Acer introduced an updated model of the 2022 Swift 3 ahead of this year’s MWC, and it comes with a few improvements. It has new processors, a revamped design, and a new display option. While we don’t expect the laptop to be available for purchase before June, Acer was kind enough to send us an early unit of the Swift 3 (2022) so we can get to know it. Officially, the model we have is SF314-512.
Now, when we say it’s an early unit, we mean it. This laptop is not ready for prime time use and there are a lot of things I am not allowed to test. I don’t want that, because performance here won’t be an indication of what you’ll get with the final product. More this means allowing us to learn about the hardware and a general idea of what it will be like.
Design: Small but welcome dial
In terms of design, not much has changed from last year’s model, at least in terms of dimensions. The chassis is mostly made of metal and feels quite solid without being too heavy. Weighing in at around 2.76 pounds or 1.25 kg, it’s fairly light for aluminum laptops. While there are three colors officially available, silver is definitely the color you’ll find most easily, and that’s always the case. I wish I’d seen the Safari Gold or Snow Blue models, just because every laptop has a silver option right now and it’s tired. The only non-metallic part is the display frame, which is plastic – as you might expect for a laptop at this price.
However, there are some interesting things about the design. Acer uses a hinged mechanism that lifts the bottom of the laptop when you open it, so you get better airflow and the screen is closer to eye level. I also find it interesting that there is a fan exhaust right below the screen. It’s not something you’ve seen before, especially in a laptop as thin and light as this one. The previous model was already this way, though, so it’s not as if Acer had to do this to accommodate the new Intel processors.
One cool change from last year’s model is the fingerprint reader, which is now built into the power button. For the longest time, Acer has had a dedicated fingerprint reader next to the trackpad, and while it worked well, this definitely helps the laptop feel more stylish. The power button is also built into the keyboard, which also helps with that. It’s working fine, too, based on the time I’ve had with it so far.
Acer Swift 3 keyboard and touchpad
On that note, the keyboard feels good for typing and is as comfortable as I want it to be, although the white backlight doesn’t match well with the silver keys. All this means is that you may want to turn the backlight off during the day and only use it when the keys are hard to see.
As for the touchpad, it’s large and comfortable to use, although I did notice a little rattling sound whenever I took my fingers off it. This may just be an issue with this early unit.
Display: Still 16:9, but there’s a much better webcam
The display hasn’t changed much compared to last year’s model either. It’s still a 14-inch panel with a 16:9 aspect ratio, which performs well for what it is. This aspect ratio is still pretty standard for mainstream devices, and you’ll have to look at the Swift 5 if you want something longer. The only thing that has changed is that you can get a Quad HD screen with some models, but unfortunately that wasn’t the case with the unit I tested. Some models (named SF314-512T) will have touch support, but this is not the case with this unit.
Perhaps most importantly, Acer also upgraded the webcam on top of that screen. It’s now a 1080p 60fps camera with temporary noise reduction, and it should be a big upgrade over the previous generation. Any remarks I can make here aren’t definitive as the hardware isn’t final, but the image quality from the webcam looks pretty good based on what I’ve seen.
As I mentioned at the top, I can’t get into the performance details of the Acer Swift 3 (2022), but it’s powered by 12th generation Intel P-series processors, from Core i3 all the way up to Core i7. That should provide a huge performance upgrade over the last generation, especially with the switch from 15 watts of base power to 28 watts. The model I got has a Core i5-1240P, and it seems to work well enough for all kinds of everyday tasks. This unit also has 16 GB of LPDDR4X RAM and 1 TB SSD, so it’s bypassed in this regard.
Overall, the Acer Swift 3 (2022) certainly looks like a promising laptop, although it remains to be seen if it’s one of the best laptops this year. There aren’t any major changes in terms of design compared to last year’s model, but the changes we got are definitely good. I appreciate the cleaner look of having a fingerprint reader built into the power button and the upgraded webcam, and the new processors promise much more performance. Of course, we’ll have to keep our judgment on that until we get the final product, but we’re optimistic.
The new Acer Swift 3 (2022) is expected to launch in June, and we should have a review at that time as well.
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