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Acer Swift Air 14 SFA14-I31 vs Apple MacBook Neo 13-inch A18 Pro

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

all judged against laptops at a similar price

The Acer Swift Air 14 SFA14-I31 and Apple MacBook Neo 13-inch A18 Pro both score 4.7/10 overall.

The Acer Swift Air 14 SFA14-I31 leads on battery life, ports and linux support.

The Apple MacBook Neo 13-inch A18 Pro leads on performance, display and keyboard and build.

They score the same on memory and storage.

The biggest difference is battery life, where the Acer Swift Air 14 SFA14-I31 scores 9/10 to the Apple MacBook Neo 13-inch A18 Pro's 6/10.

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

MacBook Neo, 13-inch, A18 Pro chip

Apple MacBook Neo 13-inch A18 Pro

4.7/10verdict: skip

The MacBook Neo is for people who want a light, 13-inch macOS laptop with a sharp screen and a well-regarded keyboard and trackpad. It suits everyday work, writing and terminal sessions more than containers, VMs or long builds. Buyers who need many ports, more than 8GB of memory or Linux should look elsewhere.

Typically about £649 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-I31Apple MacBook Neo 13-inch A18 Pro
Performance25%4/105/10
Memory and storage20%2/102/10
Display15%5/107/10
Battery life15%9/106/10
Keyboard and build10%5/107/10
Ports10%5/103/10
Linux support5%4/102/10
Overall4.7/104.7/10

Specifications

SpecAcer Swift Air 14 SFA14-I31Apple MacBook Neo 13-inch A18 Pro
CPUIntel Core 5 320, 6 cores (2 Performance, 4 low-power efficient cores)Apple A18 Pro with 6-core CPU (2 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores), 5-core GPU and 16-core Neural Engine
Memory8GB LPDDR5X standard, up to 16GB supported8GB unified memory
Storage512GB SSD256GB SSD or 512GB SSD options
Display14-inch IPS WUXGA 1920 x 1200, 16:10, 120Hz, LED-backlit13.0-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit IPS display, 2408-by-1506 native resolution at 219 pixels per inch, 500 nits brightness, 1 billion colours, sRGB
Battery70Wh 3-cell Li-ion with 100W USB-C adapter; Acer claims up to 19 hours video playbackBuilt-in 36.5-watt-hour lithium-ion battery; up to 16 hours video streaming and up to 11 hours wireless web (Apple ratings)
Ports2 x Thunderbolt 4 USB-C, 1 x Type-A, 3.5mm headphone/audio jack; no RJ-45 EthernetOne USB 3 (USB-C) port with charging, DisplayPort and USB 3 up to 10Gb/s; one USB 2 (USB-C) port with charging and USB 2 up to 480Mb/s; 3.5 mm headphone jack
Weight1.19 kg; 313.99 x 222.65 x 12.99 mm2.7 pounds (1.23 kg)
Operating systemWindows 11 HomemacOS

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 ›

Apple MacBook Neo 13-inch A18 Pro

  • + Sharp 2408-by-1506 display at 219 pixels per inch
  • + Owners praise build, keyboard and trackpad
  • + Light at 1.23 kg
  • − Only 8GB of memory, and owners say it limits headroom
  • − Just two USB-C ports, one limited to USB 2
  • − Keyboard has no backlight

Skip it if:

  • Developers who run several VMs or many containers at once
  • Anyone who needs Linux certified or reported working on the hardware
  • Buyers who want Thunderbolt, HDMI, USB-A or an SD slot built in
Read the full Apple MacBook Neo 13-inch A18 Pro review ›

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