Acer embraces Intel 11th Gen CPUs with new Swift 5 and Swift 3 notebooks

It's time to get Swifty.

What you need to know

• Acer today launched the new Swift 5 and Swift 3.
• All three models available come with Intel's new 11th Gen Core CPUs.
• The Swift 5 is one of the first PCs to be verified for Intel's Evo program.
• The Acer Swift 5 and Swift 3 are expected to launch in November starting at $700.

Acer today debuted new entries in its Swift series, the Acer Swift 5 (SF514-55) and Swift 3 (SF313-53 and SF314-59). All three models come with Intel's just-announced 11th Gen Core processors. They're also set to be a part of Intel's Evo platform, the evolution and new name of its "Project Athena" initiative.

Acer Swift 5

Starting with teh Acer Swift 5, the new laptop is designed to be ultra-thin and light with an "uber-stylish design," Acer said in a press release. You'll be able to kit it out with 11th Gen Intel Core i5 and i7 processors and it'll hit up to 17 hours of battery life. If you need more juice, it also supports fast charging, rated at giving you four hours of use out of 30 minutes of charging.

Elsewhere, the Swift 5 brings a 14-inch 1080p display covered by antimicrobial Corning Gorilla Glass. Acer says the Swift 5 achieves a 90 percent screen-to-body ration with 340-nit brightness and 100 percent coverage of the sRGB color gamut. With the new processors, you also get Intel's Iris Xe graphics, which should provide a pretty substantial leap in power over Intel's previous-gen integrated graphics.

Rounding things out, Acer notes that the antimicrobial coating isn't just limited to the screen. You'll also get an antimicrobial solution on the touchpad, keyboard, and "all covers of the device." All together, the whole package weighs in around 2.29 pounds (~1kg).

Acer Swift 3

Like the Swift 5, Acer's Swift 3 takes advantage of Intel's 11th Gen Intel Core i7 and Core i5 processors. Where the Swift 5 is only available in one size, however, the Swift 3 comes in two: 13 inches or 14 inches. The 13-inch model features a 2K display, while the 14-inch model goes for 1080p full HD.

The 13-inch 2K model is likely to catch the most attention, as it features a taller, very Surface-like 3:2 aspect ratio display. It also covers 100 percent of the sRGB color range and can achieve 400 nits of brightness, making it a pretty good choice for creative work on the go. The 13-inch model will weigh in at 2.62 pounds (1.19kg) and be 0.63 inches (15.9mm) thick.

The 14-inch model, meanwhile, features "ultra-narrow" bezels at just 0.22 inches thick. That helps it achieve a scree-to-body ratio of 82.73 percent, Acer says. This model weighs in at 2.65 pounds (1.2kg) and measures 0.63 inches (15.59mm) thick.

Both models come packed in an all-metal chassis with backlit keyboards. They also support Windows Hello logins via a fingerprint reader and up to 16GB of LPDDR4X RAM.

Price and availability

Both the Swift 5 and Swift 3 are expected to launch in November. The Swift 5 is expected to start at $1,000. The Swift 3, meanwhile, is expected to start at $700 for the 14-inch model and $800 for the 13-inch model.