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Updated January 10, 2024·
If you prioritize performance for tasks like 3D rendering, engineering software, or games, the Acer Swift X with its dedicated Nvidia graphics card is a better choice. However, it is slightly heavier and has a smaller screen compared to the LG Gram 17, which is known for its lighter build and larger display. The LG Gram also offers a better battery life and has a higher resolution screen, which can be preferable if you're looking for better visuals and long usage on a single charge. Additionally, if multitasking and storage are important, the LG Gram has more RAM and storage capacity. Consider the Acer Swift X for more intensive tasks, and the LG Gram 17 for a balance of performance, battery life, and portability. 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 speakers
- Very good keyboard
Advantages of the LG Gram 17
- Very good for general use
- Very good for engineering and design
- Very good for software development
- Very good for content creation
- Good overall display quality
Key differences
General Use
7.4
8.5
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
372.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
353.0 nits
10.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
11.0 Hours
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
8.5/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.9/10
The LG Gram 17 is very good for general use, while the Acer Swift X (2021) is good.
The LG Gram 17 is very good for general use due to its superior screen quality, more RAM for multitasking, better CPU, and longer battery life, which are very important factors, while also excelling in portability despite its larger screen. The Acer Swift X has a commendable balance of performance for its price, with a good CPU and sufficient RAM for general tasks, offering solid screen quality and battery life, with the added benefit of being lightweight and portable.
Engineering and Design
7.0
8.0
5.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.9/10
4.4/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.8/10
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The LG Gram 17 is very good for engineering and design, while the Acer Swift X (2021) is good.
The Acer Swift X boasts an Nvidia RTX 3050 GPU and a capable AMD Ryzen processor, making it well-suited for engineering software and design tasks that require graphics horsepower; however, the LG Gram 17, with its Intel i7 processor, Iris Xe graphics, and a higher-resolution, larger screen, offers great performance for engineering and design use as well, while also providing the benefit of increased screen real estate and superior portability due to its light weight.
Content Creation
7.5
8.4
5.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.9/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The LG Gram 17 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
7.9/10
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
The LG Gram 17 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
7.4
14.0in
SIZE
17.0in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
372.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
353.0 nits
The LG Gram 17 has a better screen than the Acer Swift X for general use, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
The Acer Swift X and LG Gram 17 both have displays with resolutions and panel types that render crisp, clear images, which is vital for general use and engineering/design tasks where detail and color accuracy matter. Their color gamut coverage is high, ensuring that professionals working with visual content can trust the display for precise color work. However, for gaming and 3D, their lower refresh rates hold them back, as this can affect the smoothness of motion and responsiveness, which are less of a concern for productivity or content creation tasks.
Battery
10.0 Hours
11.0 Hours
The Acer Swift X has 10 hours of battery life. The LG Gram 17 has 11 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
17.0in
3.0 lbs
WEIGHT
2.9 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Acer Swift X (2021) has very good portability, while the LG Gram 17 has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.6
7.0
The Acer Swift X (2021) and LG Gram 17 both have good build quality, though the Acer Swift X (2021) has somewhat better build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$580
$1,699
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
The Acer Swift X (2021) has a price of $580 and the LG Gram 17 costs $1,699.
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Key similarities
Gaming and AI
6.3
6.5
4.4/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.8/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
8.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
8.7/10
The LG Gram 17 and Acer Swift X (2021) are both only fair for gaming and AI.
The Acer Swift X comes with an Nvidia RTX 3050 GPU which is capable but falls short for high-end gaming and 3D applications compared to dedicated gaming laptops, and it has a standard 60Hz screen refresh rate which is common but not ideal for fast-paced games. Meanwhile, the LG Gram 17, despite its larger screen and higher resolution, relies on Intel Iris Xe graphics, which provides reasonable performance for less demanding gaming and 3D tasks but is not as powerful as the RTX 3050 for more graphics-intensive activities.
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How the Acer Swift X (2021) and the LG Gram 17 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Acer Swift X (2021) | LG Gram 17 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$580 | $1,699 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | June 1, 2021 | April 1, 2022 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 12.7'' x 8.4'' x 0.7'' | 14.9'' x 10.2'' x 0.7'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 3.06 lbs | 2.98 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 12.7" | 14.91" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 8.4" | 10.19" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | AMD Ryzen 5 5600U | Intel i7-1260P | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 8 GB | 32 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 4 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 0 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 2048 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 10 Hours | 11 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 59 Wh | 80 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 14" | 17" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 2560 x 1600 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 60Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 372 nits | 353 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.6/10 | 7/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 8.6/10 | 8/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | No | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 8/10 | 8.8/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 8/10 | 7.5/10 | |
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 | 2 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 1 | 2 | |
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."
LG Gram 17
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Sascha Mölck | August 2022
"The LG Gram 17 is a light office laptop with a large display and great battery life. The newest incarnation of the Gram 17 can be classified as a model update. LG uses the predecessor's compact, light magnesium case along with an identical port configuration (including 2x Thunderbolt 4) and keyboard. Changes can be found in the hardware. With the Gram 17 (2022), LG offers a light (approx. 1,350 g), mobile work device - and finally with a matte display."
Get a great deal on the Acer Swift X (2021) or the LG Gram 17
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 LG
LG is a South Korean conglomerate company. While LG is mainly known for various products outside of technology, LG also develops laptops. Within the laptop industry, they are known for their thin-and-light Gram series, as well as their value-oriented Ultra series. LG laptops offer very thin and light laptops with phenomenal battery life, and are often on sale.
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