Get insider access
Preferred store
Notice: Your browser is not supported or outdated so some features of the site might not be available.
  1. Table of Contents
  2. Top
  3. Main Differences
  4. Design
    1. Style
    2. Build Quality
    3. Hinge
    4. Portability
    5. Serviceability
    6. In The Box
  5. Display
    1. Screen Specs
    2. Refresh Rate
    3. Contrast
    4. Brightness
    5. Reflections
    6. Black Uniformity
    7. Horizontal Viewing Angle
    8. Vertical Viewing Angle
    9. Out-Of-The-Box Color Accuracy
    10. Color Gamut
    11. Flicker
  6. Interface
    1. Keyboard
    2. Touchpad
    3. Speakers
    4. Webcam & Microphone
  7. Connectivity
    1. Ports
    2. Wireless Communication
  8. Configuration
    1. CPU
    2. GPU
    3. RAM
    4. Storage
  9. Performance
    1. Geekbench 5 (Synthetics)
    2. Cinebench R23 (CPU Rendering)
    3. Blender (3D Rendering)
    4. Basemark GPU (Game Scene)
    5. Storage Drive Performance
    6. Battery
    7. Borderlands 3
    8. Civilization VI
    9. Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
    10. Counter-Strike 2
    11. Shadow Of The Tomb Raider
    12. Thermals And Noise
    13. Performance Over Time
  10. Additional Features And Software
    1. Software
    2. Extra Features
  11. Comments

Dell XPS 13 (2021) vs Acer Swift 3 14 (2020)

Side-by-Side Comparison

Products

Dell XPS 13 (2021)
Acer Swift 3 14 (2020)

Tested using Methodology v0.8.2

Updated Mar 26, 2024 01:44 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com

Tested using Methodology v0.8.2

Updated Feb 23, 2024 02:13 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Dell XPS 13 (2021) Picture
Acer Swift 3 14 (2020) Picture

Variants

  • XPS 13 (XPS9310-7412WHT-PUS) (Frost White - OLED/i7-1185G7/16GB/512GB)
  • XPS 13 (XPS9310-7439WHT-PUS) (Frost White - OLED/i7-1185G7/16GB/512GB)
  • XPS 13 (‎XPS9310-5024SLV-SUS) (Platinum Silver - 4K/i5/8GB/512GB)
  • XPS 13 (XPS9310-7375SLV-PUS) (Platinum Silver - 4K/i7-1185G7/16GB/1TB)
  • XPS 13 (‎XPS9310-7795SLV-PUS) (Platinum Silver - 4K/i7-1185G7/32GB/2TB)
  • XPS 13 (XPS9310-7085SLV-PUS) (Platinum Silver - FHD/i7-1165G7/8GB/512GB)
  • XPS 13 (XPS9310-7368SLV-PUS) (Platinum Silver - FHD/i7-1185G7/16GB/512GB)
  • XPS 13 (XPS9310-7198SLV-PUS) (Platinum Silver - FHD/i7-1185G7/16GB/512GB)
  • XPS 13 (XPS9310-7825SLV-PUS) (Platinum Silver - OLED/i7-1185G7/16GB/1TB)
  • XPS 13 (XPS9310-7788SLV-PUS) (Platinum Silver - OLED/i7-1185G7/32GB/1TB)
  • XPS 13 (XPS9310-7477SLV-PUS) (Platinum Silver - OLED/i7-1195G7/16GB/1TB)
  • XPS 13 (‎XPS9310) (‎Platinum Silver - FHD/i3/8GB/256GB)
  • XPS 13 (XPS9310-7392SLV-PUS) (‎Platinum Silver - FHD/i7-1165G7/8GB/512GB)
  • XPS 13 (XPS9310-7422SLV-PUS) (‎Platinum Silver - FHD/i7-1195G7/16GB/512GB)
  • Swift 3 14 (SF314-59-5790) (Aqua Blue - i5/8GB/512GB)
  • Swift 3 14 (SF314-59-50KQ) (Pure Silver - i5/8GB/256GB)
  • Swift 3 14 (SF314-59-52BZ) (Pure Silver - i5/8GB/512GB)
  • Swift 3 14 (SF314-59-5166) (Pure Silver - i5/8GB/512GB)
  • Swift 3 14 (SF314-511-70TU) (Pure Silver - i7/16GB/512GB)
  • Swift 3 14 (SF314-59-7567) (Pure Silver - i7/16GB/512GB)
  • Swift 3 14 (SF314-59-75QC) (Pure Silver - i7/8GB/256GB)
  • Swift 3 14 (SF314-59-73UP) (Pure Silver - i7/8GB/512GB)
  • Swift 3 14 (SF314-511-7412) (Pure Silver - i7/8GB/512GB)

Our Verdict

Dell XPS 13 (2021)

Acer Swift 3 14 (2020)

The Dell XPS 13 (2021) and the Acer Swift 3 14 (2020) are both ultraportable laptops with Intel 11th Gen. CPUs. The XPS 13 is better in most aspects as it's a more premium laptop that provides a better overall user experience. It has a sharper, brighter, and more color-accurate display, a better keyboard and touchpad, and a much better webcam for video calls. However, the Swift 3 has a wider port selection because it includes USB-A and HDMI ports, which aren't available on the XPS 13. The Swift 3 also has longer battery life, lasting over 3 hours more in light productivity workloads.

0 

Main Differences for
School

Threshold 

0.10

School 

8.0
7.8

Battery 
 

7.9
9.4

Webcam & Microphone 
 

7.0
3.6

Touchpad 
 

8.4
6.8

Ports 
 

5.0
8.0

Full Comparison

Design

Style 
 

Style Photo  

Dell XPS 13 (2021) Style Photo
Acer Swift 3 14 (2020) Style Photo

Form Factor 
 

Traditional (Clamshell)
Traditional (Clamshell)
Show Text 

Build Quality 
 

8.5
7.5

Build Quality Photo  

Dell XPS 13 (2021) Build Quality Photo
Acer Swift 3 14 (2020) Build Quality Photo
Show Text 

Hinge 
 

9.1
6.9

Hinge Photo  

Dell XPS 13 (2021) Hinge Photo
Acer Swift 3 14 (2020) Hinge Photo

Range 
 

140°
180°

Stability 
 

Good
Good

One Finger Lift 
 

Yes
No
Show Text 

Portability 
 

9.1
8.9

Dimensions Photo  

Dell XPS 13 (2021) Dimensions Photo
Acer Swift 3 14 (2020) Dimensions Photo

Size 
 

13.4"
14"

Thickness 
 

0.6" (1.6 cm)
0.6" (1.6 cm)

Width 
 

11.7" (29.6 cm)
12.8" (32.4 cm)

Depth 
 

7.8" (19.7 cm)
8.6" (21.9 cm)

Volume 
 

56.9 in³ (933.0 cm³)
69.3 in³ (1,135.3 cm³)

Weight 
 

2.7 lbs (1.2 kg)
2.6 lbs (1.2 kg)

Charger Size 
 

4.0 in³ (65.5 cm³)
8.2 in³ (135.0 cm³)

Charger Weight 
 

0.5 lbs (0.2 kg)
0.4 lbs (0.2 kg)
Show Text 

Serviceability 
 

5.8
6.5

Internals Photo  

Dell XPS 13 (2021) Internals Photo
Acer Swift 3 14 (2020) Internals Photo

Ease Of Access 
 

7.5
8.0

RAM Slots 
 

0
0

Storage Slots 
 

1
1

Replaceable Battery 
 

Yes
Yes

Replaceable Wireless Adapter 
 

No
Yes
Show Text 

In The Box 
 

In The Box Photo  

Dell XPS 13 (2021) In The Box Photo
Acer Swift 3 14 (2020) In The Box Photo
Show Text 
Display

Screen Specs 
 

Display Photo  

Dell XPS 13 (2021) Display Photo
Acer Swift 3 14 (2020) Display Photo

Resolution 
 

1920 x 1200
1920 x 1080

Aspect Ratio 
 

16:10
16:9

Pixel Density 
 

169 PPI
157 PPI

Panel Type 
 

IPS
IPS

Touch Screen 
 

Yes
No

Screen-To-Body Ratio 
 

90%
80%
Show Text 

Refresh Rate 
 

5.9
5.9

Motion Blur  

Dell XPS 13 (2021) Motion Blur
Acer Swift 3 14 (2020) Motion Blur

Refresh Rate 
 

60 Hz
60 Hz

Variable Refresh Rate 
 

No
No
Show Text 

Contrast 
 

8.0
7.9

Contrast Photo  

Dell XPS 13 (2021) Contrast Photo
Acer Swift 3 14 (2020) Contrast Photo

Native Contrast 
 

1,804 : 1
1,720 : 1
Show Text 

Brightness  
 

8.5
6.7

Maximum Brightness 
 

475 cd/m²
279 cd/m²

Minimum Brightness 
 

27 cd/m²
17 cd/m²
Show Text 

Reflections 
 

8.3
7.3

Reflections Photo Off  

Dell XPS 13 (2021) Reflections Photo Off
Acer Swift 3 14 (2020) Reflections Photo Off

Reflections Photo Max  

Dell XPS 13 (2021) Reflections Photo Max
Acer Swift 3 14 (2020) Reflections Photo Max

Screen Finish 
 

Glossy
Matte

Total Reflections 
 

2.86%
5.66%

Indirect Reflections 
 

0.87%
4.91%

Calculated Direct Reflections 
 

1.99%
0.75%
Show Text 

Black Uniformity 
 

6.4
7.7

Black Uniformity Photo  

Dell XPS 13 (2021) Black Uniformity Photo
Acer Swift 3 14 (2020) Black Uniformity Photo

Uniformity (Std. Dev.) 
 

1.696%
0.925%
Show Text 

Horizontal Viewing Angle 
 

7.3
6.7

Horizontal Viewing Angle Video  

Horizontal Chroma Picture  

Dell XPS 13 (2021) Horizontal Chroma Picture
Acer Swift 3 14 (2020) Horizontal Chroma Picture

Color Washout From Left 
 

31°
26°

Color Washout From Right 
 

34°
25°

Horizontal Hue Picture  

Dell XPS 13 (2021) Horizontal Hue Picture
Acer Swift 3 14 (2020) Horizontal Hue Picture

Color Shift From Left 
 

51°
39°

Color Shift From Right 
 

57°
41°

Horizontal Lightness Picture  

Dell XPS 13 (2021) Horizontal Lightness Picture
Acer Swift 3 14 (2020) Horizontal Lightness Picture

Brightness Loss From Left 
 

31°
27°

Brightness Loss From Right 
 

35°
27°

Black Level Raise From Left 
 

60°
60°

Black Level Raise From Right 
 

60°
60°

Gamma Shift From Left 
 

36°
32°

Gamma Shift From Right 
 

40°
30°
Show Text 

Vertical Viewing Angle 
 

6.3
6.2

Vertical Viewing Angle Video  

Vertical Chroma Picture  

Dell XPS 13 (2021) Vertical Chroma Picture
Acer Swift 3 14 (2020) Vertical Chroma Picture

Color Washout From Below 
 

22°
24°

Color Washout From Above 
 

21°
26°

Vertical Hue Picture  

Dell XPS 13 (2021) Vertical Hue Picture
Acer Swift 3 14 (2020) Vertical Hue Picture

Color Shift From Below 
 

35°
37°

Color Shift From Above 
 

40°
36°

Vertical Lightness Picture  

Dell XPS 13 (2021) Vertical Lightness Picture
Acer Swift 3 14 (2020) Vertical Lightness Picture

Brightness Loss From Below 
 

25°
27°

Brightness Loss From Above 
 

26°
28°

Black Level Raise From Below 
 

45°
45°

Black Level Raise From Above 
 

45°
40°

Gamma Shift From Below 
 

20°
25°

Gamma Shift From Above 
 

22°
27°
Show Text 

Out-Of-The-Box Color Accuracy 
 

8.4
6.7

White Balance Screencap  

Dell XPS 13 (2021) White Balance Screencap
Acer Swift 3 14 (2020) White Balance Screencap

Gamma Curve Screencap  

Dell XPS 13 (2021) Gamma Curve Screencap
Acer Swift 3 14 (2020) Gamma Curve Screencap

Color Screencap  

Dell XPS 13 (2021) Color Screencap
Acer Swift 3 14 (2020) Color Screencap

Avg. White Balance dE 
 

2.93
4.38

Avg. Gamma 
 

2.17
2.11

Avg. Color dE 
 

1.87
2.89

Avg. Color Temperature 
 

6,466.5 K
6,388 K
Show Text 

Color Gamut 
 

8.5
8.6

Gamut SDR  

Dell XPS 13 (2021) Gamut SDR
Acer Swift 3 14 (2020) Gamut SDR

sRGB xy 
 

99.81%
99.97%

sRGB uv 
 

99.24%
99.91%

Adobe RGB xy 
 

77.37%
78.17%

Adobe RGB uv 
 

87.92%
86%

Gamut HDR  

Dell XPS 13 (2021) Gamut HDR
Acer Swift 3 14 (2020) Gamut HDR

DCI P3 xy 
 

78.13%
78.92%

DCI P3 uv 
 

83.48%
84.07%

Rec. 2020 xy 
 

56.11%
56.68%

Rec. 2020 uv 
 

61.02%
61.53%
Show Text 

Flicker 
 

10
10

Flicker Graph  

Dell XPS 13 (2021) Flicker Graph
Acer Swift 3 14 (2020) Flicker Graph

Flicker-Free 
 

No
Yes

Flicker Frequency 
 

> 1000Hz
No Flicker

Flicker Active Below 
 

1%
0%
Show Text 
Interface

Keyboard 
 

8.0
7.2

Keyboard Photo  

Dell XPS 13 (2021) Keyboard Photo
Acer Swift 3 14 (2020) Keyboard Photo

Typing Quality 
 

8.0
7.0

Numpad 
 

No
No

Backlighting 
 

Adjustable
On / Off

Key Switch Actuation Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Operating Force 
 

70 gf
61 gf

Actuation Force 
 

37 gf
34 gf

Pre-Travel 
 

0.79 mm
0.90 mm

Total Travel 
 

0.91 mm
1.33 mm
Show Text 

Touchpad 
 

8.4
6.8

Touchpad Photo  

Dell XPS 13 (2021) Touchpad Photo
Acer Swift 3 14 (2020) Touchpad Photo

Tracking Quality 
 

9.0
7.0

Size 
 

11.2 in² (72.1 cm²)
10.9 in² (70.3 cm²)

Material 
 

Glass
Plastic

Dedicated Buttons 
 

No
No
Show Text 

Speakers 
 

8.4
7.8

Frequency Response Plot  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Max Volume 
 

79 dB SPL
76 dB SPL

Standard Error @ Normal Vol. (65 dB) 
 

5.5 dB
5.0 dB

Slope @ Normal Vol. (65 dB) 
 

1.7
0.1

Bass Extension (Low-Frequency Ext.) 
 

298 Hz
364 Hz

Treble Extension (High-Frequency Ext.) 
 

8 kHz
16 kHz

Dynamic Range Compression @ Max Vol. 
 

0.7 dB
1.0 dB
Show Text 

Webcam & Microphone 
 

7.0
3.6

Webcam Video Sample  

Video Quality 
 

7.0
3.0

Resolution 
 

720p
720p

Position 
 

Top Center
Top Center

Privacy Cover 
 

No
No

Face Unlock 
 

Yes
No
Show Text 
Connectivity

Ports 
 

5.0
8.0

Ports Photo  

Dell XPS 13 (2021) Ports Photo
Acer Swift 3 14 (2020) Ports Photo

USB-A Ports 
 

0
2

USB-C Ports 
 

2
1

Thunderbolt 
 

Thunderbolt 4
Thunderbolt 4

USB-C Charging 
 

Yes
Yes

USB-C Display Out 
 

Yes
Yes

HDMI 
 

No
2.0

DisplayPort 
 

No
No

3.5mm Jack 
 

Combo mic/headphone
Combo mic/headphone

Card Reader 
 

MicroSD UHS 1
No

Ethernet 
 

No
No

Proprietary Port 
 

No
No

Security Lock 
 

No
Yes
Show Text 

Wireless Communication 
 

Wi-Fi 
 

Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax)
Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax)

Bluetooth 
 

5.2
5.0
Show Text 
Configuration

CPU 
 

Brand 
 

Intel
Intel

Model 
 

Core i3-1115G4
Core i5-1135G7

Core Count 
 

2
4

Thread Count 
 

4
8
Show Text 

GPU 
 

Brand 
 

Intel
Intel

Model 
 

UHD Graphics G4
Iris Xe Graphics G7

Dedicated/Integrated 
 

Integrated
Integrated

VRAM Size 
 

N/A
N/A
Show Text 

RAM 
 

Capacity 
 

8 GB
8 GB

Modules 
 

8 (Soldered)
1 (Soldered)

Type 
 

LP-DDR4X
LP-DDR4X

Speed 
 

4,267 MHz
4,267 MHz
Show Text 

Storage 
 

Advertised Capacity 
 

256 GB
512 GB

Usable Capacity 
 

180 GB
460 GB

Drive 1 
 

Western Digital PC SN530
SK Hynix HFM512GDJTNI-82A0A

Drive 1 Type  

SSD
SSD

Drive 2 
 

No 2nd Drive
No 2nd Drive

Drive 2 Type  

No 2nd Drive
No 2nd Drive
Show Text 
Performance

Geekbench 5 (Synthetics) 
 

6.9
8.1

Geekbench Image  

Dell XPS 13 (2021) Geekbench Image
Acer Swift 3 14 (2020) Geekbench Image

CPU Single-Thread 
 

1,329 points
1,409 points

CPU Multi-Thread 
 

2,937 points
5,340 points

GPU Compute 
 

10,417 points
15,232 points
Show Text 

Cinebench R23 (CPU Rendering) 
 

7.2
8.4

Cinebench R23 Photo  

Dell XPS 13 (2021) Cinebench R23 Photo
Acer Swift 3 14 (2020) Cinebench R23 Photo

Single-Thread 
 

1,282 points
1,368 points

Multi-Thread 
 

2,526 points
5,092 points
Show Text 

Blender (3D Rendering) 
 

0.9
5.9

Blender Image  

Dell XPS 13 (2021) Blender Image
Acer Swift 3 14 (2020) Blender Image

CPU Render Time 
 

17.8 min
7.8 min

GPU Render Time 
 

18.1 min
N/A

GPU Render Time (Optix) 
 

N/A
N/A
Show Text 

Basemark GPU (Game Scene) 
 

4.2
5.1

Basemark Image  

Dell XPS 13 (2021) Basemark Image
Acer Swift 3 14 (2020) Basemark Image

Overall Score 
 

10,928
16,155
Show Text 

Storage Drive Performance 
 

9.0
9.0

Storage Performance Image  

Dell XPS 13 (2021) Storage Performance Image
Acer Swift 3 14 (2020) Storage Performance Image

Sequential Write Speed 
 

738.7 MB/s
933.8 MB/s

Sequential Read Speed 
 

1,836.1 MB/s
1,181.1 MB/s

Random Write Speed 
 

111.0 MB/s
106.7 MB/s

Random Read Speed 
 

46.6 MB/s
55.6 MB/s
Show Text 

Battery 
 

7.9
9.4

Capacity 
 

52 Wh
56 Wh

Battery Life (Web Browsing) 
 

10.2 hrs
13.8 hrs

Battery Life (Video Playback) 
 

5.2 hrs
12.2 hrs

Battery Life (Gaming) 
 

2.9 hrs
2.1 hrs

Charge Time 
 

2.0 hrs
2.3 hrs
Show Text 

Borderlands 3 
 

0.0
1.1

Borderlands 3 Graph  

Dell XPS 13 (2021) Borderlands 3 Graph
See details on graph tool

Avg. FPS 
 

N/A
7 fps

1% Low 
 

N/A
1 fps

0.1% Low 
 

N/A
0 fps

1% Low Delta 
 

N/A
1,253 ms

0.1% Low Delta 
 

N/A
2,224 ms

Avg. FPS On Very Low 
 

N/A
36 fps
Show Text 

Civilization VI 
 

2.6
4.6

Civilization VI Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Avg. FPS 
 

11 fps
22 fps

1% Low 
 

8 fps
16 fps

0.1% Low 
 

8 fps
14 fps

1% Low Delta 
 

32 ms
18 ms

0.1% Low Delta 
 

40 ms
25 ms

Avg. FPS On Minimum 
 

41 fps
82 fps

Avg. Turn Time 
 

12.07 s
7.96 s
Show Text 

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive 
 

5.0
6.7

CS:GO graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Avg. FPS 
 

41 fps
88 fps

1% Low 
 

22 fps
36 fps

0.1% Low 
 

16 fps
30 fps

1% Low Delta 
 

21 ms
16 ms

0.1% Low Delta 
 

38 ms
22 ms

Avg. FPS On Low 
 

75 fps
134 fps
Show Text 

Counter-Strike 2 
 

CS2 Graph  

Avg. FPS 
 

1% Low 
 

0.1% Low 
 

1% Low Delta 
 

0.1% Low Delta 
 

Avg. FPS On Low 
 

Shadow Of The Tomb Raider 
 

0.0
3.0

SOTTR Graph  

Dell XPS 13 (2021) SOTTR Graph
See details on graph tool

Avg. FPS 
 

N/A
19 fps

1% Low 
 

N/A
3 fps

0.1% Low 
 

N/A
1 fps

1% Low Delta 
 

N/A
290 ms

0.1% Low Delta 
 

N/A
871 ms

Avg. FPS On Lowest 
 

N/A
37 fps
Show Text 

Thermals And Noise 
 

7.2
7.7

Keyboard Temps Picture  

Dell XPS 13 (2021) Keyboard Temps Picture
Acer Swift 3 14 (2020) Keyboard Temps Picture

Keyboard Temp While Idle 
 

34 °C (93 °F)
27 °C (80 °F)

Keyboard Temp Under Load 
 

50 °C (121 °F)
45 °C (112 °F)

Fan Noise While Idle 
 

25.0 dBA
25.0 dBA

Fan Noise Under Load 
 

40.0 dBA
43.0 dBA

Power & Fan Control App 
 

No
No
Show Text 

Performance Over Time 
 

7.9
8.6

Performance Over Time Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

CPU Temp (Cinebench) 
 

73 °C
72 °C

CPU Perf. Loss (Cinebench) 
 

8% loss
9% loss

GPU Temp (Heaven) 
 

72 °C
69 °C

GPU Perf. Loss (Heaven) 
 

5% loss
0% loss
Show Text 
Additional Features And Software

Software 
 

Operating System 
 

Windows 11
Windows 10

Additional Software 
 

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

Extra Features 
 

RGB Illumination 
 

No
No

Touch Pen 
 

No
No

Secondary Display 
 

No
No

Biometrics 
 

Face Recognition and Fingerprint Sensor
Fingerprint Sensor
Show Text 

Dell XPS 13 (2021)

Acer Swift 3 14 (2020)

Comments

  1. Comparison

Dell XPS 13 (2021) vs Acer Swift 3 14 (2020): Main Discussion

What do you think of these products? Let us know below.


Looking for a personalized buying advice from the RTINGS.com experts? Insiders have direct access to buying advice on our insider forum.

PreviewBack to editorFormat guide
No comments yet, refresh to see new ones