The Acer Swift X 14 (SFX14-71G) offers a compelling blend of performance and portability for creative professionals and students. With a 14.5-inch display, 13th-gen Intel CPUs, and updated thermal design, it promises a significant upgrade. However, does its battery life hold up to its impressive performance? Let’s dive in.
Acer Swift X 14 rear view showing lid and logo.Image: Back view of the Acer Swift X 14 displaying the minimalist design and Acer logo.
Performance Exceeds Expectations
Acer designed the Swift X 14 to cater to both demanding productivity users and creative professionals seeking a portable workstation. The combination of a 45-watt Intel Core i7-13700H (14 cores, 20 threads) and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 GPU proves to be a potent mix, delivering impressive performance for its size and price. Our benchmark results demonstrate its capabilities.
Acer Swift X 14 rear view showing vents.Image: Close-up of the rear vents on the Acer Swift X 14, highlighting the improved thermal design.
The Swift X 14 held its own against similarly configured laptops in CPU-intensive benchmarks, outpacing the Apple MacBook Air M2 and keeping pace with the more expensive Dell XPS 15. However, where it truly shined was in the Pugetbench Premiere Pro benchmark. The Swift X 14 significantly outperformed the Lenovo Slim 7 14 (Ryzen 7 7735HS, RTX 3050) and even held its own against the XPS 15 with an RTX 4070. This performance level makes it a surprisingly strong contender for creative tasks.
While the Swift X 14 performed admirably in gaming benchmarks with the Studio drivers, it’s worth noting that switching to Game Ready drivers could further enhance gaming performance. However, it remains primarily a productivity and creative-focused machine.
Battery Life Disappoints
Acer Swift X 14 side view showing ports and display.Image: Side view showcasing the port selection and the thin bezels of the 14.5-inch display.
Despite its 76 watt-hour battery, the Swift X 14’s battery life fell short of expectations. In our tests, it averaged around five hours for web browsing, video playback, and productivity tasks. This is significantly lower than competitors and necessitates carrying a charger for all-day use.
Design and Features
Acer Swift X 14 front angled view showing display and keyboard deck.Image: Angled view of the Acer Swift X 14, highlighting the keyboard deck and display.
The Swift X 14’s minimalist design, while clean and polished, doesn’t particularly stand out. The all-aluminum chassis feels reasonably sturdy, and the hinge provides excellent stability. The keyboard offers a comfortable typing experience with large keycaps and good spacing, while the touchpad is responsive and spacious. Connectivity is excellent, though a full-size SD card reader would have been preferred over the microSD slot. The 1080p webcam delivers a crisp image.
Acer Swift X 14 top down view showing hinge.Image: Top-down view showcasing the hinge mechanism and overall build quality.
Display Quality
Acer Swift X 14 front view showing display.Image: Front view highlighting the vibrant OLED display.
The Swift X 14’s 14.5-inch 2.8K OLED display is a highlight. With vibrant colors, deep blacks, and excellent color accuracy, it’s a joy for creative work and media consumption. The 120Hz refresh rate ensures smooth visuals. While audio quality is decent, the lack of bass is noticeable.
Acer Swift X 14 top down view showing keyboard and touchpad.Image: Top-down view focusing on the keyboard layout and spacious touchpad.
Acer Swift X 14 left side view showing ports.Image: Left side view displaying the available ports.
acer swift x 14 review rightImage: Right side view displaying the available ports.
Conclusion
The Acer Swift X 14 offers a compelling combination of performance and a stunning OLED display, making it a strong choice for creative professionals and students. However, its subpar battery life is a significant drawback. Ultimately, if portability and performance are your priorities, and you’re willing to compromise on battery life, the Swift X 14 is worth considering.
