Acer Swift X 16 (2022) initial review: Intel Arc is all-new, but is it all good?
Source: Acer Swift X 16 (2022) initial review: Intel Arc is all-new, but is it all good?
(Pocket-lint) – In mid-2021 Acer expanded its Swift range with an X model – a 14-inch laptop with Nvidia RTX graphics under the hood. A larger 16-inch model was introduced towards the end of the year and was quickly followed: the Swift X 16 (codenamed SFX16-52G), complete with a 12th Gen Intel Core P processor and discrete Intel Arc graphics. It’s all new, but is everything good?
Design & presentation
- 16-inch IPS LCD panel, aspect ratio 16:10, resolution 1920 x 1200, brightness 400 nits
- Connections: 2x USB-A, 2x USB-C (Thunderbolt 4), 1x HDMI, 1x 3.5mm headphone jack
- Dimensions: 356.3 x 239.7 x 17.9mm / Weight: 1.7kg
- Full-size backlit keyboard with numeric keypad
- Windows 11 Home
- Full HD webcam
Acer does a pretty good job of balancing spec and price, delivering a lot of hardware at a not-so-high price point. The Swift X 16 will be available in the UK from £1,099 when it goes on sale in April 2022.
However, this typically means some sacrifices in overall quality. First impressions of the Swift X 16’s body are that it feels fairly plasticky (it’s not an all-metal body though); the trackpad really doesn’t feel that great in use; and there are some specific choices that you should pay special attention to.
Basically, it’s the screen you want to make the right choice about: this 16:10 aspect ratio panel is a longer format than the previous 16:9 panel, but it comes in two resolutions – WQXGA (2560×1600) or WUXGA (1920 x 1200) – and we’re reviewing the lower resolution offering here.
As this is a large panel, the details aren’t as fine as you might like, so we recommend going with the higher resolution option to avoid showing too many “spikes”. Despite this, the screen is bright and colorful, providing a large window for your work. That Acer has done a good job of keeping the bezel to a minimum further reinforces this sense of scale.
In fact, this second launch of the Swift X 16 is slightly smaller and lighter than the original 16-inch model, weighing in at around 1.7kg, ensuring it’s large yet relatively portable for a device of this type is.
Performance & Battery
- Intel Arc graphics
- 12th Gen Intel Core P
- Up to 16GB LPDDR5 RAM
- Up to 1TB M.2 PCIe Gen 4 SSD
- 52Wh battery
- WiFi 6E
What really sets this machine apart from previous models is what’s under the hood. Featuring Intel’s 12th-gen processor on board – here it’s the Core P, which Acer says offers “up to 14 cores (six P cores and eight E cores)” – along with Intel’s Intel Arc discrete graphics.
It’s the first laptop we’ve seen with Intel Arc on board, so what does that mean? Think of the performance here as somewhere in the region of the Nvidia RTX 3080 and RTX 3070, and you’ve got plenty of options at your fingertips. It’s good enough for gaming and video editing, so to speak – which makes the Swift X 16 seem all the more affordable given how expensive some laptops with this architecture inside can set you back.
Acer says this device has dual fans to bring in more air, aid cooling and eliminate fan noise, and an air-intake keyboard to keep the surface from overheating when you’re tapping away. Clever.
Elsewhere there’s the option for up to 16GB of LPDDR5 RAM, upping the LPDDR4 of previous generations by one, along with fast SSD storage and top-notch Wi-Fi 6E to play nice with your super-fast router (if you have one to have).
However, the battery is only 52Wh, which is one of the reasons this laptop is relatively light overall. How well that will last in this configuration we don’t have conclusive evidence yet: but 25% battery told us it would only last 30 minutes when streaming YouTube full screen. As this is a pre-production sample, we hope this is not representative of what will be possible with the consumer machine.
If you’re looking for a big screen and plenty of performance, but without the typically high price tag, then Acer’s Swift X 16 (SFX16-52G) is an interesting twist on a top-of-the-line Intel configuration, including a 12th Gen Core processor and as one the first computers with discrete Intel Arc graphics.
There are questions about the Swift X 16’s battery life, however, and we wouldn’t advise going with the lower-resolution panel on this 16-inch scale. But pick the higher resolution panel, get your configuration right, and it should be a high-performing machine for creators and gamers who don’t have a huge budget.
Writing by Mike Lowe.
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