Between chip shortages, supply chain disruptions and inflation, it can seem impossible to find a high-end laptop under $2,000. Acer’s 16-inch Swift Edge model, however, proves that it’s still possible to buy an ultrabook-class laptop not just for less than $2,000, but also for $500 less. Its thin and light chassis, its Ryzen 7 processor, its DDR5 memory and its 4K screen are all elements that make you think of the high end, while its price is more than 500 euros lower than that of MacBook Pros of size and similar equipment.
Of course, that surprisingly low price comes with a few concessions you need to be aware of. High-end design and ultra-rigid construction are abandoned here in favor of raw power. Battery life is also shorter than more expensive models. In exchange, you get performance that can handle anything you throw at it, and it does it fast.
This article will help you decide if the balance Acer has struck between performance, build quality, and price makes the Swift Edge the perfect laptop for you.
Acer Swift Edge 16-inch specs
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Processor : AMD Ryzen 7 6800U - Display : 16-inch OLED panel in 3840×2400 with a refresh rate of 60 Hz
- Memory : 16 GB DDR5 (up to 32 GB available)
- Storage : 1TB NVME Gen 4 SSD
- Camera: 1080p at 60FPS
- Battery : 54 Wh, runtime up to 10.5 hours
- Ports: 2 x USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 (up to 20 Gbps with DisplayPort over USB), 2 x USB-A 3.2 Gen 1, 1 x HDMI 2.1 (HDCP support), 1 headphone/mic combo jack Wi-Fi 6E connectivity, Bluetooth 5.2
- Weight and dimensions: 1.17kg | 356.7 x 242.3 x 12.95 millimeters
Acer Swift Edge 16-inch build quality
The lid is moderately prone to fingerprints in the “Olivine Black” version. Michael Gariffo/ZDNET
I would say this is the least impressive aspect of the Swift Edge. While no part of the laptop is poorly made, the majority of the materials are… usable. The outer shell, for example, is all-metal, but it’s a thinner metal than most laptops, and it’s more flexible than I’d like.
The integrated trackpad rises a little above the rest of the structure to provide a particularly responsive and pleasant experience in a Windows laptop. Michael Gariffo/ZDNET
This theme continues on the keyboard. It offers a medium level of comfort and hitting feel, with some softness in the hitting area. That said, the touchpad offers a satisfying mechanical click, and is as responsive and precise as any I’ve used on a Windows laptop recently.
The 4K screen, the highlight of the system, is surrounded by pleasantly thin edges, allowing its magnificent OLED panel to shine (we’ll come to that). The larger 16:9 aspect ratio also provides ample screen real estate for working and browsing websites. This beauty and practicality goes a long way to obliterating the outer shell and keyboard that might look out of place on a much cheaper laptop.
Acer Swift Edge 16-inch Features and Ports
The pair of full-size USB-A ports is a rare giveaway these days, especially on such a thin laptop. Michael Gariffo/ZDNET
Another good thing is the port selection on the Swift Edge. While some pricey models add even more expense by requiring dongles and adapters, this more economical model from Acer offers two USB-A ports and two USB-C ports, which is probably enough to cover your peripheral and data bases. storage. It also adds extra flexibility to your setup by extending the included HDMI 2.1 port with DisplayPort over USB Type-C support for additional monitors.
Those extra screens might struggle to compete with the Swift Edge’s built-in screen. I sometimes hesitated about the need for 4K screens under 24 inches. But the extreme pixel density and gorgeous color saturation (provided by the OLED panel) kept me quiet and enjoying the show. Video streaming was crisp, with deep, rich blacks, while text was razor sharp at all sizes.
The glossy coating is also more resistant to background reflections than other models I’ve recently reviewed. Between that and the 400 nits of brightness, you shouldn’t have any issues working in direct sunlight. Of course, this beautiful display consumes electricity, but we’ll talk about that in the next section.
About this webcam…
I should also mention the included 1080p webcam. I won’t be as harsh as I was on the built-in webcam in Lenovo’s ThinkPad Z16. There are two reasons for this. First, Acer didn’t make the webcam a showpiece, listing it on its spec sheet as a fairly average 1080p portable camera, contrary to Lenovo’s decision to highlight it permanently on the lid of his cellphone. Second, despite this lack of attention, webcam performance is about the same as Lenovo’s webcam: exactly what you’d expect from an average-quality 1080p webcam built into such a thin laptop. and light.
It’s not the worst I’ve ever used, but it’s slightly noisy and doesn’t deliver as high HD quality as expected, which most laptop webcams do. Nevertheless, it is quite usable for Zoom calls and the like.
Finally, I want to point out that the built-in stereo speakers are very good. They won’t blow you away, but they also don’t distort your sound or get too muddy at high volumes, which is nice for media consumption.
Acer Swift Edge 16-inch performance and battery life
The default wallpaper does a great job of showing off everything from the rich, dark blacks that OLED can deliver, to the crisp, highly saturated 4K resolution. Michael Gariffo/ZDNET
This is where the sacrifices on other aspects of the Swift Edge pay off. The Ryzen 7 CPU and 16GB of DDR5 RAM (the latest current standard) provided outstanding performance in almost every task I gave them. Basic Windows and productivity actions have always been instantaneous, even when trying to bog down the device with numerous browser tabs open and multiple programs running. While it can’t quite match the Ryzen 9 CPU of Lenovo’s ThinkPad Z16, it comes pretty close.
The one area where it fell short was gaming. I have to stress that the Swift Edge is not marketed as a gaming PC. However, most high-end laptops range can generally play most mid-range games, although they can’t deliver usable frame rates on AAA titles. The performance of the Swift Edge is barely usable in games like Overwatch 2 and Valorant, and are perfect for older titles like League of Legends or any other retro/2D games you might like. Still, I wouldn’t recommend it for anything other than very occasional gaming.
Gaming performance is a nice bonus in a laptop for work or school, but battery life is usually paramount. Acer rates the Swift Edge at 10.5 hours for video playback and 7.5 hours by a MobileMark 2018 benchmark. I found the lower figure closer to reality. Most full charges lasted around 5.5-7 hours. Cranking the system all the way could drop that number to as low as 3 hours, while applying a few modest battery-saving measures could drop it to 8 hours. However, applying what I consider an average variety of tasks, I find 6.5 hours per charge to be a realistic expectation.
That means you shouldn’t expect all-day battery life. But it’s never been realistic to expect a 16-inch screen with 4K resolution to match 13-inch laptops with HD screens that last more than 10 hours. This is another trade-off worth highlighting. If you absolutely need more than 10 hours of battery life, you’ll need to consider a smaller, lower resolution screen, or a heavier laptop. You can’t have it all, especially at this price point.
to summarize
I hope I’ve illustrated the pros and cons of the Swift Edge in a way that helps you decide if its good and bad points suit your needs. I think the ideal owner would be someone who can take full advantage of the big 4K screen. If you constantly have to fight low battery life, or if you’re just doing basic productivity work, all those pixels will be wasted.
On the other hand, if you are a content creator who produces photos or videos in 4K resolution or a content consumer who wants his streaming videos to look optimal, you will savor all that this OLED panel has to offer. You’ll also need to plug in occasionally so your work or entertainment isn’t interrupted, but not for long thanks to the included 65W charger.
There are options that will let you have it all, but you’ll have to shell out upwards of $500 more, and even then you’ll have to give up things like a 4K display. This fact alone makes the Swift Edge a great budget option for the buyer who needs a solid, capable laptop with one of the best 16-inch screens I’ve seen in a laptop under $2,000. .
Alternatives to Acer’s 16-inch Swift Edge to consider
If build quality is more important to you than a 4K display, and you can afford to stretch your budget a bit, Lenovo’s ThinkPad Z16 is a beautifully crafted laptop with a powerful Ryzen 9 at its heart.
If you need something with longer battery life, Dell’s XPS 13 Plus is among the latest and greatest all-day laptops, with a battery life of over 13 hours.
Finally, note that Apple’s latest 16-inch MacBook Pro is the battery king with up to 21 hours of use thanks to its extremely powerful and highly integrated M1 Pro core.
Source: “ZDNet.com”