Acer Swift 5 (2022) review: A solid all-rounder
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Performance & conclusion
Performance analysis
To recap, the version of the Swift 5 I’m testing has a Core i7-1260P processor with 16GB of LPDDR5 memory and a 1TB PCIe 4.0 SSD. Here’s how it stacks up against other ultraportable notebooks that I tested recently.
Model | Display | Processor | Memory | Storage | Graphics |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Acer Swift 5 (2022) | 14-inch, WQXGA, IPS, touchscreen | Intel Core i7-1260P | 16GB | 1TB SSD | Intel Iris Xe |
ASUS ZenBook 14 OLED UX3402 | 14-inch, 2.8K, OLED, touchscreen | Intel Core i7-1260P | 16GB | 512GB SSD | Intel Iris Xe |
Huawei MateBook X Pro (2022) | 14.2-inch, 3k, IPS, touchscreen | Intel Core i7-1260P | 16GB | 1TB SSD | Intel Iris Xe |
Lenovo Yoga 9i | 14-inch, 2.8K, OLED, touchscreen | Intel Core i7-1260P | 16GB | 512GB SSD | Intel Iris Xe |
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 Carbon | 14-inch, QHD+, OLED | AMD Ryzen 7 5800U | 16GB | 512GB SSD | NVIDIA GeForce MX450 |
Microsoft Surface Pro 8 | 13-inch, PixelSense Flow, 120Hz refresh rate | Intel Core i7-1185G7 | 16GB | 256GB SSD | Intel Iris Xe |
An interesting thing about the Swift 5 is its cooling system. Most notebooks of this size will typically have a single fan, but Acer employs two and they are connected by twin heat pipes. According to Acer, this improves thermal efficiency by over 65%. What's remarkable about the two fans is that they remain relatively quiet even when taxed. Furthermore, the notebook stays cool even when it was running games.
The Swift 5’s CPU performance was good, particularly in multi-core workloads. It recorded the highest numbers we’ve yet seen for a Core i7-1260P processor on both Cinebench’s and Geekbench’s multi-core workload – outperforming even the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 Carbon which is powered by a Ryzen 7 5800U processor. Its scores on PCMark 10 and WebXPRT were class-leading too. Graphics performance was very decent even if it wasn’t quite as impressive as its CPU numbers. It was just as fast as Lenovo’s Yoga 9i.
Battery life
Note: Battery tests were conducted using PCMark 10's battery benchmark with the display set to 100% brightness.
Battery life was quite good too because despite having a smaller 56Wh battery, it lasted almost just as long as the ASUS ZenBook 14 OLED and Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 Carbon which have larger 75Wh and 61Wh batteries respectively. Its power consumption, particularly on the Modern Office workload, was impressively low, which explains how it managed to last this long despite the small battery. Battery life on the more intensive gaming workload, however, was poor. Again, this can be explained by its power consumption figure, which was the highest.
The best Swift 5 yet
By improving the display and port selection, Acer has made the Swift 5 a very complete notebook. Sure one could nitpick the display and say that it isn’t OLED, but it’s sharp and vibrant enough that I think most buyers won’t care. The port selection is now one of the best. It has two USB-C Thunderbolt 4 ports, two USB-A ports, and even a full-size HDMI 2.1 port. And on the wireless side of things, it supports the newer Wi-Fi 6E standard.
CPU performance was class-leading and it runs quieter and cooler than its rivals. Battery life was also good despite the smaller capacity battery. Apart from its somewhat bland design and slightly small trackpad, there’s little that is wrong with this notebook.
And at S$2,398, it’s also reasonably priced. One could make the case for the ASUS ZenBook 14 UX3402 and say that at S$1,899 it’s even more affordable. However, the ASUS doesn’t perform quite as well, runs noisier and warmer, and has a smaller 512GB SSD. It’s also chunkier and heavier. The ZenBook is great if you are on a tight budget, but the Swift 5's premium is well justified. Furthermore, Acer offers a more affordable variant that comes with a Core i5-1240P processor but still with 16GB of memory and 1TB SSD for S$2,198.
Ultimately, however, both the Acer and ASUS are excellent notebooks that cater to slightly different users. That said, this is easily the best Swift 5 that Acer has made yet and one of the most bang for buck ultraportable notebooks you can buy.
You can find the Acer Swift 5 on the Acer Online Store, Acer Flagship Store on Lazada or the Acer Official Store on Shopee.
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