Acer Swift 7 SF714-52T Review: Slim and light subnotebook for a fat wallet
The Acer Swift 7 SF714-52T brings less than a kilogram to the scale and is thus one of the lightest 14-inch notebooks available. In order to be able to manufacture a device that is as slim as possible, Acer has foregone an actively cooled CPU, using a passively cooled model with the Core i7-8500Y processor instead.
The Swift 7 has nothing to do with anything like an over abundance of competitors. Besides the LG Gram 14Z980 and the Acer Swift 5 SF514-52T, there are only two other 14-inch devices that can come close to the Swift 7, at least in terms of weight. We therefore also include the Asus ZenBook 14 UX433FA (14 inch), Apple MacBook Air 13 (13,3 inch), and Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 2019 (14 inch) into our expanded group of competitors.
Rating | Date | Model | Weight | Height | Size | Resolution | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 84.2 % v7 (old) | 11 / 2019 | Acer Swift 7 SF714-52T-76MR i7-8500Y, UHD Graphics 615 | 890 g | 9.95 mm | 14.00" | 1920x1080 | |
| 85.5 % v6 (old) | 08 / 2018 | Acer Swift 7 SF714-51T i7-7Y75, HD Graphics 615 | 1.2 kg | 8.98 mm | 14.00" | 1920x1080 | |
| 84.8 % v6 (old) | 02 / 2019 | Asus Zenbook 14 UX433FA-A6018T i5-8265U, UHD Graphics 620 | 1.2 kg | 15.9 mm | 14.00" | 1920x1080 | |
| 85 % v6 (old) | 04 / 2019 | LG Gram 14Z980-U.AAW5U1 i5-8250U, UHD Graphics 620 | 994 g | 15.2 mm | 14.00" | 1920x1080 | |
| 88.4 % v6 (old) | 11 / 2018 | Apple MacBook Air 2018 i5-8210Y, UHD Graphics 617 | 1.2 kg | 15.6 mm | 13.30" | 2560x1600 | |
| 90.5 % v7 (old) | 09 / 2019 | Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 2019-20QES01L00 i7-8565U, UHD Graphics 620 | 1.1 kg | 14.9 mm | 14.00" | 1920x1080 | |
| 84.3 % v6 (old) | 06 / 2018 | Acer Swift 5 SF514-52T-59HY i5-8250U, UHD Graphics 620 | 930 g | 15 mm | 14.00" | 1920x1080 |
Case - The case of the Swift 7 is made of magnesium
Acer's laptop reaches an overall weight of barely 890 grams (1.96 lb or 31.4 oz; according to the official statements from Acer; our own scale even shows only 854 grams, 1.88 lb). With this, it beats the SF714-51T predecessor model by almost 300 grams (~10.6 oz) and the also very light LG Gram 14Z980 by slightly more than 100 grams (~3.5 oz). The low weight is achieved by the light build, where Acer bets on an elegant, slim magnesium case. In addition, the working memory and SSD are soldered directly onto the main board, which makes an upgrade impossible. Our test unit is snow-white. Alternatively, you can also get the notebook in black color. The battery is built in, and the computer does not offer a maintenance hatch. On the other hand, you can take off the bottom of the case - more on that later.
The slim and light case does not reveal any faults in the workmanship. The clearances between the materials are exact, and we cannot feel any sharp edges. However, there is some lack in terms of stability, which is the price of the light build. The base unit as well as the case can be warped. In addition, the base unit can be bent without much use of force. Pressure on the back of the display lid leads to minimal changes in the displayed image, but only in the center of the display. The hinges hold the display tightly in position and only show a very slight wobble. The maximum opening angle is 135 degrees. You can open the display lid with one hand, if you use a little finger, hand, and arm acrobatics.
Not only does the Swift 7 bring less weight to the scale, it also turns out significantly more compact. At a height of barely 10 mm (or 9.95 mm to be exact, ~0.39 in), the SF714-52T also represents one of the slimmest subnotebooks that are currently available.
Equipment - SF714-52T with Thunderbolt 3
The connections offered by the Swift are limited. On the left side, there is only an audio port, and on the right side, Acer has placed two Thunderbolt-3 USB Type-C ports. They allow you to connect docking solutions and/or an external, powerful GPU. Of course, the ports also support DisplayPort per USB-C (you need to purchase a separate adapter for this) as well as Power Delivery 3.0. The notebook also includes a USB Type-C adapter that offers two USB ports (1x Type C, 1x Type A) and one HDMI port. The Swift does not include a storage card reader.
Communication
The WLAN module of the Acer Swift contains an Intel chip (Wi-Fi 6 AX200). In addition to the known WLAN 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac standards, this also supports the new ax standard (= Wi-Fi 6). The transfer speeds we measured under optimal conditions (no other WLAN devices nearby, close distance between the notebook and the server PC) turned out good.
Webcam
The webcam is not located at its usual position, but is positioned above the keyboard. The camera module can be manually opened and closed (by pressing on the module). The results produced by the camera turn out slightly blurry and washed out.
Accessories
In addition to the usual documentation, the notebook box also includes a bag and a USB Type-C adapter.
Maintenance
Due to its slim build, the Acer ultrabook does not offer many maintenance and upgrade options. If you do need access to the hardware, you have to remove the bottom of the case. To do that, you first have to remove all the visible screws from the bottom of the case. Then you have to remove the four rubber feet in the corners of the notebook to get access to more screws that also need to be removed. And finally you can lift up the bottom of the case carefully, using a small prying tool. You will then get access to the battery, the WLAN module, and the BIOS battery.
Warranty
Acer offers a two-year warranty for the slim 14-incher, including pick-up service. You can extend this to three years for approximately an additional 50 Euros (~$56). For a three-year on-site warranty, you have to pay about 150 Euros (~$167).
Input Devices - An Acer with an illuminated keyboard
Keyboard
Acer's slim notebook is equipped with an illuminated chiclet keyboard. Its flat, minimally roughened keys offer a short hub and a clear pressure point. For our tastes, the keys could have offered a more crisp resistance. While typing, the keyboard bounces slightly, but this does not turn out to be extremely annoying. The illumination is controlled via a function key, and there is only one brightness level. While overall, Acer has delivered a keyboard that is suitable for everyday tasks, it is not really made for those who type a lot.
Touchpad
The multitouch-capable ClickPad has a footprint of about 14 x 5.1 cm (~5.5 x 2 in), offering sufficient space for using gesture controls. The smooth pad surface makes it easy for the fingers to slide. The pad also responds to input in the corners. It offers a short stroke and clear pressure point.
Touchscreen
The capacitive touchscreen of the Swift 7 supports 10 touch points and did not give us any trouble, promptly responding to any inputs.
Display - IPS with a high contrast
The 14-inch touchscreen display of the Swift SF714 has a native resolution of 1920x1080 pixels. While the display offers outstanding contrast (3116:1), the brightness turns out too low (272.3 cd/m²). This makes the Swift 7 the notebook with the darkest display of our comparison group. We consider any value above 300 cd/m² as good. The price level of the Swift would demand for such a value. On the other hand, it is good that the display does not produce any PWM flickering.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Brightness Distribution: 79 %
Center on Battery: 293 cd/m²
Contrast: 3116:1 (Black: 0.095 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 3.1 | 0.5-29.43 Ø4.9
ΔE Greyscale 4.5 | 0.5-98 Ø5.2
99% sRGB (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
65% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
71% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
99.4% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
69.9% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.15
| Acer Swift 7 SF714-52T-76MR IPS, 1920x1080, 14" | Acer Swift 7 SF714-51T IPS, 1920x1080, 14" | Asus Zenbook 14 UX433FA-A6018T IPS, 1920x1080, 14" | LG Gram 14Z980-U.AAW5U1 IPS, 1920x1080, 14" | Apple MacBook Air 2018 IPS, 2560x1600, 13.3" | Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 2019-20QES01L00 IPS, 1920x1080, 14" | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Display | -8% | -9% | -6% | -3% | -6% | |
| Display P3 Coverage | 69.9 | 63.5 -9% | 63.5 -9% | 64.7 -7% | 67.8 -3% | 64.5 -8% |
| sRGB Coverage | 99.4 | 94.2 -5% | 90.9 -9% | 94.3 -5% | 96.1 -3% | 95.8 -4% |
| AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage | 71 | 64.6 -9% | 64.6 -9% | 66 -7% | 69.8 -2% | 65.7 -7% |
| Response Times | 4% | 16% | 17% | 18% | 14% | |
| Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% * | 55 ? | 51 ? 7% | 42 ? 24% | 36.8 ? 33% | 39.6 ? 28% | 44.8 ? 19% |
| Response Time Black / White * | 30 ? | 30 ? -0% | 28 ? 7% | 30 ? -0% | 28 ? 7% | 27.6 ? 8% |
| PWM Frequency | 113600 ? | |||||
| Screen | -24% | -46% | -39% | -4% | -22% | |
| Brightness middle | 296 | 304 3% | 321 8% | 333.8 13% | 320 8% | 381 29% |
| Brightness | 272 | 309 14% | 282 4% | 307 13% | 315 16% | 375 38% |
| Brightness Distribution | 79 | 83 5% | 77 -3% | 83 5% | 95 20% | 94 19% |
| Black Level * | 0.095 | 0.26 -174% | 0.2 -111% | 0.4 -321% | 0.29 -205% | 0.24 -153% |
| Contrast | 3116 | 1169 -62% | 1605 -48% | 835 -73% | 1103 -65% | 1588 -49% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 3.1 | 3.99 -29% | 6.35 -105% | 3.54 -14% | 1.2 61% | 4.6 -48% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 max. * | 6.2 | 5.47 12% | 12.2 -97% | 5.8 6% | 3.2 48% | 8.5 -37% |
| Greyscale dE 2000 * | 4.5 | 4.32 4% | 8.35 -86% | 4.7 -4% | 0.8 82% | 5.1 -13% |
| Gamma | 2.15 102% | 2.27 97% | 2.51 88% | 2.14 103% | 2.2 100% | 2.52 87% |
| CCT | 7277 89% | 7261 90% | 8227 79% | 6261 104% | 6548 99% | 7052 92% |
| Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998) | 65 | 59 -9% | 59 -9% | 61.2 -6% | 62.1 -4% | 60.7 -7% |
| Color Space (Percent of sRGB) | 99 | 94 -5% | 91 -8% | 94.7 -4% | 96 -3% | 95.7 -3% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 calibrated * | 1.36 | 1.88 | 2.36 | 0.5 | 1.2 | |
| Total Average (Program / Settings) | -9% /
-17% | -13% /
-30% | -9% /
-25% | 4% /
-1% | -5% /
-14% |
* ... smaller is better
In the state of delivery, the display presents a very decent color reproduction. With a Delta-E-2000 color deviation of 3.1, the target (DeltaE smaller than 3) is only barely missed. The display also suffers from a slight blue tint. In terms of the color space coverage, things do not look bad with coverage rates of 65 percent (AdobeRGB) and 99 percent (sRGB).
You can improve the color reproduction of the display with the color profile we are offering you here. However, you have to make sure that you have the same display model (manufacturer + model number) as our test unit, since otherwise the color reproduction can become worse, rather than improving. Often displays from different manufacturers are used within the same notebook model series.
Display Response Times
| ↔ Response Time Black to White | ||
|---|---|---|
| 30 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 14 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 16 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 78 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (21 ms). | ||
| ↔ Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey | ||
| 55 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 25 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 30 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.165 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 91 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (32.8 ms). | ||
Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)
| Screen flickering / PWM not detected |  | ||
In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 8684 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 343500) Hz was measured. | |||
Acer has equipped the Swift 7 with an IPS panel with stable viewing angles, allowing you to read the display from any position. However outdoors, this is hardly possible or not possible at all, since the low display brightness and reflective display surface can make this very difficult.
Performance - The performance of the Swift SF714 is sufficient for office and Internet
With the Swift 7 SF714-52T, Acer offers a very slim and light 14-inch notebook, whose computing performance is sufficient for the demands of office and Internet applications. Our test unit is available for almost 2000 Euros (~$2226), and other equipment and color variants are also available.
Processor
Acer has equipped the Swift 7 with the Intel Core i7-8500Y (Amber Lake) dual-core processor. The low TDP of 5 watts allows for passive cooling of the CPU, which is also done here. The processor runs at a basic clock speed of 1.5 GHz, which can be increased up to 4.2 GHz via Turbo.
The processor runs through the multi-thread tests of the Cinebench benchmarks at 2.2 to 2.4 GHz and completes the single-thread tests at 2.9 to 3.2 GHz. In battery operation, the speeds range from 1.9 to 2.2 GHz (multi-thread) and 1.5 to 1.9 GHz (single-thread).
We evaluate whether the Turbo is also used constantly in mains operation by running the multi-thread test of the Cinebench R15 benchmark for at least 30 minutes in a constant loop. From the first to the second run, the results drop slightly and then remain at a constant level. The Turbo is only used to a very limited extent.
The Swift does not deliver outstanding results in the CB15 loop. The other devices that are also equipped with passively cooled dual-core processors, the Swift 7 SF714-51T (predecessor) and the Macbook Air 2018, produce slightly better results.
The i7-8500Y is a processor that is very rare, so we also included the Porsche Design Ultra One, which is also passively cooled. Due to its significantly thicker case, it is able to produce more performance with the identical processor and only drops by 2 percent in the R15 loop, instead of 11 percent as the Swift 7.
| Geekbench 3 | |
| 32 Bit Multi-Core Score | |
| Asus Zenbook 14 UX433FA-A6018T | |
| Acer Swift 7 SF714-52T-76MR | |
| Average Intel Core i7-8500Y () | |
| 32 Bit Single-Core Score | |
| Asus Zenbook 14 UX433FA-A6018T | |
| Acer Swift 7 SF714-52T-76MR | |
| Average Intel Core i7-8500Y () | |
| Mozilla Kraken 1.1 - Total | |
| HP Spectre Folio 13t-ak000 (Edge 42.17134.1.0) | |
| LG Gram 14Z980-U.AAW5U1 (Edge 41.16299.334.0) | |
| Acer Swift 7 SF714-52T-76MR (Edge 44) | |
| Average Intel Core i7-8500Y (1281 - 1822, n=4) | |
| Acer Swift 7 SF714-51T (Edge 42.17134.1.0) | |
| Porsche Design Ultra One | |
| VAIO A12-92993 (Edge: 44.17763.1.0) | |
| Asus Zenbook 14 UX433FA-A6018T (Edge 44) | |
| Apple MacBook Air 2018 (Safari 12.0.1) | |
| Average of class Subnotebook (363 - 1104, n=65, last 2 years) | |
| Octane V2 - Total Score | |
| Average of class Subnotebook (35801 - 106359, n=33, last 2 years) | |
| Apple MacBook Air 2018 (Safari 12.0.1) | |
| Asus Zenbook 14 UX433FA-A6018T (Edge 44) | |
| Porsche Design Ultra One | |
| LG Gram 14Z980-U.AAW5U1 (Edge 41.16299.334.0) | |
| VAIO A12-92993 (Edge: 44.17763.1.0) | |
| HP Spectre Folio 13t-ak000 (Edge 42.17134.1.0) | |
| Average Intel Core i7-8500Y (22283 - 25962, n=4) | |
| Acer Swift 7 SF714-51T (Edge 42.17134.1.0) | |
| Acer Swift 7 SF714-52T-76MR (Edge 44) | |
| JetStream 1.1 - Total Score | |
| Average of class Subnotebook (215 - 476, n=2, last 2 years) | |
| Apple MacBook Air 2018 (Safari 12.0.1) | |
| Asus Zenbook 14 UX433FA-A6018T (Edge 44) | |
| LG Gram 14Z980-U.AAW5U1 (Edge 41.16299.334.0) | |
| Porsche Design Ultra One | |
| Acer Swift 7 SF714-51T (Edge 42.17134.1.0) | |
| Average Intel Core i7-8500Y (161.5 - 183.7, n=3) | |
| HP Spectre Folio 13t-ak000 (Edge 42.17134.1.0) | |
| Acer Swift 7 SF714-52T-76MR (Edge 44) | |
* ... smaller is better
System Performance
The system performance is well-rounded and runs smoothly. We did not encounter any problems. The PC-Mark results correspond to the performance capabilities of the built-in CPU. The Swift offers sufficient performance for applications from the office and Internet areas. However, you should not put too many demands on the processor, and a huge amount of open browser tabs and applications running simultaneously will swiftly show its limits. The LG Gram 14Z980, which is equipped with a quad-core processor and actively cooled, offers significantly more performance reserves, particularly under multi-thread load and does correspondingly better in the benchmarks.
| PCMark 8 Home Score Accelerated v2 | 2588 points | |
| PCMark 8 Creative Score Accelerated v2 | 2528 points | |
| PCMark 8 Work Score Accelerated v2 | 4141 points | |
| PCMark 10 Score | 2884 points | |
Help | ||
Storage Solution
An SK Hynix NVMe SSD, which is soldered in and offers a capacity of 512 GB, serves as the system drive. At the time of delivery, 446 GB of the storage space are still available, and the rest is used by the recovery partition and the Windows installation. While the transfer rates turn out good, the built-in SSD is not one of the top models among SSDs.
| Acer Swift 7 SF714-52T-76MR SK Hynix BC501 HFM512GDJTNG | Acer Swift 7 SF714-51T SK Hynix BC501 NVMe 256 GB | Asus Zenbook 14 UX433FA-A6018T WDC PC SN520 SDAPNUW-256G | LG Gram 14Z980-U.AAW5U1 SK Hynix SC313 HFS256G39TNF | Apple MacBook Air 2018 Apple SSD AP0256 | Average SK Hynix BC501 HFM512GDJTNG | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CrystalDiskMark 5.2 / 6 | 61% | 71% | -11% | 50% | 46% | |
| Write 4K | 48.38 | 132.6 174% | 99.9 106% | 74.7 54% | 118 144% | 95.5 ? 97% |
| Read 4K | 28.98 | 19.97 -31% | 40.03 38% | 14.89 -49% | 29.97 3% | 38.3 ? 32% |
| Write Seq | 743 | 765 3% | 973 31% | 502 -32% | 1000 35% | 759 ? 2% |
| Read Seq | 1027 | 866 -16% | 1111 8% | 498.6 -51% | 1218 19% | 1022 ? 0% |
| Write 4K Q32T1 | 94.6 | 390.2 312% | 424.6 349% | 214.3 127% | 232.1 145% | 303 ? 220% |
| Read 4K Q32T1 | 300 | 465.6 55% | 255.9 -15% | 225.5 -25% | 254 -15% | 317 ? 6% |
| Write Seq Q32T1 | 870 | 817 -6% | 1300 49% | 505 -42% | 1001 15% | 885 ? 2% |
| Read Seq Q32T1 | 1640 | 1637 0% | 1723 5% | 560 -66% | 2555 56% | 1803 ? 10% |
Graphics Card
Intel's UHD Graphics 615 GPU handles the graphics output. It supports DirectX 12 and achieves speeds of up to 1050 MHz. The results in the 3D-Mark benchmarks range at a normal level for the GPU used here. The decoder integrated in the GPU is able to take some load off the processor when playing videos, so the use of streaming services should not pose any problem.
| 3DMark 06 Standard Score | 6817 points | |
| 3DMark 11 Performance | 1377 points | |
| 3DMark Ice Storm Standard Score | 37488 points | |
| 3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score | 5389 points | |
| 3DMark Fire Strike Score | 836 points | |
| 3DMark Time Spy Score | 315 points | |
Help | ||
Gaming Performance
The hardware of the Swift is able to bring some of the games in our database smoothly to the screen. However, this goes mainly for games that only pose little demands on the hardware. But even in those games, you are still limited to low resolutions and low quality settings. You can find games that are significantly more playable in the Casual Games section of the Microsoft Store.
| low | med. | high | ultra | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tomb Raider (2013) | 51.2 | 25.7 | 16.9 | 7.9 |
| BioShock Infinite (2013) | 38.8 | 25 | 18.2 | 6.1 |
| GTA V (2015) | 16.4 | 16.9 | ||
| The Witcher 3 (2015) | 12.1 | 5.9 | ||
| Dota 2 Reborn (2015) | 52.6 | 17.4 | 11.3 | 10.3 |
| Prey (2017) | 14.1 | 6.9 | ||
| Middle-earth: Shadow of War (2017) | 15 | 7 | ||
| Fortnite (2018) | 15.9 | 8 | ||
| Final Fantasy XV Benchmark (2018) | 6.1 | 3.3 | ||
| World of Tanks enCore (2018) | 95.1 | 11.8 | ||
| Metro Exodus (2019) | 6.2 | 3.5 | ||
| Control (2019) | 7.6 | 2.4 | ||
| Borderlands 3 (2019) | 7.3 | 3.1 | ||
| GRID 2019 (2019) | 17.7 | 6.9 |
Emissions - Acer's 14-inch notebook runs silently
Noise Emissions
Since the Swift SF714 brings neither a fan nor a mechanical hard drive, it runs silently.
Temperature
The Acer laptop runs through our stress test (Prime95 and FurMark run for at least one hour) in the same way in mains and battery operation. The processor briefly runs at 1.5 GHz. Then the speed drops to 500 MHz and remains at this level. The graphics core operates at 300 to 400 MHz. The stress test represents an extreme scenario that does not occur in everyday operation. Using this test, we evaluate whether the system also remains stable under full load.
In some limited areas, the case warms up quite significantly. We measure temperatures beyond 50 °C (122 °F) at three spots during the stress test. During everyday operation, the values remain within the green range.
(-) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 55 °C / 131 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 51.4 °C / 125 F, compared to the average of 39.4 °C / 103 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 24.7 °C / 76 F, compared to the device average of 30.8 °C / 87 F.
(+) The palmrests and touchpad are reaching skin temperature as a maximum (34.5 °C / 94.1 F) and are therefore not hot.
(-) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 28.3 °C / 82.9 F (-6.2 °C / -11.2 F).
| Acer Swift 7 SF714-52T-76MR i7-8500Y, UHD Graphics 615 | Acer Swift 7 SF714-51T i7-7Y75, HD Graphics 615 | Asus Zenbook 14 UX433FA-A6018T i5-8265U, UHD Graphics 620 | LG Gram 14Z980-U.AAW5U1 i5-8250U, UHD Graphics 620 | Apple MacBook Air 2018 i5-8210Y, UHD Graphics 617 | Average Intel UHD Graphics 615 | Average of class Subnotebook | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heat | 13% | 13% | 8% | 17% | 7% | 8% | |
| Maximum Upper Side * | 55 | 44.7 19% | 41 25% | 45.2 18% | 44.4 19% | 43.7 ? 21% | 42 ? 24% |
| Maximum Bottom * | 51.4 | 42.8 17% | 41.4 19% | 41.4 19% | 41.2 20% | 44.7 ? 13% | 44.6 ? 13% |
| Idle Upper Side * | 27.1 | 25.5 6% | 26.1 4% | 26.8 1% | 23.6 13% | 27.8 ? -3% | 27.4 ? -1% |
| Idle Bottom * | 27.1 | 24.8 8% | 25.8 5% | 29 -7% | 23.2 14% | 28 ? -3% | 28 ? -3% |
* ... smaller is better
Speakers
The stereo speakers are placed in the front area of the case bottom. They produce a thin sound that hardly offers any bass. In addition, the maximum volume is much too low. Even in quiet surroundings, the speakers are too quiet. For a better sound experience, you have to use headphones or external speakers.
Acer Swift 7 SF714-52T-76MR audio analysis
(-) | not very loud speakers (58.6 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 20.8% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (11.5% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 4.6% away from median
(±) | linearity of mids is average (11.4% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 2.6% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (6.6% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (27.8% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 88% of all tested devices in this class were better, 4% similar, 9% worse
» The best had a delta of 5%, average was 19%, worst was 53%
Compared to all devices tested
» 83% of all tested devices were better, 3% similar, 14% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%
LG Gram 14Z980-U.AAW5U1 audio analysis
(±) | speaker loudness is average but good (78.2 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 23.7% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (11.6% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 3.9% away from median
(±) | linearity of mids is average (7% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 1.8% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (4.6% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (20.4% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 63% of all tested devices in this class were better, 8% similar, 29% worse
» The best had a delta of 5%, average was 19%, worst was 53%
Compared to all devices tested
» 50% of all tested devices were better, 8% similar, 42% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%
Power Management - Low consumption and a good battery life
Power Consumption
It should not surprise us that the Acer notebook is not particularly power-hungry, since the device contains frugal hardware. During idle operation, we measure a maximum power consumption of 5.8 watts. During the stress test, the value rises up to 21.7 watts. The USB Type-C power supply is rated at 45 watts.
| Off / Standby |   0.55 / 0.7 Watt |
| Idle |  2.7 / 4.9 / 5.8 Watt |
| Load |
15.7 / 21.7 Watt |
    
| |
Key:
min: ,
med: ,
max: Metrahit Energy | |
| Acer Swift 7 SF714-52T-76MR i7-8500Y, UHD Graphics 615 | Acer Swift 7 SF714-51T i7-7Y75, HD Graphics 615 | Asus Zenbook 14 UX433FA-A6018T i5-8265U, UHD Graphics 620 | LG Gram 14Z980-U.AAW5U1 i5-8250U, UHD Graphics 620 | Apple MacBook Air 2018 i5-8210Y, UHD Graphics 617 | Average Intel UHD Graphics 615 | Average of class Subnotebook | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power Consumption | -12% | -55% | -41% | -36% | -24% | -118% | |
| Idle Minimum * | 2.7 | 2.8 -4% | 2.7 -0% | 2.7 -0% | 2.2 19% | 3.55 ? -31% | 4.42 ? -64% |
| Idle Average * | 4.9 | 5.5 -12% | 5.8 -18% | 6 -22% | 5.7 -16% | 6.17 ? -26% | 7.59 ? -55% |
| Idle Maximum * | 5.8 | 7.9 -36% | 10.2 -76% | 6.5 -12% | 10.3 -78% | 7.61 ? -31% | 9.41 ? -62% |
| Load Average * | 15.7 | 18.4 -17% | 34.9 -122% | 32.5 -107% | 25.6 -63% | 18.2 ? -16% | 45.6 ? -190% |
| Load Maximum * | 21.7 | 20 8% | 35 -61% | 35.5 -64% | 30.6 -41% | 25.4 ? -17% | 68.9 ? -218% |
* ... smaller is better
Battery Life
In our realistic WLAN test, the Acer Swift achieves a runtime of 8:46 hours. Using a script, we simulate the load when opening web sites. The "Balanced" power profile is active and the display brightness is reduced to about 150 cd/m². The 14-incher lasts for 10:31 hours in our video test, where we run the short "Big Buck Bunny" movie (H.264 coding, 1920x1080 pixels) in a constant loop. The Wi-Fi is turned off and the display brightness is reduced to 150 cd/m².
Overall, the Swift delivers good runtimes, surpassing its predecessor. However, the LG Gram 14Z980 and the Macbook Air 2018 last significantly longer. Here, the very slim build of the Swift becomes noticeable: Acer only finds enough space for a 32-Wh battery. The battery of the LG Gram offers more than twice the capacity.
| Acer Swift 7 SF714-52T-76MR i7-8500Y, UHD Graphics 615, 31.9 Wh | Acer Swift 7 SF714-51T i7-7Y75, HD Graphics 615, Wh | LG Gram 14Z980-U.AAW5U1 i5-8250U, UHD Graphics 620, 72 Wh | Apple MacBook Air 2018 i5-8210Y, UHD Graphics 617, 50.3 Wh | Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 2019-20QES01L00 i7-8565U, UHD Graphics 620, 51 Wh | Asus Zenbook 14 UX433FA-A6018T i5-8265U, UHD Graphics 620, 50 Wh | Acer Swift 5 SF514-52T-59HY i5-8250U, UHD Graphics 620, 36 Wh | Average of class Subnotebook | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Battery Runtime | -14% | 37% | 9% | -12% | 7% | -24% | 25% | |
| Reader / Idle | 1273 | 1176 -8% | 2238 76% | 962 -24% | 1808 ? 42% | |||
| H.264 | 631 | 450 -29% | 740 17% | 688 9% | 466 -26% | 927 ? 47% | ||
| WiFi v1.3 | 526 | 452 -14% | 720 37% | 668 27% | 562 7% | 563 7% | 313 -40% | 729 ? 39% |
| Load | 160 | 154 -4% | 159 -1% | 131 -18% | 76 -52% | 150 -6% | 117.3 ? -27% |
Pros
Cons
Verdict
With the Swift 7 SF714-52T, Acer has introduced an ultra-light and ultra-slim 14-inch notebook to the market. The device, which is equipped with an elegant magnesium case, has a weight of 890 grams (~1.96 lb) and height of 9.95 mm (~0.39 in). However, a result of the light build is that the case is not very robust.
With the Swift 7 SF714-52T, Acer primarily delivers a study in what is possible. The limited practical use of the device and a purchase price of almost 2000 Euros (~$2226) make the device attractive for only a very small group of customers.
The computer is run by a passively cooled Core-i7 Amber Lake processor, whose performance is sufficient for applications from the office and Internet areas. So the device can primarily be used for writing and surfing. Users who need a lot of computing performance are at the wrong address with the Swift 7.
The working memory and SSD are soldered into the main board, so you cannot upgrade these components. However, this should not be necessary in most cases. With 16 GB of working memory (dual-channel mode) and a 512-GB NVMe SSD, the device is well equipped. Only in case of a defect, you would need to send in the device.
The 14-inch notebook offers a keyboard that is suitable for everyday tasks and offers a single-step keyboard illumination. This is accompanied by a very good battery life. The IPS touchscreen display scores with stable viewing angles, an outstanding contrast, a very decent color reproduction, and a good color space coverage. On the other hand, the maximum brightness turns out too low.
The two Thunderbolt-3 ports allow connecting docking solutions and an external, powerful GPU. The ports support Power Delivery 3.0 as well as DisplayPort via USB-C (you have to purchase a separate adapter for this).
Acer Swift 7 SF714-52T-76MR
- 11/07/2019 v7 (old)
Sascha Mölck
Price comparison
