Digital Trends
If you ’re look for a great14 - inch laptop , theApple MacBook Pro 14should be on your short list . It ’s tight , incredibly well - built , has a swell mini - top display , and enjoys the long battery life around . It ’s also very expensive .
Enter theAcer Swift X 14 . It ’s also fast , has a spectacular OLED exhibit , and is one of a rare strain of non - gaming 14 - inch automobile with a very fast GPU . It ’s also a lot more affordable . Can it contend with the very best ?
Digital Trends
Specs and configurations
The Swift X 14 has two contour available , starting with the base theoretical account at $ 1,400 for an Intel Core Ultra 7 155H chipset , 16 GB of RAM , a 1 TB SSD , an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 GPU , and a 14.5 - inch 2.8 K OLED display . The mellow - terminal modelling , which we reviewed , is $ 1,700 with 32 GB of RAM and an RTX 4070 .
The MacBook Pro 14 is a more expensive laptop , particularly when similarly configured . The base simulation is $ 1,599 for a base M3 8 - core CPU/10 - core GPU M3 chipset , 8 GB of RAM , a 512 GB SSD , and a 14.2 - in mini - LED display . With an 11 - gist CPU/14 - heart GPU M3 Pro , 18 GB of RAM , and a 512 GB SSD , the MacBook costs $ 1,999 . The much more powerful 14 - marrow CPU/30 - Congress of Racial Equality GPU M3 Max starts at $ 2,399 with 18 GB of RAM and a 512 GB SSD . When fully configured , the MacBook Pro 14 cost $ 6,899 for a 16 - core CPU/40 - core GPU M3 Max , 128 GB of RAM , and an 8 TB SSD .
belike the most relevant MacBook Pro 14 form when compare with the Swift X 14 ’s in high spirits - end manakin is the M3 Pro , 36 GB of RAM , and 1 TB SSD that hunt down $ 2,599 . That puddle the Swift X 14 a relative bargain by comparison .
Design
If you ’re read this comparison , we ’ll assume that you do n’t have a strong druthers between macOS and Windows 11 . If you do , then there ’s little here that will shake you in a different direction .
What does matter is proportional body-build qualities , and here , the MacBook Pro 14 has a distinct advantage . It ’s one of the best - build up laptop you’re able to purchase today , crafted from a CNC machine chunk of aluminum . It ’s incredibly firm and exudes quality . The Swift X 14 is also well - build , though , with its own aluminum chassis and eyelid that refuse bend , flexing , and whirl . It ’s not that the Swift X 14 is n’t a very solid laptop , it ’s just that the MacBook Pro 14 is that much better . For most people , though , there ’s not enough of a difference to justify a lot more money .
The MacBook Pro 14 is a smaller laptop , in width , deepness , and particularly thickness . It ’s also slightly heavy , which gives it a denser smell . The Swift X 14 by comparison is a bit chunky . That add to the MacBook having a more refined aesthetic , which is compounded by its simpler lines and overall design compared to the Swift X 14 ’s more roquette - science lines and venting . Again , the Swift X 14 is n’t regretful , it ’s just that the MacBook is better .
The MacBook ’s Magic Keyboard is also better , if you appreciate shallower switch that are light and brisk and larger keycaps with more key spacing . If you like deeper travel , then the Swift X 14 ’s keyboard is also sound , although its keycaps are small and there ’s not as much spacing . The MacBook ’s Force Touch tactile touchpad is a bigger remainder , though , compared to the Swift X 14 ’s more pedestrian mechanical version .
In term of connectivity , the Swift X 14 has more embrasure and greater legacy support , while the MacBook Pro 14 has an additional Thunderbolt 4 porthole , a full - size of it SD card reader , and a separate MagSafe 3 power connecter . Both have the same spirit level of wireless connectivity .
Finally , both laptop computer have 1080p webcam that ply near but not great image quality . The Swift X 14 ’s Neural Processing Unit ( NPU ) in the Intel Meteor Lake chipset hold Microsoft ’s Studio Effects software and so has computer hardware - assisted blurring , facial tracking , and other tools . Both laptops have fingermark readers embedded in their power buttons for sign in without a password .
Performance
The Swift X 14 can be configured with the 28 - watt Core Ultra 7 155H with 16 inwardness ( six Performance , eight Efficient , and two Low Power Efficient ) and 22 threads and with either the entry - stage Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 or the much dissolute RTX 4070 , the latter of which is unusual in non - gaming 14 - inch Windows laptop . That compares to the MacBook Pro 14 that can incline the stand M3 with eight CPU cores and 10 GPU cores , the M3 Pro with up to 12 central processor cores and 18 GPU cores , and the M3 Max with up to 16 central processing unit cores and 40 GPU cores .
We prove the Swift X 14 with the RTX 4070 . We try the MacBook Pro 14 with the M3 Max 16/40 , and the MacBook Air M3 is put in as a proxy for the base MacBook Pro 14 model , which would be slenderly faster given the Pro ’s well thermals . In our CPU benchmarks , the M3 Max was much faster across the board . We did n’t launch the latest translation of the Pugetbench Premiere Pro on the 14 - inch MacBook Pro , but the 16 - inch model that ’s only slightly quicker scored 8,046 . The theme M3 was dumb than the Swift X 14 .
It ’s probable that when similarly configured , that is , when compare to the MacBook Pro 14 M3 Pro , the Swift X 14 would be a competitory laptop that ’s as tight for demanding productiveness users and creators and faster for gamers . And it will cost importantly less .
Display and audio
The Swift X 14 has one display option , a 16:10 2.8 KB ( 2880 by 1800 ) OLED panel run at 120Hz . The MacBook Pro 14 also has one display option , a 16:10 3024 - by-1964 mini - lead panel also running at 120Hz . On newspaper publisher , the MacBook ’s video display is substantially sharper .
By every objective measure other than brightness , the Swift X 14 ’s OLED show is ranking to the MacBook Pro 14 ’s mini - take display . It has wider and more accurate colors , and its direct contrast is higher with inky Negro . Where the MacBook gain is in its acute , 1,600 - nit high-pitched dynamic range ( HDR ) light . For medium consumers and anyone else who ’s implicated about great HDR public presentation , the MacBook Pro wins .
Audio is a altogether different narrative . The Swift X 14 has just two upwards - liberation utterer that produce passable sound . The MacBook Pro 14 has a standout six - speaker setup with force - cancelling woofers that produces loud , fantastically clean auditory sensation with more basso than most laptop computer .
Portability
The MacBook Pro 14 is littler and rough the same weight as the Swift X 14 , making it a denser laptop . Both are sensibly portable , though .
electric battery living is another massive win for the MacBook Pro 14 , which is one of the most effective laptops you’re able to buy today . Where the Swift X 14 managed just 7.25 hours in our World Wide Web browsing and video tests , the MacBook Pro 14 with the M3 Max 16/40 should come in around 17 hours and 25 hour , respectively .
but put , while the Swift X 14 will last well under four hours when pass intensive tasks , the MacBook Pro 14 can last for a full solar day or more . It ’s not repugn .
The MacBook Pro 14 is better, but only if you spend enough money
If you have a big budget and macOS work for you , then the MacBook Pro 14 is thebest 14 - in laptopyou can corrupt . It ’s incredibly well built , has splendid execution and phenomenal bombardment life , and its mini - conduct display is the best for HDR .
However , Windows users with less money to spend ca n’t go ill-timed with the Swift X 14 . It ’s the quick non - gaming Windows 14 - column inch car , has an first-class OLED display , and it ’s build well enough that you ’ll be glad you expend a mess less money for it .
