Who precisely is the Acer Swift 5 for?

The Acer Swift 5 is Acer’s prime ultraportable laptop computer. It’s primarily the closest factor the corporate has to a MacBook Air competitor. It’s skinny and light-weight, it seems good, and it’s highly effective sufficient for many workplace use instances (although in all probability not for demanding computing workloads).

By and enormous, the previous a number of Swift 5 fashions I’ve reviewed have been the identical bundle. The chassis is 2.65 kilos and 0.59 inches thick with a sturdy aluminum construct. There’s a really good 2560 x 1600 contact show with very skinny bezels across the edges (although I couldn’t for the lifetime of me get it to remain on one shade profile — I used to be always turning on Bluelight Shield and seeing it flip off as quickly as I opened one other app). The gadget is a step above Acer’s famously student-oriented Swift 3 in construct but in addition in worth — my take a look at mannequin is at present going for $1,499 on Acer’s website, whereas a Swift 3 with related specs would solely be $1,129.

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I’m typing this on the Swift 5 proper now. I really feel like I’m typing on a pleasant pc. There’s stable backlighting on the keyboard and a few good gold accents that give the chassis a classy look. I’ve had no hassle getting any of my workplace work finished, together with Zoom calls upon piles of Chrome tabs, on the Core i7 processor.

I might be fast to advocate this mannequin for normal ultraportable use — and maybe give it the “MacBook Air alternative” sticker that’s much-coveted within the Windows house — if it weren’t for the battery life. I’ve been utilizing this gadget on battery at medium brightness for my each day workplace workload (typically 12-20 Chrome tabs with occasional Zoom calls or Spotify streaming), and I’m constantly solely getting round 4 and a half hours of constant use earlier than it dies.

A comparable MacBook Air would price as much as $320 greater than this Swift mannequin, however I might count on to get shut to a few instances the battery life out of it. Even for many who aren’t contemplating a MacBook, there are all types of ultraportables within the Windows house that may get you higher battery outcomes. I’ll refer you to the Zenbook S 13 I simply reviewed, which is cheaper and lighter than this machine, has a higher-resolution display screen, and lasted me near twice as lengthy with this similar workload.

This is all to say that although there are many different nice issues about this 12 months’s Acer Swift 5, the battery life alone makes it a extremely powerful promote for $1,499. It’s simply not the place premium laptops are in 2022.

Who should purchase the Acer Swift 5?

The solely individuals I’m assured are an excellent match for this pc are people who like the feel and appear of the Acer Swift line (which is, at this level, very tried and true). It’s sturdy, doesn’t choose up fingerprints simply, and doesn’t have a lot flex within the chassis. And whereas it’s not the thinnest or lightest laptop computer in the marketplace, it’s fairly moveable for its dimension. It is barely lighter than the MacBook Air, although I wouldn’t say the distinction is tremendous noticeable.

You may additionally think about it in the event you like a easy, silky, and agency touchpad. Many reviewers have praised this one: it’s fairly responsive with a loud and decisive click on, which is getting more durable to seek out as laptops get thinner. The touchpad can also be fabricated from ocean-bound plastic waste (which is sweet, although a very sustainable laptop computer needs to be extra power-efficient than this one).

Swift followers may need to think about the Swift 3. This one isn’t fairly as fancy-looking, but it surely seems to have stable battery life per early reviews (and I’ve acquired a mannequin in my queue to evaluate as nicely). Those who want extra energy than an ultraportable can present might favor the brand new Swift X — this one seems a bit extra just like the Swift 3 than the Swift 5, but it surely comes with a discrete GPU inside.

Outside of the Swift-stan (Swifties?) class, I’m hesitant to advocate this too strongly to anybody specifically with the battery life as it’s. If you’re on the lookout for a normal ultraportable that you would be able to carry round and use in public, I fear that this one may die on you too quick.

There are actually methods patrons may enhance battery life — decrease the display screen brightness, decrease the decision, fiddle with profiles, tweak issues right here and there — however not all prospects will know to do that or need to do that frequently. And I feel it’s essential for a laptop computer, significantly if it’s focusing on the mainstream shopper scene, to work pretty nicely out of the field.