Long considered THE benchmark for Windows ultrabooks, the only one capable of constituting a credible alternative to the MacBook Pro, the Dell XPS 13 has to face increasing competition in recent years. Dell can, however, count on an excellent chassis and a 16:10 screen, an unusual format, appreciable for working.
The Acer Swift SF514-55T follows in the footsteps of other laptops in the Acer range. Namely balanced models, well finished and without major defects.
Lets check out and compare Dell XPS 13 9310 (2020) vs Acer Swift SF514-55T.
Pros and Cons
| Dell XPS | Acer Swift |
| Stunning UHD + display | Pretty unusual color |
| Discreet ventilation | Anti-microbial touch screen |
| Windows Hello via Webcam and fingerprint reader | Weight (1 Kg only) |
| Compact size | Unpleasant fan noise |
| Average battery life | Keyboard backlight too low |
General Info
| Dell XPS | Acer Swift | |
| $ | CHECK PRICE | CHECK PRICE |
| Brand | Dell | Acer |
| Model | XPS 13 9310 | Swift SF514-55T |
| Weight | 1.2 Kg | 1 kg |
| OS | Windows 10 64-bit | Windows 10 64-bit |
| Display | IPS LCD | IPS LCD |
| Dimensions | 13.4 inches | 14 inches |
| Type | Laptop | Laptop |
Dell XPS
Dell the latest version of the XPS 13 is no exception to the rule and therefore takes the design of its predecessors. Aluminum color on the outside and black with carbon pattern on the inside, a trademark of the range. Let’s leave aside the aesthetic aspect, subjective by definition, to focus on the material of this wrist rest. Qualified as “soft touch,” the feeling of the touch is similar to that of rubber. Advantage, a material always at temperature, unlike aluminum which can sometimes be cold. A disadvantage, greater sensitivity to fingerprints and more frequent “patina” in some users.
Apart from these considerations to which each buyer will be more or less sensitive, the chassis of the XPS 13 performs flawlessly. Well finished, dense to the grip (and on the scale), it inspires confidence and seems ready to follow you on your travels for the next few years.
Access to components does not pose any particular difficulty, but like other ultrabooks of this size, the operation is of little interest apart from the possibility of changing the SSD.
Acer Swift
Acer was one of the first brands of laptops to dare to move away from the traditional gray/black colors. Several generations of Swift have been declined in various colors with always one point in common: remaining sober thanks to pastel tones, while others have bet more on flashy, often with mixed success. Let’s close the parenthesis to come back to our Swift SF514-55T, the subject of our test this week. Therefore, our loaner copy sports a pretty dark green color which, depending on the light, can sometimes be perceived more as gray with a slight green tint. Small coppery touches embellish the design and blend wonderfully with the main color.
Good point; the matt coating is not sensitive to traces, even after several days of handling. The aluminum and magnesium frame allows you to graze the kilo on the scale while ensuring flawless rigidity. It is obvious at the level of the back of the screen, where closed computer, no bending is visible, and this even by applying a strong enough pressure in its center.
The underside of the chassis is to match, also in the same color. Access to internal components does not pose any particular difficulty; you just need to arm yourself with a Torx screwdriver. However, the interest is limited, only the SSD being upgradable.
Display
| Dell XPS | Acer Swift | |
| Display Type | IPS LCD | IPS LCD |
| Display Size | 13.4 inches | 14 inches |
| Display Resolution | 1920 x 1200 pixels | 1920 x 1080 pixels |
| Display Features | HDR 400 InfinityEdge multi-touch 90% DCI-P3 | Full HD LED IPS multi-touch 100% sRGB 340 nits |
| Dimension | 296 x 199 x 14.8 mm | 318.9 x 207 x 14.95 mm |
Dell XPS
The screen is undoubtedly THE strong point of the Dell XPS 13 9310. On the one hand, because it is one of the few models to adopt a 16:10 format instead of the traditional 16: 9 present on almost all computers. . Advantage, more than 10% more display surface in height, which is ideal for office automation or even for surfing the Internet. But it is true; it is a little less suitable for video because it is synonymous with black bands. But with a 1600: 1 contrast ratio, that’s not much of a problem except maybe if you spend your days on Netflix / Youtube.
Our test model has the UHD + panel (3840×2400 px). In practice, with a scaling of 200%, we obtain a useful surface equivalent to 1920×1200 px. And if you find the characters a bit small anyway, you can, for example, opt for a custom scaling of 240% for a 1600x1000px equivalent.
Qualified as CinemaColor, the Sharp LQ134R1 panel supports HDR400. It displays a maximum brightness of 495 cd / m2—something to work comfortably whatever the environment. Touch screen with Gorilla Glass requires, its surface is shiny but with nonetheless a fairly effective anti-reflective treatment (compared to computers in the Surface range, for example).
If the Cinemacolor utility gives rise to very (too) contrasting colors, once deactivated, we benefit from a much more convincing colorimetry with a native white point at 6450K and DeltaE less than 1.9 for coverage at 120% of the light. sRGB space (around 83% of RGB / DCI P3).
Let’s finish with a point that will be more or less problematic depending on the habits of each one; the minimum brightness of the panel is very high, at 59 cd / m2. No problem during the day, but if you like to be in the dark in the evening, you might find the screen still too bright.
Acer Swift
Without having the thinnest bezels on the market (4 – 8mm), the screen of the Swift SF514-55 can nevertheless be described as borderless. Another feature, it benefits from a Gorilla Glass, which gives it more robustness. More original, but undoubtedly an asset in this period of Covid, it also benefits from an anti-bacterial treatment.
Who says Gorilla Glass says shiny and tactile surface. The hinges are, however, conventional and therefore do not allow tablet mode. Despite everything, it is quick to get into the habit of pressing the screen rather than the touchpad or mouse to click on a link, validate a dialog box, or even scroll through a photo on the screen.
The AU Optronics B140HAN06 IPS panel (AUO7490) displays Full HD definition (1920 x 1080 px), a maximum brightness of 430 cd / m2 for a contrast ratio of 1540: 1, and an average DeltaE of 3.4 bases, 0, 9 after characterization. The sRGB space is fully covered against 72% for the RGB.
The webcam retains its usual location. No surprise either as to the quality of the images. Correct during the day but with noise and loss of detail as the brightness declines.
Specification
| Dell XPS | Acer Swift | |
| Processor | Intel Core i7-1165G7 (1.3 GHz, 4 cores) | Intel Core i7-1165G7 Tiger Lake (2.8 GHz, 4 cores) |
| Graphics | Intel Iris Xe | Intel Iris Xe Graphics |
| RAM | 16 GB LPDDR4 4233 MHz | 16 GB LPDDR4X 4266MHz |
| Storage | 512 GB M.2 NVMe PCIe 3.0 SSD | 512 GB M.2 SSD (NVMe PCIe) |
Performance
| Dell XPS | Acer Swift | ||
| CPU Base frequency | 1.7-3.0 GHz | 0.9-2.4 GHz | |
| Turbo frequency | 4.1 GHz | 4.2 GHz | |
| Cores | 2 | 4 | |
| Threads | 4 | 8 | |
| L3 Cache | 8 MB | 8 MB | |
| Integrated GPU | Intel Iris Xe Graphics G4 | Iris Xe Graphics G7 80EU | |
| GPU base clock | 300 MHz | 300 MHz | |
| GPU boost clock | 1100 MHz | 1100 MHz |
Dell XPS
Acer Swift
Multimedia
| Dell XPS | Acer Swift | ||
| Web-cam | Above the display | Above the display | |
| Webcam Resolution | 1280 x 720 | 1280 x 720 | |
| Microphone Jack | Yes | Yes | |
| Network | Wi-Fi ax, Bluetooth 5.1 | Wi-Fi 6 (802.11 ax), Bluetooth 5.0 | |
| Bluetooth | Bluetooth 5.1 | Bluetooth 5.0 | |
| Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
| Keyboard Numpad | No | No | |
| Connectivity | 2 USB 4.0 Type-C (Gen2) Thunderbolt 4, microSD | 2 USB 3.2 + 1 USB 4 Type-C Thunderbolt 4, HDMI |
Dell XPS
Dell has chosen to limit itself to two Thunderbolt 4 ports for reasons of chassis compactness. This is undoubtedly THE weak point of the XPS 13 for many, even if, in practice, these ports allow you to recharge the computer and connect any peripheral if necessary, using an adapter (a USB-A supplied) or via the appropriate cable.
Conversely, the XPS retains a micro-SD card reader (increasingly rare) and a headphone/microphone output.
Located under the chassis, the two speakers deliver a rather pleasant sound that does not lack power as a bonus. Of course, we remain on the rendering of an ultrabook, but for all that, the Dell XPS 13 fared better than most of its competitors. The only condition is to activate the MaxxAudio utility and not to exceed 40-50% under penalty of distortion.
Acer Swift
Acer does not give in to the temptation of USB-C at all, a wise choice not to offend some of the potential buyers. On the left, there is the socket for the mains power supply, an HDMI output, a 3.2 gen2 USB-A, and a Thunderbolt 4 USB-C port (compatible with charging and video output).
On the right, there is a Kensington anti-theft slot, a second USB-A port, and a headphone/microphone jack.
We repeat it often, but the audio is often neglected on laptops. The Swift SF514-55T is a good example with disappointing sound, to say the least. The power is sufficient for most uses, but the rendering really lacks warmth. And for once, even the DTS Audio utility fails to delude itself. Better to even turn it off.
Battery
| MSI Creator 15 | MSI GS66 10UE | |
| Battery Type | Li-Polymer 4 cells | Li-Ion 4 cells |
| Battery Life | 10 hours | 12 hours |
| Power | 45 W | 65 W |
Dell XPS
With an average battery life of 9 hours, the XPS 13 does not break records. Its UHD + screen is no stranger to this. If the battery is your priority, it is better to settle for the Full HD + panel. By activating the airplane mode, and with the minimum brightness (59 cd / m2 all the same!), It is possible to last nearly 17 hours on battery.
Conversely, continuously requested, the Dell XPS offers an autonomy of 2h15. A good result.
The power supply unit is compact (60x55x22 mm), light (225g), and benefits from a cable length of almost 2.8m.
Acer Swift
Intel gives an important place to battery life for an ultrabook with its new Tiger Lake processors to be eligible for Intel Evo certification. The Swift SF514-55T thus benefits from a fast charge and a comfortable average autonomy of around 12 hours in mixed-use (WiFi active, brightness set to 140 cd / m2).
With the airplane mode active and the minimum brightness (25 cd / m2), the autonomy exceeds 30 hours. Conversely, at full power, it is possible to hold about 1h45 on battery. Acer has chosen to keep a charger with a dedicated plug. It is, of course, also possible to recharge it via USB-C, but this will occupy the only available port of this type. The charger is compact 90x52x29 mm for a weight of 310g and a cable length of 2.5m. It supports fast charging and thus offers the possibility of regaining 80% capacity in less than an hour.
