Acer Swift Edge vs. Surface Laptop 5: The 15-inch Surface Laptop which is currently in its fifth generation and is manufactured by Microsoft has been included on our list of the thinnest laptops that represent the 15-inch class. However, there is a new laptop on the market called the Acer Swift Edge, which competes with the machine created by Microsoft in terms of its thinness while also being incredibly light.
However, there is more to being thin and light than just those two things. A number of other factors are important as well, including performance, durability, and display quality. Does the Swift Edge have what it takes to unseat the Surface Laptop 5 as the best laptop currently available? Continue reading to find out.
Specifications and configurations
| Acer Swift Edge | Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 | |
| Dimensions | 14.04 inches x 9.54 inches x 0.51 inches | 13.4 inches x 9.6 inches x 0.58 inches |
| Weight | 2.58 pounds | 3.44 pounds |
| Processor | AMD Ryzen 7 6800U | Intel Core i7-1255U |
| Graphics | AMD Radeon Graphics | Intel Iris Xe |
| RAM | 16GB LPDDR5 | 8GB LPDDR5x 16GB LPDDR5x 32GB LPDDR5x |
| Display | 16-inch UHD+ (3840 x 2400) OLED | 15-inch 3:2 2496 x 1664 IPS |
| Storage | 1TB PCIe SSD | 256GB PCIe SSD 512GB PCIe SSD 1TB PCIe SSD |
| Touch | No | Yes |
| Ports | 2 x USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 2 x USB-A 3.2 Gen 2 1 x HDMI 2.1 1 x 3.5mm audio jack |
1 x USB-C with Thunderbolt 4 1 x USB-A 3.1 1 x 3.5mm audio jack 1 x Surface Connect port |
| Wireless | Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2 | Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.1 |
| Webcam | 1080p with IR camera for Windows 11 Hello | 720p with IR camera for Windows 11 Hello |
| Operating system | Windows 11 | Windows 11 |
| Battery | 54 watt-hours | 47.4 watt-hours |
| Price | $1,500 | $1,300+ |
| Rating | 3.5 out of 5 stars | 3 out of 5 stars |
The Swift Edge only comes in one configuration, which costs $1,500 and includes a 16.0-inch 16:10 UHD+ OLED non-touch display, an AMD Ryzen 7 6800U central processing unit (CPU), 16 gigabytes of random access memory (RAM), and one terabyte solid-state drive (SSD). Although that is an expensive price, the quality of the components is exceptional.
The Surface Laptop 5 has a Core i7-1255U central processing unit, 8 gigabytes of random access memory (RAM), a 256-gigabyte solid-state drive (SSD), and a 15.0-inch 3:2 2,496 x 1,664 IPS touch display, and it costs $1,300 (on sale for $1,100). However, the price of the machine skyrockets after that, reaching $2,400 (currently on sale for $2,100) for a Core i7 processor, 32GB of RAM, and a 1TB solid-state drive. Because of this, the price is significantly higher than that of the Swift Edge.
You may also like Microsoft Windows 11 SE for Students
Acer Swift Edge vs. Surface Laptop 5: Design
The very tall 3:2 display with uniform bezels all around gives the Surface Laptop 5 its distinctive appearance. This is the primary contributor to the Surface Laptop 5’s singular appearance. The lines and angles are uncomplicated but modern looking, and the overall appearance of the laptop is very appealing. However, because of its larger bezels, it appears to be less modern than the Swift Edge, which avoids this problem. It has much smaller bezels all the way around its 16:10 panel, and when coupled with the Swift Edge’s sleek, minimalist design, it gives the impression of being a more contemporary piece of hardware.
The chassis of the Swift Edge is made of magnesium-aluminum alloy and, as a result, has a slightly more flexible design than the chassis of the Surface Laptop 5, which is made entirely of aluminum. The display of the Swift Edge can be bent, and the keyboard deck can flex, both of which give the impression that the device is not as sturdy as the Microsoft laptop. It should not come as a surprise that the Surface Laptop 5 has a rigid feel to it because this characteristic is shared by all Surface devices. There are no complaints to be made regarding either laptop’s hinges because they both permit opening the lid with one hand and remain stable once the laptop is upright.
Both of these portable computers have capable keyboards that have adequate key spacing and switches that are quick and light. The keyboard on the Surface Laptop 5 is a little bit more responsive, giving it an overall superior feel. Both of the machines have perfectly functional mechanical touchpads.
When it comes to connectivity, the Swift Edge has more ports than the other two, but it does not support Thunderbolt 4. However, its wireless connectivity is more up-to-date than that of its competitors.
Finally, the webcam on the Surface Laptop 5 is only 720p, which is a lower resolution than the 1080p webcam on the Swift Edge. The Swift Edge additionally provides a fingerprint reader in addition to having an infrared camera for use with the Windows 11 Hello facial recognition login feature.
You may also like Microsoft Surface Laptop SE: Affordable Surface for Students
Acer Swift Edge vs. Surface Laptop 5: Display
The Swift Edge only comes with one display option, which is a 16.0-inch 16:10 4K+ OLED panel. This panel offers plenty of brightness, an extremely wide color gamut, and the typical OLED display characteristics of deep contrast and inky blacks. The 3:2 15.0-inch IPS display on the Surface Laptop 5 has a lower resolution than premium displays, a much narrower color gamut, and a contrast ratio that is lower than the 1,000:1 ratio that we like to see in premium displays. Both displays had colors that were true to life, but neither one was exceptional in this regard.
There is no question that the display on the Swift Edge is superior for all types of work, whether it be work requiring productivity or creativity or the consumption of media. The display on the Surface Laptop 5, on the other hand, is only marginally above the minimum standard required to be categorized as premium.
Performance
The core of the Swift Edge is the AMD Ryzen 7 6800U processor, which has 8 cores and 16 threads and consumes 28 watts. It should come as no surprise that this chip is faster than the 15-watt Intel Core i7-1255U that is found in the Surface Laptop 5, which is a 10-core, 12-thread processor. This chip is ideal for CPU-intensive multithreaded applications.
Even though Acer’s thermal utility was counterproductive and made the laptop slower in performance mode compared to normal mode, it still managed to beat Microsoft’s Surface Laptop in all benchmarks except for Geekbench 5. The Swift Edge is the more speedy of the two laptops, but both are excellent productivity machines.
You may also like ASUS Windows 11: Vivobook Business and Family Laptop
Portability
The chassis of the Swift Edge is notable primarily for its exceptionally low thickness and low weight. It has a thickness of 0.51 inches, which is less than the Surface Laptop 5’s 0.58 inches, which is also remarkably thin, and it weighs just 2.58 pounds, whereas the Surface Laptop 5 weighs 3.44 pounds. These are shockingly low numbers for a laptop that boasts such impressive performance and a gorgeous OLED display measuring 16 inches. Although neither laptop is excessively large for a 15-inch machine, the Swift Edge has a clear advantage over the other option.
Both laptops had roughly the same amount of battery capacity and had battery lives that were comparable to one another. In light of the fact that the Swift Edge utilizes a more substantial and power-hungry OLED display, this is a point in its favor.
The Swift Edge is now the standard bearer for the thin and light large-laptop category.
The Swift Edge excels in precisely the same areas that the Surface Laptop 5 excelled in, namely having a chassis that is both relatively thin and also relatively light. A stunning OLED display can be found on this 16-inch laptop that is, even more, portable thanks to its reduced thickness and weight of one pound.
The Swift Edge will be moving up to the top spot on our list of laptops with the thinnest profiles after it easily takes first place in this competition.
Would you like to read more about Acer Swift Edge vs. Surface Laptop 5-related articles? If so, we invite you to take a look at our other tech topics before you leave!
