Acer Swift 3 2020: SF314-42-R9YN Ryzen 7 4700U laptop review.
Are you looking for a Windows notebook that is lighter than a MacBook Air and won’t break your bank? Acer has released the 2020 Acer Swift 3 14″ SF314-42-R9YN model which is very thin and lightweight.
Surprisingly, lighter than a MacBook Air. The Acer Swift 3 on this review weighs 2.65 pounds (1.20 kg) and the 2020 MacBook Air weighs 2.8 pounds (1.29 kg).
2020 Acer Swift 3 Introduction
The SF314-42-R9YN is the new model of the Acer Swift Ultrabook lines from Acer. These devices are known to be looking really stylish, sleek, and so light yet it won’t cost you thousands. This alone makes this notebook a perfect notebook for anyone who looks for a lightweight laptop.
In this review, we will find out whether or not the new AMD processor with its integrated Graphics in this laptop is capable to do the job.
2020 Acer Swift 3 Specs
| Product | Acer Swift 3 Thin & Light Laptop, 14″ Full HD IPS, AMD Ryzen 7 4700U Octa-Core Processor with Radeon Graphics, 8GB LPDDR4, 512GB NVMe SSD, WiFi 6, Backlit Keyboard, Fingerprint Reader, SF314-42-R9YN |
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| Screen | 14″ LED-Backlight ComfyView 1920×1080 Full-HD IPS |
| Weight | ~1.20 Kg |
| Processor | Octa-Core AMD Ryzen 7 4700U |
| Graphics | Radeon RX Vega 7 |
| RAM | 8GB LPDDR4 |
| Storage | 1 x 512GB SSD |
Visit the official web page for more technical specs.
Build Quality
The first impression that you will get when you first open this laptop out of the box is the stylish design.
The chassis is made from brushed aluminum with pure silver color makes this laptop looking elegant and stylish.
Acer Swift 3 SF314-42-R9YNThe screen bezels are thin, with 720p webcam on the upper bezel. There are also the light sensors and the stereo microphone alongside the built-in web camera. These features are very useful for video conferences or voice recognition.
Non-touch Display
Although it does not have a touchscreen feature, the SF314-42-R9YN notebook comes with a 14″ IPS panel. For a bigger 15-inch model check out the Acer Aspire 5 models.
The display is also an LED-Backlit Widescreen Full-HD 1080p display with a 16:9 aspect ratio.
Although it is not the best IPS display out there, the screen can deliver vivid colors. It also delivers enough brightness if you want to use it outdoor.
For a 2-in-1 touchscreen Acer notebook, we recommend this convertible device, the SP314-53N-77AJ 14″ Acer convertible.
Backlit Keyboard
The keyboard is made from premium brushed aluminum that has a silver metallic tone. The chiclet keys have a backlit feature that will help you working or gaming in the darkroom. This is a perfect keyboard for students who often work at late night where their roommates are asleep.
The brush aluminum material also covers the trackpad. It features Windows precision and has left and right-click mouse buttons.
Still on the keyboard deck, near the trackpad on the right, you will also find one of the highlights of this Acer Swift 3 SF314-42-R9YN notebook, which is the Fingerprint scanner.
By using the operating system’s program, the Windows Hello, you can use the Fingerprint scanner button to log in onto your device. Click here for more Windows 10 tips.
Peripherals
For the peripherals, the SF314-42-R9YN comes with 1x power jack DC-in, 1x HDMI, 1x USB Type-C, 1x USB 3.2 Gen 1 on the left side of the laptop.
Then on the right of the laptop, there are headset/speaker slot, 1x USB 2.0, Power and Battery indicator lights, and a Kensington lock to enhance your laptop’s security (anti-theft slot).
The USB-C in 2020 Acer Swift 3The big bonus is the USB Type-C port of this notebook does support data transfer up to 10 Gbps, DisplayPort compatible, and you can fast-charge your laptop with its USB Type-C port.
This USB-C port can also connect to a second monitor when needed. Check out the Acer monitor if you need to set up a second monitor.
SF314-42-R9YN Acer Swift 3 with AMD R7 4700U
The Acer Swift 3 14″ SF314-42-R9YN version comes with the 2020 new 7-nm Zen-2 AMD R7 4700U processor.
This Octa-Core CPU chip is specifically built for lightweight laptops. Moreover, they built it with the modern 7 nm TSCM process that offers a performance boost. This chip can beat the Intel i7 Ice Lake generation in a multi-thread test. The CPUbenchmark.net reported this CPU to be the king of the CPU Mark processor list.
Ryzen 7 4700U Top CPUIs SF314-42-R9YN Capable for Gaming?
Let’s make it clear that this laptop is not for hardcore gamers. So if you plan to get a new notebook for mostly gaming, this is not the proper device to do so. We recommend this gaming laptop, Acer Helios PH315-52-710B for gamers.
However, this Acer Swift 3 4700U version comes with integrated Radeon RX Vega 7 Graphics card, which is capable to play AAA games in 720p and the modern games with lower fps.
For example, a game like Assassin’s creed odyssey is playable in 720p with 30fps without lagging issues.
You won’t find this capability with any Intel’s integrated Graphics card.
SF314-42-R9YN Battery Life
The battery life of this notebook is excellent, so you will be able to use it for many hours on a single full charge. With light computing use such as browsing the internet, watching YouTube, and doing office documents, you will get about 8-9 hours of battery life. If you have a budget (1k more) and want 25+ hours of battery life from a notebook, consider this notebook (ExpertBook B9450).
With lower screen brightness and other settings, you will be able to get longer battery life.
Summary
This Acer Swift 3 4700U model is a lightweight notebook, even lighter than a MacBook Air, yet the integrated Graphics can handle your casual games.
The sturdy aluminum chassis, backlit keyboard, Fingerprint reader, solid battery life, and the ability to charge via the USB-C port are the highlights of the laptop that can be your choice at this affordable price.
