The 16-inch laptop market offers plenty of excellent choices in 2024, but many are quite bulky. Acer’s Swift Edge 16 stands out by delivering a 16-inch display in a sub-three-pound chassis. This lightweight laptop boasts good performance and an attractive price, but its slim profile comes at the expense of battery life.
Acer Swift Edge 16: Specifications and Features
The Acer Swift Edge 16 is powered by an AMD Ryzen 7 8840U processor with eight cores and 16 threads. It features 16GB of RAM, AMD Radeon 780M integrated graphics with 12 graphics cores, and a vibrant 16-inch OLED display with a 3200×2000 resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate.
- CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 8840U
- Memory: 16GB LPDDR5
- Graphics/GPU: AMD Radeon 780M
- Display: 16-inch OLED, 3200×2000, 120Hz refresh rate, HDR support
- Storage: 1TB PCIe Gen 4 SSD
- Webcam: 1440p with dual-mic array
- Connectivity: 2x USB-C 4 (DisplayPort Alternate Mode, 65W Power Delivery), 2x USB-A 3.2 Gen 1, 1x HDMI 2.1, 1x microSD card reader, 1x 3.5mm combo audio jack
- Networking: Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.3
- Biometrics: Fingerprint reader
- Battery capacity: 54 watt-hours
- Dimensions: 14.18 x 9.78 x 0.72 inches
- Weight: 2.71 pounds
- MSRP: $1,299.99
Currently, Acer offers a single configuration of the Swift Edge 16, as reviewed here. At $1,300, the Swift Edge 16 offers good value considering its processor, OLED display, and other hardware. Comparable laptops like the LG Gram 16 and SuperSlim often start at a higher price point with less RAM and storage.
Design and Build Quality
alt text: Acer Swift Edge 16 design, showcasing its matte black finish
The Swift Edge 16’s simple matte black design lacks distinctive features. While functional, it may not appeal to those seeking a premium aesthetic.
The magnesium-aluminum alloy chassis contributes to the laptop’s lightweight design but feels less rigid than brushed aluminum. At just 2.71 pounds and 0.72 inches thick, the Swift Edge 16 is exceptionally portable for a 16-inch laptop, making it ideal for frequent travelers.
Keyboard and Trackpad
alt text: Acer Swift Edge 16 Keyboard and trackpad, showing the layout and key sizes
The Swift Edge 16 features a comfortable keyboard with a number pad. While some keys, like those on the number pad, are slightly smaller, the overall layout is spacious. Key travel is good, providing decent tactile feedback. A bright backlight ensures visibility in low-light conditions.
The responsive touchpad is large enough for comfortable use and supports multi-touch gestures. While not as expansive as touchpads on premium competitors, it is comparable to those on similarly priced laptops.
Display and Audio
alt text: Acer Swift Edge 16 Display, highlighting the vibrant colors and crisp details of the OLED panel
The Swift Edge 16 boasts a stunning 16-inch OLED display with a 3200×2000 resolution and 120Hz refresh rate. This results in a crisp, vibrant image with smooth motion. The display’s excellent contrast ratio, wide color gamut, and accurate colors enhance the viewing experience across various content. HDR support further improves detail and immersion.
While OLED displays are becoming more common, the Swift Edge 16 offers this premium feature at a competitive price.
Unfortunately, the audio quality is a letdown. The built-in speakers lack clarity, especially at higher volumes. External speakers or headphones are recommended for a better listening experience.
Webcam, Microphone, and Biometrics
The 1440p webcam provides good image quality for video calls, while the microphone captures clear audio. A fingerprint reader integrated into the power button offers convenient biometric login.
Connectivity
alt text: Close-up of Acer Swift Edge 16 ports, showing USB-C, USB-A, HDMI, and microSD slots
The Swift Edge 16 offers a good selection of ports, including two USB-C 4 ports with DisplayPort Alternate Mode and 65W Power Delivery, two USB-A ports, HDMI 2.1, and a microSD card reader. While it lacks an Ethernet port, the inclusion of Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.3 provides excellent wireless connectivity.
Performance
Powered by the AMD Ryzen 7 8840U processor and Radeon 780M graphics, the Swift Edge 16 delivers solid overall performance. However, benchmark results reveal that it doesn’t significantly outperform competitors in its price range. While adequate for everyday tasks and light gaming, it may struggle with demanding applications or modern AAA titles.
alt text: Graph showing PCMark 10 benchmark results for the Acer Swift Edge 16 and competing laptops
alt text: Graph comparing Cinebench R20 scores for the Acer Swift Edge 16 and other laptops
alt text: Handbrake benchmark results, comparing encoding times for the Acer Swift Edge 16 against competitors
alt text: 3DMark Time Spy benchmark results, comparing the graphics performance of the Acer Swift Edge 16 with other laptops
Battery Life
The Swift Edge 16’s 54 watt-hour battery delivers underwhelming battery life. In our tests, it lasted just over seven and a half hours with light workloads. Real-world usage, such as web browsing and document editing, resulted in six to seven hours of endurance. This falls short of the all-day battery life offered by some competitors and the significantly longer battery life of Qualcomm-powered Copilot Plus PCs.
alt text: Battery life test results, comparing the Acer Swift Edge 16's runtime to other laptops
Conclusion
The Acer Swift Edge 16 is a compelling option for those seeking a lightweight 16-inch laptop with a beautiful OLED display at an affordable price. However, its short battery life and modest performance are significant drawbacks. If portability and a stunning display are your top priorities, the Swift Edge 16 is worth considering. However, be prepared to compromise on battery life and potentially performance.
