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Updated January 10, 2024·
The Acer Swift X is less expensive and offers strong performance with its AMD Ryzen processor and Nvidia RTX graphics, suitable for general use, gaming, and some engineering software. Its battery life and display quality are good, but not top-tier. The MacBook Pro, while more expensive, offers a superior display with mini LED technology and a higher resolution, making it excellent for creative tasks that demand color accuracy and detail. Its Apple M3 processor and integrated graphics are optimized for Mac-specific software and can handle intensive tasks, including 3D work and video editing, with ease. The MacBook Pro also has a more premium build quality and longer battery life but is slightly less portable due to its higher weight. If cost is a major factor and you need a laptop for general use and occasional heavy tasks, the Acer Swift X is a great choice; if budget is less of a concern and you're looking for superior display quality, performance, and battery life for professional creative work, the MacBook Pro is the better option. 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 Pro 14 (Late 2023).
Advantages of the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023)
- Very good for general use
- Very good for engineering and design
- Very good for software development
- Very good for content creation
- Excellent 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
8.2
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3024 x 1964
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
372.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
489.0 nits
10.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
17.0 Hours
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.5/10
8.5/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
8.6/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) is very good for general use, while the Acer Swift X (2021) is good.
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.
Engineering and Design
7.0
8.1
5.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
4.4/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.5/10
8.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) is very good for engineering and design, while the Acer Swift X (2021) is good.
The Acer Swift X (2021) is suitable for engineering and design due to its capable AMD Ryzen CPU and Nvidia RTX GPU, as well as a decent screen, but with the tradeoff being less impressive portability and screen quality compared to the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (late 2023).
Content Creation
7.5
8.4
5.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3024 x 1964
8.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 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
8.2
5.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
8.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3024 x 1964
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.5/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 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
9.2
14.0in
SIZE
14.2in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3024 x 1964
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
372.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
489.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 has a better screen than the Acer Swift X for general use, AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
The Acer Swift X offers a high-resolution display with ample brightness, making it sharp and clear for everyday tasks and detailed engineering work, but its lower refresh rate limits its appeal for smooth 3D gaming. The Apple MacBook Pro 14 shines across the board with its high-resolution, bright display and wide color gamut support, ensuring accurate colors for professional design and engineering applications; however, like the Swift X, its standard refresh rate isn't ideal for high-performance 3D tasks. For gamers or those working with 3D applications, a laptop with a higher refresh rate would be preferable to either of these options.
Battery
10.0 Hours
17.0 Hours
The Acer Swift X has 10 hours of battery life. The Apple MacBook Pro 14 has 17 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 Pro 14 (Late 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
$1,499
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
The Acer Swift X (2021) has a price of $580 and the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) costs $1,499.
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Key similarities
Gaming and AI
6.3
6.7
4.4/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.5/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3024 x 1964
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
8.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
8.7/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) and Acer Swift X (2021) are both only fair for gaming and AI.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) with its advanced Apple M3 GPU outperforms the Acer Swift X (2021) for 3D tasks, assisted by a higher screen refresh rate conducive for smoother visuals. However, despite the MacBook Pro's GPU advantages and superior screen quality, the range of games available is limited compared to the Swift X, as many popular titles are incompatible with MacOS.
Portability
Very Good
Very Good
14.0in
SIZE
14.2in
3.0 lbs
WEIGHT
3.4 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 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 Pro 14 (Late 2023) compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Acer Swift X (2021) | Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$580 | $1,499 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | June 1, 2021 | November 1, 2023 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 12.7'' x 8.4'' x 0.7'' | 12.3'' x 8.7'' x 0.61'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 3.06 lbs | 3.4 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 12.7" | 12.31" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 8.4" | 8.71" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | AMD Ryzen 5 5600U | Apple M3 | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 8 GB | 8 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 4 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 0 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 512 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 10 Hours | 17 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 59 Wh | 69.6 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 14" | 14.2" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | Mini LED | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 3024 x 1964 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 120Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 372 nits | 489 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.6/10 | 10/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 8.6/10 | 8.6/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | No | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | Yes | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 8/10 | 8.8/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 8/10 | 9.5/10 | |
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 Pro 14 (Late 2023)
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Andreas Osthoff | January 2023
"In the Apple MacBook Pro 14 2023, the M2 Pro is slowed down. From the improved 5nm process, the new M2 Pro is a very solid upgrade. Graphics performance has increased by about 25% in tandem with a clear improvement in efficiency. The processor has also seen a performance leap of up to 20%, but this is accompanied by an increase in consumption of up to 25%. Fundamentally, Apple its maintaining its advantage over AMD and Intel, particularly in optimized applications where the results are very good in view of the comparatively low power consumption."
Get a great deal on the Acer Swift X (2021) or the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 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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About the laptop team
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CEO and Laptops Editor
Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
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Chandradeep is a staff expert and software engineer and expert in televisions and monitors. He’s been making monitor recommendations for ten years.
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