Acer Swift 3 review: A big screen on a modest budget

Worth When Reviewed

$999

Finest Costs Right now

$849.00

Free

$959.99

Free

Massive laptops are again in type. As soon as all however deserted, 16 and 17-inch laptops are as soon as once more broadly out there. Most fashions are costly, nonetheless, and that’s very true of 16-inch machines. 

Enter the Acer Swift 3 SF316-51. This mainstream 16-inch laptop computer has loads of show actual property and a slim profile but carries a mid-range MSRP of $999. On-line retailers have bought it for as little as $849. That’s an alluring value for a big, succesful laptop computer, however there’s a catch. Battery life is lower than stellar and efficiency falls behind in relation to extra demanding apps. When you can reside with these trade-offs, the Swift 3 has an enormous display and is priced moderately.

Acer Swift 3 SF316-51 specs and options

The Swift 3 SF316-51 packs numerous worth, episcally when bought under its $999 MSRP. It has an Intel Core i7-11370H with 4 cores, plus 16GB of RAM and a 512GB stable state drive. That’s numerous RAM and storage for the cash.

• CPU: Intel Core i7-11370H
• Reminiscence: 16GB
• Graphics/GPU: Intel Iris Xe
• Show: 16-inch 1080p LCD
• Storage: 512GB PCIe stable state drive
• Webcam: 720p
• Connectivity: 1x USB-C (with DisplayPort Alt Mode, 65 watts Energy Supply, Thunderbolt 4), 2x USB-A 3.2 Gen 1, 1x HDMI, 1x 3.5mm combo audio, 1x barrel-plug energy jack
• Networking: Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.0
• Biometrics: Fingerprint reader
• Battery capability: 55 watt-hour
• Dimensions: 0.63 x 9.3 x 14.5 inches
• Weight: 3.86 kilos

Acer additionally has a variant with an Intel Core i5-11300H processor, 8GB of RAM, and a 512GB stable state drive, nevertheless it’s at the moment bought solely by Acer’s on-line retailer and Costco. The laptop computer I reviewed will rating higher in processor benchmarks however except for that and diminished RAM within the entry-level model, the 2 fashions are very related.

Design and construct high quality

IDG / Matthew Smith

The Acer Swift 3, like so a lot of Acer’s laptops, has a generic look that appears ordered by the pound. Nonetheless, this laptop computer’s mid-range value level is clear when in comparison with Acer’s funds Aspire sequence. Upgrading to the Swift gives a extra engaging metallic chassis with an expensive gunmetal hue.

My solely aesthetic criticism issues are the important thing caps, that are darker and lack the glint of the encircling materials. This cheapens the look of the laptop computer. Keyboard backlighting is commonplace however extra practical than engaging, as vital gentle escapes across the edges of every key. 

Construct high quality is nice. A little bit of flex is clear when dealing with the laptop computer roughly and shifting the show, nevertheless it’s minor and never distracting in day-to-day use. The Swift 3 feels tightly constructed and has a notable edge over Asus’ Vivobook line and lower-end Dell Inspiron laptops. 

The Swift 3 weighs in at solely 3.86 kilos. That’s lighter than most 15 and 16-inch laptops, together with premium fashions just like the MacBook Professional 16 and Dell XPS 15. It’s simply .63 inches thick, which is a tad thinner than LG’s Gram 16. Nonetheless, the Acer weighs a few pound greater than the light-weight LG.

Keyboard and trackpad

IDG / Matthew Smith

The Acer Swift 3 has a snug keyboard with good key journey and really feel. The 16-inch show gives room for a spacious and standard format, and the chunky palmrest means customers with giant arms are much less more likely to discover their palms dangling within the air. 

There’s a lot area, in reality, that Acer crams in a numpad. The numpad pushes the remainder of the keyboard to the left, which might add errors when touch-typing and feels uncomfortable when incessantly utilizing the touchpad. When you want the numpad, nonetheless, you’ll respect its inclusion. 

Acer makes use of the massive palmrest to supply a big touchpad with loads of room to be used of WIndows’ extra elaborate multi-touch gestures. The touchpad’s floor doesn’t really feel luxurious however ]a lot smoother than the encircling materials, which makes it simple to search out whereas typing. 

Show, audio

The 16-inch show may appear disappointing at first. It makes do with 1080p decision and lacks the options you’ll discover in costlier opponents. It’s a easy, edge-lit LCD with a 60Hz refresh price. Don’t let that idiot you. The show is nice. It gives depth and wealthy, lifelike shade. 

Loading the teaser trailer for the newest Star Wars present, Obi-Wan, gave the show an opportunity to indicate off. The comparatively stable distinction ratio of 1440:1 gives dimension and element in darker scenes, whereas the show’s correct shade correctly shows the dusty, choking beige of Tatoonie’s countless desert. 

Does it beat a MacBook Professional 16 or XPS 15 with OLED? After all not. Nonetheless, the Swift 3 is spectacular for its value. 

The Swift 3’s most brightness is simply 317 nits, which isn’t excessive sufficient for comfy viewing open air. The matte coating minimizes glare, nonetheless, so room lighting received’t simply drown out the show.

Audio is supplied by audio system positioned above the keyboard and on the laptop computer’s entrance edge. They supply a full, wealthy sound with some trace of bass, however lack the readability to make podcasts or dialogue-heavy reveals pleasing. You’ll need headphones or exterior audio system for critical listening. 

Webcam, microphone, biometrics

A fundamental 720p webcam hides within the Swift 3’s slim higher show bezel and does nothing to repair the same old points that hang-out entry-level laptop computer cameras. Video seems to be noisy in even average lighting. 

Microphone high quality is ok. It had no drawback selecting up my voice from as much as six ft away. Ambient noise will not be effectively dealt with, nonetheless, so any background noise you’ll be able to simply discover is more likely to come by.

A fingerprint reader is included and helps biometric login by Home windows Hiya. It’s dependable in superb circumstances however could be tripped up by a barely off-angle place or a little bit of grime.

Connectivity

IDG / Matthew Smith

A USB-C port with Thunderbolt 4, DisplayPort Alternate Mode, and as much as 65 watts of Energy Supply (sufficient to cost the laptop computer) could be discovered on the Swift 3’s left flank. It’s a pleasant perk for a laptop computer on this value vary. You should utilize it to attach a show, cost the laptop computer, or rapidly switch knowledge to stable state exterior storage. 

USB-C is paired with two USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 ports, one on all sides of the laptop computer. A full-sized HDMI port and a combo audio jack spherical out the wired connectivity. Sure, which means Ethernet is lacking, although you’ll be able to nonetheless use Ethernet by a USB-C hub. 

Whereas it may cost over USB-C, Acer ships the Swift 3 with a small 65-watt energy brick with a barrel plug. I would like a USB-C charger, however the one supplied is small and light-weight. 

Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0 are supplied by an Intel AX201 wi-fi adapter, a typical half discovered in lots of laptops. It gives wonderful efficiency right here, reaching speeds of over 600Mbps when in the identical room as a Wi-Fi 6 router. Speeds had been typically between 200 and 100Mbps in different rooms. Bluetooth connectivity was additionally dependable and maintained a connection to Bluetooth headphones as much as 30 ft away. 

Efficiency

Intel’s Core i7-11370H powered the Acer Swift 3 I obtained for overview and it’s a somewhat odd duck. 

The i7-11370H has 4 cores and eight threads, identical to the extra frequent Core i5-1135G7 and Core i7-1165G7 processors. It will probably use extra energy, nonetheless, as its specs record a configurable thermal design energy between 28 and 35 watts. A Core i7-1165G7, by comparability, operates inside 12 to twenty-eight watts. 

Put merely, the i7-11370H is designed to make use of extra energy in demanding workloads and this delivers an enchancment in efficiency. 

The Intel processor is supported by 16GB of RAM and a 512GB stable state drive. These specs should not unusual for this value however good worth. Most 16-inch laptops with related {hardware} are a number of hundred {dollars} costlier. 

Let’s get into the benchmarks. 

IDG / Matthew Smith

The Swift 3 begins off with an honest PCMark 10 rating of 5,032, which is significantly better than the Acer Aspire 5’s Intel Core i5-1135G7 processor. That’s value remembering, because the Core i5-1135G7 is discovered in lots of equally priced laptops. 

Unsurprisingly, the AMD Ryzen 7 5700U is a extra critical contender. It has twice the core depend and is ready to squeak out a notable victory over the Swift 3’s i7-11370H. Intel will not be far behind, however it is a win for AMD powered laptops.

IDG / Matthew Smith

The Cinebench outcomes are just like PCMark 10. The i7-11370H within the Swift 3 performs higher than the Core i5-1135G7 or i7-1185G7, however falls behind the AMD competitors. This, as soon as once more, comes right down to core counts. The eight-core AMD Ryzen 7 5700U is at all times going to beat the i7-11370H in a closely multithreaded CPU check. 

IDG / Matthew Smith

A 4K MKV encoding run of the quick movie Tears of Metal delivers no surprises. Handbrake reveals the Core i7-11370H bettering on its much less power-hungry siblings, however AMD is as soon as once more far within the lead due to its greater core depend. 

IDG / Matthew Smith

Nonetheless, Intel has an ace up its sleeve – Fast Sync Video. This massively improves encoding instances in apps that help it. AMD’s reply to Intel is its personal Video Encoding Engine, which additionally vastly improves efficiency. Nonetheless, Intel’s QSV takes a straightforward win right here. Swift 3 homeowners will certainly need to use QSV when video encoding efficiency is a precedence.

IDG / Matthew Smith

The Core i7-11370H packs a robust model of Intel’s Xe built-in graphics with 96 EUs and a clock velocity of as much as 1.35GHz. It delivers nice outcomes, posting a 3DMark rating effectively above the Ryzen 7 5700U’s built-in graphics and simply behind the Lenovo Yoga 9i. 

That is about as fast as you’ll be able to anticipate from a mid-range laptop computer with out a discrete graphics chip (at the very least till AMD’s Ryzen 6000 arrives) and it’s enough for a lot of much less demanding 3D video games. Titles like Counter-Strike and League of Legends will really feel clean. Extra taxing video games like FInal Fantasy XIV or Misplaced Ark are playable however require some cutbacks in picture high quality settings to remain above 30 frames per second. 

Taken collectively, the benchmark outcomes present a laptop computer that delivers modest however succesful efficiency. The i7-11370H is notably faster than the Core i5-1135G7 and i7-1165G7 which can be frequent in mid-range opponents. Built-in graphics efficiency can also be stable, providing usable speeds for avid gamers who don’t thoughts avoiding titles with cutting-edge graphics. 

AMD’s Ryzen 7 5700U looms giant, nonetheless, because it’s out there on the Swift 3’s value level and might beat the i7-11370H in multithreaded checks. Buyers in want of a mid-range laptop computer that may deal with demanding apps can be higher served by AMD.

Battery life

Acer ships the Swift 3 with a modest 55 watt-hour battery. This isn’t a big battery for a 16-inch laptop computer with a processor barely extra energy hungry than most options, and it reveals. 

IDG / Matthew Smith

The Swift 3 managed simply 5 and a half hours in our commonplace video rundown check. That’s a disappointing consequence that falls wanting many fashionable Home windows laptops. 

I discovered the Swift 3 can final about 5 hours in gentle use. For me, this contains shopping the net, enhancing paperwork in Phrase, utilizing Excel, and sometimes touching up a photograph in GIMP. Extra demanding workloads can lower battery life underneath 5 hours. I seen that one hour-long Google Hangouts name consumed over 1 / 4 of a cost. 

This degree of endurance is ok for journeys to a espresso store or use round the home however could possibly be an issue if you happen to journey incessantly or bounce between convention rooms at an workplace all day.

Software program

This laptop computer is packed to the brim with software program and shortcuts. The taskbar contains each Microsoft Edge and Mozilla Firefox, plus Dropbox and an Amazon shortcut that launches the location within the default browser. Norton Antivirus is put in as effectively and can fortunately remind you of all of the methods hackers can steal your knowledge if you happen to don’t proceed the subscription. 

Conclusion

Acer’s Swift 3 is all concerning the display. It’s among the many most reasonably priced 16-inch laptops out there, rivaled solely by Lenovo’s 16-inch IdeaPad. Regardless of this, the Swift 3 delivers an ideal 1080p display with a excessive distinction ratio and correct shade. It’s superb for multi-tasking, watching motion pictures, and streaming reveals. 

Look previous the show, nonetheless, and the laptop computer is much less thrilling. The Intel Core i7-11370H is often behind AMD’s Ryzen 7 in demanding apps, although Intel’s Xe built-in do handle a win. Battery life is an issue as effectively and makes the Swift 3 of restricted use for journey regardless of its slim, glossy profile. 

This laptop computer is nice for college kids, writers, accountants, researchers, and anybody else who desires an enormous display on a modest funds. When you want multi-threaded efficiency or battery life, nonetheless, think about an AMD various.