Every 4 years, laptops make leaps in quality that seemed like a fantasy. Previously, ultrabooks were compact toys that were capable of little.
Then the energy-efficient ARM arrived, and x86 computers began to look like thick, hot sandwiches.
But behind the scenes of Apple’s record-breaking benchmarks, AMD continued to develop its x86 chips, turning them into truly useful, efficient, low-power processors.
Today we will look at Acer Swift Edge 16which Thanks to the hardware, it turned out to be an ultra-competitive laptop with desktop-level performance. And at the same time so miniature that, when you pick it up for the first time, it feels like a geek’s fantasy.
On the Internet, Acer Swift Edge with a screen of as much as 16 inches is called the “killer” of the compact MacBook Air. The statement is strong, and judging by the characteristics, not without reason.
Below we will check how the device was made record-breakingly light with such a large diagonal, as well as how good the laptop is in real-life conditions of use.
Content:
So thin and light it’s hard to believe. With a screen as big as 16 inches
Acer Swift Edge 16 is positioned as one of the record-breaking compact business laptops with desktop-level performance. One glance was enough to convince him of his convincing mobility.
The thickness of the 16-inch laptop is only 12.55 mm and the weight is 1.23 kg. The weight is less than the 15-inch MacBook Air (1.5 kg) and even the iPad Pro 13 with keyboard (1.24 kg), products with a reputation for being “the lightest and thinnest in their class.”
The secret here is not in the sacrifices “under the hood”, but in the use of a special body material.
Special metal body: less weight, stricter style
The main role in the “weightlessness” of the laptop is played by the body made of magnesium-aluminum alloy.
Magnesium is 33% lighter metalan alloy that is stiffer and stronger than conventional aluminum in other laptops (including Apple).
In practice, this results in lighter weight, better impact resistance, less likelihood of dents, and a stronger construction.
This is also felt tactilely. Hands instantly feel the denser, but at the same time light structure of the material.
Acer is apparently so confident in the size of its new product that it didn’t even use the popular bevels on the edges, which usually make the device visually smaller.
The edges of the laptop are boldly straight, the color is strictly black.
All popular ports available
Webcam supports face unlock – Windows Hello
On the left are two USB-C, HDMI and USB-A. On the right is another USB-A, a mini-jack and a slot for MicroSD
While we are still talking about the appearance, I will note the connectivity options, keyboard and other features of the case.
Although the laptop is light and thin, all the ports needed in 2024 fit on its edges.
▸ On the right side there are two ports of the latest USB 4 Type-C with speeds up to 40 GB/s, HDMI 2.1 and USB-A 3.2 Gen 1.
▸ On the left there is another USB-A 3.2 Gen 1, a headphone jack and a slot for MicroSD.
You can charge your laptop via any USB-C port.
For wireless connections there is Wi-Fi 7 with data transfer rates of up to 5.8 Gbps, which also supports multi-link connectivity and latency of less than 2 ms. Bluetooth version 5.2 is installed.
Thanks to the screen diagonal of 16 inches, the keyboard has a full NumPad panel right. I’m a fan of this solution. If you often deal with numbers in tables, this is simply an irreplaceable thing.
This did not affect the size of the remaining keys. There is a layout with normal width and pleasant movement. Typing on the Acer Swift Edge 16 is a pleasure, fortunately, the company has extensive experience in producing laptops without mechanical misfires.
Despite the design and compactness, this model also has one more key feature.
We installed a juicy and large OLED screen with the correct aspect ratio
Before switching to laptops with real black I’ve always been annoyed by the gray bars when watching widescreen movies on panels with IPS technology. Therefore, now I do not advise anyone to buy a device that does not have mini-LED or OLED technology.
In the price category of Acer Swift Edge 16 there are a lot of laptops with IPS matrices that do not have true blacks, HDR support and low contrast. This also includes a MacBook Air.
The Acer Swift Edge 16 is not one of them.
There is an OLED matrix with a resolution of 3200 x 2000 pixels with a refresh rate of 120 Hz, brightness up to 500 nits and 100% DCI-P3 coverage.
It displays rich colors, turns off pixels where black is needed and produces shades at the level of 10-bit displays – more than in IPS.
This change has a lot of applications:
◆ Increased refresh rate makes the interface and animations smoother and more beautiful.
◆ 120 Hz gives smooth display of system animations, cursor movements and is useful in games.
◆ Support billions of colors, help you edit photos and videos with better efficiency.
◆ High contrast improves viewing of movies and TV series, and also removes unsightly stripes at the top and bottom.
◆ I liked the screen proportions 16:10. This is the best option, in which the screen remains widescreen for video, but high enough for multitasking.
The screen also features TÜV Rheinland-certified eye protection that reduces blue light and thus reduces eye strain during long periods of use.
New generation components are responsible for quality and smoothness at the iron level.
The laptop is completely ready for big work
Acer Swift Edge 16 is powered by an 8-core AMD Ryzen 7 8840U processor, designed specifically for ultra-thin devices.
This is a platform based on standard x86 architecture, so there are and cannot be any problems with program compatibility.
CPU issues approximately 2200 points in the single-core test and approximately 9450 points in the Geekbench 6 multi-core test.
This excellent performance in 2024, which will allow you to do absolutely everything you expect from a laptop. It can handle multitasking, working with spreadsheets, processing photos, videos, 3D modeling, dozens of browser tabs, architectural programs, working with code and other specialized software without any problems.
The built-in AMD Radeon 780M GPU is used as a graphics accelerator. The module is capable of performing basic tasks. Of course, it is not suitable for AAA games in 2024. Enough to run simple projects in low resolution, and is also suitable for comfortable video rendering in 1080p resolution.
Also integrated at the hardware level are NPU neurocores, which are responsible for accelerating AI tasks on the device.
First of all, this is immediately noticeable in the quality of video effects during webcam calls thanks to the built-in Acer function PurifiedViewvoice enhancement via Acer PurifiedVoice and in Copilot features in available regions.
The laptop supports up to 4 external displays and 32 GB RAM, which makes it a serious machine for working on large projects. It’s again much better the same MacBook Air, which is limited to two screens (with the lid closed) and 24 GB of RAM.
Active cooling is responsible for system stability TwinAir of two fans.
You can control their power in the built-in application AcerSenseso that in addition to automatic delivery silent and energy efficient mode, ordinary or workerwhich enhances heat dissipation during intense exercise.
Security is enhanced at the hardware level with an additional Microsoft Pluton chip. He is responsible for data encryption and the safety of biometric information from the Windows Hello system, which is also present here.
Basic capacity battery with fast charging
The laptop has a battery with a capacity 54 Вт•чdesigned for approximately 10 hours of operation according to manufacturer’s tests. This device is supported by the same energy-efficient processor based on the Zen 4 platform.
In practice, the results are always different depending on the use cases. From experience it turned out a little more 7 hours of full functional use with a browser, text editors, photo processing, a small game test. This is a decent result for an ultra-thin and light laptop.
The most obvious scenario I see is using the laptop while charging, with the ability to “unhook” at any time and go about your business, throwing it in your backpack. Let’s be honest, in the modern world, no one is more than 7 hours away from electrical outlets.
The laptop can confidently withstand traveling to a nearby office or studio, and on a long road, the Acer Swift Edge 16 can always be powered by an external battery if the battery is still not enough.
The laptop supports Power Delivery fast charging. For this purpose, a 65 W adapter is already included in the kit.
The result is a practical solution that qualitatively balances between size and autonomy.
Mobile but powerful. Rare combination
Just 3 years ago, laptops with 16-inch screens were considered flagships, which must have the most “evil” and hottest hardware with half-body cooling.
Acer Swift Edge 16 changed the rules.
This is an ultra-compact laptop for work and study with a large contrast OLED screen. At 1.23 kg it is absolutely weightless compared to industry heavyweights in the same display category and even outperforms more compact models.
At the same time, it has a high-performance AMD Ryzen 7 8840U, which Without jokes, it copes with all the current loads of desktop computers.
Considering the configuration, which starts from 16 GB of RAM and 1 TB of storage, the starting price Acer Swift Edge 16 130,000 rubles looks fair.
Such a laptop has a safety margin on all fronts: display, hardware, ports, and even a body made of special metal. The ultimate solution, in my opinion.
All photos in the article:
Source: www.iphones.ru
