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Swift 3
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15.6"
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What we think

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The PerfectRec laptop team Learn more
Updated January 10, 2024·

The Acer Swift 3 and Gateway 15.6" laptops are similarly priced, both offer 512GB of storage space and 16GB of RAM with integrated Iris Xe graphics, suited for general use and light gaming. The Acer Swift 3 provides a more portable option due to its lighter weight and smaller screen, and it comes with Windows 11 and a longer battery life, which is beneficial for on-the-go use. On the other hand, the Gateway 15.6" has a larger display which may be better for viewing content and productivity tasks, but it is heavier and comes with Windows 10, plus the battery capacity is not specified which might indicate a shorter battery life. If portability and battery life are priorities, the Acer Swift 3 appears to be the better choice, while if screen size is more important, consider the Gateway 15.6". Give Feedback

this description is based on the product variant with some specs and product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars and the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Advantages of the Acer Swift 3
  • Good for engineering and design
  • Good for software development
  • Good overall build quality
  • Very good portability
  • Very good battery life
  • Good keyboard
Advantages of the Gateway 15.6"
  • The Gateway 15.6" has no clear advantages over the Acer Swift 3.

Key differences

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General Use

7.7
Swift 3
15.6"
7.0
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
309.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
250.0 nits
12.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
8.0 Hours
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
5.3/10
8.9/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.3/10
The Acer Swift 3 and Gateway 15.6" are both good for general use, though the Acer Swift 3 is somewhat better.

Engineering and Design

7.1
Swift 3
15.6"
6.2
7.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.9/10
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Acer Swift 3 is good for engineering and design, while the Gateway 15.6" is only fair.

Content Creation

7.6
Swift 3
15.6"
7.0
7.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.9/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Acer Swift 3 and Gateway 15.6" are both good for content creation, though the Acer Swift 3 is somewhat better.

Software Development

7.6
Swift 3
15.6"
6.7
7.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.9/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
5.3/10
The Acer Swift 3 is good for software development, while the Gateway 15.6" is only fair.

Screen Quality

6.8
Swift 3
15.6"
6.1
14.0in
SIZE
15.6in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
309.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
250.0 nits
The Acer Swift 3 has a better screen than the Gateway 15.6" for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.

Battery

12.0 Hours
Swift 3
15.6"
8.0 Hours
The Acer Swift 3 has 12 hours of battery life. The Gateway 15.6" has 8 hours of battery life.

Portability

Very Good
Swift 3
15.6"
Good
14.0in
SIZE
15.6in
2.7 lbs
WEIGHT
4.8 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Acer Swift 3 has very good portability, while the Gateway 15.6" has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.

Build Quality

7.4
Swift 3
15.6"
5.1
The Acer Swift 3 has good build quality, while the Gateway 15.6" has poor build quality.

Cost

$500
Swift 3
15.6"
$380
Product image
Product image

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The Acer Swift 3 has a price of $500 and the Gateway 15.6" costs $380.
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Key similarities

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Gaming and AI

6.3
Swift 3
15.6"
6.0
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
8.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.0/10
The Acer Swift 3 and Gateway 15.6" are both only fair for gaming and AI.

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How the Acer Swift 3 and the Gateway 15.6" compare to other laptops

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Spec Comparison

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Acer Swift 3Gateway 15.6"
Acer Swift 3Gateway 15.6"

GENERAL

Price
$500
$380
Release Date
May 1, 2023August 1, 2021
Overall Dimensions
12.6'' x 8.3'' x 0.63''14.8'' x 9.5'' x 0.77''
Weight
2.76 lbs4.8 lbs
Width
12.6"14.75"
Depth
8.3"9.5"

INTERNAL

Processor
Intel i5-1240PIntel i5-1135G7
RAM
16 GB16 GB
DDR Memory Version
44
RAM Slots
00
Storage
512 GB512 GB

BATTERY

Battery Life
12 Hours8 Hours
Battery Capacity
56 WhUnknown

SCREEN

Diagonal Size
14"15.6"
Display Technology
IPSIPS
Resolution
1920 x 10801920 x 1080
Refresh Rate
60Hz60Hz
Display Brightness
309 nits250 nits

RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS

Build Quality Score
7.4/105.1/10
Portability Score
8.9/107.3/10
Gaming Laptop Appearance
NoNo
Premium Business Laptop
NoNo
Fan Noise Score
8.8/107/10

HARDWARE FEATURES

Keyboard Quality Score
7/105.3/10
Speaker Quality Score
6.5/106/10
Webcam
1080p720p
Fingerprint Reader
YesYes
Backlit Keyboard
YesNo
Number Pad
NoYes

CONNECTIVITY

USB Type-A
22
USB-C ports
21
USB-C Charging
YesNo
Display Outputs
31
Thunderbolt Version
4N/A

Shopping

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Acer Swift 3

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Dig into reviews and images

NotebookCheck

Sebastian Jentsch | February 2022
"With the Swift 3, Acer delivers a 14-inch laptop with a sleek, slim metal chassis. The latter is of high quality and sturdy enough for everyday use, which is a real plus point among the 700-Euro (~$798) models. A new feature is Thunderbolt 4 in the Type-C format for peripherals or even displays (DisplayPort via Type-C). Unfortunately, a card reader is still missing, and the RAM is completely onboard, so there are no upgrade options here. Acer's 14-incher is affordable, yet it does everything most would want from a truly mobile laptop: Long battery life, a great display, quality, sufficient ports, light weight, and low noise and heat emissions."

Gateway 15.6"

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Dig into reviews and images

PCMag

Francisco Lahoz | July 2022
"Some concessions have to be made when shopping for a budget laptop. Walmart's Gateway Ultra Slim laptops succeeds on the affordability front and delivers serviceable specs and good battery life, though it's hard to claim it's the best (or even particularly good) at any particular aspect. Its build quality, especially the touchpad, is mediocre, and its performance is decent but doesn't lead the way. The Gateway does undercut the cost of some competitors and offers ample storage with good connectivity, so it's not to be ignored."

Get a great deal on the Acer Swift 3 or the Gateway 15.6"

About Acer

Acer is a prominent Taiwanese electronics brand which makes a wide range of laptops, with multiple product lines catering to personal use, gaming, and business use. They are renowned for having exceptional value for money, as they frequently offer good specifications at a lower price than other manufacturers.

About Gateway

Gateway is a laptop and tablet brand owned by Acer which sells budget-friendly laptops exclusively through Walmart. It was previously an American computer company until its acquisition by Acer in 2007, who then revived the brand in 2020. Gateway laptops are manufactured by Chinese company Shenzhen Bmorn Technology, which also makes EVOO-branded models.

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This information was produced and vetted by the PerfectRec laptops team. We are a product research and recommendation organization that meticulously reviews and evaluates the latest laptop information and makes it digestible for you.

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About the laptop team

Joe Golden, Ph.D

CEO and Laptops Editor
Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.

Jason Lew

Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Jason is a staff expert and software engineer that has been making laptop recommendations for 7 years and moderates one of the largest laptop subreddits.

Chandradeep Chowdhury

Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Chandradeep is a staff expert and software engineer and expert in televisions and monitors. He’s been making monitor recommendations for ten years.

Craig Russell

Laptops Expert
Craig is a UK-based laptops expert. Craig works in IT, where he recommends and supports laptops and PCs for clients and has been recommending laptops on Reddit for five years.

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