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What we think
The PerfectRec laptop team Learn more
Updated January 10, 2024·
If you prioritize performance for tasks like 3D rendering, machine learning, or gaming, the Acer Swift X with its Nvidia RTX 3050 graphics card offers superior capabilities compared to the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 which has integrated graphics. However, the Surface Laptop Go 2 is more portable due to its lighter weight and smaller size, and it features a touchscreen, which the Acer lacks. The Swift X also tends to be slightly more expensive, but it provides better battery life and has a slightly higher-resolution screen. Choose the Surface Laptop Go 2 for everyday tasks and portability, or the Swift X for more intensive tasks. 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)
- Good for engineering and design
- Very good battery life
- Very good keyboard
Advantages of the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2
- Excellent portability
Key differences
Screen Quality
6.9
6.9
14.0in
SIZE
12.4in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1536 x 1024
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
372.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
401.0 nits
The Acer Swift X has a better screen than the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 for software development, and content creation.
For general use, both the Acer Swift X and Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 offer screens with clear images and bright displays, making them suitable for everyday tasks like browsing and video streaming. When it comes to engineering and design, their screens cover the necessary color gamuts well, enabling accurate color representation which is essential for this kind of work. However, for gaming and 3D applications, these laptops fall short due to lower refresh rates, which can result in less fluid motion and responsiveness during high-paced scenes or design work that requires quick and smooth visual feedback.
Battery
10.0 Hours
8.0 Hours
The Acer Swift X has 10 hours of battery life. The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 has 8 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
Excellent
14.0in
SIZE
12.4in
3.0 lbs
WEIGHT
2.4 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 has excellent portability, while the Acer Swift X (2021) has very good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$580
$774
$200
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
The Acer Swift X (2021) has a price of $580 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 costs $774.
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Key similarities
General Use
7.4
7.0
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1536 x 1024
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
372.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
401.0 nits
10.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
8.0 Hours
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
8.5/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
9.2/10
The Acer Swift X (2021) and Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 are both good for general use.
The Acer Swift X (2021) outshines the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 in general use primarily due to its more powerful AMD Ryzen CPU and dedicated Nvidia RTX graphics, delivering better performance for a variety of tasks, alongside ample storage and high screen brightness. Conversely, while the Surface Laptop Go 2 offers excellent portability with its light weight and compact size, it falls short with a smaller battery capacity, less storage, and relies on integrated graphics, which are less suited for demanding applications.
Gaming and AI
6.3
6.0
4.4/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1536 x 1024
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
8.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.5/10
The Acer Swift X (2021) and Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 are both only fair for gaming and AI.
The Acer Swift X offers a dedicated GPU, which is better for gaming and 3D applications, and likely has a higher screen refresh rate, enhancing visual fluidity in such tasks. Meanwhile, the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2, while also suitable for these purposes, generally focuses on a balance of portability and screen quality, but its integrated GPU may not perform as well as the Acer's in demanding scenarios.
Engineering and Design
7.0
6.5
5.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.9/10
4.4/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
8.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Acer Swift X (2021) to be good for engineering and design, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 is only fair.
The Acer Swift X (2021) is equipped with a dedicated Nvidia RTX 3050 graphics card and a higher-resolution screen, making it better suited for engineering and design tasks that may require more powerful graphics performance and finer detail. In contrast, the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2, while more portable due to its smaller size and lighter weight, has integrated graphics and less storage, which can limit its capabilities for such tasks.
Content Creation
7.5
7.1
5.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.9/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1536 x 1024
8.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Acer Swift X (2021) and Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 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
7.0
5.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.9/10
8.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1536 x 1024
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
The Acer Swift X (2021) and Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 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.
Build Quality
7.6
7.8
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 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 Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Acer Swift X (2021) | Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$580 | $774 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | June 1, 2021 | June 1, 2022 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 12.7'' x 8.4'' x 0.7'' | 11'' x 8.1'' x 0.62'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 3.06 lbs | 2.48 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 12.7" | 10.95" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 8.4" | 8.12" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | AMD Ryzen 5 5600U | Intel i5-1135G7 | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 8 GB | 8 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 4 | 4 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 0 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 128 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 10 Hours | 8 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 59 Wh | 41 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 14" | 12.4" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 1536 x 1024 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 60Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 372 nits | 401 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.6/10 | 7.8/10 | |
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 | 7.5/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 8/10 | 7/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 8/10 | 8.4/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 720p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | Yes | Yes | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | No | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | No | No | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 2 | 1 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 1 | 1 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | No | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 2 | 1 | |
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."
Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Andreas Osthoff | August 2022
"The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 review is a compact companion with old hardware. The Surface Laptop Go 2 shows some weaknesses. Microsoft didn't really develop the second generation of the Surface Laptop Go 2 any further but has only equipped it with a slightly more powerful Core i5 processor. However, the performance still remains at a fairly low level overall, but for many users, it definitely should still be sufficient for everyday tasks."
Get a great deal on the Acer Swift X (2021) or the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2
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 Microsoft
Microsoft is an American technology corporation. Microsoft is best known for their Windows operating system and Surface laptop series. The Surface Laptop is their standard notebook offering, while their Surface Go, Surface Pro, and Surface Studio are their 2-in-1/tablet offerings in order of increasing capability. Although Microsoft charges a premium price tag for their laptops, buyers can expect a well integrated and packaged device since Microsoft develops the Windows operating system.
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