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Aug 03, 2023

Acer Swift Go (2023) vs Acer Swift 3 (2022): Upgrade for OLED?

We're here to tell you if the improvements of this year's Swift Go usurp last year's Swift 3. The Acer Swift Go is one of the latest in Acer's lightweight laptop lineup. It comes in either a 14-inch

We're here to tell you if the improvements of this year's Swift Go usurp last year's Swift 3.

The Acer Swift Go is one of the latest in Acer's lightweight laptop lineup. It comes in either a 14-inch or 16-inch display option with a great 16:10 aspect ratio. Both come with Intel's 13th-generation processors, and you can get up to 1TB in storage for the 16-inch option.

The Acer Swift 3 is a solid laptop with plenty of performance, thanks to the Intel P series processor. You can upgrade to a Quad HD display and all feature a 16:9 aspect ratio. It's an easy-to-use laptop that will help you handle your work.

The Acer Swift is one Acer's mainstay laptop lineups and over the past few years, each variation has seen an upgrade. The latest Acer Swift 3 debuted last year and offered some much-needed improvements to the laptop. For 2023, however, the Swift 3 has been replaced by the Acer Swift Go, with new 14-inch and 16-inch offerings.

While these aren't laptops that you'd use for gaming, like one with an Nvidia RTX 4090 GPU, they are great laptops for everyday use and they excel at multitasking. If you're trying to figure out which one of these Acer laptops is for you, we're here to help. We'll compare the two products and let you know which one you may prefer for different reasons and whether the latest option is worth your time and money.

You can get the Acer Swift 3 and the Acer Swift Go 14-inch option at all major retailers, like Amazon, B&H, and Best Buy. The 16-inch version is only available at Acer.com as of now. The Acer Swift Go start at $800 for both the 14-inch and the 16-inch options. The Acer Swift 3 is currently being marketed for $529. The newer options obviously cost more, but the price goes up for either with different configurations. The Acer Swift 3 is lower on major retailers because it's a bit older than the Go.

These are some of the best laptops because of what they offer. The Go offers a 16:10 OLED display option that is vibrant and allows you to enjoy videos to their fullest. The 3 goes up to a Quad HD display option, which is sharper than the other Full HD offerings. Both laptop options start with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage.

It doesn't matter if you're using the Acer Swift Go 14-inch or 16-inch variation, as they are very similar machines. They are both very lightweight machines, as all laptops in the Acer Go lineup are. The 14-inch weighs just 2.76 pounds and the 16-inch weighs 3.52 pounds. They both offer the same amount of ports, as you'll get two USB-C Thunderbolt 4 ports, an HDMI 2.1 port, one microSD card reader, and one USB-A port.

The Acer Swift 3 is also lightweight, as it weighs only 2.76 pounds as well. With this, you'll get the same ports as the Go except the microSD card reader. You'll be able to connect via Killer Wireless Wi-Fi 6E or Bluetooth 5.1 or above with either version of laptops. Neither have the option for 5G, which isn't surprising, as that is typically more available for business laptops.

Both feature DTS audio with stereo speakers and Acer's specific noise-reduction technology for the microphones. They also both have backlit keyboards and touchpads, but the Swift Go features a touchpad made from reused plastic waste. Each feature the Windows Hello Fingerprint Reader for security purposes, as they both run on Windows 11.

The biggest highlight feature for the Acer Swift Go is the new OLED display option with a 16:10 aspect ratio for both the 14-inch and the 16-inch laptops. For the 14-inch option, you'll enjoy a 2.8K (2880x1800) resolution with a refresh rate of 90Hz. The 16-inch laptop offers a resolution of 3.2K (3200x2000) with a 120Hz refresh rate. The 16-inch version provides a sharper and smoother picture, but it will also set you back more money.

You can also choose an LCD display for either version of the Swift Go, and you actually have two choices for each. The 14-inch comes with a 2240x1400 resolution option and one with 1920x1200 that's a touch display. The 16-inch offers a 2560x1600 resolution choice or a 1920x1200 one. Whether you choose the OLED or LCD option, the screen to body ratio is 90%, which is very good.

For the Swift 3, the top tier option is a Quad HD panel. This comes with a 2560x1440 resolution and, when we tested it, it offered 340 nits of brightness. The aspect ratio for the Swift 3 is 16:9, so it's not as tall as the Go. You can choose the Quad HD panel or go with a Full HD one that gives you a 1920x1080 resolution, which is more than okay. Most people will be fine with that, but if you want that sharper picture, the Quad HD is the way to go.

The Swift 3 also upgraded its webcam, delivering a 1080p camera that has become standard in many laptops. But this is a nice webcam that we found looks very soft and works well in good lighting conditions. The Go has a better webcam though, a 1440p QHD webcam. It integrates with the Intel Movidius VPU to offer updated features like background blur, alerts about eye contact, auto framing, and more. It takes your ability to make or take video calls to the next level, providing a clearer picture and a computer that's more in-tune.

The Acer Swift Go got an upgrade under the hood with new Intel processors. This laptop includes configurations with Intel's 13th-generation CPU line with options of a U-series or H-series. Both come with an added 10% performance boost over the previous 12th-generation of processors, according to Intel. All of them come with the aforementioned Intel Movidius VPU as well. You can choose up to an Intel Core i7-13700H processor with 14 cores and 20 threads for both laptops in the lineup.

The next step-down is the Intel Core i7-1355U processor with 10 cores and 12 threads. There's also an Intel Core i5-13500H processor with 12 cores and 16 threads or an Intel Core i5-1335U processor with 10 cores and 12 threads. The lowest-end CPU you can choose is the Intel Core i3-1315U processor with six cores and eight threads, though this one doesn't seem to be available at writing time. The thermals have been tweaked in the Swift Go to better handle the heat produced by the processors. According to Acer, the Twin Air Cooling actually helps boost the thermal performance by 60.7% as compared to a laptop with a single fan.

The Acer Swift 3 comes with two CPU options, both from Intel's 12th-generation chipset from the P-series. The Intel Core i5-1240P offers 12 cores and 16 threads while the Core i7-1260P offers the same amount, but a higher max turbo frequency of 4.70GHz, meaning it's faster. The fact that these have 12 cores and 16 threads makes either of them a fast laptop. Because they are 28W processors, they generate more heat, and Acer has dual cooling fans that are able to dissipate that heat to keep your machine running optimally, similar to the thermals for the Go mentioned above.

For RAM and storage, you can save some money by selecting any of the laptops with 8GB, which is fine for most. If you're planning on using the laptop for any work, we'd suggest upgrading to at least 16GB of RAM. For storage, you can opt for 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB of fast and reliable drives.

When it comes to battery life, the Acer Swift Go has a larger battery than the Acer Swift 3. The newer laptop offers you a 65Wh battery. The LCDs will take up less battery life than the OLED, so if you're worried about being away from the outlet too long, you should opt for one of those. No matter what, you shouldn't expect a crazy amount of battery life, especially with the H-series processors, as they tend to gobble up battery life more than the U-series.

The Swift 3 doesn't have good battery life, as we found that it lasted for only three and a half hours on average. On lighter days and on days when you turn down the brightness, it can last up to four hours. But don't expect a lot from this battery life, as it only has a 56Wh battery.

You won't be disappointed with the overall performance of either the Acer Swift Go or the Acer Swift 3. With the upgraded display configurations, better webcam, and the ability to get a 16-inch option, we recommend the Acer Swift Go. The 16:10 aspect ratio just gives you a better screen to look at. It's a solid laptop with a bigger battery that will help you throughout the day. For anyone who wants a lot of ports, the Acer Swift 3 is a smart pick. The 1080p webcam will work well for video calls, so you can use this from home. We suggest using it more at home because of the poor battery life. But either Acer Swift laptop won't disappoint you.

The Acer Swift Go has a 16:10 aspect ratio and an OLED display option that gives it the edge.

The Acer Swift 3 is a solid laptop that can handle a lot of tasks well while offering a Quad HD display that offers vivid images.

Chris Hachey is a freelancer writer with years of experience covering consumer tech. He has an affinity for finding deals and passing them on to readers as well as reviewing products to advise readers on them. Follow him @hach_tag.