Acer's Swift 3 will offer AMD and Intel versions with surprising differences review 2020

 Acer Swift 3 will offer AMD and Intel versions with surprising differences

The latest Acer Swift 3 laptops surprised us, debuting in two versions that are slightly different, especially since they contain the latest 7 nm Ryzen 4000 series from AMD or Intel's mobile Ice Lake chips.

After all, this is simply Acer's thin, lightweight mid-price line of the laptop, which is not normally expected to be exciting. Our most recent review of Swift 3 liked most of what we saw, apart from the audio and battery life.

But now, with this announcement Monday at CES in Las Vegas, buyers face a decision from AMD vs. Intel, like the one we recently explored with the Microsoft Surface Laptop 3. Which one should I buy? We won't know until we test them, but a close look at the specifications we know now presents some interesting points of comparison.
Acer Swift 3, AMD vs. Intel

Acer's Intel Swift 3 versions will use Intel's 10nm "Ice Lake" mobile CPUs, ranging from Core i3-1005G1 to Core i7-1065G7. The AMD versions will use one of the new 7 nm moving parts, specifically the AMD Ryzen 7 4700U.


Intel's mobile Ice Lake chips easily surpassed AMD's mobile Ryzen in our fight for the head-to-head title on the Surface Laptop 3. But AMD's Ryzen 7 3780U Radeon RX Vega 11 Surface Edition used the oldest Zen + architecture and its old 12 nm process and lost about 10 percent or so for Intel across the board. Now, AMD is back with the Zen 2 architecture that competed well against Intel on the desktop, plus its 7 nm process. AMD mobile performance should improve significantly.
The AMD and Intel versions of Swift 3 differ in more ways than their CPUs. For starters, the Acer AMD version of the Swift 3 (the SF314-42) has a 14-inch screen, while the Swift 3 with Intel inside (the SF313-52 / G) has a slightly smaller screen of 13.5 inches As a result, the two laptops have slightly different profiles: the 13.5-inch screen of the Intel version is dimensionally smaller but has a higher 3: 2 aspect ratio, so the body of the laptop has a more shaped high and square when closed or open. The 14-inch screen of the AMD version is dimensionally larger but has a wider aspect ratio, so the laptop's body is rectangular and slightly shorter.

The weight of the Swift 3 also changes a lot. While the 2019 version of the Swift 3 we reviewed weighed 3.05 pounds, the new Swift 3 weighs 2.62 pounds (Intel Core) and 2.6 pounds (AMD Ryzen), respectively. Yes, that represents a 15 percent weight loss.
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Acer also seems to be devoting more than the usual amount of attention to refining the Intel version of Swift 3, qualifying the SF313-52 / G as part of Intel's Project Athena program. Typically reserved for flagship devices or "heroes," Project Athena laptops must meet certain expectations for hardware specifications, quick activation, responsiveness, and battery life. It is not clear if Acer set similar expectations for the AMD version of Swift 3, as we will see in other specifications, below.

The biggest difference between AMD and Intel Mobile before has been in battery life, where Intel beat AMD easily in our face-to-face comparison with the Surface Laptop 3. We think we saw more of the same when Acer claimed 16 hours of duration of the battery for the Intel-based Swift 3 and substantially fewer hours for the AMD version. After our story was originally published, Acer decided to go back to the AMD specification, saying that a lower number was an "early projection, and it may not be close to being accurate."

The AMD version has ingredients for better battery life, including its lower resolution screen compared to the Intel model. However, Intel has also invested heavily in its Athena Project engineering, including prolonging battery life. We hope to get more information as we incorporate Ryzen 4000-based laptops to test against Intel rivals.


The AMD version apparently lacks Thunderbolt capabilities too. Both differences are something to consider.

Acer Swift 3 (SF313-52/G, Intel Core) basic specs

• Display: 13.5-inch IPS (2256x1504)
• Processor: Core i3-1005G1, Core i5-1035G1, Core i5-1035G4 or Core i7-1065G7 (all 10th-gen, 10nm Intel “Ice Lake”)
• Graphics: Integrated UHD or Iris Plus graphics
• Memory: Up to 16GB dual-channel LPDDR4X SDRAM
• Storage: PCIe Gen3 8Gb/s NVMe (128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB)
• Ports: USB-C (Thunderbolt 3), 1 USB-A 3.1 Gen1 with power-off charging, I USB-A 2.0, HDMI, 3.5mm jack, DC jack
• Camera: 1280x720, 720p video
• Battery: 56Wh (16 hours battery life)
• Wireless: Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax), 2x2 MIMO; Bluetooth 5.0
• Operating system: Windows 10 Home
• Dimensions: 11.91 x 9.21 x 0.63 inches (15.9mm)
• Weight: 2.62 pounds
• Color/chassis: Aluminum, Magnesium Aluminum
• Price and availability: $699 and up, available in March
  

Acer Swift 3 (SF314-42, AMD Ryzen) basic specs

• Display: 14-inch (1920x1080)
• Processor: Ryzen 7 4700U (7nm)
• Graphics: Radeon Vega 7
• Memory: up to 16GB dual-channel LPDDR4X SDRAM
• Storage: PCIe SSD (128GB, 256GB, 512GB)
• Ports: USB-C Gen 2, USB 3.0, USB 2.0, HDMI, 3.5mm audio jack
• Camera: 1280x720, 720p video
• Battery: Undisclosed
• Wireless: Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax)
• Operating system: Windows 10 Home
• Dimensions: 12.73 x 8.62 x 0.65 inches (16.6mm)
• Weight: 2.65 pounds
• Color/chassis: Aluminum, Magnesium Aluminum
• Price and availability: $599 and up, available in March
  

An Acer representative also confirmed that the Intel SF313-52 / G will include Nvidia's discrete graphics, but the company has not revealed which chip.

According to Acer, the Intel-based SF313-52 / G will support fast charging, with up to four hours of use with a