Image: Cesar Cadenas/ZDNET.
The main points to remember
- The Acer Swift Edge 16 offers solid performance and a stunning OLED display in a razor-thin form factor.
- The Swift Edge 16 can handle large workloads with ease thanks to the AMD Ryzen 7 7735U processor, and you’ll look good in meetings thanks to its 1440-pixel webcam.
- The laptop suffers from a flimsy plastic build and a soft keyboard that makes typing less enjoyable.
Fly like a butterfly, sting like a bee: no other laptop sums up Muhammad Ali’s famous phrase as well as Acer’s. I say this because the computer is incredibly lightweight, measuring less than 13mm thick when closed and weighing 1.23kg. But unlike its slim appearance, the laptop is equipped with a beautiful 16-inch OLED display with a resolution of 3.2K (3200 x 2000 pixels) which I instantly liked.
The high quality display is possible thanks to support for the VESA DisplayHDR TrueBlack 500 format and the fact that it covers the entire DCI-P3 color space. The first allows you to obtain deep and abysmal blacks, while the second allows you to obtain rich and saturated colors. What a feast for the eyes!
For the test, I watched a few episodes of the animated series Demon Slayer and I noticed a fabric-like texture in the opening of the series that I’ve never seen before. The amount of detail could even make the flower’s streaks stand out on the default wallpaper. Additionally, the edges surrounding the glass are thin, making the screen appear larger than it is. But there’s more to the Swift Edge 16 than that. Let me take a look at it.
A screen this beautiful must be accompanied by adequate hardware. Under the hood, my test model was equipped with an AMD Ryzen 7840U processor paired with an integrated AMD Radeon graphics card. It’s not the best setup in the world, but the Swift Edge 16’s performance was sufficient for the majority of my use cases.
I had about 50 tabs open on Google Chrome with videos playing in the background. Not once did I notice a drop in frame rate: everything ran smoothly. I should point out that my computer was equipped with 16 GB of RAM, which certainly allowed the Acer Swift Edge 16 to perform at its best. You should also know that this laptop has a big appetite.
As usual, I tested the battery by playing a looping YouTube video of 720 pixels resolution and with brightness set to 50%. It lasted almost six hours before running out of juice, which is only good enough for users who need low to moderate power consumption.
Another great feature of this laptop is its fantastic 1440-pixel webcam. It outperforms the competition with crystal clear images and is further enhanced with Windows Studio Effects. These software tools automatically blur the background and adjust the frame so that you always stay in the center of the image. I liked that the laptop did everything for me and made sure I looked good on video calls.
However, not everything is rosy with this Swift Edge 16 laptop. I found its overall design to be rather plain. This is a standard, all-black laptop that you’ve probably seen thousands of times before. But if you’re looking for a discreet machine, you’ll love it.
When it comes to the keyboard, I have mixed feelings. I like its full format, with a numeric keypad on the side. I actually prefer full-sized keyboards because they are more comfortable on my hands. In addition, the set of directional arrows can be used when the bottom ones are too small.
But even though it was roomy, the keyboard had a horrible typing feel. The keys are soft and lack the responsiveness I usually look for on laptops. This problem is further compounded by the fact that the laptop is made entirely of plastic. It’s strange that we chose this cheap and flimsy material, since it’s essentially a larger version of an ultraportable laptop. I wish Acer had made the device more robust for travel.
Image: Cesar Cadenas/ZDNET.
Also, I’m not a fan of the backlighting. Only when lying down can you see the lights better. This forces you to sit in a position that may not be very comfortable. It is possible to increase the brightness, but this does not solve the problem. The backspace key is also not illuminated well enough.
ZDNET Buying Tips
Over the past two years or so, 16-inch laptops have carved out an interesting niche for themselves. They offer excellent overall performance in a premium form factor. And with this Acer Swift Edge 16, I see a warning sign. I can imagine this type of laptop becoming more and more common, as it offers multiple and practical possibilities. I really liked this computer despite its flaws. Its screen looks great (one of the best I’ve seen in a while) and its overall performance is solid.
Source: ZDNet.com