Acer Swift 5
Is Acer’s speedy Ultrabook the best in the business this year?
With an RRP of $2,399 the Swift 5 from Acer is the equal best value device here alongside the MSI Prestige 14 Evo, but we’ve seen it on Acer’s online store for $2,047. If you can get it at this price then the Swift 5 offers unbeatable value, but even at it’s RRP this is a solid offering. Not only is this device one of the thinnest of the roundup at 1.5cm thick, it was also the lightest (per square inch), weighing in at just over a kilogram. While it does feel a little less premium, using lightweight metals on the keyboard surround and top shell, Acer has actually done a great job maintaining continuity through to the plastic undercarriage, which means it doesn’t detract at all from the overall experience.
The keyboard has a slightly smaller footprint than some here and the keys aren’t overly deep. They don’t offer that much tactile resistance and will be a little loud for some, but they’re comfortable to type on for long periods of time. The trackpad is also soft and responsive enough to not be an issue, and there’s more connectivity options here for those keen to have HDMI and USB Type-A connectivity.
The Swift 5 even performed consistently above average in our tests and, similar to others here, netted playable frame rate averages around 35fps for The Division 2 and Metro: Exodus.
Battery life was decent, lasting eight hours and 54 minutes in 1080p movie playback and while the 14-inch IPS touchscreen wasn’t standout, it had nice enough colour reproduction and functionality to be appropriate as a premium display.
A great value ultra-portable laptop that performs as well as any other 2021 Evo we’ve seen.