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What we think
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Updated January 10, 2024·
If you prioritize performance for intensive tasks like engineering, 3D rendering, or machine learning, then the Gigabyte Aero 16 with its higher-end processor and graphics card would serve you well, at the cost of higher price and less portability due to its larger size and heavier weight. It also boasts a higher-resolution OLED screen, which is excellent for color-sensitive work. Alternatively, if you prefer a more portable and affordable option for general use that can still handle some gaming and creative tasks, the Acer Swift X may suit you, with decent performance, though it has a lower-quality screen and less power than the Aero 16. 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 speakers
Advantages of the Gigabyte Aero 16
- Very good for general use
- Very good for engineering and design
- Good for gaming and AI
- Very good for content creation
- Very good overall display quality
Key differences
General Use
7.4
8.0
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
372.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
368.0 nits
10.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
7.0 Hours
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
8.5/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.1/10
The Gigabyte Aero 16 is very good for general use, while the Acer Swift X (2021) is good.
The Acer Swift X (2021) is appreciated for general use due to its mix of a capable AMD Ryzen processor paired with sufficient RAM for everyday tasks, an IPS screen offering good color accuracy and brightness, alongside solid battery life and very good portability. In contrast, the Gigabyte Aero 16 provides a more powerful Intel processor and double the RAM, exceptional screen quality with an OLED display, and larger battery capacity, but it is less portable and has a shorter battery life due to its higher-performance components.
Gaming and AI
6.3
7.8
4.4/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.8/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
8.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.7/10
The Gigabyte Aero 16 is good for gaming and AI, while the Acer Swift X (2021) is only fair.
The Gigabyte Aero 16 is better suited for gaming and 3D applications due to its superior Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti graphics card, while the Acer Swift X has a decent but less powerful Nvidia RTX 3050 graphics card. Both laptops have similar screen refresh rates, but the Aero 16 also boasts a higher resolution OLED screen, offering better screen quality compared to the Swift X's IPS panel.
Engineering and Design
7.0
8.6
5.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
4.4/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.8/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Gigabyte Aero 16 is very good for engineering and design, while the Acer Swift X (2021) is good.
The Acer Swift X, with its mid-range AMD Ryzen CPU and Nvidia RTX 3050 GPU, is adequately equipped for engineering tasks and has a decent screen quality, contributing to its okay performance in design use. In contrast, the Gigabyte Aero 16 offers significantly higher performance for engineering and design with its more powerful Intel i7 CPU, superior Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti GPU, and higher-resolution OLED screen, although it is heavier and less portable.
Content Creation
7.5
8.2
5.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
The Gigabyte Aero 16 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
7.9
5.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
The Gigabyte Aero 16 and Acer Swift X (2021) are both good for software development, though the Gigabyte Aero 16 is somewhat better.
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
8.4
14.0in
SIZE
16.0in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
372.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
368.0 nits
The Gigabyte Aero 16 has a better screen than the Acer Swift X for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
The Acer Swift X's screen offers sufficient resolution and brightness for day-to-day tasks and viewing documents, making it suitable for general use, whereas its limited color gamut compared to the Gigabyte Aero 16 makes it less ideal for professional engineering and design work that require precise color accuracy. The Aero 16 excels in screen quality for engineering and design, thanks to its wide color gamut coverage, ensuring that detailed work in these fields is represented with high accuracy and vibrant colors. However, both laptops fall short for 3D use and gaming as their screens do not support high refresh rates, which are crucial to produce smoother motion and reduce lag in fast-paced visuals.
Battery
10.0 Hours
7.0 Hours
The Acer Swift X has 10 hours of battery life. The Gigabyte Aero 16 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
16.0in
3.0 lbs
WEIGHT
5.0 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.8in
The Acer Swift X (2021) has very good portability, while the Gigabyte Aero 16 has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$580
$1,260
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
The Acer Swift X (2021) has a price of $580 and the Gigabyte Aero 16 costs $1,260.
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Key similarities
Build Quality
7.6
7.8
The Gigabyte Aero 16 and Acer Swift X (2021) 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 Gigabyte Aero 16 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Acer Swift X (2021) | Gigabyte Aero 16 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$580 | $1,260 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | June 1, 2021 | October 1, 2022 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 12.7'' x 8.4'' x 0.7'' | 14'' x 9.8'' x 0.88'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 3.06 lbs | 5.07 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 12.7" | 14.02" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 8.4" | 9.78" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | AMD Ryzen 5 5600U | Intel i7-12700H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 8 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 4 | 4 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 2048 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 10 Hours | 7 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 59 Wh | 99 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 14" | 16" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | OLED | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 3840 x 2400 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 60Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 372 nits | 368 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.6/10 | 7.8/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 8.6/10 | 7.1/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | Yes | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 8/10 | 6.8/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 8/10 | 8.5/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 8/10 | 6.8/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 720p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | Yes | No | |
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 | 3 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 2 | 3 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | N/A | 4 | |
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."
Gigabyte Aero 16
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Dig into reviews and images
Tom's Hardware
Isaac Rouse | May 2022
"The Gigabyte Aero 16 is a workstation laptop for light gaming. It's design is still muted, with a silver chassis alongside a black keyboard and trackpad that provides some contrast. The Gigabyte Aero’s full-size chiclet-style keyboard is enjoyable to type on thanks to its snappy feel and responsiveness. The 4K+ AMOLED display is good, but it could be better. It doesn’t handle true black very well and suffers from strong reflections and glare. The Gigabyte Aero excels at productivity performance and can keep up with other gaming laptops in 1080p. But it has very few ports and its refresh rate leaves a bit to be desired."
Get a great deal on the Acer Swift X (2021) or the Gigabyte Aero 16
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 Gigabyte
Gigabyte is a Taiwanese computer hardware manufacturer. While Gigabyte mainly focuses its business on desktop hardware, Gigabyte is known for its value-oriented G series laptops, thin and light Aero series, and performance-oriented Aorus series. Gigabyte laptops offer a strong value proposition to compete with mainstream alternatives.
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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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