Acer Swift Edge 16 (2023)

Acer Swift Edge 16 (2023)

Manufacturer	Acer
Product family	Swift Edge
Release date	January 2023 (2023-01)
Introductory price	USD 1299
Discontinued	No
Operating system	Windows 11 Home
CPU	AMD Ryzen 7 7840U
Memory	16 GB LPDDR5-6400 (soldered)
Memory slots	None (soldered)
Storage	512 GB or 1 TB PCIe NVMe SSD
Storage slots	1 user accessible
Removable storage	MicroSD card reader
Display	Screen size: 16 inch Panel type: OLED Coating: Glossy (CineCrystal) Resolution: 3200 x 2000 PPI: 226 Aspect ratio: 16:10 Refresh rate: 120 Hz Brightness: 400 Nits (SDR), 600 Nits (HDR) sRGB: 100 % Adobe RGB: 99.1 % P3: 99.6 % VRR: No Screen-to-body ratio:
Graphics	AMD Radeon 780M
Sound	2 x 2 W stereo speakers
Camera	3.7 MPx QHD webcam without IR
Touchpad	OceanGlass, Microsoft Precision Touchpad Certification, Moisture Resistant
Connectivity	MediaTek Wi-Fi 6E MT7922 Bluetooth 5.2 2 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 (Type-C) 2 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 (Type-A) 1 x HDMI 2.1 1 x 3.5mm headphone/microphone jack 1 x MicroSD card reader
Power brick	65W
Battery	54 Wh Li-Polymer
Keyboard	White backlight
Chassis	Color: Black Materials: Magnesium and aluminum chassis Cooling: Dual-fan single-radiator single-heatpipe thermal module
Number pad	Yes
Fingerprint reader	Yes
Facial recognition	No
Website	Acer

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The Acer Swift Edge 16 (2023) is a lightweight and highly-portable laptop designed for users who prioritize display quality and portability. It features an AMD Ryzen 7 7840U processor and a 16-inch OLED display, making it suitable for daily chores, multitasking, and some occasional workloads and gaming. The laptop is positioned in the ultrabook market, offering a balance between performance and portability.

Primary Hardware

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Processor

The Acer Swift Edge 16 (2023) is equipped with the AMD Ryzen 7 7840U processor. This processor features 8 cores and 16 threads, with a base clock of 3.3 GHz and a boost clock of up to 5.1 GHz. The processor operates with a power limit of 30 W for short bursts and 18 W for sustained performance.

Reviewers have noted that the Ryzen 7 7840U stabilizes at around 17-18W on either Performance or Balanced mode, and it performs best on battery power, which is unusual. The low power implementation affects performance in sustained loads, with multi-thread performance slightly behind most other laptops with the same processor. CineBench R15 xT scores drop by as much as 21 percent over time due to throttling.

Benchmarks:

• Cinebench R15: 2029 cb (best run), 274 cb (single-core)
• Cinebench R20: 4521 cb (best run), 665 cb (single-core)
• Cinebench R23: 12705 cb (best run), 11033 cb (10 min loop test), 1728 cb (single-core)
• GeekBench 5.5.0: 1872 (single-core), 8937 (multi-core)
• GeekBench 6.0.2: 2300 (single-core), 9944 (multi-core)
• 7-Zip 18.03: 54022 MIPS
• HWBOT x265 Benchmark v2.2: 15.4 fps

Graphics

The Acer Swift Edge 16 (2023) features integrated AMD Radeon 780M graphics. The GPU has 12 Compute Units (CUs) and can run up to 2.7 GHz. However, in this portable chassis, the iGPU works at about 60% of its maximum potential, stabilizing at only 15W of power, which means the GPU runs at only 1.1 GHz.

The performance is adequate for light gaming and casual workloads, but it can throttle under sustained loads. The Radeon 780M shows a slight improvement over the previous generation 680M.

Benchmarks:

• 3DMark Fire Strike: 6466 (Graphics – 6908, Physics – 22303, Combined – 2542)
• 3DMark Night Raid: 23564 (Graphics – 28775, CPU – 11631)
• 3DMark Time Spy: 2549 (Graphics – 2276, CPU – 8022)
• Uniengine Superposition – 1080p Extreme: 1348
• Uniengine Superposition – 1080p Medium: 4166
• The Witcher 3 (Ultra): 21.2 fps
• Cyberpunk 2077 (Medium): 29.3 fps
• Final Fantasy XV Benchmark (1080p): 27.4 fps

Memory

The Acer Swift Edge 16 (2023) comes with 16 GB of LPDDR5-6400 memory, which is soldered onto the motherboard and is non-upgradeable. The dual-channel configuration helps in improving overall system performance.

Reviewers have noted that the memory performance is adequate for most tasks, but the soldered nature limits future upgrades.

Benchmarks:

• AIDA64 Memory Copy: 68255 MB/s
• AIDA64 Memory Read: 50373 MB/s
• AIDA64 Memory Write: 91257 MB/s
• Latency: 121.3 ns

Storage

The Acer Swift Edge 16 (2023) can be configured with either a 512 GB or 1 TB PCIe NVMe SSD. The SSD is upgradeable, but it requires removing the back panel, which is held in place by a couple of Torx screws.

Reviewers have noted that the SSD performs well initially but suffers from throttling under load, dropping to as low as 3500 MB/s. This behavior suggests that the drive may not have adequate cooling or heat dissipation.

Benchmarks:

• CrystalDiskMark Sequential Read: 5796.32 MB/s
• CrystalDiskMark Sequential Write: 4720.45 MB/s
• AS SSD Score Total: 7463 Points
• Average JPG Copy Test: 24.6 MB/s
• Maximum AS SSD Seq Read Test: 36.6 MB/s

Co-processors

The Acer Swift Edge 16 (2023) does not come with any dedicated co-processors.

Input Devices

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Keyboard

The Acer Swift Edge 16 (2023) features a white backlit keyboard with a numeric pad. The keys have a travel distance of 1.2 mm and provide quick actuation and stiff feedback. The keyboard layout includes a full-size main set of keys and a smaller numeric pad on the right side. However, the arrow keys are squeezed in between other keys, making them less accessible.

Reviewers have noted that the keyboard is surprisingly loud, which may attract attention in quiet places.

Touchpad

The touchpad on the Acer Swift Edge 16 (2023) is a generous surface made from OceanGlass, which is moisture-resistant and certified by Microsoft Precision Touchpad. It feels smooth and operates flawlessly, although some reviewers have mentioned that it feels more like plastic than glass. The physical clicks are clunky and loud.

Webcam

The Acer Swift Edge 16 (2023) is equipped with a 3.7 MPx QHD webcam without IR. The image quality is fine in good lighting but mediocre in low light. The webcam does not include a physical privacy cover or IR support.

Microphone

The laptop features integrated microphones that provide adequate quality for video calls and casual use.

Output Devices

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Display

The Acer Swift Edge 16 (2023) features a 16-inch OLED display with a resolution of 3200 x 2000 pixels, a 16:10 aspect ratio, and a 120 Hz refresh rate. The display supports HDR 500, with a peak brightness of 600 nits in HDR mode and 400 nits in SDR mode. It covers 100% of the DCI-P3 color gamut and offers excellent blacks and contrast ratios.

Reviewers have praised the display for its vibrant colors, excellent response times, and uniform luminosity and color. The panel came well-calibrated out of the box. However, the display uses PWM, which can cause headaches after prolonged use in dim environments.

Benchmarks:

• Panel HardwareID: Samsung SDC418B (ATNA60BX03-0)
• Coverage: 100% sRGB, 99.1% Adobe RGB, 99.6% DCI-P3
• Type: 10-bit with HDR500, 120 Hz
• Measured gamma: 2.21
• Max brightness in the middle of the screen: 388.29 cd/m2 on power
• Min brightness in the middle of the screen: 4.56 cd/m2 on power
• Contrast at max brightness: 1:1
• White point: 6400 K
• Black on max brightness: 0 cd/m2

Audio

The Acer Swift Edge 16 (2023) comes with two stereo side-firing speakers. The speakers are louder than the previous generation, reaching around 77-78 dBA, but the audio quality is still lacking, with a noticeable absence of bass.

Connectivity

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WiFi

The Acer Swift Edge 16 (2023) is equipped with a MediaTek Wi-Fi 6E MT7922 module, which supports stable connections and good performance. However, transmit speeds can be slower compared to competitors.

Benchmarks:

• iperf3 transmit: 1492 MBit/s
• iperf3 receive: 1443 MBit/s

Bluetooth

The laptop comes with Bluetooth 5.2.

SD Card Reader

The Acer Swift Edge 16 (2023) includes a microSD card reader, which is functional but slower than competitors.

Benchmarks:

• Average JPG Copy Test: 24.6 MB/s
• Maximum AS SSD Seq Read Test: 36.6 MB/s

USB

The laptop is equipped with the following USB ports:

• 2 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 (Type-C)
• 2 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 (Type-A)
• 1 x HDMI 2.1
• 1 x 3.5mm headphone/microphone jack
• 1 x MicroSD card reader

Display Outputs

The Acer Swift Edge 16 (2023) includes the following display outputs:

• 1 x HDMI 2.1
• 2 x DisplayPort (via USB-C)

Case

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The Acer Swift Edge 16 (2023) features a lightweight chassis made from magnesium and aluminum, available in black. The design is practical, but the build quality could be sturdier, with some noticeable flex in the main deck and creaks when handling the laptop.

Maintenance

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The bottom panel of the Acer Swift Edge 16 (2023) is held in place by a couple of Torx screws, making it easy to open. However, the upgradeability is limited due to the soldered RAM and single SSD slot.

Cooling System

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The Acer Swift Edge 16 (2023) is equipped with a dual-fan single-radiator single-heatpipe thermal module. This cooling system is capable of keeping temperatures in check during regular use and light gaming.

Heat

The laptop can get warm, especially near the vents, with surface temperatures reaching over 50°C near the vents during heavy use. However, external temperatures remain cool with light use.

Noise

The fan noise is manageable during light use, regularly hovering around 28 dB(A), but it can become noticeable under load, reaching up to 41 dB(A).

Energy Management

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Power Consumption

The Acer Swift Edge 16 (2023) comes with a 65W charger that supports fast charging. The laptop does not automatically switch from 120Hz on battery power, which contributes to higher power consumption when idling.

Benchmarks:

• Idle: 10.1 W
• Load: 45.3 W

Battery Life

The laptop is equipped with a 54 Wh Li-Polymer battery. The battery life is average, with a WLAN runtime of 5 hours and 36 minutes, which is shorter than previous models, likely due to the high refresh rate and power demands of the OLED display.

Benchmarks:

• Idle, Quiet Mode, screen at 50%, Wi-Fi ON: ~10 hours
• Text editing in Google Drive, Quiet Mode, screen at 50%, Wi-Fi ON: ~7 hours
• 1080p fullscreen video on YouTube in Edge, Quiet Mode, screen at 50%, Wi-Fi ON: ~7 hours
• Netflix fullscreen in Edge, Quiet Mode, screen at 50%, Wi-Fi ON: ~7-8 hours
• Browsing in Edge, Balanced Mode, screen at 50%, Wi-Fi ON: ~4-5 hours
• Gaming – Witcher 3, Standard Mode, screen at 50%, Wi-Fi ON: ~1+ hour

Biometrics

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The Acer Swift Edge 16 (2023) includes a fingerprint reader for quick logins, enhancing security and convenience.

Software

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The Acer Swift Edge 16 (2023) ships with Windows 11 Home. The laptop comes with standard Windows applications and some manufacturer-specific utilities. The laptop has limited support for Linux, which may require additional configuration for optimal performance.<refname="notebookcheck" />

Accessories & Warranty

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The Acer Swift Edge 16 (2023) comes with a 65W AC adapter and standard paperwork. The laptop includes a one-year limited manufacturer warranty if purchased in the US.

Reviews Summary

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Overall Sentiment

The Acer Swift Edge 16 (2023) is well-regarded for its lightweight design, high-quality OLED display, and solid performance for daily tasks and light gaming. Reviewers appreciate the vibrant colors and excellent response times of the display, as well as the overall portability of the laptop. However, there are some criticisms regarding the build quality, battery life, and audio performance. The laptop is considered a strong contender in the ultrabook market for users who prioritize display quality and portability.

Problems Summary

• Build quality could be sturdier, with some noticeable flex and creaks.
• Soldered RAM limits future upgradeability.
• SSD performance throttles under sustained loads.
• Speakers lack bass and overall audio quality is average.
• Higher than average power consumption when idling due to OLED display and 120 Hz refresh rate.
• Average battery life, shorter than previous models.
• No physical privacy cover or IR support for the webcam.
• Fan noise can become noticeable under load.
• MicroSD card reader is slower than competitors.

Links

• UltrabookReview
• NotebookCheck