Acer Swift 1 review
The Acer Acer Swift 1 ranks as the #810 laptops globally, achieving a LibraScore of 59. Across all metrics, this product stands out most for its #184-ranked features among 777 laptops. Consider the Acer Aspire Lite 14 or Acer Chromebook Spin 13, which offer higher scores while staying in the same price range.
Is it Worth it?
The Acer Swift 1 is an excellent entry-level budget laptop. It boasts a sleek aluminum body, premium design, and impressive battery life (up to 10 hours). The 14-inch full HD display is sharp, with great viewing angles, although brightness can be an issue in direct sunlight. Performance is decent for casual use, but not ideal for heavy tasks or gaming. With plenty of ports and a comfortable keyboard, the Swift 1 is a great option for students, first-time buyers, or those seeking a budget laptop for leisure activities. While it's not perfect, its strengths outweigh its weaknesses, making it a worthwhile purchase for those on a tight budget.
Build
The Acer Swift 1 boasts a sleek aluminum metal body that exudes a premium look and feel. Its slim design makes it a head-turner in its price segment, rivaling more expensive laptops. The matte finish adds to its sophistication, while the abundance of ports - including HDMI, USB 3.0, USB Type-C, and an SD card reader - provides excellent connectivity options. The laptop's build quality is impressive, with no creaks or flexes in the metal body. The hinge is stiff but allows for a full 180-degree rotation, making it ideal for presentations or sharing content on screen. Overall, the Acer Swift 1's build is a significant strength, offering a premium look and feel that belies its entry-level pricing. Consider discovering the power of Acer Swift 5, featuring the latest advancements in build.
Display
The display on the Acer Swift 1 is a highlight of this budget notebook. The 14-inch full HD IPS screen provides sharp images with good viewing angles. However, the brightness is low, and color saturation could be better. Indoors, you won't face any issues with visibility, but in bright sunlight, the screen may struggle to display content clearly. Overall, the display quality is good enough for casual use, making it a suitable option for students or those looking for a budget laptop for everyday tasks. You might prefer Acer Swift X, designed with an upgraded display for a better experience.
Performance
The Acer Swift 1's performance is a mixed bag, making it suitable for casual users but not professionals. With an Intel Celeron processor, 4GB RAM, and 64GB storage, it struggles with heavy tasks. While it can handle basic office work, web browsing, and streaming, demanding applications like graphics-heavy games are out of its league. The laptop's processor is not powerful enough to handle multitasking or resource-intensive tasks. Overall, the Swift 1's performance is adequate for everyday use but lacks the punch for more demanding users. For a superior performance, Acer TravelMate B5 could be the right choice.
Battery and Charging
The Acer Swift 1's battery life is a standout feature, lasting nearly 7 hours during web browsing and YouTube playback on medium brightness. In native video playback tests, the laptop managed an impressive 10 hours with full HD resolution videos. During daily usage, it averaged around 6 hours of battery life for tasks like email checking, web browsing, and document work. The charging time is reasonable, allowing you to quickly top up your device when needed.
Connectivity
The Acer Swift 1 boasts an impressive array of ports for its price point. It features an HDMI port, two USB 3.0 ports, a USB Type-C 3.1 port, and a 3.5mm audio jack on one side. On the other side, you'll find a USB 2.0 port, security lock port, and SD card reader, rivalling the connectivity options of more expensive laptops like the Acer Aspire 53. You may find HP 17 a better fit, thanks to its superior connectivity.
Features
The Acer Swift 1 boasts an aluminum metal body, slim design, and premium look. It features a 14-inch full HD display, Intel Celeron processor, 4GB RAM, and 64GB storage. The device also includes an HDMI port, two USB 3.0 ports, and a 720p HD camera. If you’re after a better features, Acer Swift X could be the ideal option.
Support and Maintenance
The Acer Swift 1 boasts impressive battery life with nearly 7 hours of use during moderate activity and 10 hours for native video playback. Its keyboard is comfortable for long typing sessions, and the touchpad works well. However, its performance may be hindered by entry-level hardware.
Pros
1. The Acer Swift 1 is the best budget laptop available in the market.
2. It has a premium-looking design with an aluminum metal body, slim profile, and matte finish.
3. The device has plenty of ports for connectivity features, including HDMI port, two USB 3.0 ports, USB type-C 3.1 port, audio jack, and SD card reader.
4. The battery life is impressive, providing nearly 7 hours of battery life on medium brightness, 10 hours for full HD video playback, and 6 hours for daily usage and office work.
5. The keyboard is nice and comfortable for long sessions of typing, with big keys well-placed except the top row which may take some time to get used to.
6. The touchpad is big, beautiful, with matte finish, integrated keys, and supports Windows 10 gestures.
Cons
1. The device has a mixed bag performance due to its entry-level hardware, making it unsuitable for pro users or those who perform heavy tasks.
2. The fingerprint sensor can be finicky at times, so it's best not to rely on it too much.
3. The downward-firing speakers are a drawback, producing muffled audio when positioned low, making earphones necessary for entertainment and media purposes.
4. The screen brightness is quite low, and color saturation is not great, but viewing angles are good thanks to the IPS screen.
5. Storage capacity of 64GB is limited, leaving little room for user files or installed software.
6. No backlighting is provided in the keyboard, which may be a drawback for some users.
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