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The best Acer Swift 3 in 2021
The best Acer Swift 3
For entry-level models, baseline specs and prices differ depending on your location. If you’re in the US you’ve got the advantage of being able to get your hands on a new Ryzen equipped Swift 3 which retails for $629.99. This AMD variant contains a 4th gen Ryzen 5 4500U – which comes complete with its own integrated graphics and clocks in at an impressive 2.30 GHz on each of its 6 cores. If you’re in the UK, then the baseline models have the 10th gen Intel Core i3 and retail for £599, which is just about the cheapest all-aluminum chassis ultrabook you’ll find anywhere.
The mid-range flagship 10th gen Intel Core i5 models retail for $699 / £699 currently and features integrated Intel UHD graphics, 8GB of RAM, and a 512GB SSD – which is a nice bonus that sets you back a serious premium on the Swift 3’s competitors. For comparison’s sake, a new MacBook Pro 13 with similar specs will currently set you back around $1,499, while a new Dell XPS will cost around $1,099, so you’re definitely getting some value right here.
Build-wise, the Acer Swift 3 features an all-metal chassis that tapers to a slightly wider point at the rear. You’d think this means extra weight, but the new Swift weighs in at just 2.7 pounds, which is MacBook Air territory. It’s also fairly discreet looks-wise, which is a welcome addition for a consumer laptop that’s got such a wide range of applications.
Our recent Acer Swift 3 review gave this little ultrabook a glowing appraisal. We especially liked how lightweight it was, as well as the value on offer considering its performance and premium build quality.
Acer Swift 3 alternatives
The ultrabook toting audience that the Acer Swift 3 is firmly gunning for actually has quite a few alternatives, although most of them don’t offer quite as good value for money as the Swift 3.
At the higher end of the price, spectrum is the amazing Dell XPS 13 and the latest HP Spectre x360, which feature similar specs to the Acer Swift 3 on their baseline models but have much better screens. This comes at a much higher premium though, as the price comparison just below will attest to.
Closer to the price range of the Acer Swift 3 is the Lenovo IdeaPad range and the latest Asus Zenbook’s, which generally retail for around the same price points as the Swift 3. Depending on what’s on sale over at Amazon and other big retailers, both these laptops can offer an attractive alternative to the Swift 3, but keep an eye out and pay close attention to specs like their processors and SSDs.
If they are 8th gen Intel processors or earlier, then it’s a dead giveaway that these aren’t the latest ultrabooks on the market. Similarly, manufacturers tend to try and save a little bit of cash by putting in a 256GB SSD instead of a 512GB, which you can pick up for fairly cheap on an Acer Swift 3.
