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The Acer Swift Edge is light enough that you’ll wonder if you packed it in your bag when you leave for work or class. It weighs just 2.6 pounds (1.2 kilograms) and is only 14 millimeters (0.6 inches) thick. It’s a weight you’d expect for a small 13-inch laptop and not one with a large 16-inch screen like the Swift Edge.
Like those of other PC manufacturers, many of Acer’s laptops for 2022 are designed for people who may work from home, the office or a bit of both. And maybe a coffee shop or on a plane, bus or train part of the time too. Although the Swift Edge’s 16-inch display requires additional table space compared to something like on a Dell XPS 13, it is extremely compact. I had no problem using it on a cramped commuter train and it was great to be able to quickly slip it into my backpack at my stop.
Two USB-C ports, two USB-A ports, a full-size HDMI 2.1 output and a combo headset jack give you plenty of connection options.
Josh Goldman/CNET
Made from magnesium-aluminum alloy, the Swift Edge is very similar Gram 16 for LG. The Acer is slightly slimmer and weighs a touch less, however. As much as I love how light it is, however, the weight of the Swift Edge is a double-edged sword.
Despite the need for lighter devices, there is a point where a laptop becomes too light and is perceived as cheap or flimsy. The alloy used for the chassis is twice as strong as conventional aluminum, Acer says. There is a bit of flex in the cover, but overall the Swift Edge feels rigid and strong. However, it is difficult not to equate weight with sturdiness and some people may feel that the Swift Edge is bland or even like a plaque. To be clear, the Swift Edge is made of metal and should hold up to a daily commute.
The first configuration available in the US, model SFA16-41-R7SU, is $1,500 and well-equipped for office or school use.
- 2.7GHz AMD Ryzen 7 6800U processor
- AMD Radeon integrated graphics
- Memory on board 16GB LPDDR5
- 1TB PCIe Gen 4 NVMe solid-state drive
- Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2
This model is currently only available in the US from Costco. The same configuration will be available in the UK for £1,499. Pricing and availability were not immediately available for Australia, but the UK price varies around AU$2,610. The price includes a 16-inch OLED display (16:10) 4K (3,480 × 2,400 pixels) with 400-nit brightness and 100% DCI-P3 color gamut. The display is also certified VESA True Black HDR500 with a peak brightness of 616 nits with HDR on.
The keyboard falls short compared to the rest of the Swift Edge.
Josh Goldman/CNET
The Swift Edge will eventually be available with an AMD Ryzen Pro 6000 U-series processor. AMD Pro processors have embedded Microsoft Pluton security chips to protect your data and identity from chip to cloud. Based on the security architecture used in the Xbox One game console, Pluto offers better protection against physical attacks as well as firmware attacks, as it receives regular firmware updates as part of Microsoft’s Patch Tuesday.
We’ve just started testing the Acer Swift Edge, so we’ll be back with a full review with benchmark and battery test results. Based on the test results provided by Acer, it competes with similar laptops we’ve tested running on an Intel Core i7-1280P with 16GB of DDR5 memory. Battery life with display brightness at 50% is expected to be up to about 10 hours; OLED displays in general are not good for battery life and this one seems to be no exception.
The hinge design uses the bottom edge of the board to raise the back for better cooling and typing.
Josh Goldman/CNET
The rest of the Acer Swift Edge is pretty good, too. There is a fingerprint reader on the power button. The speakers across the top above the keyboard pump out sound loud and clear. Acer included a 1080p webcam that was capable of sharp, detailed video even in less-than-ideal lighting. There is no webcam shutter, physical or electronic, but there is mic mute on the keyboard.
The keyboard is the weakest part of the laptop so far. Some of the keys are smaller than I’m used to seeing on a laptop of this size. They also felt a little off, as if some were taller than the rest. It could just be that I have an early production sample or a sign that there is such a thin base underneath. The touchpad, on the other hand, generally felt good, with a pleasantly smooth finish. It also has an antimicrobial coating.
If you’re tired of working on a small laptop screen but don’t want to lug around a bulkier and heavier laptop to have a bigger display, the Acer Swift Edge solves that problem. And it has a beautiful OLED screen to boot.
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