Acer Swift Edge (2023) review

The Acer Swift Edge is a high-end laptop computer made to steadiness portability and show measurement. It weighs lower than 1.2kg however has a 16in display screen, significantly bigger than most ultraportable laptops.  

These type of specs aren’t actually potential with typical laptop computer design, pushing Acer to search for each alternative to shave off a number of grams.  

The tip outcome: Acer’s Swift Edge is a strong laptop computer that can go well with individuals who journey rather a lot for work. However there are a number of points within the construct and design which implies the Swift Edge doesn’t fairly hit the heights of the LG Gram sequence, which initially put this type of laptop computer within the highlight.  

Design & Construct

• Tremendous-light magnesium aluminium alloy body 
• Comparatively poor panel rigidity 
• Sober, plain-looking design 

The Swift Edge is exceptionally mild contemplating it has a 16in display screen. 1.17kg could be thought of mild for a 13in laptop computer, not to mention one this massive.

How Acer achieves that is by utilizing a whole lot of the identical methods and compromises because the LG Gram 16 – the laptop computer that the Swift Edge is clearly gunning for. It might have aspirations to woo some folks away from a MacBook Air, too.

The Acer Swift Edge’s physique panels are constituted of magnesium alloy, and judging by how the Edge feels, they’re fairly skinny. Each a part of this laptop computer flexes slightly bit, together with the keyboard base the place it begins to influence use. 

Shedding this a lot weight, then, actually entails compromises. Are they price it? In the event you journey on a regular basis, positive. If the Acer Swift Edge will keep in your desk at house or within the workplace 90% of the time, not a lot.  

Whereas we’re not fearful in regards to the Edge’s longevity, there’s a sure hollowness to the typing we don’t love. And it’s not evident in rivals that aren’t the product of an obsession with weight reduction.  

The Acer Swift Edge can be a reasonably plain-looking laptop computer. It has a raised plastic display screen bezel – the display screen’s entrance layer can be plastic, partially as a result of glass would add an excessive amount of weight. The main focus right here is on portability and, at 13mm thick, the Edge slips into carry-on baggage after airport safety as if it have been an outsized iPad.

Keyboard and touchpad

• Shallow keyboard feels slightly obscure 
• Plastic touchpad is a disappointment 
• Fundamental 2-level white key backlight

There’s a sure ‘hollowness’ to the texture of typing on the Swift Edge, as a result of the important thing stroke pressure reverberates across the body. Keys are additionally shallow, and the motion is quick and lightweight, not meaty and substantial like a desktop keyboard.

Andrew Williams / Foundry

In fact, no laptop computer keyboard can match a desktop, however right here the typing expertise right here is okay at finest. There may be a minimum of a two-level backlight.  

There’s more odd stuff within the touchpad. This can be a plastic pad, which is weird given the Acer Swift Edge’s value. When you get to round $1000 / £1000 you possibly can often count on a easy glass pad.  

Whereas the Acer Swift Edge’s touchpad floor feels okay it does have a little bit of plastic squeakiness that textured glass avoids. Click on depth varies fairly dramatically based mostly on the place you press on the pad. Whereas that’s regular for a mechanical clicker, it’s extra noticeable than traditional on the Swift Edge.

Put merely, the touchpad feels prefer it belongs on a less expensive laptop computer and if it’s plastic simply to shave off a number of grams, it actually wasn’t price it.

Andrew Williams / Foundry

What is nice is the fingerprint sensor constructed into the facility button. This implies you possibly can log into Home windows with out getting into a PIN or password. It really works reliably, too.  

Display 

• Excessive color depth 
• 4K decision appears sharp 
• Shiny plastic floor 

The Acer Swift Edge has a high-end show, however that will not be instantly obvious as a result of it has a plastic end. Trendy eyeballs are used to seeing reflective glass shows, which have a sure high quality the Edge lacks.   

Nonetheless, our colorimeter shortly uncovered the truth of the state of affairs. The Acer Swift Edge’s distinction is predictably superior as that is an OLED panel which implies emissive pixels. Color depth is incredible and, crucially, Acer hasn’t given the Edge a comically oversaturated default presentation.  

Sadly, there aren’t any baked-in color profiles – the rival Samsung Galaxy E-book 360 3 has modes to stick extra closesly to requirements like sRGB, DCI P3 and Adobe RGB.

Andrew Williams / Foundry

Acer says this can be a DIsplayHDR500 display screen, that means it ought to have the ability to attain 500 nits brightness. Nonetheless, we may solely tease 400 nits out of it – the best brightness could also be reserved for HDR content material. It’s vivid sufficient to make outside use possible however, as a result of it’s shiny and reflective, it’s not as simple to see underneath these circumstances as an anti-reflective matt one.   

Sharpness is great due to the 16:10 3840 x 2400 pixel decision.  

There are a number of little restricted parts, although. The display screen can tilt again by round 130 levels solely, and it isn’t a touchscreen. You received’t have the ability to use any kind of stylus with this laptop computer both. Plus, it’s a 60Hz display screen, not a excessive refresh fee one.

Efficiency 

• Good efficiency 
• Fan noise will get distracting underneath load 
• Higher for gaming than present Intel rivals 

The Acer Swift Edge has an AMD Ryzen 7 6800U processor, 16GB RAM and a 1TB SSD. It’s a superb spec that gives scope for critical work, video modifying and so forth.  

Its AMD processor additionally has an essential edge over the rival Intel Core i7-1360p: a quicker graphics chipset. The graphics {hardware} right here makes use of tech much like that of the Steam Deck, however with extra energy on faucet.  

Andrew Williams / Foundry

This implies you possibly can play various moderately impressive-looking video games, simply not on the display screen’s native 4K decision. Our exams present it solely attracts 24-25W watts of energy, beneath the said max TDP of 28W, however the Asus ZenBook S13 OLED has the identical steady max energy draw, suggesting that is the norm for the chipset. Not that it’s your traditional measurement, however the energy per gram on supply right here is great.

Underneath stress, the Acer Swift Edge suffers from the identical concern as various super-thin laptops – the noticeable high-pitched whir of the cooling fan. Whereas the precise noise stage isn’t that prime, the character is a bit like that of a tiny jet airplane. Nonetheless, throughout mild work it’s petty a lot silent.  

Battery life and options 

• Worse-than-claimed battery life 
• First rate 1080p webcam 

The LG Gram vary confirmed us super-low weight doesn’t must imply super-short battery life. And the Swift Edge has a few of the proper parts for nice stamina too, utilizing an AMD Ryzen processor. These usually result in longer battery life than an Intel counterpart, and Acer claims 10.5 hours.

The fact, although, left us disenchanted. In our office-work take a look at, it lasted seven hours and 40 minutes, not fairly managing a full day of labor away from the mains. However when you have dangerous browser tab etiquette, leaving stacks of the issues open, or wish to do one thing more difficult than writing paperwork and having the odd Zoom name, you’ll be reaching for the charger even sooner.

We saved an eye fixed on the battery stage whereas doing each day work on the laptop computer – largely writing and researching this overview. It misplaced 16% cost in an hour, suggesting stamina of simply six hours and quarter-hour, which isn’t nice. 

Andrew Williams / Foundry

It’s a combined bag elsewhere. We have been pleasantly stunned by the webcam. Its pinhole lens appears completely tiny however this can be a 1080p digital camera, and a fairly good one.  

Audio system aren’t good, although. There’s no bass right here, and though readability and projection are high-quality, the Edge doesn’t have the chops to make music sound a lot good. 

Andrew Williams / Foundry

Connectivity-wise, the Acer provides virtually all the things you’d want on the go, bar any type of reminiscence card reader. There are two USB-C ports, though they’re 10Gbps USB 3.2 connectors – slower than the Thunderbolt sort you’ll count on from an Intel CPU laptop computer at this stage. You get a full-size HDMI output, a blessing for these occasions you simply must shortly hook up a TV or monitor. It’s a excessive bandwidth HDMI 2.1 port, too.  

Andrew Williams / Foundry

There are additionally two conventional USB-A connectors that run at as much as 5Gbps.

Value and Availability 

The Acer Swift Edge prices £1499/$1499 and, in the UK at least, there’s no selection of fashions.

You get an AMD Ryzen 7 6800U CPU, 16GB RAM and a 1TB SSD. These make it a greater deal than it might have initially appeared, given the baseline specs for ultrabooks are nonetheless 8GB RAM and a 256GB SSD.  

The Apple MacBook Professional 16 with as shut a spec as potential prices twice as a lot, which helps to place it into perspective.

Verdict 

The Acer Swift Edge supplies wonderful efficiency and display screen actual property for its weight, making it top-of-the-line choices should you want a laptop computer that’s as mild as potential for travelling however don’t wish to compromise on what your laptop computer can do.  

Nonetheless, compromises have been made to get to its super-low weight. Typing isn’t an excellent expertise and using a plastic touchpad grates at this value. It’s hardly a shock that the audio system aren’t any actual use for music, however the comparatively poor battery life may effectively be a deal-breaker. Clearly, we didn’t take a look at the Swift Edge to destruction, however sturdiness is a priority given how a lot this laptop computer flexes.

Whereas Acer has doubtless achieved its design targets right here, the sacrifices made to get there make it onerous to advocate the Swift Edge unconditionally.

So if you wish to know which laptop computer you ought to purchase, then check out our roundup of one of the best laptops and in addition our overview of the LG Gram 17 and Huawei MateBook 16s.

Specs

• Mannequin examined
• OS: Home windows 11 House
• Show: 16in 3480 x 2400 60Hz OLED
• CPU: AMD Ryzen 6800U
• Reminiscence: 16GB onboard
• Graphics: AMD Radeon
• Storage: 1TB PCIe NVMe M.s SSD
• Webcam: 1080p
• Connectivity: 2 x USB-C 3.2 Gen 2, HDMI 2.1. 2x USB-A 3.2
• Networking: Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2
• Battery capability: 54Wh
• Charger: 65W
• Dimensions: 356.7 x 242.3 x 13.95mm
• Weight: 1.17kg
• Guarantee: 1yr RTB