Acer Swift X 16 (2022) review: 16-inch laptop with powerful updates

The Acer Swift X 16 (2022) has received many improvements: A bright 16-inch display with a 2. 5K resolution in the 16:10 format run by Intel Arc A370M, a Core i7-1260P , and a fast 1-TB PCIe 4. 0 SSD.

In all cases, there is 16 GB of soldered DDR5 4800 RAM. Some smaller improvements such as HDMI 2. 1 and the 1080p webcam also benefit the multimedia laptop.

With the current generation of the Swift X 16, Acer is able to remedy many shortcomings of the predecessor. But how does Intel’s Arc A370M perform compared to an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 Ti in comparison devices such as the Dell Inspiron 16 Plus and Asus Vivobook Pro 16X , or the RTX 2050 in the Lenovo ThinkBook 16 G4+ ? Since aside from the CPU and SSD, the sibling model we recently tested is identical, for details on the case, equipment, input devices, and communication, we refer you to the corresponding review of the Acer Swift X SFX16-52G-52VE . Even the display used is identical.

Additional Acer reviews: Since the whole case bottom is bulged, this results in a maximum case thickness of about 21 mm (~0. 83 in). The manufacturer specification of 17.

9 mm (~0. 7 in) refers to a measurement that doesn’t take this bulge into account. Acer offers the usual 2 years of warranty for its Swift series in Germany.

The key size of the 6-row chiclet keyboard is slightly reduced at 15 x 15 mm (~0. 59 x 0. 59 in).

The keystroke is short, but together with a well-adjusted resistance, the pressure point creates a powerful feedback. You can also use it to type longer texts without any problems. The keyboard does have some give under targeted pressure.

While typing, this becomes apparent in form of slightly clattering Enter and Hash keys. The layout of the Acer keyboard has the typical double occupancies, a cramped number block, and smaller Arrow Up/Down keys. This year, Acer has equipped the Swift X 16 with its “OceanGlass” touchpad.

The 12. 7 x 8. 3 cm (~5 x 3.

3 in) surface is slippery with an almost oily feeling, making accurate input almost impossible. Drag-and-drop movements are also much harder to execute. The integrated click keys with a medium stroke are dull and clatter when the fingers slide across the touchpad.

The matte panel with the label “B160QAN02. M” is the same as in the sibling model. In contrast to the predecessor, the 16:10 format is used here, and the brightness is now a good 378 nits.

The resolution of 2,560 x 1,600 pixels in a 16-inch panel results in a sharp display. The Asus Vivobook Pro 16X and HP’s Envy 16 offer a 3,840 x 2,400 pixel resolution and OLED panels. The contrast of 1,417:1 and black value of 0.

29 nits lead to a saturated black. The white value of 6,717K is also close to the ideal of 6,500K. At 83%, the brightness distribution is not very even, but this doesn’t become apparent in everyday operation.

Alternatively, a panel with 1,920 x 1,200 pixels is also available. There is no PWM flickering. The sRGB color space is covered to 100%, which allows for some less ambitious image and video processing.

The DeltaE value of just above 2 can be reduced to an even more accurate 1. 48 after our calibration. Only red color continues to show a significant deviation at a value just below 5.

You can download our calibrated color profile in the box on the right next to the brightness distribution graphic. Thanks to the matte display surface, the display brightness of 378 nits is sufficient to allow using the Acer Swift X 16 also outdoors. However, you should still avoid direct sunlight.

While the sibling model uses an Intel Core i5-1240P and 512-GB PCIe 4. 0 SSD, as the only alternative option, our test unit comes with a Core i7-1260P and a faster 1-TB SSD. AMD versions are not available.

Both models offer 16 GB soldered DDR5-4800 RAM and Intel’s Arc A370M . The 16-inch laptop is designed for example for easy video cutting and media consumption, including Full-HD gaming. With “Acer Quick Access,” you can select among three performance profiles.

However, they only have an effect on Intel’s Arc GPU , as the chart below shows. The fan behavior is also changed, as we explain in the “Emissions” section below. We run our performance-related tests in the Performance mode and determine the battery life in the Normal mode.

In battery operation, the initial boost of 64 watts is completely left out, and the CPU is limited to 28 watts. The multicore performance of the Intel Core i7-1260P is at the same level as that of the Core i5 of the sibling model. There is only a 10% advantage in the single-core performance.

According to this, the additional 200 Euro (~$198) premium is not justified, despite the larger SSD. In the beginning, the P cores start out with a clock speed of 3. 7 GHz, before gradually dropping to 3.

2 GHz within 40 seconds, and when the 35-Watt power limit takes hold, they finally level out at a constant 2. 8 GHz. The core temperatures level out at an appropriate 70 °C (158 °F).

The long-term performance surpasses that of the predecessor with a quad-core CPU by ~65% with the same 35-Watt power limit. Even AMD’s Ryzen 9 5900X in the Asus Vivobook Pro 16X is only marginally faster in most scenarios. However, the ThinkBook 16 G4+ and Dell’s Inspiron 16 Plus lead the rating with a significant advantage thanks to their Core i7-12700H with higher power limits.

Since there is no Turbo boost and the power is limited to 28 watts in battery operation, the performance drops by 20 to 30%, depending on the scenario. Similar to the sibling model , the system performance is at a high level, particularly during web surfing, due to the high Turbo boost in Intel processors. Due to its RTX 3060 , the HP Envy 16 is able to move ahead particularly in the area of content creation.

During the CPU-heavy web surfing, the distance to the Core i7-12700H used in that laptop is reduced to between 10 and 15%. With its very high transfer rates, the 1-TB SSD from Western Digital does justice to the PCIe 4. 0 standard.

While the direct predecessor of the Acer Swift X places at the bottom of our SSD performance ratings, this year’s model is able to place at the very top leaving some distance to the next models. The sibling model with a 512-GB SSD is also surpassed significantly. However, the SSDs in both models are throttled heavily due to overheating.

The Intel Arc A370M used here is the variant with the lowest TGP of 35 watts. On average, the RTX 3050 in the predecessor model and the Asus Vivobook Pro 16X is about 50% faster in the synthetic benchmarks. In the workstation related 3D benchmarks, this can quickly become up to 150 or 200%.

The synthetic performance of an integrated AMD Radeon 680M lies about at the level of the Arc A370M. In battery operation, the graphics performance is reduced by an additional 30%. In games, the Intel Arc A370M is surpassed by 60% by the RTX 3050 Ti in the Vivobook Pro 16X , and by about 100% by the Dell Inspiron 16 .

In some games, this advantage becomes extreme at 200 to 300%, which is due to some insufficient driver optimizations of the still fairly young graphics unit. The GeForce RTX 3060 in the HP Envy 16 is about 3 times faster in almost any case, and an integrated Radeon 680M is only surpassed by 10 to 20%. If you select a lower resolution (Full HD) than the native QHD+ and leave the details at medium to high, most games can be displayed smoothly.

However, in modern games high detail levels are then only rarely possible. The fans are loudest in Performance mode and also run most of the time under very low load. In Normal mode, they run quieter and are at least hardly noticeable under low load.

But this also changes again under slightly higher load. In Silent mode, the fans remain turned off significantly more often, but they also start running already under CPU loads of only about 10%, for example when you download a Steam game. At 44.

7 dB(A) on average, the fans aren’t really quiet under heavier load either. The 36. 5 dB(A) of the Core-i5 model are significantly quieter.

However, all the other devices in our test field are similarly loud under load. While charging, we hear some electronic noises near the USB-C port from time to time. Not only is the cooling system loud, but it is also weak.

Particularly the area above the keyboard near the fan vents can get uncomfortably hot under full load, and the device bottom then also heats up with a hotspot of up to 55. 5 °C (131 °F). Even with more powerful components, the competitors know to stay cooler.

Even in the hour-long, combined stress test with Prime95 and FurMark, the GPU clock speed stays only 5% below the maximum. The processor is then throttled from 35 to 25 watts, reaching a temperature of 88 °C (190 °F), while the GPU levels out at 86 °C (187 °F). The P cores will then have a clock speed of only about 1.

75 GHz, which is below the basic clock speed of 2. 1 GHz. During pure CPU stress, the speed doesn’t go below this limit.

The sound of the speakers, which point upward, is poor in bass and has a below-average quality. However, at almost 88 dB(A), they manage to fill even a large room. If you only need to reproduce voices, they are sufficient, but if you want to enjoy music, you should use external audio devices via the audio port or Bluetooth.

During everyday tasks, we measure about 7. 6 watts, which can only be beaten by few devices in the multimedia class, such as the IdeaPad 5 Pro 16 . Around 70 watts during gaming and in other load scenarios are the same that the predecessor with the Nvidia RTX 3050 also used.

According to our database, devices with an integrated RDNA 2 GPU from AMD are even significantly more efficient at about 45 watts. On the other hand, the HP Envy 16 with the RTX 3060 consumes about twice the power while gaming (133 watts). The 100 Watt USB-C charger is sufficient, since peak loads of just above 100 watts only occur during the unrealistic scenario of our combined stress test, which wouldn’t really happen in everyday operation.

They could possibly only occur in the first second, for example under full pure CPU load or during gaming. In our WLAN test with the brightness set to 150 nits and in Acer’s Normal mode, the Swift X 16 lasts for 9 hours. This is an hour longer than the predecessor and 40 minutes less than the sibling model, although that was tested in the Power Saving mode.

Overall, the values fall within the average of this class. However, the Asus Vivobook Pro 16X lasts for more than 11 hours, while Dell’s Inspiron 16 Plus and the Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro 16 achieve similar values as the Swift X. The Acer Swift X 16 (2022) is a compact 16-inch laptop that weighs only 1.

75 kg (~3. 96 lb). Many problem areas of the predecessor were fortunately remedied.

The display is now significantly brighter at 380 nits, offers a high resolution at 2,560 x 1,600 pixels, and we also like the 16:10 format. Unfortunately, Intel’s Arc GPU is not designed for 3D work and also limps behind the GeForce RTX 3050 Ti in the Dell Inspiron 16 Plus and Asus VivoBook Pro 16X while gaming. On the other hand, the system offers a high performance due to Intel’s Alder Lake P CPU.

In addition, the built-in PCIe 4. 0 SSD is one of the fastest, even though it suffers from heavy thermal throttling. But at least, you can install a second full-size M.

2 SSD. Other positive points are the update to HDMI 2. 1 and the 1080p webcam, while the case continues to be made from robust metal and the keyboard is also suited for frequent typists.

However, the slippery touchpad is significantly worse. Despite some significant improvements in the display and system performance, considering the decreased graphics performance due to Intel Arc and the high emissions, the price of 1500 Euros (~$1482) is simply too high. The fan behavior and cooling performance are not very impressive, the speakers continue to be bad, and an AMD version with an efficient iGPU is not available.

So overall, we don’t see a justification for the high price of 1500 Euros (~$1482). But at least at about the same performance, the Core i5 version with a 512-GB SSD costs 200 Euros (~$198) less. On the other hand, at even lower costs, the competitors deliver more in many regards, for example, Lenovo’s ThinkBook 16 G4+ for 1200 Euros (~$1186) or the IdeaPad 5 Pro 16 for 1000 Euros (~$988).

HP’s Envy 16 offers a mix of multimedia, business, and gaming and delivers significantly more performance for 1700 Euros (~$1680). A US model of the Acer Swift X, the SFX16-52G-73U6 with a 512 GB SSD, 16 GB of RAM, a 1920 x 1200 pixel display, and an Intel Core i7-1260P, can be ordered for $1250 directly from Acer’s online shop , and Amazon currently lists this model for $1049 . .