Acer's Swift 3 will offer AMD and Intel versions with surprising differences

Acer's latest Swift 3 laptops surprised us, debuting in two versions that are slightly different, most notably in containing either AMD’s latest 7nm Ryzen 4000 series or Intel’s mobile Ice Lake chips. 

After all, this is simply Acer's mid-priced thin-and-light laptop line, not normally expected to be exciting. Our most recent Swift 3 review liked most of what we saw, other than the audio and the battery life. 

But now with this announcement Monday at CES in Las Vegas, buyers are faced with an AMD-vs.-Intel decision, such as we've explored recently with the Microsoft Surface Laptop 3. Which should you buy? We won't know until we test them, but a close look at the specs we know now present some interesting points of comparison.

Acer Swift 3, AMD vs. Intel
Acer's Swift 3 Intel versions will use Intel 10th-gen, 10nm "Ice Lake" mobile CPUs, ranging from the Core i3-1005G1 to the Core i7-1065G7. The AMD versions will use one of the brand-new 7nm mobile parts, specifically the AMD Ryzen 7 4700U.

Intel’s mobile Ice Lake chips beat AMD’s mobile Ryzen handily in our head-to-head title fight across the Surface Laptop 3. But AMD’s Ryzen 7 3780U Radeon RX Vega 11 Surface Edition used the older Zen+ architecture and its older 12-nm process—and lost by roughly about 10 percent or so to Intel across the board. Now, AMD’s back with the Zen 2 architecture that’s competed well against Intel on the desktop, plus its 7nm process. AMD mobile performance should significantly improve.

The AMD and Intel versions of the Swift 3 differ in more ways than their CPUs. For starters, Acer's AMD version of the Swift 3 (the SF314-42) boasts a 14-inch screen, while the Swift 3 with Intel inside (the SF313-52/G) has a slightly smaller 13.5-inch screen. The two laptops also have slightly different profiles as a result: The Intel version's 13.5-inch screen is dimensionally smaller but has a higher 3:2 aspect ratio, so the laptop body has a taller, squarish shape when closed or opened. The AMD version's 14-inch screen is dimensionally bigger but has a wider aspect ratio, so the laptop body is rectangular and a little shorter. 

The Swift 3’s weight changes a great deal, too. While the 2019 version of the Swift 3 we reviewed weighed in at 3.05 pounds, the new Swift 3 weighs 2.62 pounds (Intel Core) and 2.6 pounds (AMD Ryzen), respectively. Yes, that’s about a 15 percent drop in weight.

[ Further reading: Our picks for best PC laptops ]
Acer also seems to be spending more than the usual amount of attention to refining the Intel version of the Swift 3, qualifying the SF313-52/G as part of Intel's Project Athena program. Typically reserved for flagship or “hero” devices, Project Athena laptops have to meet certain expectations for hardware specifications, fast wake-up, responsiveness, and battery life. It's not clear whether Acer set similar expectations for the AMD version of the Swift 3, as we'll see in other specs, below. 

The biggest difference between AMD and Intel mobile before has been in battery life, and we're not seeing AMD make up ground here, at least on paper. Check out that difference in the specs below: 16 hours for the Intel-based Swift 3 versus 10 hours for AMD's version, even though the AMD version also has a substantially lower-resolution display. (A lower-resolution display is easier on battery life.) That's due, in part, to the Athena engineering, an Acer representative said. The AMD version apparently lacks Thunderbolt capabilities, too. Both differences are something to watch out for.

An Acer representative also confirmed that the Intel SF313-52/G will include discrete graphics, but the company hasn't disclosed which chip. 

According to Acer, the Intel-based SF313-52/G will support fast charging, with up to four hours of use on a 30-minute charge. Both Swifts appear to support Windows Hello via fingerprint reader, as well as Wake on Voice, for interacting with Cortana while in Modern Standby mode.

The final big differences will be in price and availability. The Intel-powered Acer Swift 3 (SF313-52/G) will be available in North America in March, starting at $699. The Ryzen-based Acer Swift 3 (SF314-42) will be available in North America in May, starting at $599. We’ll be eager to get our hands on both.

Acer Swift 3 (SF313-52/G, Intel Core) basic specs
Display: 13.5-inch IPS (2256x1504)
Processor: Core i3-1005G1, Core i5-1035G1, Core i5-1035G4 or Core i7-1065G7 (all 10th-gen, 10nm Intel "Ice Lake")
Graphics: Integrated UHD or Iris Plus graphics
Memory: Up to 16GB dual-channel LPDDR4X SDRAM
Storage: PCIe Gen3 8Gb/s NVMe (128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB)
Ports: USB-C (Thunderbolt 3), 1 USB-A 3.1 Gen1 with power-off charging, I USB-A 2.0, HDMI, 3.5mm jack, DC jack
Camera: 1280x720, 720p video
Battery: 56Wh (16 hours battery life)
Wireless: Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax), 2x2 MIMO; Bluetooth 5.0
Operating system: Windows 10 Home
Dimensions: 11.91 x 9.21 x 0.63 inches (15.9mm)
Weight: 2.62 pounds
Color/chassis: Aluminum, Magnesium Aluminum
Price and availability: $699 and up, available in March

Acer Swift 3 (SF314-42, AMD Ryzen) basic specs
Display: 14-inch (1920x1080)
Processor: Ryzen 7 4700U (7nm)
Graphics: Radeon Vega 7
Memory: up to 16GB dual-channel LPDDR4X SDRAM
Storage: PCIe SSD (128GB, 256GB, 512GB)
Ports: USB-C Gen 2, USB 3.0, USB 2.0, HDMI, 3.5mm audio jack
Camera: 1280x720, 720p video
Battery: Undisclosed (10 hours battery life)
Wireless: Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax)
Operating system: Windows 10 Home
Dimensions: 12.73 x 8.62 x 0.65 inches (16.6mm)
Weight: 2.65 pounds
Color/chassis: Aluminum, Magnesium Aluminum
Price and availability: $599 and up, available in March

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