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00:00Hey guys, I'm Tomatek Jap and it's a well two-for-one today. I've got a couple of the latest Acer Swift 3 laptops
00:07We've got the standard Swift 3 here and then it's friend the 3x which looks a bit more familiar looking
00:13But there's actually quite a big difference between them and it's kind of tricky to decide which is best
00:18The big news is that the Swift 3 finally gets the screen that it deserves
00:22With a taller 3 by 2 aspect ratio
00:25Which gives you a bit more screen space along with a higher quad HD resolution and also better color accuracy
00:31Whereas the new Swift 3x gets Intel's very clever new Iris Xe Max dedicated graphics
00:37Which actually works in tandem with the regular integrated graphics to boost performance
00:43But the question is as the prices of these guys have been steadily going up for the past couple of years
00:48Are these still worth buying also which is best between the two and is having more than one Swift
00:54Technically a flock
00:57Now I really like the Swift 3 you see it all the time in lists as one of the best mid-range thin and light
01:03All-rounder ultra books and for good reason the entry-level AMD Ryzen based Swift 3s are great value
01:10Even if they don't get a snazzy new screen on these higher-end versions
01:13But this new 2021 Swift 3 and also the 3x with Intel chips are more expensive than the AMD and also the older Intel versions
01:21Starting from about 800 and 900 pounds respectively and it's about the same in dollars with a top spec 3x going for around
01:291100 so what do we get for the money?
01:31Well, the Swift 3 is as I say a good sort of do-it-all all-rounder ultra portable
01:37We get a lovely screen as I say this 3 by 2 aspect
01:40Which I think I actually prefer even over a traditional 16 by 9 and as you can see we're getting Intel's little Evo sticker here
01:46Which basically guarantees a good level of performance and features
01:49Whereas the 3x is a bit more of a traditional looking laptop, but it's a 16 by 9 aspect ratio
01:55I would have liked to have seen maybe 16 by 10 here
01:57But it's a little bit more premium you could argue than this guy and also we are getting the faster XE max dedicated graphics
02:04But they're both 14 inches
02:05Although you can also get the Swift 3 in different sizes and they both come with Intel's 11th gen Tiger Lake processors
02:12We're also getting an aluminum chassis on both which feels nice
02:15But it flexes enough in places to give it a slight plasticky feeling although we are getting a good range of connectivity options
02:22Including dual USB 3.2 and HDMI Wi-Fi 6 and even an ultra fast Thunderbolt 4 type-c port
02:29I think the standout for the regular Swift 3 though is that screen
02:33It's really good not quite pro level but for everyday work and even photo and video editing. It's ideal. It's bright
02:40We get decent color accuracy and contrast and having that 3 by 2 aspect ratio instead of the regular 16 by 9 means
02:47We're getting an extra 18% vertical screen space
02:50Which for me at least makes this feel much less cramped to use although you do get fairly chunky black bars when watching video
02:57Considering the price of these two though. I kind of wish the bezels were flushed with the screen
03:01The slightly protruding plastic bezel just makes it look a little bit cheaper
03:05And also as you can see the Swift 3 has a glossy finish to the screen. Whereas the 3x is matte
03:10I actually thought they sent me the Swift 5 because this color the material they're using just well
03:16The whole thing really looks eerily similar to the more expensive Swift 5
03:20But this is where things get a little bit strange because you'd think this would be the better laptop in almost every regard
03:26It's more expensive. We get a faster graphics the slightly more premium design, I think but we're actually getting a screen
03:32That's not as good as this. It's not as bright. It's not color accurate. It's also full HD rather than Quad HD
03:38So it's just kind of an odd combination that makes me want bits of this one and bits of this one
03:42But with none of them being really perfect
03:45So really the premium you're paying for this is because you're getting the faster graphics
03:50So doesn't really make much of a difference. Well, as you can see from this fancy new sticker
03:54We're getting the Iris Xe Max inside here
03:57And if you hear the words dedicated GPU and then think that maybe this could be a nice gaming ultrabook
04:02then you might want to dial back your
04:04Expectations a little bit because this isn't gonna come close to a laptop with say a RTX 30 series mobile GPU
04:12So Xe Max is basically a second graphics chip that we're getting in here
04:17Albeit with a higher clock speed over the integrated one and the really clever part is they actually work together
04:22The max chip and the standard Xe chip can work together to boost performance
04:27Assuming the app or the game has been updated to support it and all while keeping power consumption
04:33Less than a regular graphics card
04:35Not just that but the Swift 3x also uses Intel's deep link power sharing tech which allows the laptop to divert more power
04:42Resources from the processor to the graphics and this also works the other way around if the system detects high
04:48Processor load and lower graphics utilization and so altogether this can mean a worthwhile boost in games or say video transcoding
04:57Converting a 4k mp4 video in handbrake was about 8% faster than on the regular Swift 3 and all this is actually pretty fast
05:04Anyway, thanks to Intel's quick sync hardware encoding
05:07And so actually I think the 3x is encoding abilities makes it a pretty effective life streaming machine
05:13The problem is leveraging both Xe graphics processors isn't automatic for all games
05:18It actually requires Windows to keep an updated list of which programmers use the integrated or the discrete GPU
05:24Although it can intelligently decide for itself
05:27Plus you can force it to use the higher performance GPU for each program manually or add them via Intel's graphics control center
05:34Which also offers more graphical controls to tweak your experience
05:38But what about games because these two Swift's actually have identical specs say for the Xe max and the 3x
05:44so this should be a really good way of telling what kind of a difference the Xe max chip makes and if we use
05:50Hitman 3 as an example at 1080p with low settings, which is the only way to make it reasonably playable
05:56I recorded a whopping 33% FPS boost which made a huge difference to how smooth everything felt and
06:03Then in Shadow of the Tomb Raider, I averaged 30% higher frame rates with the Xe max in the 3x
06:093d mark time spy got a 16% improvement
06:13Whereas I saw barely any boost in Rainbow six siege even after setting it from automatic to performance GPU mode on either laptop
06:20Though it hits around 60 FPS with high settings at 1080p, which is pretty good
06:26Exporting video in Premiere Pro wasn't any faster on the 3x unfortunately, despite being so much quicker in handbrake
06:32So my guess is that the big boosts we saw in Hitman and Tomb Raider are due to using both
06:37Graphics processors while 3d marks more modest gains are maybe down to the Xe max is higher clock speeds
06:43But it is worth remembering that this is brand new tech and Intel are working to expand compatibility
06:49So even if the programs you're using on getting a boost right now, it may come in the future
06:54But what about battery life? Well in my standard YouTube test with 50% brightness using the better battery saving mode
07:01Interestingly both the Swift 3 and 3x lasted the exact same time around seven and a half hours
07:07which is pretty average and definitely not the 17 and a half hours mixed-use battery life that Acer claims as
07:14For the backlit keyboard both machines have very similar layouts including these irritating page up and down keys
07:21Which I keep brushing every time I went anywhere near the arrow keys, but typing feels good on both
07:25Although there is a bit more key travel and feedback on the Swift 3
07:29Both precision touchpads worked well as well
07:32Although the Swift 3 also gets the 3 by 2 treatment for its touchpad, which makes a little bit bigger
07:37I think easier to use
07:39however
07:39On both machines sound quality was pretty weak to be honest vocals and music sounded tinny and the bass was well almost non-existent
07:48As you can see though the 720p webcam at the top is in a decent place, but the quality isn't
07:55Fantastic really it's quite noisy. The colors are a little bit well a bit too saturated
08:00I look very red. So it's not the best webcam in the world, but it's fine. It's passable
08:05So with all that said are they actually good value?
08:08Well, I'm not so sure anymore because while the materials the design the screens all suit laptops in sort of a seven
08:16Maybe eight hundred pound region. I must admit by the time you expect a slightly higher end version of this
08:21They do start to look and feel a little bit cheap
08:24considering how much they cost and when you consider the top-end 3x has the same pretty average 1080p screen as
08:31The base Swift 3 which costs about half the price from this
08:36$1,100 or pound asking price
08:38It's a little hard to swallow and you could get a slightly better spec Swift 5 for similar money
08:43Or if you don't mind going to a Mac
08:45I think for most people the m1 powered MacBook Air would just be a better buy
08:51Although of course you are losing out on the XE max graphics
08:54And if you do want to do a bit of light to moderate gaming on a ultra portable laptop
08:58Then this is still a good option because of course Mac doesn't have the same game library
09:03But I can't help thinking that the Swift 3 has maybe just lost its edge a little bit when it comes to value for money
09:09But if it is gaming you want then you don't actually really have to pay that much more
09:12Anyway, in fact, I've just been testing the new Asus tough dash f15
09:17Which starts at $999 and comes with an RTX 3060 and Intel's new h35 chip
09:25Please work
09:26Fair enough. That's not exactly the same kind of laptop, but maybe it puts the Swift's price into perspective a little bit
09:33But between the two, I think I would probably go with the standard Swift 3 because well not only is it cheaper
09:39But I could also prefer the 3 by 2 aspect ratio and also we're getting a much nicer screen
09:44Which actually makes quite a big difference. I found and light gaming is still possible on the regular Iris XE graphics
09:51So overall, I think they're both good laptops
09:54And I think personally I would probably go with the Swift 3 if I were to buy one myself
09:58But what about you? Which one would you go for between these two or well?
10:03No on the above let me know in the comments below. Thank you so much for watching guys
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