JUNE 2020 PCWorld 45brightness to
250 to 260 nits,
which is the
Swift 3’s
maximum
anyway.
The battery
performance, at
490 minutes or a
little over 8
hours, is nothing
special, but it’s
basically in line
with the results
from the three
previous Swift 3
units we’ve
seen. Two were
based on
8th-gen Intel CPUs (one with a GeForce
MX150), and one with a 10th-gen Core
i5-1035G1. But hey, for $650, no one should
expect the moon.
BOTTOM LINE
As the first Ryzen 7 4700U laptop we’ve seen,
Acer’s pedestrian Swift 3 is suddenly a sprinter,
delivering unprecedented performance for a
laptop this light and this small. It can compete
with some gaming and content-creation
laptops in CPU-focused tasks.
Sure, it could use a better and brighter
screen, a less creaky trackpad and, well,
there’s no Thunderbolt 3 either. But for
Acer Swift 3 SF314-42-R9YN
PROS- Stupidly fast performance at this price.
- Relatively light and thin.
CONS - Trackpad has slight rattle.
- Battery life could be better.
BOTTOM LINE
The Ryzen 7 4700U in the Acer Swift 3 delivers
unheard-of performance at this bargain price range.
$650
those on a tighter budget who are willing
to give up fit and finish for rubber-burning
performance, it’s hard to beat Acer’s Swift
3 today.The Acer Swift
3 offers an
unbeatable
amount of
performance
per buck.