Looking to buy the Acer Swift 5? Check out our full review.
Acer has a large presence at IFA this year, relaunching a number of laptops in both its Swift and Aspire lines. The most exciting of the bunch was an update to the Acer Swift 5, which Acer claims is the lightest 15-inch laptop ever made at just 2.2 pounds. It’s a cut down from the 2.4 pounds of the 15-inch LG Gram, which felt impossibly light when we reviewed it earlier this year.
The Swift 5 achieves its light design through the use of magnesium-lithium alloy throughout the body of the device. Acer says these materials ensure durability and prevent any bending or twisting. In addition to cutting some weight, the Swift 5 has also trimmed the bezels, which are now just 0.23 inches and make for a more modern aesthetic. For reference, they’re just a hair thicker than what you get on the Dell XPS 15.
The Swift 5 includes options for either the Core i5-8265U or Core i7-8565U, both new processors announced from Intel at IFA.
“The latest 8th Gen Intel Core processors set a new standard for mobile computing with blazing fast integrated Gigabit Wi-Fi combined with even faster Intel performance, long battery life and enabling more convenient voice and touch interactions,” said Chris Walker, Vice President of the Client Computing Group at Intel. “We have worked closely with Acer to bring these new levels of performance and connectivity to life with the latest Swift models.”
The Swift 5’s other important specs include fast NVMe storage, up to 16GB of RAM, a 1080p touchscreen display, and a USB-C port. The Swift 5 starts at $1,100 and will ship in North America in January of 2019.
In addition to the Swift 5, Acer also announced an update to its little brother, the Swift 3. It’s the more affordable option, starting at $800. It’s a 14-inch device that includes a lot of the same features, including the same processor options (with the addition of a Core i3-8145U base model), 1080p display, and built-in LTE support. The one extra feature on the Swift 3 is the addition of an optional GeForce MX150 graphics card, which adds some more casual gaming and video-editing capabilities.
The Switch 3 will be available in North America starting in November, and comes in a variety of different colors, including silver, blue, red, and pink.
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