I love cheap laptops, but I hate cheap Laptop. What’s the difference? Well, a budget laptop gives you the most for your money, while with a cheap laptop you get the exact opposite. In today’s case, we are talking about the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3i 15IRU9 and the Acer Swift Go 14 (2024).
Both Lenovo and Acer have produced strong budget laptops in their time, with Acer doing a more notable job in the past, especially with the Aspire series. Can Lenovo dethrone the budget king in this comparison?
There is only one laptop that belongs in your shopping cart. Let’s see if it’s the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3i or the Acer Swift Go 14.
Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3i vs. Acer Swift Go 14: Specifications in comparison
| Model | Lenovo IdeaPad 3i | Acer Swift 3 14 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | 699 $ | $799 |
| CPU | Intel Core 5 120U | Intel Core i7 1650H |
| R.A.M. | 16 GB | 16 GB |
| graphic | Intel graphics | Intel Arc Graphics |
| Advertisement | 15.6 inch, 1920 x 1080, touchscreen | 14 inches, 1920 x 1080 pixels IPS, 60 Hz |
| Weight | 3.5 pounds | 3.1 pounds |
| Mass | 14.15 x 9.25 x 0.7 inches | 12.3 x 8.6 x 0.6 inches |
Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3i vs. Acer Swift Go 14: Price
This is the most important section for a budget laptop. How much does it cost and what can I get for it? Surprisingly, the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3i and the Acer Swift Go 14 give completely different answers.
For $699, the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3i features an Intel Core 5 120U processor, 16GB of RAM, a 1TB SSD, and a 15.6-inch 1920 x 1080 touchscreen display.
For $799, the Acer Swift Go 14 features an Intel Core Ultra 7 155H processor, 16GB of RAM, a 1TB SSD, and a 14-inch 1920 x 1080 IPS display.
Yes, the IdeaPad Slim 3i is cheaper, but the Swift 14 has a much more powerful processor – powerful enough to make up for that $100 gap. Additionally, the Swift Go 14 currently offers its 2880 x 1800, 90Hz, OLED display model for the exact same price on Amazon. The only catch is that we don’t know what impact this will have on battery life.
Swift also offers a $719 model discounted to a Core Ultra 5 125H CPU and 512GB of storage (with OLED display). But that $80 discount isn’t worth it. Getting a more powerful CPU and twice the storage for $80 is a steal.
If you’re looking to spend as little money as possible, the Slim costs just $474, but still comes with an Intel Core 3 100U CPU, 8GB of RAM, and a 512GB SSD.
You know the saying, “time is money.” The amount of money you invest in a laptop determines how long it will last. Well, the Swift Go 14 may be a little more expensive, but the value of its components is far better.
Winner: Acer Swift 3 14
Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3i vs. Acer Swift Go 14: Design
You should probably avoid buying a cheap laptop with the expectation of a stylish design, but the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3i and Acer Swift Go 14 are both better looking and more portable.
Both laptops have a fairly plain chassis, but the Acer Swift Go 14 is silver and the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3i is blue. I like that the Slim is neither gray nor black, but the Swift’s aluminum chassis offers a more premium aesthetic.
The size specifications differ slightly because the Slim is a 15-inch laptop and the Swift is a 14-inch laptop.
The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3i weighs 3.5 pounds and measures 14.15 x 9.25 x 0.7 inches, while the Acer Swift Go 14 weighs 3.1 pounds and measures 12.3 x 8.6 x 0.6 inches. Of course, if you’re looking for a more portable laptop, the Swift Go is the obvious choice, but if you like your laptop big, the Slim might be for you.
However, due to its small size and aluminum body, I prefer the Swift Go 14.
Winner: Acer Swift 3 14
Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3i vs. Acer Swift Go 14: Display
The display is one of the first things to go away on a budget laptop, but one of them might surprise you. As tested, the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3i has a 15.6-inch 1920 x 1080 touchscreen display, while the Acer Swift Go 14 has a 14-inch 1920 x 1080 IPS display.
The Slim offers more space than the Swift, but what about the benchmarks?
The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3i covers 44.4% of the DCI-P3 color space and emits a brightness of 310 nits. The Acer Swift Go 14 outputs 78% of the DCI-P3 color space and supports a brightness of 389 nits.
This is a stark difference in quality in all areas, which makes us the clear winner.
Winner: Acer Swift 3 14
Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3i vs. Acer Swift Go 14: Performance
Despite similar prices, the CPUs on offer are fundamentally different. The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3i has the Intel Core 5 120U processor and the Acer Swift Go 14 has the Intel Core Ultra 7 155H processor. It would make sense for the Slim to have the Ultra version of the Core 5, but instead it sticks with the low-end version. So how does this affect performance?
In the Geekbench 6.3 overall performance test, the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3i scored 8,549 points, while the Acer Swift Go 14 scored 12,612 points.
In a more practical test, the IdeaPad Slim 3i transcoded a 4K video to 1080p in 14 minutes and 33 seconds. That’s a pretty poor result compared to the Swift Go 14’s completion time of 5:20 seconds.
Even the storage test was terrible. We measured the transfer rate of 25GB of multimedia files and the IdeaPad Slim 3i’s 1TB SSD reached 1,038 megabytes per second, while the Swift Go 14’s 1TB SSD reached 1,783 megabytes per second. That’s a pretty big gap.
For $100 more you get a huge performance boost.
Winner: Acer Swift 3 14
Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3i vs. Acer Swift Go 14: Battery life
When buying a cheap laptop, you have to make compromises, especially in terms of performance and display.
However, battery life is an important feature that should remain the same across all price ranges. Of the two models, Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3i and Acer Swift Go 14, one failed.
On the LaptopMag In the battery test, which involves continuously surfing websites via Wi-Fi at 150 nits of brightness, the IdeaPad Slim 3i lasted 6 hours and 6 minutes. If it doesn’t last a whole workday, that’s a warning sign.
The Acer Swift Go 14, meanwhile, lasted 8 hours and 25 minutes. We think that’s short, but achieving over 8 hours is the minimum.
Winner: Acer Swift 3 14
Overall winner: Acer Swift Go 14
If you’ve seen the reviews, you knew the Acer Swift Go 14 would top this class. It won in all areas because it’s a budget laptop, while the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3i is cheap.
The Acer Swift Go 14 offers more for the price, has better performance, a better display, longer battery life, and even has an aluminum chassis. However, when comparing the two, there are no good features that would make you choose the Slim 3i.
This is a clear win: Don’t look at the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3i. Buy the Acer Swift Go 14.
winner: Acer Swift 5 SF515-51G
