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Acer Swift Air 14 SFA14-I31 vs Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5x (13-inch or 15-inch)

Researched, not hands-on tested.How we review ›

all judged against laptops at a similar price

The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5x (13-inch or 15-inch) scores 5.9/10 overall, ahead of the Acer Swift Air 14 SFA14-I31 at 4.7/10.

The Acer Swift Air 14 SFA14-I31 leads on linux support.

The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5x (13-inch or 15-inch) leads on performance, memory and storage, display, keyboard and build and ports.

They score the same on battery life.

The biggest difference is memory and storage, where the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5x (13-inch or 15-inch) scores 5/10 to the Acer Swift Air 14 SFA14-I31's 2/10.

Acer Swift Air 14 SFA14-I31

Acer Swift Air 14 SFA14-I31

4.7/10verdict: skip

The Acer Swift Air 14 suits people who want a light, thin laptop that lasts through a long working day away from a socket. It fits browser, document, SSH and light development work better than heavy multitasking. Buyers who need lots of RAM or a lot of CPU headroom should look at other options.

Typically about £749.99 in the UK when we researched itCheck price at Amazon UK (opens in a new tab, affiliate link)

Affiliate link. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Details

Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5x (13-inch or 15-inch)

5.9/10verdict: good, not the best

The IdeaPad Slim 5x is for people who want a light Windows laptop that lasts a long time away from a socket. It suits everyday work, browsing, documents and remote sessions better than sustained heavy loads. Buyers who need Linux, upgradeable memory or USB4 should look at the limits before choosing it.

Typically about £999 in the UK when we researched itCheck price at Amazon UK (opens in a new tab, affiliate link)

Affiliate link. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Details

Scores, criterion by criterion

CriterionWeightAcer Swift Air 14 SFA14-I31Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5x (13-inch or 15-inch)
Performance25%4/105/10
Memory and storage20%2/105/10
Display15%5/107/10
Battery life15%9/109/10
Keyboard and build10%5/106/10
Ports10%5/106/10
Linux support5%4/102/10
Overall4.7/105.9/10

Specifications

SpecAcer Swift Air 14 SFA14-I31Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5x (13-inch or 15-inch)
CPUIntel Core 5 320, 6 cores (2 Performance, 4 low-power efficient cores)Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Plus X2P-42-100, 6 cores, max turbo up to 4.0GHz, 23W TDP
Memory8GB LPDDR5X standard, up to 16GB supported16 GB or 32 GB LPDDR5X, soldered, not upgradable
Storage512GB SSD512 GB or 1 TB M.2 2242 PCIe Gen4 QLC SSD
Display14-inch IPS WUXGA 1920 x 1200, 16:10, 120Hz, LED-backlit13-inch: 13.3-inch WUXGA 1920x1200 LCD, 400 nits, 60Hz, touch. 15-inch: 15.3-inch 2.5K OLED 500 nits 165Hz, or WUXGA LCD 400 nits 120Hz
Battery70Wh 3-cell Li-ion with 100W USB-C adapter; Acer claims up to 19 hours video playback13-inch 54.7Wh; 15-inch 70Wh or 54.7Wh; rated up to 21.4 hours video playback (MobileMark 2030 basis)
Ports2 x Thunderbolt 4 USB-C, 1 x Type-A, 3.5mm headphone/audio jack; no RJ-45 EthernetRight: 1x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A (always-on), 1x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A, microSD, power button. Left: 1x HDMI 2.1, 2x USB-C (DP 1.4 and PD 3.0, 10Gb/s), audio jack. No Ethernet or USB4 listed
Weight1.19 kg; 313.99 x 222.65 x 12.99 mm13-inch from about 1.19 kg; 15-inch OLED about 1.41 kg; 15-inch LCD about 1.49 kg
Operating systemWindows 11 HomeWindows 11 (ARM), Home or Pro

Strengths and weaknesses

Acer Swift Air 14 SFA14-I31

  • + Trusted Reviews recorded 18h15m in a PCMark 10 video loop
  • + 1.19 kg aluminium body, 12.99 mm thick
  • + Two Thunderbolt 4 ports and a 100W USB-C charger
  • − 8GB RAM limits multitasking, per reviewers
  • − Only two performance cores in the CPU
  • − Reported lid and keyboard flex

Skip it if:

  • Developers who run VMs or many containers and need more than 8GB of RAM
  • Buyers who want a fingerprint reader or a sharper 2.5K or OLED screen
  • Anyone who needs built-in RJ-45 Ethernet
Read the full Acer Swift Air 14 SFA14-I31 review ›

Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5x (13-inch or 15-inch)

  • + Battery life is excellent, with a 27h50 measured video result
  • + 15-inch OLED option is 2.5K, 500 nits and 165Hz
  • + Light: the 13-inch starts at about 1.19 kg
  • − Memory is soldered and cannot be upgraded
  • − Owners report weak performance under heavy load and graphics
  • − No USB4 or Ethernet listed

Skip it if:

  • Buyers who need Linux on the laptop itself
  • People who compile heavily or need strong graphics performance
  • Anyone who wants upgradeable memory or USB4
Read the full Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5x (13-inch or 15-inch) review ›

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