The Acer Swift X is more affordable and lightweight, making it easier to carry around, and offers adequate performance for general use. In contrast, the ASUS ZenBook Pro Duo 15 is more expensive, but it has a higher-resolution touchscreen, stronger performance for 3D tasks, machine learning, and engineering software, and it features a unique dual-screen design that may enhance productivity. The ZenBook also has a higher quality display and speakers, but it's heavier, which makes it less portable. The Swift X has a longer battery life, making it more suitable for those who need to work on-the-go without frequent recharging. Choose the Acer Swift X for cost-efficiency and mobility or the ASUS ZenBook Pro Duo 15 for high performance in specialized tasks and a premium display experience. 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 portability
Very good battery life
Very good keyboard
Advantages of the ASUS ZenBook Pro Duo 15
Very good for general use
Excellent for engineering and design
Good for gaming and AI
Very good for software development
Very good for content creation
Very good overall display quality
Best in class speakers
Key differences
General Use
7.4/10
8.5/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
372.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
332.0 nits
10.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
7.0 Hours
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
8.5/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.1/10
The ASUS ZenBook Pro Duo 15 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.
Gaming and AI
6.3/10
7.8/10
4.4/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.8/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
8.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.7/10
The ASUS ZenBook Pro Duo 15 is good for gaming and AI, while the Acer Swift X (2021) is only fair.
The ASUS ZenBook Pro Duo 15 outperforms the Acer Swift X (2021) for gaming and 3D tasks primarily due to its more powerful GPU, the Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti, compared to the Swift's RTX 3050, providing better graphics performance. Although both have similar screen refresh rates, the ZenBook's higher resolution OLED display offers superior screen quality, which is favorable for graphics-intensive applications but may contribute to its shorter battery life compared to the Swift X.
Engineering and Design
7.0/10
9.0/10
5.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.2/10
4.4/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.8/10
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The ASUS ZenBook Pro Duo 15 is excellent for engineering and design, while the Acer Swift X (2021) is good.
The Acer Swift X (2021) is a competent machine for engineering and design tasks with its solid CPU and dedicated GPU, but with less RAM and a standard screen quality, it may handle workloads more slowly than higher-end models and offer a less vivid display.
Content Creation
7.5/10
8.7/10
5.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.2/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
The ASUS ZenBook Pro Duo 15 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
7.3/10
8.3/10
5.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.2/10
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
The ASUS ZenBook Pro Duo 15 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
6.9/10
8.3/10
14.0in
SIZE
15.6in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
372.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
332.0 nits
The ASUS Zenbook Pro Duo 15 has a better screen than the Acer Swift X for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
For general use, the Acer Swift X offers a decent combination of resolution and brightness, making it pleasant for everyday tasks, while the ASUS ZenBook Pro Duo features a similar resolution but with better brightness and maybe OLED technology, enhancing visual quality and user experience. Regarding engineering and design, the ASUS ZenBook Pro Duo likely has wider color gamuts, providing a more accurate color representation which is crucial for professional creative work. However, for gaming and 3D rendering, despite both having adequate resolution and panel quality, the lack of a high refresh rate compared to specialized gaming laptops makes them less ideal for fast-paced visuals and fluid motion.
Battery
10.0 Hours
7.0 Hours
The Acer Swift X has 10 hours of battery life. The ASUS Zenbook Pro Duo 15 has 7 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
Good
14.0in
SIZE
15.6in
3.0 lbs
WEIGHT
5.1 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.8in
The Acer Swift X (2021) has very good portability, while the ASUS ZenBook Pro Duo 15 has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$580
$2,000
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
The Acer Swift X (2021) has a price of $580 and the ASUS ZenBook Pro Duo 15 costs $2,000.
"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."
"Benchmarks aside, the Asus ZenBook Pro Duo is hard to compare with other PCs. Its closest competition may be a multi-monitor desktop, or a laptop with an attached travel monitor. The Pro Duo is more portable and versatile than either of those options, especially with the software tools Asus has thrown on top. For a certain niche of artists, media creators, and gamers, all that might add up to something special, even if it’s unattainable for the rest of us."
Get a great deal on the Acer Swift X (2021) or the ASUS ZenBook Pro Duo 15
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.
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.
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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.
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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.
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Laptops Expert
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