Acer’s Swift 3 is a good laptop to use. They can be considered budget-level machines with tremendous value, such as the 2020 AMD Swift 3, which is a budget laptop with good usage value. This laptop has the capability to compete with 14-inch laptops in the $850 to $1,000 range. It is growing in popularity because of its strong performance and battery life that beats out much of its competition and can be a competitor to more expensive laptops too, making the Swift 3 a great deal.
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The Swift 3 (SF314-512) can be taken as a midrange laptop. The range starts at $850 for a 28-watt 12-core/16-thread Core i5-1540P running at up to 4.4GHz, with 16GB of RAM, a 512GB SSD, and a 14-inch 16:9 Full HD (1,920 x 1,080) IPS display. At the high end, the Swift 3 costs $1,130 for a 28-watt 12-core/16-watt Core i7-1260P with a Turbo boost of 4.7GHz, 16GB of RAM, a 1TB SSD, and a 14-inch 16:9 QHD IPS display.
The Swift 3 gives you a better build than much of its competition at its price level, like the Vivobook S 14X and the Inspiron 14 2-in-1, but still cannot beat the more expensive laptops like the Dell XPS 15 and the Lenovo Yoga 9i Gen 7. The Swift 3 has a second user-accessible SSD slot. You can add another SSD and you can either speed up the laptop or expand storage up to 2TB.
The Swift 3 is a nicely designed laptop without any bling and with streamlined angles. It’s available in three lid colors—silver, blue, and gold. It’s an attractive and minimalist laptop, much like so many others produced lately, including the Vivobook S 14X and the Inspiron 14 2-in-1. Overall, the laptop has a screen-to-body ratio of 86%. The Swift 3 is thin at 0.63 inches and light at 2.76 pounds, which compares to the Vivobook S 14X at 0.70 inches and 3.53 pounds and the Inspiron 14 2-in-1 at 0.70 inches and 3.61 pounds. It’s a highly portable laptop that won’t take up too much space or weight in a backpack.
The laptop has solid connectivity with two USB-C ports with Thunderbolt 4 support, two USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 ports, a full-size HDMI 2.0 port, and a 3.5mm audio jack. The disappointing thing is that there is no SD card reader, but the inclusion of Thunderbolt 4 at this price is appreciable. It provides Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2 to provide up-to-date wireless connectivity.
The Core i7-1260P has proved its performance so far in laptops, offering a significant uptick from Intel’s 11th-gen CPUs. Along with the MSI Prestige 14, the Swift 3 did exceptionally well, setting a benchmark with its performance. It can outperform the Lenovo ThinkPad x1 Yoga Gen 7 with a Core i7-1260P, which performed about average.It was also as fast or faster than a couple of thin-and-light laptops with the 45-watt 14-core/20-thread Core i7-12700H, specifically the HP Pavilion Plus 14 and the Asus Vivobook S 14X.
Overall, the Swift 3 can be quoted as a faster performer. It can handle low-end creative tasks. But the disappointing point for game lovers is that the Swift 3 is limited to integrated Intel Iris Xe graphics, which doesn’t allow it to be used as a dedicated gaming machine. but can be used to play 3DMark Time Spy.
The keyboard has silver keys with grey lettering that’s easy to read with the backlight turned off but a little harder to read with the backlight turned on. The keycaps are nicely sized, with plenty of key spacing. The switches are light and snappy, with a responsive bottom action. It doesn’t have the same feel as the keyboards on Dell’s XPS and HP’s Spectre lines, but it’s not far behind.The keyboard is comfortable for longer typing sessions.
The touchpad uses what Acer calls “OceanGlass,” which is actually recycled plastic that’s meant to feel like glass. It has a comfortable surface with reliable support for Windows 11 multitouch gestures, and the buttons were quiet and precise. The only problem is that the touchpad is a bit small, mainly because there’s not as much room on the palm rest as there is with taller displays.
The webcam is a Full HD model capable of capturing 1080p video at 60 frames per second (fps). Combined with Acer’s tools for cleaning up and brightening video, the webcam provides an excellent image for videoconferencing. It’s a webcam just like you have seen on more expensive laptops.
The Swift 3 has a 56-watt-hour battery powering a fast CPU and a high-res display. If you compare, only the ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 7 will last longer, but it benefits from a low-power display. The Swift 3 had a leader.
What are the alternatives?
The HP Pavilion Plus 14 is a strong competitor, coming in at $850 (on sale) for a machine with solid performance and a gorgeous 2.8K OLED display running at 90Hz. It can’t match the Swift 3’s battery life, however.
Lenovo’s Yoga 9i Gen 7 is a solid alternative if you are willing to spend a little more. Its spectacular design, fantastic OLED display, and solid battery life are worth the extra money.
Finally, you can go for the new Apple MacBook Air M2. It’s more expensive at $1,200, with less RAM at 8GB and storage at 256GB, but it will offer faster performance and much longer battery life.
How long will it last?
The Swift 3 is built well enough to last for years of productive service, with components to match. The industry-standard one-year warranty is just OK at the price offered.
Should you buy it?
Yes. The Acer Swift 3 is fast and offers strong battery life, making it a good choice among a competitive field of 14-inch laptops.
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