Are there any alternatives?

The MSI Prestige 14 Evo is almost as fast as the Swift 3X without Iris Xe Max on board, and it costs the same. It’s also thinner, lighter, better-built, and better-looking. The Swift 3X does offer better battery life, however.

　　Next, if the ultimate in CPU performance is what you’re looking for, then you’ll want to take a look at an AMD Ryzen 4000 (soon to be Ryzen 5000) laptop. One option today is the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7 with its Ryzen 7 4800U. It’s less expensive than the Swift 3X, but offers much faster CPU performance and adds in great battery life to boot.

　　Finally, the Dell XPS 13 9310 remains a solid competitor as it does with every laptop we review in the 13- or 14-inch class. It has a smaller display, but it’s in the productivity-friendly 16:10 aspect ratio. The XPS 13 is also significantly better built, also offers up a superior display, and can be configured with more RAM and storage.

　　

How long will it last?

The Acer Swift 3X isn’t the most robust-feeling laptop we’ve reviewed, but it should still last a few years of reliable service. The components are up to date, which is a plus, but the 1-year (industry standard) warranty is too short, as usual.

　　

Should you buy it?

No. The Iris Xe Max graphics provide the best CPU performance you can get in an Intel-based ultrabook, but if CPU performance is most important to you, there are other, better options. And other than equipping the Iris Xe Max, there’s not much that makes the Swift 3X stand out.