery life. The Apple MacBook Air has 15 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
10.0
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) has best in class build quality, while the Acer Swift X (2021) has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$580
$1,000
$200
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
$1,600
The Acer Swift X (2021) has a price of $580 and the Apple MacBook Air (2020) costs $1,000.
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Key similarities
General Use
7.4
7.6
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
372.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
395.0 nits
10.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
15.0 Hours
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.5/10
8.5/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
8.9/10
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) and Acer Swift X (2021) are both good for general use.
The Acer Swift X offers robust performance with its AMD Ryzen 5 CPU and Nvidia RTX 3050 GPU, making it suitable for a range of tasks and it comes with ample storage but is heavier and has shorter battery life compared to the MacBook Air. The Apple MacBook Air, on the other hand, is extremely portable and offers excellent battery life, a high-quality screen, and the efficiency of the M1 chip for seamless general use, although it has less storage out of the box.
Gaming and AI
6.3
6.2
4.4/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.9/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
8.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
10.0/10
The Acer Swift X (2021) and Apple MacBook Air (2020) are both only fair for gaming and AI.
The Acer Swift X (2021) has a dedicated Nvidia RTX 3050 graphics card that is better suited for gaming and 3D tasks compared to the integrated GPU in the Apple MacBook Air (2020), which, despite having a high-resolution screen, may not run many popular games because they’re not compatible with MacOS. Both laptops have the same screen refresh rate which is fair for gaming, but true gaming laptops typically offer higher refresh rates for smoother visuals.
Engineering and Design
7.0
7.3
5.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.0/10
4.4/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.9/10
8.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) and Acer Swift X (2021) are both good for engineering and design.
The Acer Swift X (2021) is equipped with an AMD Ryzen CPU and a dedicated Nvidia RTX GPU, making it capable for tasks like 3D modeling that require high processing and graphical power, along with a high-quality IPS screen which is beneficial for design work. Whereas, the Apple MacBook Air (2020) with its Apple M1 chip integrates both CPU and GPU providing efficient performance for engineering software, and offers a higher resolution screen, which coupled with its lighter weight and longer battery life makes it highly portable and suitable for on-the-go design work.
Content Creation
7.5
7.8
5.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.0/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
8.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) and Acer Swift X (2021) are both 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
7.3
7.7
5.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.0/10
8.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.5/10
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) and Acer Swift X (2021) 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
14.0in
SIZE
13.3in
3.0 lbs
WEIGHT
2.8 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) and Acer Swift X (2021) both have very good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
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How the Acer Swift X (2021) and the Apple MacBook Air (2020) compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Acer Swift X (2021) | Apple MacBook Air (2020) |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$580 | $1,000 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | June 1, 2021 | November 1, 2020 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 12.7'' x 8.4'' x 0.7'' | 12'' x 8.4'' x 0.63'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 3.06 lbs | 2.8 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 12.7" | 11.97" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 8.4" | 8.36" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | AMD Ryzen 5 5600U | Apple M1 | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 8 GB | 8 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 4 | 4 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 0 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 256 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 10 Hours | 15 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 59 Wh | 49.9 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 14" | 13.3" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 2560 x 1600 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 60Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 372 nits | 395 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.6/10 | 10/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 8.6/10 | 9/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | No | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | Yes | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 8/10 | 10/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 8/10 | 9.5/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 8/10 | 9.5/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 720p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | Yes | Yes | |
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 | 1 | 2 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 2 | 1 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | N/A | 3 | |
Shopping
Acer Swift X (2021)
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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."
Apple MacBook Air (2020)
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Andreas Osthoff | July 2022
"The Apple MacBook Air M2 Entry is a very good, but too expensive daily MacBook. The new MacBook Air M2 is undoubtedly once again a very good mobile companion, but we are still a little bit disappointed on a very high level, which is definitely connected with the increased price point. The new chassis is extremely slim and the front edge is no problem during typing, but the bezels are pretty wide for a modern device and in addition with the vertical space required for the notch, the new Air has larger footprint than some Windows rivals."
Get a great deal on the Acer Swift X (2021) or the Apple MacBook Air (2020)
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 Apple
Apple, an American technology company, is one of the world’s largest company in terms of market capitalization. Their MacBook laptops feature a slim, minimalistic design, class-leading battery life, and premium display and speaker quality. In 2020 Apple switched from using Intel processors to their own silicon chips which have excellent performance and efficiency. The macOS operating system is the second most widely used OS, after Windows.
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