Acer Swift 3X Evaluate

The Acer Swift 3X affords wonderful common efficiency, even in its entry-level Core i5 CPU guise – however mood your expectations of gaming efficiency and construct high quality.

Professionals

• Nice efficiency for an Intel Core i5 laptop computer
• Sensible matte display screen
• Stable battery life

Cons

• Intel Xe Max GPU isn’t that nice for gaming
• Construct high quality is lesser than opponents
• Pretty poor touchpad

Availability

• UKRRP: £899.99
• USARRP: $899.99

Key Options

• Intel Xe Max graphicsIntel’s step-up graphics card isn’t any gaming monster, however does appear to enhance common efficiency, too.

• Matte screenUsing a matte, slightly than shiny display screen makes the Swift 3X extra able to coping with life outside.

• Thunderbolt 4.0A high-bandwidth Thunderbolt 4.0 is an effective future-proofing function, enabling you to attach tomorrow’s quick exterior SSD drives and different demanding peripherals.

Introduction

The Acer Swift 3X is a slim and lightweight laptop computer for many who care simply as a lot about efficiency and practicality as they do about model.

It isn’t probably the most engaging laptop computer at this value level. Nor does it have a super-high-end construct. Nonetheless, its vivid matte display screen is nice to be used outside, show color matches that of shinier laptops on this class, and it options Intel Xe Max graphics. This can be a beefier model of the graphics chipset that’s constructed into eleventh Era Intel processors.

Its efficiency compares properly with different Intel laptops, beating loads costlier fashions. Nonetheless, it will be greater than a stretch to name it a class-leader, when the cheaper HP Envy 13 consists of extra highly effective Nvidia MX450 graphics and delivers comparable real-world productiveness efficiency.

Worth and availability

There are three key variations of the Acer Swift 3X. We’ve the most affordable mannequin right here, obtainable for £899/$899.99, which options an Intel Core i5-1135G7 CPU, 8GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD.

The £999 and comes with 16GB of RAM. Spending £1199 nets you an Intel Core i7-1165G7 CPU and a 1TB SSD.

These are very comparable costs to these of the HP Envy 13. The beginning value is considerably larger than the Lenovo Yoga 7 Slim, which is my private favorite within the mid-range-style laptops class. Nonetheless, that mannequin doesn’t include the additional graphics energy or RAM obtainable within the Swift 3X.

Design and keyboard

• A lot of the laptop computer is constructed with anodised aluminium
• …nonetheless, there are plastic elements too, which cheapens the texture
• Plastic trackpad is disappointing

The Acer Swift 3X will sound like a top-end development laptop computer once you develop into conscious that its lid, keyboard encompass and backside plate are all product of anodised aluminium. Nonetheless, the design is extra mid-range, which isn’t a shock given it’s a part of the lower-end ‘Swift 3’ collection.

Have a look at the highest a part of the keyboard plate and also you’ll see a chunky seam. Above that the Swift 3X casing reverts to plastic, for the hinge overlaying and fan outlet. Making that comparatively intricate grille in aluminium is unlikely to have been low cost.

Equally, the Acer Swift 3X display screen isn’t a flat pane of glass – the usual strategy amongst laptops that commerce on model. It has a raised plastic border, which isn’t as swish.

This isn’t probably the most strong laptop computer Acer makes, both. Press down on a key with some drive and also you’ll discover some localised flexing to the keyboard.

None of those are a giant situation on their very own; even the flexing is minor. Collectively, nonetheless, they lead to a tool that neither feels nor appears to be like as premium or pristine because the Lenovo Yoga 7 Slim or HP Envy 13.

Be aware, too, that this isn’t a hybrid: there’s no touchscreen and the hinge lets you fold the display screen again by solely round 130 levels. As well as, the lovable splash of color across the again of the hinge makes the Acer seem a extra ‘enjoyable’ laptop computer to onlookers than the precise consumer. And that’s high-quality, in my view.

A number of different elements of this laptop computer function reminders that the Acer Swift 3X is a extra entry-level laptop computer, whose price is boosted on account of its maxed-out internals. The touchpad is a first-rate instance.

It’s a comparatively small rectangle of plastic, not the textured glass on provide within the Lenovo Yoga 7 Slim. There’s an unusually massive ‘useless zone’ on the high, the place the mechanical clicker turns into onerous to press. The Acer Swift 3X has a reasonably fundamental touchpad, one which feels a bit low cost.

Its keyboard is healthier. Key journey is respectable and there’s a backlight, though you possibly can’t management its stage – it’s both on or off.

I’d slightly kind on the Swift 3 than one of many costlier laptops that include an ultra-shallow keyboard. Nonetheless, I dug out the 2 laptops I hold citing on this overview, the HP Envy 13 and Lenovo Yoga 7 Slim, to see how they evaluate. Whereas there isn’t an enormous quantity in it, the Swift 3X has my least favorite key really feel of the three.

As you possibly can see within the picture above, the Acer additionally has a small fingerprint scanner beneath the arrow keys.

Display

• The Swift 3X incorporates a 14-inch Full HD display screen
• Matte show prevents annoying reflections
• No touchscreen help

The Acer Swift 3X 14-inch Full HD display screen affords one of the vital vital causes to purchase this laptop computer over the rival HP and Lenovo fashions. It’s a matte show, one that every one however nullifies the impact of reflections that would seem stark and worsening on a shiny laptop computer.

I used a colorimeter to see how properly the display screen performs. Most brightness is pretty good at 360 nits. You should utilize the Acer Swift 3X confidently outside, which is nice. A matte end will even show helpful at these time you may be working near a giant vivid window that casts distracting reflections. This end alone could make the Acer Swift 3X a more sensible choice than some alternate options.

Nonetheless, Acer doesn’t depend on the matte end alone; the Swift 3X’s color is on par with costlier laptops. It covers 98.5% of sRGB, 70.6% of Adobe RGB and 74.8% of the DCI-P3 color commonplace.

Which means whereas the Acer Swift 3 doesn’t have a large sufficient color gamut show for professional-grade content material creation, it appears to be like properly saturated and daring to the bare eye. Distinction of 1159:1 is nothing particular – it’s a typical outcome for a mid-level LCD – however it is a laptop computer that thrives out on this planet, not locked in a darkish room.

The opposite two factors to notice are that whereas matte screens are extremely sensible, there’s a purpose shiny panels are extra common. They make the display screen picture ‘pop’ that bit extra. And, as talked about earlier, the Acer Swift 3X doesn’t have a contact layer.

Efficiency

• Intel Xe Max GPU is nice for content material creation
• …however gaming efficiency isn’t nice
• Incredible CPU productiveness efficiency

Lastly, we get to the first purpose to decide on an Acer Swift 3X aside from its matte display screen: efficiency.

My overview mannequin options an Intel Core i5-1135G7 CPU, 8GB of RAM, an Intel Xe Max GPU and a 512GB SSD. These are entry-level specs for the slim and lightweight class. Nonetheless, the benchmark outcomes present that the Swift 3X can really compete with some laptops which can be a category up.

The Swift 3X scored 5338 in Geekbench 5, to the 5048 of the Core i7 (and much pricier) Huawei MateBook X Professional. It managed 4785 factors within the extra constant PCMark 10 check, which is similar to the 4816 of the MateBook X Professional.

These are nice outcomes for a Core i5 system, and my greatest guess is that that is all the way down to the Intel Xe Max’s “Deep Hyperlink” function. This lets the CPU draw on the GPU’s energy to enhance common efficiency. And, judging by these outcomes, it will get you Core i7 energy out of the Core i5 in a minimum of some conditions. Not unhealthy.

Nonetheless, the Intel Xe Max appears to principally assist multi-threaded workloads, because the Swift 3X’s single-core outcomes are extra acquainted Core i5 fare.

The Acer Swift 3X has the fitting warmth dispersal system to utilize this energy, too. I used the Heavy Load stress tester app to see if efficiency would dip after some time, as can typically occur with skinny and lightweight laptops. With the GPU and CPU maxed for 45 minutes, there was no compromise. The outcome was the identical as firstly.

Most factors for the Intel Xe Max? Not fairly. Whereas the Acer Swift 3X sees aggressive benchmark outcomes (by way of 3DMark Time Spy) with the Nvidia MX450-equipped HP Envy 13, the leads to precise video games appear to be much better with the extra acquainted Nvidia {hardware}.

Loading up the exact same scene in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, at Extremely graphics, the Acer Swift 3X was caught at 40fps whereas the HP Envy 13 with MX450 graphics managed 60fps. Not even shut.

This can be all the way down to under-optimised drivers, however Intel has additionally mentioned that the Intel Xe Max isn’t actually supposed to be a gaming chipset. If you’d like good gaming efficiency with out an costly discrete graphics card, an Nvidia MX450 is a significantly better alternative. However, I’ve to provide Intel credit score right here, what the Intel Xe Max can do for common efficiency does appear mighty spectacular.

That can have an effect on real-world outcomes when video enhancing, utilizing Photoshop for taxing picture processing – just about something the place the CPU turns into strained, or there are heavy blended CPU/GPU workloads.

You gained’t be stunned to be taught that the Acer Swift 3X isn’t the quietest slim and lightweight laptop computer. However given its constant and robust efficiency, I feel the sunshine whirr it produces below strain might be forgiven. The sound by no means reaches that of a bigger, higher-voltage CPU laptop computer – a gaming mannequin, for instance.

Battery life

• Lasted 10 hours in our battery benchmark check
• Devoted energy port, and one Thunderbolt 4.0 port

The Acer Swift 3X has a 58.7Wh battery, which is a reasonably commonplace measurement for this model of laptop computer. Acer says it’ll last as long as 17.5 hours, which is – you’ve guessed it – a bit formidable in most real-world eventualities.

I set the display screen to 150 nits brightness – a snug stage indoors – operating PCMark 10’s Fashionable Workplace benchmark. This simulates moderately gentle on a regular basis work duties. The Acer Swift 3X lasted 10hrs, 1min.

This can be a completely strong run-time, one which compares properly with different Intel CPU laptops. Nonetheless, I discover AMD Ryzen CPU gadgets are inclined to last more – and in case you can stretch to a MacBook Air M1, it’ll final considerably longer than this Acer when given extra taxing stuff to do.

The Acer Swift 3X makes use of a cylindrical plug charger, not the extra stylish USB-C model. Nevertheless it additionally has a extra numerous connections than nearly all of higher-end fashions.

You solely get one Thunderbolt 4.0 port, however that is the equal of getting two in a laptop computer with USB-C charging. There are additionally two full-size USB 3.2 ports, a headphone jack and a full-size HDMI, which is welcome.