With the Acer Swift 3 you have the choice between Intel and AMD chipsets
With the new Swift 3, you can choose between Intel or AMD processors. But there are even more differences than Core i7 or Ryzen 7 and more new notebooks from Acer at CES.
Acer presented its new Swift 3 series at CES 2020 and equipped it with the latest processors from the two major manufacturers. You have the choice between the Intel Core i7-1065G7 and the AMD Ryzen 7 4700U. This is accompanied by a small difference in the display and housing.
With an AMD chipset, the Swift 3 is slightly thicker
If you opt for the 10th generation Intel chipset, the laptop's display is 13.5 inches in size. The metal chassis weighs 1.19 kilograms and is 15.95 millimetres thick when closed. The Acer Swift 3 with the first 8-core APU from AMD is slightly thicker at 16.55 millimetres and slightly heavier at 1.2 kilograms. The display is also slightly larger at 14 inches. In both cases, it should cover 100 per cent of the sRGB colour space.
Acer has not yet provided any precise details on the other features or options. The manufacturer only revealed that the Swift 3 can have up to 16 gigabytes of RAM and SSDs with up to one terabyte are installed.
The battery of the Swift 3 is said to have a runtime of up to 16 hours and, thanks to a quick-charging function, can be charged for four hours of operation in 30 minutes. Both versions of the notebook support Wi-Fi 6, have a fingerprint sensor, a USB-C port with Thunderbolt 3 support and a USB 3.1 Gen 2 port. The press release mentions a DisplayPort connection, but the pictures of the Swift 3 show an HDMI connection. There still seems to be disagreement at Acer.
Price and availability
Acer plans to launch both versions of the Swift 3 in the first quarter of 2020. In terms of price, the difference is clear for the most affordable variants. With Intel Core i7, the manufacturer's recommended retail price for the notebook is at least 999 euros/francs and with AMD Ryzen 7 you should be able to get it from as little as 699 euros/francs.
New Intel chipsets for Spin and TravelMate notebooks
The Swift 3 is not the only notebook that Acer will be equipping with chipsets from Intel's 10th generation. New processors are also available for models from the Spin and TravelMate series.
While the Spin 3 will be available with a new Core i7 from February, you will have to wait until at least April for the Spin 5. The touchscreen on both convertibles can be rotated 360 degrees and you can use them not only as a notebook, but also as a tablet. You can draw and write on the display with the included Acer Active Stylus.
The Spin 3's display has an aspect ratio of 16:9, measures 14 inches diagonally and has a Full HD resolution of 1920×1080 pixels. The Spin 5's touchscreen is slightly smaller at 13.5 inches, but has a higher resolution of 2256×1504 pixels in a 3:2 format. The Spin 5 is also ahead in terms of battery life. Acer claims up to 15 hours. With the Spin 3 it is only 12 hours.
The Acer TravelMate P6 and P2 also benefit from Intel's 10th generation Core i7. The business notebooks are particularly robust and run Windows 10 Pro out of the box. While the TravelMate P6 causes a stir with a battery life of up to 23 hours - according to the manufacturer - it also has an optional LTE module and space for a SIM card, just like the TravelMate P2.
The new TravelMate notebooks should be available from mid-February at the latest.
When I was but a young student, I'd sit in my friend's living room with all my classmates and play on his SuperNES. Since then I've had the opportunity to test out all the newest technology for you. I've done reviews at Curved, Computer Bild and Netzwelt, and have now arrived at Galaxus.de.