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Updated January 10, 2024·
The Acer Swift X offers more storage and dedicated graphics with the Nvidia RTX 3050, making it suitable for tasks that demand heavier graphics processing, such as some gaming or 3D rendering. Its price is generally lower, but it has less battery life. On the other hand, the Apple MacBook Air has a bigger screen with a higher resolution and better color accuracy and brightness, which can be particularly advantageous for creative work involving photo or video editing. The MacBook Air is also known for its high build quality, excellent keyboard, and longer battery life, while being more expensive and equipped with Apple's integrated M2 graphics. The M2 chip is powerful, but for tasks specifically requiring a dedicated GPU, the Swift X's RTX 3050 might be more appropriate. If portability and battery life are high priorities, and your tasks are general use to lightly graphical, the MacBook Air could be the way to go. However, if performance in graphical tasks and cost savings are more critical, the Swift X may be your better choice. 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 15 (2023).
Advantages of the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023)
- Very good for software development
- Very good for content creation
- Good overall display quality
- Best in class overall build quality
- Excellent battery life
- Best in class speakers
- Best in class keyboard
Key differences
General Use
7.4
7.9
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1864
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
372.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
501.0 nits
10.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
15.0 Hours
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
10.0/10
8.5/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
8.9/10
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) and Acer Swift X (2021) are both good for general use, though the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) is somewhat better.
The Acer Swift X (2021) offers good CPU and GPU performance suitable for general use, ample RAM, a quality IPS screen, and moderate portability with a reasonable battery life, balanced against its larger storage capacity and effective heat management.
Engineering and Design
7.0
7.6
5.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.7/10
4.4/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.3/10
8.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) and Acer Swift X (2021) are both good for engineering and design, though the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) is somewhat better.
The Acer Swift X (2021) is suitable for engineering and design due to its dedicated Nvidia RTX 3050 graphics card and an AMD Ryzen 5 processor, which provide strong performance for demanding applications, while its screen offers high brightness and good color coverage. The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) is also well-suited for these tasks, featuring an Apple M2 chip with integrated graphics capable of handling intensive workloads and a high-resolution display with exceptional color accuracy and brightness, but it may excel in portability and operating noise due to its lighter weight and fanless design.
Content Creation
7.5
8.0
5.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.7/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1864
8.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) is very good for content creation, while the Acer Swift X (2021) 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
7.3
8.1
5.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.7/10
8.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1864
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
10.0/10
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) is very good for software development, while the Acer Swift X (2021) 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.
Screen Quality
6.9
7.8
14.0in
SIZE
15.3in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1864
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
372.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
501.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Air 15 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 MacBook Air 15's screen shines with its high resolution and bright display, providing crisp and clear content that's easy on the eyes, while the Acer Swift X also offers a good quality display but may not match the MacBook in brightness or sharpness. When it comes to engineering and design work, the MacBook again stands out with its wider color gamuts ensuring accurate color reproduction, which is crucial for precise designs, although the Swift X does a respectable job for less color-critical tasks. For 3D and gaming, however, both laptops are less ideal due to lower refresh rates, meaning they aren't optimized for the smooth visuals required for high-speed gaming or detailed 3D rendering.
Battery
10.0 Hours
15.0 Hours
The Acer Swift X has 10 hours of battery life. The Apple MacBook Air 15 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 15 (2023) 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
$1,299
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
The Acer Swift X (2021) has a price of $580 and the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) costs $1,299.
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Key similarities
Gaming and AI
6.3
6.5
4.4/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.3/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1864
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
8.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
10.0/10
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) and Acer Swift X (2021) 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.
Portability
Very Good
Very Good
14.0in
SIZE
15.3in
3.0 lbs
WEIGHT
3.3 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.4in
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) 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 15 (2023) compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Acer Swift X (2021) | Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$580 | $1,299 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | June 1, 2021 | June 1, 2023 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 12.7'' x 8.4'' x 0.7'' | 13.4'' x 9.4'' x 0.45'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 3.06 lbs | 3.3 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 12.7" | 13.4" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 8.4" | 9.35" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | AMD Ryzen 5 5600U | Apple M2 | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 8 GB | 8 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 4 | 5 | |
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 | 66.6 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 14" | 15.3" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 2880 x 1864 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 60Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 372 nits | 501 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 | 10/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 8/10 | 10/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 1080p | |
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 15 (2023)
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Andreas Osthoff | June 2023
"The Apple MacBook Air 15 is boringly good. The new MacBook Air 15 is a very good, but also boring device, because apart from the larger screen and the higher price, there are no differences compared to the smaller MacBook Air M2 from last year. No new processor, no additional ports, just the usual basic hardware - but the overall package is extremely good and it simply works. Above all, the lack of fans is an aspect that should not be underestimated in everyday use. In our opinion, the Air could be a lot better, but Apple goes easy on itself here."
Get a great deal on the Acer Swift X (2021) or the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023)
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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