Acer Swift 3 SF314 in review: Compact laptop with a beautiful OLED display and a fast CPU
Acer's Swift 3 series is known for affordable laptops. After having reviewed models with the Intel Core i5-1135G7 and the AMD Ryzen 5 5500U earlier this year, we now have a more expensive model with an OLED display on hand with the Acer Swift 3 SF314-71-56U3.
The device comes with the Intel Core i5-12500H Alder Lake-H CPU and a high-resolution 2.8K OLED panel with 90 Hz. The memory configuration consists of 16 GB of LPDDR5 RAM and a 1-TB SSD. The Acer system promises fast performance and great color fidelity for an MSRP of 1199 USD.
For comparison we also include the two cheaper models Swift 3 SF314-43-R8BP with the AMD Ryzen 5 5500U and the Swift 3 SF314-511-54ZK with the Intel Core i5-1135G7 as well as the 14-inch OLED model Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 Pro, which comes in at a similar price, and the Honor MagicBook 14 2022 with the same CPU and a dedicated GPU. Instead of a dGPU, our Acer test model uses the Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 80EU iGPU.Intel Tiger Lake-U Xe Graphics G7 80EUs GPU - Benchmarks and Specs
Potential Competitors in Comparison
Rating | Date | Model | Weight | Height | Size | Resolution | Best Price |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
87.3 % | 11/2022 | Acer Swift 3 SF314-71-56U3 i5-12500H, Iris Xe G7 80EUs | 1.4 kg | 18.8 mm | 14.00" | 2880x1800 | |
88.2 % | 02/2022 | Acer Swift 3 SF314-511-54ZK i5-1135G7, Iris Xe G7 80EUs | 1.2 kg | 16.55 mm | 14.00" | 1920x1080 | |
87.4 % | 09/2022 | Honor MagicBook 14 2022 i5-12500H, GeForce RTX 2050 Mobile | 1.6 kg | 16.9 mm | 14.00" | 2160x1440 | |
87.3 % | 07/2022 | Asus ZenBook 14X UM5401QA-KN162 R7 5800H, Vega 8 | 1.4 kg | 15.9 mm | 14.00" | 2880x1800 | |
86 % | 03/2022 | Acer Swift 3 SF314-43-R8BP R5 5500U, Vega 7 | 1.3 kg | 16.5 mm | 14.00" | 1920x1080 | |
84.8 % | 03/2022 | Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 Pro 14 OLED Ryzen 9 R9 5900HS, GeForce MX450 | 1.4 kg | 17.9 mm | 14.00" | 2880x1800 | |
83.8 % | 08/2022 | Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro 14ITL6 i5-1135G7, Iris Xe G7 80EUs | 1.4 kg | 16 mm | 14.00" | 2880x1800 |
Case - Subtle, Compact, and Lightweight Construction
The Acer Swift 3 SF314 comes with a straightforward, gray aluminum chassis. The device feels good in the hand and leaves a premium impression thanks to its excellent build quality. It has a weight of just under 1.4 kg (~3.09 lb). With the charger included, the total weight amounts to 1.7 kg (~3.75 lb).
The two hinges hold the display, which is surrounded by bezels with a width of 5 mm / ~0.20 in (sides) and 10 mm / 0.39 in (top), firmly in place. However, opening the display with one hand is quite difficult due to their stiffness.
At about 18.8 mm / 0.74, our test device is both slightly smaller and slightly thicker compared to the other two Swift 3 models. Similarly, other competitors tend to be slightly thinner and wider. The OLED laptop has an average weight compared to its competitors. It is neither very lightweight nor particularly heavy.
Connectivity - 2x Thunderbolt 4 and 1x HDMI 2.1
For a price in excess of 1000 USD, we expect a very good port selection. In this regard, the Swift 3's ports on both sides do not disappoint. Aside from two Thunderbolt 4 ports with DisplayPort - one of which is used for charging - there are two USB type-A 3.1 gen. 1 ports with 5 Gbit/s and an HDMI 2.1 port. All ports are easy to reach. There is no card reader.
Communication
The Acer laptop relies on the Killer Wi-Fi 6E AX1675i 160-MHz wireless network adapter. While it performs well in our testing, it falls short compared to other devices with the same module and the performance occasionally dips. Regardless, users will not be limited during video streaming or web browsing.
Networking | |
iperf3 transmit AX12 | |
Acer Swift 3 SF314-511-54ZK | |
Average Killer Wi-Fi 6E AX1675i 160MHz Wireless Network Adapter (986 - 1257, n=2) | |
Average of class Subnotebook (606 - 1339, n=3, last 2 years) | |
Acer Swift 3 SF314-43-R8BP | |
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 Pro 14 OLED Ryzen 9 | |
iperf3 receive AX12 | |
Average of class Subnotebook (623 - 1690, n=3, last 2 years) | |
Acer Swift 3 SF314-511-54ZK | |
Average Killer Wi-Fi 6E AX1675i 160MHz Wireless Network Adapter (1137 - 1270, n=2) | |
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 Pro 14 OLED Ryzen 9 | |
Acer Swift 3 SF314-43-R8BP | |
iperf3 receive AXE11000 | |
Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro 14ITL6 | |
Honor MagicBook 14 2022 | |
Acer Swift 3 SF314-71-56U3 | |
Average Killer Wi-Fi 6E AX1675i 160MHz Wireless Network Adapter (872 - 1714, n=25) | |
Average of class Subnotebook (353 - 1775, n=47, last 2 years) | |
iperf3 transmit AXE11000 | |
Honor MagicBook 14 2022 | |
Acer Swift 3 SF314-71-56U3 | |
Average Killer Wi-Fi 6E AX1675i 160MHz Wireless Network Adapter (942 - 1622, n=23) | |
Average of class Subnotebook (343 - 1824, n=47, last 2 years) |
Webcam
The laptop comes with a 1080p (Full HD) 2.1-MP camera. Although the resolution and sharpness are fairly high for a laptop camera, a DeltaE above 17 means the color fidelity leaves much to be desired. There is no camera shutter.
Security
Aside from a Kensington port and the fingerprint sensor integrated into the power button, there are no additional security features.
Accessories
The package includes the 100-watt charger as the only extra. There are optional accessories such as adapters, sleeves, and more available from Acer.
Maintenance
Ten tiny Torx screws must be removed to access the internal components. Due to the soldered RAM, the upgrade options are limited. There is only one slot for an M.2 SSD available. Fortunately, the battery is not glued in and thus replaceable.
Warranty
For Swift series laptops, Acer offers a standard one-year limited warranty. Extended service plans for up to three years are available.
Input Devices - Solid and with a Fingerprint Sensor
Keyboard
Despite the compact chassis, Acer opts for a decently sized keyboard. Although there is not enough space for a numpad, the manufacturer makes good use of the horizontal space in the form of sufficiently large keys (~17 x 17 mm / ~0.67 x 0.67 in) with a smooth surface. The keys offer short travel and a distinct actuation point for a solid typing experience.
There are various special functions available via the F1 to F11 keys next to the fingerprint sensor integrated into the power button. The airplane mode or the brightness of the keyboard backlight can be enabled and changed (off, dim, bright), respectively, with one hand.
Touchpad
The touchpad is decently sized at 10.5 x 6.5 cm (~4.13 x 2.56 in), takes up exactly one third of the length of the case, and it is offset from the center below the space key. The two click areas on the bottom are not haptically separated and offer a distinct acoustic feedback. The touchpad itself has good gliding properties and supports multi-touch gestures such as zooming and scrolling for an overall good user experience.
Display - Pretty OLED Panel with Minor Weaknesses
Acer uses a high-quality OLED panel for its SF314-71-56U3 OLED model. The panel has a diagonal size of 14 inches, a native resolution of 2880 x 1800 pixels (2.8K), an aspect ratio of 16:10, and supports a refresh rate of 90 Hz.
The laptop benefits from typical OLED advantages such as perfect blacks and the resulting (theoretically) infinity:1 contrast ratio. Similarly, the color accuracy is fairly high. The panel covers the color spaces P3, sRGB, and AdobeRGB 1998 almost in their entirety. This would make the laptop an ideal choice for professional media creators. However, our measurements indicate an increased color deviation ex-factory (DeltaE=3.5), which can be significantly improved through a calibration (DeltaE=2.1). Our post-calibration color profile can be downloaded here.
The viewing angles are excellent and images remain discernible even when looking at the display from extreme angles. Thanks to the individually lit up pixels and the lack of a backlight, there is no screen bleeding in dark scenes.
|
Brightness Distribution: 98 %
Center on Battery: 389 cd/m²
Contrast: 13414:1 (Black: 0.029 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 3.51 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5, calibrated: 2.11
ΔE Greyscale 2.2 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
97.22% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
99.63% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
98.05% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.16
Acer Swift 3 SF314-71-56U3 Samsung SDC4171 (ATNA40YK07-0), OLED, 2880x1800, 14.00 | Honor MagicBook 14 2022 HD140ZB-01A, IPS, 2160x1440, 14.00 | Asus ZenBook 14X UM5401QA-KN162 Samsung SDC4154 ATNA40YK04-0, OLED, 2880x1800, 14.00 | Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 Pro 14 OLED Ryzen 9 LEN140WQ+, OLED, 2880x1800, 14.00 | Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro 14ITL6 IPS, 2880x1800, 14.00 | Acer Swift 3 SF314-43-R8BP Chi Mei N140HCA EAC CMN, IPS, 1920x1080, 14.00 | Acer Swift 3 SF314-511-54ZK AUO B140HAN06, IPS, 1920x1080, 14.00 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Display | -20% | 1% | 1% | -16% | -48% | -21% | |
Display P3 Coverage | 98.05 | 67.9 -31% | 100 2% | 99.9 2% | 74 -25% | 43 -56% | 67 -32% |
sRGB Coverage | 99.63 | 98.5 -1% | 100 0% | 100 0% | 99.4 0% | 65 -35% | 98 -2% |
AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage | 97.22 | 68.7 -29% | 98 1% | 97.6 0% | 75 -23% | 45 -54% | 69 -29% |
Response Times | 3506% | -34% | 11% | -337% | 3039% | -867% | |
Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% * | 37.2 ? | 2 ? | 2.4 ? | 29.4 ? | 37 ? | 52 ? | |
Response Time Black / White * | 3 ? | 26.3 ? -777% | 3 ? -0% | 2.4 20% | 13.1 ? -337% | 26 ? -767% | 29 ? -867% |
PWM Frequency | 360 | 28400 ? 7789% | 120 ? -67% | 362.3 ? 1% | 25000 ? 6844% | ||
Screen | -76% | -3% | 339% | -114% | -114% | -86% | |
Brightness middle | 389 | 330 -15% | 363 -7% | 399 3% | 403 4% | 259 -33% | 320 -18% |
Brightness | 389 | 320 -18% | 367 -6% | 401 3% | 372 -4% | 229 -41% | 309 -21% |
Brightness Distribution | 98 | 90 -8% | 97 -1% | 98 0% | 84 -14% | 78 -20% | 84 -14% |
Black Level * | 0.029 | 0.21 -624% | 0.001 97% | 0.3 -934% | 0.24 -728% | 0.25 -762% | |
Contrast | 13414 | 1571 -88% | 399000 2875% | 1343 -90% | 1079 -92% | 1280 -90% | |
Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 3.51 | 1.8 49% | 2.92 17% | 2.5 29% | 2.74 22% | 3.63 -3% | 2.57 27% |
Colorchecker dE 2000 max. * | 6.87 | 4.7 32% | 5.34 22% | 4.6 33% | 4.49 35% | 6.53 5% | 3.5 49% |
Colorchecker dE 2000 calibrated * | 2.11 | 1.6 24% | 2.92 -38% | 2.2 -4% | 1.77 16% | 3.83 -82% | 0.76 64% |
Greyscale dE 2000 * | 2.2 | 3 -36% | 2.45 -11% | 1.8 18% | 3.6 -64% | 2.89 -31% | 2.46 -12% |
Gamma | 2.16 102% | 2.18 101% | 2.38 92% | 2.17 101% | 2.199 100% | 2.31 95% | 2.23 99% |
CCT | 6320 103% | 6697 97% | 6109 106% | 6368 102% | 6547 99% | 6759 96% | 6311 103% |
Total Average (Program / Settings) | 1137% /
448% | -12% /
-7% | 117% /
220% | -156% /
-109% | 959% /
351% | -325% /
-131% |
* ... smaller is better
The response times of the panel are extremely good, in theory this makes the device a good choice for gaming.
Display Response Times
↔ Response Time Black to White | ||
---|---|---|
3 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 2 ms rise | |
↘ 1 ms fall | ||
The screen shows very fast response rates in our tests and should be very well suited for fast-paced gaming. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 9 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (21.6 ms). | ||
↔ Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey | ||
0 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 0 ms rise | |
↘ 0 ms fall | ||
The screen shows very fast response rates in our tests and should be very well suited for fast-paced gaming. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.2 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 0 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (33.9 ms). |
Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)
Screen flickering / PWM detected | 360 Hz | ||
The display backlight flickers at 360 Hz (worst case, e.g., utilizing PWM) . The frequency of 360 Hz is relatively high, so most users sensitive to PWM should not notice any flickering. However, there are reports that some users are still sensitive to PWM at 500 Hz and above, so be aware. In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 18071 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 3846000) Hz was measured. |
The display of the Acer Swift 3 SF314 exhibits typical OLED pulse-width modulation (PWM) at a frequency of 360 Hz on the lowest four brightness settings. Since the frequency is relatively high, only particularly sensitive users may experience issues. There is no flickering at higher brightness settings.
With around 390 nits, the maximum brightness is pleasantly high with an almost perfect illumination. This would make the device predestined for outdoor use.
The glossy display surface puts a dent into this plan, however. Although it looks great, it is more mirror than usable display outdoors and particularly under direct sunlight.
Thus, this configuration of the laptop is better suited to indoor use, although an indoor light source may still introduce glare in this case. The readability remains acceptable outdoors in the shade.
Performance - Fast Performance Thanks to Alder Lake-H
Our SF314-71-56U3 configuration of the Acer Swift 3 uses the Intel Core i5-12500H and its integrated graphics unit Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 with 80 EU. On top of that, the manufacturer installs a fixed 16 GB of LPDDR5 RAM in quad-channel mode and a 1-TB SSD.
Alternatively, Acer also offers many different configurations both with and without an OLED panel. Some of these configurations we have already reviewed, including the SF314-43-R8BP with an AMD Ryzen 5 5500U and the SF314-511-54ZK with an Intel Core i5-1135G7.
Testing Conditions
In order to facilitate a lower power draw and less heat development, Acer heavily restricts the Intel Core i5-12500H to 35 watts (PL1) and 80 (PL2). We set the laptop to "Best Performance" via Windows before performing the following benchmarks. The Acer laptop does not come with its own power profiles.
Processor
At the heart of the laptop, there is a potent Intel Core i5-12500H. The high-end processor from early 2022 is manufactured using the 10-nm process and based on the recent Alder-Lake architecture. It is based on the Alder Lake-P chip and offers four performance cores (P cores, Golden Cove architecture) with clock speeds of up to 4.5 GHz and eight efficiency cores (E cores, Gracemont architecture) with 1.8 to 3.3 GHz. Thanks to P-core Hyper-Threading, 16 threads can be processed simultaneously.
With performance data that is slightly subpar compared to the Honor MagicBook 14 2022 (Honor uses higher TDP values) with the same CPU and the average performance of the CPU, Acer does not allow the CPU to perform at its highest TDP setting. The CPU still flexes its muscles in our benchmarks and frequently leaves its competitors, some of which still use 11th gen. CPUs, behind. After an initial peak, the performance remains almost constant throughout, as our Cinebench R15 loop shows. The processor's performance barely decreases in battery mode.
Cinebench R15 Multi Loop
Cinebench R23: Multi Core | Single Core
Cinebench R20: CPU (Multi Core) | CPU (Single Core)
Cinebench R15: CPU Multi 64Bit | CPU Single 64Bit
Blender: v2.79 BMW27 CPU
7-Zip 18.03: 7z b 4 | 7z b 4 -mmt1
Geekbench 5.5: Multi-Core | Single-Core
HWBOT x265 Benchmark v2.2: 4k Preset
LibreOffice : 20 Documents To PDF
R Benchmark 2.5: Overall mean
Cinebench R23 / Multi Core | |
Average Intel Core i5-12500H (11330 - 14686, n=9) | |
Honor MagicBook 14 2022 | |
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 Pro 14 OLED Ryzen 9 | |
Acer Swift 3 SF314-71-56U3 | |
Asus ZenBook 14X UM5401QA-KN162 | |
Average of class Subnotebook (2485 - 16201, n=71, last 2 years) | |
Acer Swift 3 SF314-43-R8BP | |
Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro 14ITL6 | |
Acer Swift 3 SF314-511-54ZK |
Cinebench R23 / Single Core | |
Honor MagicBook 14 2022 | |
Acer Swift 3 SF314-71-56U3 | |
Average Intel Core i5-12500H (1558 - 1701, n=9) | |
Average of class Subnotebook (598 - 1934, n=71, last 2 years) | |
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 Pro 14 OLED Ryzen 9 | |
Asus ZenBook 14X UM5401QA-KN162 | |
Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro 14ITL6 | |
Acer Swift 3 SF314-511-54ZK | |
Acer Swift 3 SF314-43-R8BP |
Cinebench R20 / CPU (Multi Core) | |
Average Intel Core i5-12500H (4687 - 5640, n=9) | |
Honor MagicBook 14 2022 | |
Acer Swift 3 SF314-71-56U3 | |
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 Pro 14 OLED Ryzen 9 | |
Asus ZenBook 14X UM5401QA-KN162 | |
Average of class Subnotebook (810 - 6314, n=67, last 2 years) | |
Acer Swift 3 SF314-43-R8BP | |
Acer Swift 3 SF314-511-54ZK | |
Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro 14ITL6 |
Cinebench R20 / CPU (Single Core) | |
Acer Swift 3 SF314-71-56U3 | |
Honor MagicBook 14 2022 | |
Average Intel Core i5-12500H (602 - 656, n=9) | |
Average of class Subnotebook (216 - 738, n=67, last 2 years) | |
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 Pro 14 OLED Ryzen 9 | |
Asus ZenBook 14X UM5401QA-KN162 | |
Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro 14ITL6 | |
Acer Swift 3 SF314-511-54ZK | |
Acer Swift 3 SF314-43-R8BP |
Cinebench R15 / CPU Multi 64Bit | |
Average Intel Core i5-12500H (1970 - 2283, n=10) | |
Honor MagicBook 14 2022 | |
Honor MagicBook 14 2022 | |
Acer Swift 3 SF314-71-56U3 | |
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 Pro 14 OLED Ryzen 9 | |
Asus ZenBook 14X UM5401QA-KN162 | |
Average of class Subnotebook (514 - 2581, n=73, last 2 years) | |
Acer Swift 3 SF314-43-R8BP | |
Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro 14ITL6 | |
Acer Swift 3 SF314-511-54ZK |
Cinebench R15 / CPU Single 64Bit | |
Honor MagicBook 14 2022 | |
Acer Swift 3 SF314-71-56U3 | |
Average Intel Core i5-12500H (220 - 250, n=9) | |
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 Pro 14 OLED Ryzen 9 | |
Average of class Subnotebook (91.8 - 280, n=65, last 2 years) | |
Asus ZenBook 14X UM5401QA-KN162 | |
Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro 14ITL6 | |
Acer Swift 3 SF314-511-54ZK | |
Acer Swift 3 SF314-43-R8BP |
Blender / v2.79 BMW27 CPU | |
Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro 14ITL6 | |
Acer Swift 3 SF314-511-54ZK | |
Acer Swift 3 SF314-43-R8BP | |
Average of class Subnotebook (201 - 1600, n=69, last 2 years) | |
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 Pro 14 OLED Ryzen 9 | |
Acer Swift 3 SF314-71-56U3 | |
Asus ZenBook 14X UM5401QA-KN162 | |
Honor MagicBook 14 2022 | |
Average Intel Core i5-12500H (223 - 288, n=9) |
7-Zip 18.03 / 7z b 4 | |
Asus ZenBook 14X UM5401QA-KN162 | |
Honor MagicBook 14 2022 | |
Average Intel Core i5-12500H (44105 - 54380, n=9) | |
Acer Swift 3 SF314-71-56U3 | |
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 Pro 14 OLED Ryzen 9 | |
Average of class Subnotebook (16223 - 67444, n=60, last 2 years) | |
Acer Swift 3 SF314-43-R8BP | |
Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro 14ITL6 | |
Acer Swift 3 SF314-511-54ZK |
7-Zip 18.03 / 7z b 4 -mmt1 | |
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 Pro 14 OLED Ryzen 9 | |
Asus ZenBook 14X UM5401QA-KN162 | |
Acer Swift 3 SF314-71-56U3 | |
Average Intel Core i5-12500H (5151 - 5563, n=9) | |
Average of class Subnotebook (2197 - 6403, n=61, last 2 years) | |
Honor MagicBook 14 2022 | |
Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro 14ITL6 | |
Acer Swift 3 SF314-511-54ZK | |
Acer Swift 3 SF314-43-R8BP |
Geekbench 5.5 / Multi-Core | |
Honor MagicBook 14 2022 | |
Acer Swift 3 SF314-71-56U3 | |
Average Intel Core i5-12500H (7962 - 10828, n=9) | |
Average of class Subnotebook (4213 - 12580, n=69, last 2 years) | |
Asus ZenBook 14X UM5401QA-KN162 | |
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 Pro 14 OLED Ryzen 9 | |
Acer Swift 3 SF314-43-R8BP | |
Acer Swift 3 SF314-511-54ZK | |
Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro 14ITL6 |
Geekbench 5.5 / Single-Core | |
Acer Swift 3 SF314-71-56U3 | |
Honor MagicBook 14 2022 | |
Average of class Subnotebook (672 - 2350, n=69, last 2 years) | |
Average Intel Core i5-12500H (1471 - 1693, n=9) | |
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 Pro 14 OLED Ryzen 9 | |
Asus ZenBook 14X UM5401QA-KN162 | |
Acer Swift 3 SF314-511-54ZK | |
Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro 14ITL6 | |
Acer Swift 3 SF314-43-R8BP |
HWBOT x265 Benchmark v2.2 / 4k Preset | |
Average Intel Core i5-12500H (12 - 16.6, n=9) | |
Honor MagicBook 14 2022 | |
Asus ZenBook 14X UM5401QA-KN162 | |
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 Pro 14 OLED Ryzen 9 | |
Acer Swift 3 SF314-71-56U3 | |
Average of class Subnotebook (1.5 - 19.4, n=59, last 2 years) | |
Acer Swift 3 SF314-43-R8BP | |
Acer Swift 3 SF314-511-54ZK | |
Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro 14ITL6 |
LibreOffice / 20 Documents To PDF | |
Acer Swift 3 SF314-43-R8BP | |
Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro 14ITL6 | |
Acer Swift 3 SF314-511-54ZK | |
Asus ZenBook 14X UM5401QA-KN162 | |
Average of class Subnotebook (40.1 - 120.5, n=60, last 2 years) | |
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 Pro 14 OLED Ryzen 9 | |
Average Intel Core i5-12500H (40.1 - 58.5, n=9) | |
Honor MagicBook 14 2022 | |
Acer Swift 3 SF314-71-56U3 |
R Benchmark 2.5 / Overall mean | |
Acer Swift 3 SF314-511-54ZK | |
Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro 14ITL6 | |
Acer Swift 3 SF314-43-R8BP | |
Average of class Subnotebook (0.4397 - 1.236, n=60, last 2 years) | |
Asus ZenBook 14X UM5401QA-KN162 | |
Acer Swift 3 SF314-71-56U3 | |
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 Pro 14 OLED Ryzen 9 | |
Average Intel Core i5-12500H (0.4748 - 0.535, n=9) | |
Honor MagicBook 14 2022 |
* ... smaller is better
AIDA64: FP32 Ray-Trace | FPU Julia | CPU SHA3 | CPU Queen | FPU SinJulia | FPU Mandel | CPU AES | CPU ZLib | FP64 Ray-Trace | CPU PhotoWorxx
AIDA64 / FP32 Ray-Trace | |
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 Pro 14 OLED Ryzen 9 | |
Asus ZenBook 14X UM5401QA-KN162 | |
Average Intel Core i5-12500H (6851 - 13947, n=9) | |
Average of class Subnotebook (343 - 25961, n=60, last 2 years) | |
Acer Swift 3 SF314-71-56U3 | |
Acer Swift 3 SF314-43-R8BP | |
Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro 14ITL6 | |
Acer Swift 3 SF314-511-54ZK | |
Honor MagicBook 14 2022 |
AIDA64 / FPU Julia | |
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 Pro 14 OLED Ryzen 9 | |
Asus ZenBook 14X UM5401QA-KN162 | |
Average Intel Core i5-12500H (29874 - 68178, n=9) | |
Average of class Subnotebook (11867 - 111109, n=60, last 2 years) | |
Acer Swift 3 SF314-71-56U3 | |
Acer Swift 3 SF314-43-R8BP | |
Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro 14ITL6 | |
Honor MagicBook 14 2022 | |
Acer Swift 3 SF314-511-54ZK |
AIDA64 / CPU SHA3 | |
Average Intel Core i5-12500H (2287 - 3337, n=9) | |
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 Pro 14 OLED Ryzen 9 | |
Asus ZenBook 14X UM5401QA-KN162 | |
Acer Swift 3 SF314-71-56U3 | |
Average of class Subnotebook (453 - 4646, n=60, last 2 years) | |
Honor MagicBook 14 2022 | |
Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro 14ITL6 | |
Acer Swift 3 SF314-511-54ZK | |
Acer Swift 3 SF314-43-R8BP |
AIDA64 / CPU Queen | |
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 Pro 14 OLED Ryzen 9 | |
Asus ZenBook 14X UM5401QA-KN162 | |
Acer Swift 3 SF314-71-56U3 | |
Average Intel Core i5-12500H (77935 - 80703, n=9) | |
Average of class Subnotebook (15447 - 115300, n=60, last 2 years) | |
Honor MagicBook 14 2022 | |
Acer Swift 3 SF314-43-R8BP | |
Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro 14ITL6 | |
Acer Swift 3 SF314-511-54ZK |
AIDA64 / FPU SinJulia | |
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 Pro 14 OLED Ryzen 9 | |
Asus ZenBook 14X UM5401QA-KN162 | |
Acer Swift 3 SF314-43-R8BP | |
Average of class Subnotebook (1223 - 14944, n=60, last 2 years) | |
Average Intel Core i5-12500H (6590 - 7431, n=9) | |
Honor MagicBook 14 2022 | |
Acer Swift 3 SF314-71-56U3 | |
Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro 14ITL6 | |
Acer Swift 3 SF314-511-54ZK |
AIDA64 / FPU Mandel | |
Asus ZenBook 14X UM5401QA-KN162 | |
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 Pro 14 OLED Ryzen 9 | |
Average Intel Core i5-12500H (18252 - 34041, n=9) | |
Average of class Subnotebook (6379 - 59053, n=60, last 2 years) | |
Acer Swift 3 SF314-71-56U3 | |
Acer Swift 3 SF314-43-R8BP | |
Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro 14ITL6 | |
Honor MagicBook 14 2022 | |
Acer Swift 3 SF314-511-54ZK |
AIDA64 / CPU AES | |
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 Pro 14 OLED Ryzen 9 | |
Asus ZenBook 14X UM5401QA-KN162 | |
Average Intel Core i5-12500H (50298 - 111567, n=9) | |
Honor MagicBook 14 2022 | |
Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro 14ITL6 | |
Average of class Subnotebook (638 - 161430, n=60, last 2 years) | |
Acer Swift 3 SF314-71-56U3 | |
Acer Swift 3 SF314-43-R8BP | |
Acer Swift 3 SF314-511-54ZK |
AIDA64 / CPU ZLib | |
Average Intel Core i5-12500H (746 - 924, n=9) | |
Honor MagicBook 14 2022 | |
Acer Swift 3 SF314-71-56U3 | |
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 Pro 14 OLED Ryzen 9 | |
Asus ZenBook 14X UM5401QA-KN162 | |
Average of class Subnotebook (270 - 1123, n=60, last 2 years) | |
Acer Swift 3 SF314-43-R8BP | |
Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro 14ITL6 | |
Acer Swift 3 SF314-511-54ZK |
AIDA64 / FP64 Ray-Trace | |
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 Pro 14 OLED Ryzen 9 | |
Asus ZenBook 14X UM5401QA-KN162 | |
Average Intel Core i5-12500H (3848 - 7405, n=9) | |
Acer Swift 3 SF314-71-56U3 | |
Average of class Subnotebook (204 - 14018, n=60, last 2 years) | |
Acer Swift 3 SF314-43-R8BP | |
Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro 14ITL6 | |
Honor MagicBook 14 2022 | |
Acer Swift 3 SF314-511-54ZK |
AIDA64 / CPU PhotoWorxx | |
Acer Swift 3 SF314-71-56U3 | |
Honor MagicBook 14 2022 | |
Average of class Subnotebook (7622 - 53954, n=60, last 2 years) | |
Acer Swift 3 SF314-511-54ZK | |
Average Intel Core i5-12500H (13686 - 43813, n=9) | |
Acer Swift 3 SF314-43-R8BP | |
Asus ZenBook 14X UM5401QA-KN162 | |
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 Pro 14 OLED Ryzen 9 | |
Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro 14ITL6 |
System Performance
Thanks to the powerful CPU, the system performance is good. Aside from the Honor MagicBook 14 2022, the Acer Swift 3 outperforms all competitors in most benchmarks. However, competitors with dedicated GPUs and the Asus ZenBook 14X with the AMD Ryzen 7 5800H are able to beat our test device in the PCMark 10 productivity benchmark. During our testing, the system was smooth and ready to handle any common workload.
CrossMark: Overall | Productivity | Creativity | Responsiveness
PCMark 8 Home Score Accelerated v2 | 5076 points | |
PCMark 8 Creative Score Accelerated v2 | 7124 points | |
PCMark 8 Work Score Accelerated v2 | 2972 points | |
PCMark 10 Score | 5511 points | |
Help |
AIDA64 / Memory Copy | |
Acer Swift 3 SF314-71-56U3 | |
Average of class Subnotebook (22781 - 95353, n=60, last 2 years) | |
Honor MagicBook 14 2022 | |
Acer Swift 3 SF314-511-54ZK | |
Average Intel Core i5-12500H (23850 - 66598, n=9) | |
Acer Swift 3 SF314-43-R8BP | |
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 Pro 14 OLED Ryzen 9 | |
Asus ZenBook 14X UM5401QA-KN162 | |
Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro 14ITL6 |
AIDA64 / Memory Read | |
Honor MagicBook 14 2022 | |
Acer Swift 3 SF314-71-56U3 | |
Average of class Subnotebook (23831 - 86433, n=60, last 2 years) | |
Acer Swift 3 SF314-511-54ZK | |
Average Intel Core i5-12500H (24879 - 68013, n=9) | |
Acer Swift 3 SF314-43-R8BP | |
Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro 14ITL6 | |
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 Pro 14 OLED Ryzen 9 | |
Asus ZenBook 14X UM5401QA-KN162 |
AIDA64 / Memory Write | |
Average of class Subnotebook (23474 - 93382, n=60, last 2 years) | |
Acer Swift 3 SF314-71-56U3 | |
Acer Swift 3 SF314-511-54ZK | |
Honor MagicBook 14 2022 | |
Average Intel Core i5-12500H (23543 - 58797, n=9) | |
Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro 14ITL6 | |
Acer Swift 3 SF314-43-R8BP | |
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 Pro 14 OLED Ryzen 9 | |
Asus ZenBook 14X UM5401QA-KN162 |
AIDA64 / Memory Latency | |
Acer Swift 3 SF314-43-R8BP | |
Honor MagicBook 14 2022 | |
Acer Swift 3 SF314-511-54ZK | |
Acer Swift 3 SF314-71-56U3 | |
Average of class Subnotebook (18.8 - 172, n=55, last 2 years) | |
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 Pro 14 OLED Ryzen 9 | |
Asus ZenBook 14X UM5401QA-KN162 | |
Average Intel Core i5-12500H (83.8 - 114.7, n=9) | |
Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro 14ITL6 |
* ... smaller is better
DPC Latency
The latencies of the Acer Swift 3 SF314 are fairly high according to our testing. While this may indicate issues pertaining to real-time audio and video editing, the test is just a snapshot that reflects the current BIOS and driver configuration. However, we did not notice any issues related to the software configuration.
DPC Latencies / LatencyMon - interrupt to process latency (max), Web, Youtube, Prime95 | |
Acer Swift 3 SF314-71-56U3 | |
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 Pro 14 OLED Ryzen 9 | |
Acer Swift 3 SF314-511-54ZK | |
Asus ZenBook 14X UM5401QA-KN162 | |
Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro 14ITL6 | |
Acer Swift 3 SF314-43-R8BP | |
Honor MagicBook 14 2022 |
* ... smaller is better
Storage Solution
The installed 1-TB Micron SSD generally places the Swift 3 in the top 4 in short-term benchmarks. As the subpar results show, it still consistently falls short of the potential of the SSD. While the storage solution shows fast transfer speeds overall, we did notice fairly high write access times.
When it comes to the continuous performance, the transfer rate drops by more than 80% after completing slightly more than half of our test despite its cooling pad and subsequently stabilizes at around one third of its initial speed. We were able to reproduce this phenomenon in multiple runs, meaning users will have to contend with unnecessarily prolonged data transfers when transferring large amounts.
* ... smaller is better
Disk Throttling: DiskSpd Read Loop, Queue Depth 8
GPU Performance
Instead of relying on a dedicated graphics solution, Acer uses an Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 iGPU with 80 EU that is part of the Intel Core i5-12500H CPU. Although its performance is higher compared to the average for this iGPU, it of course cannot compete with competitors with dedicated graphics chips. In battery mode, the performance drops by only around 5%.
3DMark 11 - 1280x720 Performance GPU | |
Honor MagicBook 14 2022 | |
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 Pro 14 OLED Ryzen 9 | |
Average of class Subnotebook (2979 - 16904, n=57, last 2 years) | |
Asus ZenBook 14X UM5401QA-KN162 | |
Acer Swift 3 SF314-71-56U3 | |
Acer Swift 3 SF314-511-54ZK | |
Acer Swift 3 SF314-43-R8BP | |
Average Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 80EUs (2246 - 6477, n=105) | |
Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro 14ITL6 |
3DMark 11 Performance | 6454 points | |
3DMark Ice Storm Standard Score | 98106 points | |
3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score | 22550 points | |
3DMark Fire Strike Score | 4391 points | |
3DMark Time Spy Score | 1560 points | |
Help |
Gaming Performance
Despite the potent CPU, users should not expect miracles due to the lack of a dedicated GPU. The fact that competitors with dedicated graphics solutions achieve decisively better results, reflects this. That being said, it tends to outperform its iGPU competitors in terms of frame rates in The Witcher 3 and handily beats the iGPU average.
From looking at the frame rates of various games, it becomes clear that even newer titles run smoothly at low settings. At medium graphics settings, many titles still run smoothly. While this does not exactly turn the OLED laptop into a gaming monster, occasional gaming, for example during a lunch break, is still possible. In this case, users also benefit from the consistent performance.
Witcher 3 FPS Graph
low | med. | high | ultra | QHD | |
GTA V (2015) | 119.9 | 104.6 | 22 | 9.61 | |
The Witcher 3 (2015) | 84.84 | 53.67 | 24.88 | 13.9 | |
Dota 2 Reborn (2015) | 134.4 | 119.5 | 70.9 | 66.1 | |
Final Fantasy XV Benchmark (2018) | 40.8 | 22.3 | 15.5 | 11.8 | |
X-Plane 11.11 (2018) | 47.1 | 33.6 | 30.4 | ||
Far Cry 5 (2018) | 54 | 27 | 25 | 24 | |
Strange Brigade (2018) | 73.8 | 33 | 26 | 20.7 | |
F1 22 (2022) | 60.5 | 35.1 | 32.1 | 23.9 |
Emissions - Nothing Unusual
System Noise
During idle, the Acer Swift 3 remains silent. Under demanding loads, the fan produces up to 40 dB(A) and an average of slightly above 35 dB(A). This makes our test model significantly quieter compared to many devices in our comparison and only slightly louder than the Swift 3 AMD, which we also reviewed.
In a nutshell: Our configuration of the Swift 3 is a pleasantly quiet companion despite its powerful CPU. We also did not notice any other distracting noise from the device during testing.
Noise Level
Idle |
| 25.15 / 25.15 / 25.15 dB(A) |
Load |
| 35.6 / 40.3 dB(A) |
| ||
30 dB silent 40 dB(A) audible 50 dB(A) loud |
||
min: , med: , max: Earthworks M23R, Arta (15 cm distance) environment noise: 25.15 dB(A) |
Acer Swift 3 SF314-71-56U3 Iris Xe G7 80EUs, i5-12500H, Micron 2450 1TB MTFDKBA1T0TFK | Honor MagicBook 14 2022 GeForce RTX 2050 Mobile, i5-12500H, Samsung PM9A1 MZVL2512HCJQ | Asus ZenBook 14X UM5401QA-KN162 Vega 8, R7 5800H, Intel SSD 670p SSDPEKNU512GZ | Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 Pro 14 OLED Ryzen 9 GeForce MX450, R9 5900HS, SK Hynix PC711 1TB HFS001TDE9X084N | Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro 14ITL6 Iris Xe G7 80EUs, i5-1135G7, WDC PC SN730 SDBPNTY-512G | Acer Swift 3 SF314-43-R8BP Vega 7, R5 5500U, Kingston OM8PDP3512B-AI1 | Acer Swift 3 SF314-511-54ZK Iris Xe G7 80EUs, i5-1135G7, Samsung PM9A1 MZVL2512HCJQ | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Noise | -4% | -8% | -4% | -6% | -2% | -0% | |
off / environment * | 25.15 | 24.3 3% | 24.6 2% | 24.7 2% | 25 1% | 26 -3% | 25 1% |
Idle Minimum * | 25.15 | 24.3 3% | 24.6 2% | 24.7 2% | 25 1% | 26 -3% | 25 1% |
Idle Average * | 25.15 | 24.3 3% | 24.6 2% | 24.7 2% | 27 -7% | 26 -3% | 25 1% |
Idle Maximum * | 25.15 | 24.3 3% | 24.6 2% | 27.3 -9% | 29 -15% | 27.5 -9% | 27.5 -9% |
Load Average * | 35.6 | 39.8 -12% | 45 -26% | 41 -15% | 39 -10% | 34 4% | 32.9 8% |
Load Maximum * | 40.3 | 50.6 -26% | 51.5 -28% | 43.5 -8% | 42 -4% | 38.2 5% | 42 -4% |
Witcher 3 ultra * | 45.4 | 43.5 | 38 |
* ... smaller is better
Temperatures
With 27 °C (80.6 °F), the idle temperature is barely worth mentioning. While things remain relatively cool with an average of 36 °C (96.8 °F) under load, the center and top left corner hot spots can reach up to 45 °C (113 °F). Compared to the Honor MagicBook 14 2022 with the same CPU and a dedicated GPU, this is still quite cool. However, the latter does offer more performance.
(±) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 43 °C / 109 F, compared to the average of 35.9 °C / 97 F, ranging from 21.4 to 59 °C for the class Subnotebook.
(-) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 45.6 °C / 114 F, compared to the average of 39.4 °C / 103 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 27.4 °C / 81 F, compared to the device average of 30.7 °C / 87 F.
(+) The palmrests and touchpad are cooler than skin temperature with a maximum of 31.8 °C / 89.2 F and are therefore cool to the touch.
(-) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 28.3 °C / 82.9 F (-3.5 °C / -6.3 F).
Acer Swift 3 SF314-71-56U3 Intel Core i5-12500H, Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 80EUs | Honor MagicBook 14 2022 Intel Core i5-12500H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2050 Mobile | Asus ZenBook 14X UM5401QA-KN162 AMD Ryzen 7 5800H, AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Ryzen 4000/5000) | Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 Pro 14 OLED Ryzen 9 AMD Ryzen 9 5900HS, NVIDIA GeForce MX450 | Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro 14ITL6 Intel Core i5-1135G7, Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 80EUs | Acer Swift 3 SF314-43-R8BP AMD Ryzen 5 5500U, AMD Radeon RX Vega 7 | Acer Swift 3 SF314-511-54ZK Intel Core i5-1135G7, Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 80EUs | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Heat | 2% | -2% | -10% | -3% | 17% | 11% | |
Maximum Upper Side * | 43 | 44.6 -4% | 42.5 1% | 44.5 -3% | 42 2% | 36 16% | 39.6 8% |
Maximum Bottom * | 45.6 | 51.6 -13% | 43.7 4% | 56.4 -24% | 45 1% | 38 17% | 43.2 5% |
Idle Upper Side * | 29.5 | 26.1 12% | 31.1 -5% | 29.1 1% | 34 -15% | 24.1 18% | 25 15% |
Idle Bottom * | 30.3 | 26.8 12% | 32 -6% | 34 -12% | 30 1% | 25.7 15% | 26.2 14% |
* ... smaller is better
Stress Test
In our standardized stress test, which consists of simultaneously stressing the system with Prime95 and FurMark, the CPU of the Acer Swift 3 SF314 stabilizes at an average of 1.65 GHz, 35 watts and a core temperature of 75 °C (167 °F) after reaching an initial peak of 3.7 GHz at 80 watts. Similarly, the iGPU runs at a consistent 1100 MHz and a core temperature of just above 76 °C (168.8 °F). A subsequent benchmark shows no performance decay.
CPU Clock (GHz) | GPU Clock (MHz) | Average CPU Temperature (°C) | Average GPU Temperature (°C) | |
System Idle | 1.45 | 100 | 33 | 35 |
Prime95, Stress | 2.3 | 100 | 78 | 67 |
Prime95 + FurMark, Stress | 1.65 | 1100 | 75 | 76 |
Witcher 3, Stress | 2.0 | 1300 | 62 | 70 |
Speakers
The stereo speakers support DTS and reach a maximum volume of 84 dB(A), but there is - both subjectively and measurably - almost no bass. By contrast, mids and treble are relatively balanced and linear.
Acer Swift 3 SF314-71-56U3 audio analysis
(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (84 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 32.4% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (12.2% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 2.5% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (4.6% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 3.9% away from median
(±) | linearity of highs is average (7.2% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (20% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 58% of all tested devices in this class were better, 9% similar, 33% worse
» The best had a delta of 5%, average was 19%, worst was 53%
Compared to all devices tested
» 46% of all tested devices were better, 8% similar, 46% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%
Apple MacBook Pro 16 2021 M1 Pro audio analysis
(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (84.7 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(+) | good bass - only 3.8% away from median
(+) | bass is linear (5.2% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 1.3% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (2.1% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 1.9% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (2.7% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(+) | overall sound is linear (4.6% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 0% of all tested devices in this class were better, 0% similar, 100% worse
» The best had a delta of 5%, average was 18%, worst was 45%
Compared to all devices tested
» 0% of all tested devices were better, 0% similar, 100% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%
Energy Management - No Runtime Records
Energy Consumption
OLED displays are notoriously less energy efficient compared to other panel technologies. Compared to competitors with OLED screens (and dedicated GPUs), the laptop is fairly economical with an average idle consumption of below 7 watts.
The average power draw rises to 45 watts under load, which is good comparatively, and to up to 97 watts at its peak. However, the second value is only maintained for a very short time, before falling and stabilizing at just above 60 watts. Thus, the included 100-watt charger is sufficiently dimensioned. With 47 watts, the average consumption while playing The Witcher 3 is lower than in our stress test and fluctuates between about 40 and 60 watts.
Off / Standby | 0.4 / 0.6 Watt |
Idle | 6.1 / 6.8 / 15 Watt |
Load |
45 / 97 Watt |
Acer Swift 3 SF314-71-56U3 i5-12500H, Iris Xe G7 80EUs, Micron 2450 1TB MTFDKBA1T0TFK, OLED, 2880x1800, 14.00 | Honor MagicBook 14 2022 i5-12500H, GeForce RTX 2050 Mobile, Samsung PM9A1 MZVL2512HCJQ, IPS, 2160x1440, 14.00 | Asus ZenBook 14X UM5401QA-KN162 R7 5800H, Vega 8, Intel SSD 670p SSDPEKNU512GZ, OLED, 2880x1800, 14.00 | Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 Pro 14 OLED Ryzen 9 R9 5900HS, GeForce MX450, SK Hynix PC711 1TB HFS001TDE9X084N, OLED, 2880x1800, 14.00 | Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro 14ITL6 i5-1135G7, Iris Xe G7 80EUs, WDC PC SN730 SDBPNTY-512G, IPS, 2880x1800, 14.00 | Acer Swift 3 SF314-43-R8BP R5 5500U, Vega 7, Kingston OM8PDP3512B-AI1, IPS, 1920x1080, 14.00 | Acer Swift 3 SF314-511-54ZK i5-1135G7, Iris Xe G7 80EUs, Samsung PM9A1 MZVL2512HCJQ, IPS, 1920x1080, 14.00 | Average Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 80EUs | Average of class Subnotebook | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Power Consumption | -28% | -7% | -50% | 14% | 25% | 26% | 23% | 11% | |
Idle Minimum * | 6.1 | 4.5 26% | 6.7 -10% | 9.5 -56% | 5 18% | 4.1 33% | 4.3 30% | 4.46 ? 27% | 4.91 ? 20% |
Idle Average * | 6.8 | 10.1 -49% | 9.3 -37% | 14.1 -107% | 7 -3% | 5.4 21% | 6.8 -0% | 7.33 ? -8% | 8.38 ? -23% |
Idle Maximum * | 15 | 10.5 30% | 11.1 26% | 14.9 1% | 13 13% | 7.7 49% | 9 40% | 9.25 ? 38% | 10.4 ? 31% |
Load Average * | 45 | 83.2 -85% | 53.5 -19% | 79.5 -77% | 41 9% | 44 2% | 33.3 26% | 36.1 ? 20% | 46.1 ? -2% |
Witcher 3 ultra * | 47.1 | 85 -80% | 54.8 -16% | 73.5 -56% | 40.1 15% | 41.8 11% | 33.3 29% | ||
Load Maximum * | 97 | 107.1 -10% | 81 16% | 98.5 -2% | 68 30% | 63 35% | 65 33% | 61.2 ? 37% | 66.6 ? 31% |
* ... smaller is better
Consumption Witcher 3 / Stress Test
Consumption external Monitor
Battery Life
An OLED panel and long battery life is somewhat of an antithesis. When an OLED screen and a powerful CPU are met with a relatively small 57-Wh battery, the resulting battery life is bound to be on the shorter side.
Although the Acer Swift 3 holds the shortest Wi-Fi runtime in our standardized Wi-Fi test with just above 5 hours, the battery life is comparable to that of its OLED competitor Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 Pro 14 OLED review: A subnotebook with a lot of CPU powerLenovo Yoga Slim 7 Pro 14. Under load, the display shuts off after just a little more than an hour.
All in all, the device certainly is not a runtime champion. Users who are looking for a mobile companion with the potential to last for days away from an outlet should look elsewhere. The Honor MagicBook 14 2022 from our comparison, for example, comes with the same CPU, a bigger battery and no OLED display, which results in significantly better battery life.
Acer Swift 3 SF314-71-56U3 i5-12500H, Iris Xe G7 80EUs, 57 Wh | Honor MagicBook 14 2022 i5-12500H, GeForce RTX 2050 Mobile, 75 Wh | Asus ZenBook 14X UM5401QA-KN162 R7 5800H, Vega 8, 63 Wh | Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 Pro 14 OLED Ryzen 9 R9 5900HS, GeForce MX450, 61 Wh | Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro 14ITL6 i5-1135G7, Iris Xe G7 80EUs, 56.5 Wh | Acer Swift 3 SF314-43-R8BP R5 5500U, Vega 7, 48 Wh | Acer Swift 3 SF314-511-54ZK i5-1135G7, Iris Xe G7 80EUs, 56 Wh | Average of class Subnotebook | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Battery Runtime | 75% | 51% | 5% | 42% | 60% | 103% | 86% | |
H.264 | 426 | 755 77% | 786 ? 85% | |||||
WiFi v1.3 | 312 | 665 113% | 496 59% | 327 5% | 442 42% | 505 62% | 724 132% | 626 ? 101% |
Load | 66 | 90 36% | 94 42% | 104 58% | 114 73% | 114.5 ? 73% | ||
Reader / Idle | 1155 | 2015 | 1268 ? |
Pros
Cons
Verdict - OLED Laptop from Acer with Few Weaknesses
In our review, the Acer Swift 3 SF314-71-56U3 aces many categories. The 14-inch laptop is a compact travelling companion with a lot of performance - particularly when it comes to the CPU.
The 12-core processor flexes its muscles in our benchmark suite and - in conjunction with the good fan - makes for a smooth and quiet system.
The OLED display is another highlight. Although the image quality is good due to the typical advantages of the OLED technology, there are some minor drawbacks. While colors pop on the glossy panel, bright light sources unfortunately introduce glare. Thus, the device is better suited to a desk than the outdoors.
Finally, we would have liked to see longer battery life. Aside from this, however, the Acer Swift 3 SF314, which also offers two Thunderbolt 4 ports and one HDMI 2.1 port, does not warrant much criticism.
For users with no need for the OLED display and the high performance potential, alternative, cheaper models with different CPUs (such as the AMD Ryzen 5 5500U) and an IPS panel are also available. Users who wish to pair the high CPU performance with a more potent graphics solution may want to take a look at the Honor MagicBook 14.
Price and Availability
The Acer Swift 3, configured with an Intel Core i7-12700H CPU and Iris Xe Graphics G7 80EU iGPU, 16 GB of LPDDR5 RAM, and a 1-TB SSD is available for around 1199 USD, for example from Amazon.com.
Acer Swift 3 SF314-71-56U3
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11/09/2022 v7
Marcus Schwarten