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Updated January 10, 2024·
The Acer Swift X (2021) generally costs less, offers solid performance with an AMD Ryzen 5 processor and Nvidia RTX 3050 GPU, making it suitable for engineering and light gaming, but it is slightly heavier and thicker. The ASUS Zenbook 13 costs more, yet provides a more portable and lightweight design with an AMD Ryzen 7 processor and integrated Vega 8 graphics, which is adequate for general use and some creative tasks but less ideal for intensive gaming or engineering software. The Zenbook 13 also has a high-contrast OLED screen, whereas the Swift X has an IPS panel with lower color coverage and contrast. 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)
- Very good battery life
- Very good speakers
- Very good keyboard
Advantages of the ASUS Zenbook 13
- Good overall display quality
- Excellent portability
Key differences
Screen Quality
6.9
7.8
14.0in
SIZE
13.3in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
372.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
378.0 nits
The ASUS Zenbook 13 has a better screen than the Acer Swift X for general use, gaming and AI, and engineering and design.
The Acer Swift X offers a balanced screen with decent resolution and brightness suitable for everyday tasks and engineering applications though it may lack the wider color gamut needed for precision in design work. The ASUS Zenbook 13 ups the ante with a sharper display and more vivid colors, catering well to professionals in design who require higher color accuracy. Both fall short for gaming and 3D due to lower refresh rates which are key for smooth visuals in fast-paced scenarios.
Portability
Very Good
Excellent
14.0in
SIZE
13.3in
3.0 lbs
WEIGHT
2.5 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.5in
The ASUS Zenbook 13 has excellent portability, while the Acer Swift X (2021) has very good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$580
$890
$200
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
The Acer Swift X (2021) has a price of $580 and the ASUS Zenbook 13 costs $890.
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Key similarities
General Use
7.4
7.4
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
372.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
378.0 nits
10.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
9.0 Hours
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
8.5/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
9.2/10
The ASUS Zenbook 13 and Acer Swift X (2021) are both good for general use.
The Acer Swift X (2021) boasts a commendable balance for general use with its strong combination of an AMD Ryzen 5 CPU and Nvidia RTX 3050 GPU, ensuring smooth multitasking and casual gaming, alongside a reliable IPS screen and sizable battery life. On the other hand, the ASUS Zenbook 13 shines with its AMD Ryzen 7 CPU and integrated Vega 8 graphics suitable for everyday tasks, elevated by a superior OLED display and lighter weight, which enhances portability and screen quality, yet it offers marginally less battery longevity. Both laptops have identical RAM and storage which supports general usage seamlessly but differing CPUs and GPUs for slightly varied performance and screen technologies that cater to different visual preferences.
Gaming and AI
6.3
6.2
4.4/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
8.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
8.3/10
The Acer Swift X (2021) and ASUS Zenbook 13 are both only fair for gaming and AI.
The Acer Swift X is equipped with an Nvidia RTX 3050 which generally offers better gaming and 3D performance compared to the integrated Vega 8 graphics of the ASUS Zenbook 13, however, both laptops have screens with a standard refresh rate of 60Hz which is not ideal for high frame rate gaming. The Acer may lead in GPU power, but neither are top-tier gaming machines due to their refresh rate limitations and their focus on portability over dedicated high-performance gaming specs.
Engineering and Design
7.0
7.1
5.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.8/10
4.4/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
8.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
The ASUS Zenbook 13 and Acer Swift X (2021) are both good for engineering and design.
The Acer Swift X is better suited for engineering and design due to its dedicated Nvidia RTX 3050 GPU which enhances performance in graphics-intensive tasks, whereas the ASUS Zenbook 13, though it boasts an OLED screen which provides excellent color quality and contrast, relies on integrated Vega 8 graphics that may not cope as well with demanding engineering software. While the ASUS model offers superior portability and slightly better screen pixel density, the Swift X's GPU makes it a stronger choice for specialized applications.
Content Creation
7.5
7.6
5.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.8/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
The ASUS Zenbook 13 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
7.3
5.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.8/10
8.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
The ASUS Zenbook 13 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.
Battery
10.0 Hours
9.0 Hours
The Acer Swift X has 10 hours of battery life. The ASUS Zenbook 13 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.
Build Quality
7.6
7.4
The Acer Swift X (2021) and ASUS Zenbook 13 both have good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
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How the Acer Swift X (2021) and the ASUS Zenbook 13 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Acer Swift X (2021) | ASUS Zenbook 13 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$580 | $890 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | June 1, 2021 | February 1, 2021 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 12.7'' x 8.4'' x 0.7'' | 12'' x 8'' x 0.55'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 3.06 lbs | 2.55 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 12.7" | 11.97" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 8.4" | 7.99" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | AMD Ryzen 5 5600U | AMD Ryzen 7 5700U | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 8 GB | 8 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 4 | 4 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 0 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 512 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 10 Hours | 9 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 59 Wh | 67 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 14" | 13.3" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | OLED | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 1920 x 1080 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 60Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 372 nits | 378 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.6/10 | 7.4/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 8.6/10 | 9.3/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | No | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 8/10 | 8.4/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 8/10 | 7/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 8/10 | 7/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 720p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | Yes | No | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | No | Yes | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 2 | 1 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 1 | 2 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 2 | 3 | |
Thunderbolt Ports | |||
Thunderbolt Ports | 0 | 0 | |
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."
ASUS Zenbook 13
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Sebastian Bade | May 2021
"The Asus ZenBook 13 is a compact 13-inch laptop with a fast Ryzen 7 5800U and OLED display. The subnotebook is also light and the modern design is convincing. The selection of high-quality materials make the device not only light, but also very stable. In addition, the visuals and haptics of the device offers a high-quality impression. The AMD Ryzen 7 5800U is a very good fit for the ZenBook 13, ensuring a high performance in the test. However, in terms of the 3D performance, we also notice that the Vega architecture is beginning to hit its limits."
Get a great deal on the Acer Swift X (2021) or the ASUS Zenbook 13
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 ASUS
ASUS, a Taiwanese electronics brand, is one of the largest personal computer vendor by market share. The majority of their laptops are targeted towards personal use or gaming. Their most popular product lines include the budget-friendly VivoBook, more premium ZenBook, and their TUF and ROG gaming laptops, the latter of which has a reputation for excellent gaming performance.
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