If you want a large display for multitasking and getting work done, but you don’t want to carry around a heavy laptop, then you have several great choices today. There’s probably never been a better time to select a great 15-inch laptop or just slightly larger.
Two candidates are the Apple MacBook Air 15 (M4, 2025) and Acer Swift AI 16. They both fit a large display into reasonably thin and light chassis, but one has a significant advantage over the other.
| Apple MacBook Air 15 (M4) | Acer Swift AI 16 | |
| Dimensions | 13.40 x 9.35 x 0.45 inches | 14.02 x 9.92 x 0.58-0.69 inches |
| Weight | 3.3 pounds | 3.37 pounds |
| Processor | Apple M4 (10 core) | Intel Core Ultra 7 256V Intel Core Ultra 7 258V |
| Graphics | 10 core GPU | Intel Arc 140V |
| RAM | 16GB unified memory 24GB unified memory 32GB unified memory | 16GB unified memory |
| Display | 15.3-inch 16:10 2880 x 1864 LED IPS, 60Hz | 16.0-inch 16:10 2.8K (2880 x 1800) OLED, 120Hz |
| Storage | 256GB SSD 512GB SSD 1TB SSD 2TB SSD | 1TB SSD |
| Touch | No | Yes |
| Ports | 2 x USB-C with Thunderbolt 4 1 x MagSafe 3 for charging 1 x 3.5mm audio jack | 2 x USB4 with Thunderbolt 4 2 x USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 1 x HDMI 1 x 3.5mm audio jack |
| Wireless | Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3 | Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4 |
| Webcam | 12MP Center Stage camera with Desk View | QHD (2560 x 1440) with infrared |
| Operating system | macOS Sequoia | Windows 11 |
| Battery | 66.5 watt-hour battery | 70 watt-hour battery |
| Price | ||
| Rating | 4.5 out of 5 stars | 4.5 out of 5 stars |
As of when I wrote the review, there was only one configuration of the Swift AI 16. For $1,250 you get an Intel Core Ultra 7 256V chipset, 16GB of RAM, a 1TB SSD, and a 16-inch OLED display.
The MacBook Air 15 has more options available. It’s base model is $1,199 for a 10-core CPU/10-core GPU M4 (the only option), 16GB of RAM, a 256GB SSD, and a 15.3-inch IPS display (also the only option). Upgrading to 24GB is $200 you can upgrade to 24GB of RAM, while $400 nets you a full 32GB. Storage options range from 512GB for $200, 1TB for $400, and 2TB for $800. The high-end configuration with 32GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD costs $2,399.
That makes the Swift AI 16 the more affordable laptop, offering a solid configuration for an attractive price particularly given the large OLED display. The MacBook Air 15 is an even more premium laptop in terms of its pricing.
The Swift Ai 16 is a simplistic design, almost to a fault. The lines along the edge add a bit of flair, but overall it’s an all-black aesthetic that’s okay but won’t stand out. The MacBook Air 15 is a more elegant machine, which a more minimalist design that’s shared with Apple’s entire MacBook lineup and that somehow comes across with more of a subtle panache. It’s available in several attractive colors, and it’s simply a better looking laptop.
Both laptops are solid, with all-aluminum constructions, although the Swift AI 16 has a slightly bendable display while the MacBook is solid throughout. I’m sure the Acer is reasonably robust, but the Apple gives a better overall impression. That includes the hinge, which makes opening and closing the lid a lot smoother.
The MacBook Air 15 is likely the thinnest large-screen laptop you can buy today at just o.45 inches, while the Swift AI 16 is a bit thicker. They weigh almost the same, which makes the MacBook Air 15 feel denser in hand. With a larger display, the Swift AI 16 is also wider and deeper, so feels considerably larger as well.
The Swift AI 16’s keyboard has snappy switches, but its layout is a bit cramped and its keycaps a bit small given Acer’s decision to squeeze in a numeric keypad. The MacBook Air 15 has Apple’s excellent Magic Keyboard with large keycaps, a roomy layout, and the best switches around. Apple’s Force Touch haptic touchpad with Force Click feature is a lot better and a lot larger than Acer’s mechanical version. The Swift AI 16 does have a touch-enabled display for those who prefer one, and the MacBook does not.
Connectivity favors the Swift AI 16. It has a mix of modern and legacy ports, while the MacBook Air 15 has just two Thunderbolt 4 ports. The Acer does give up one port for power, while the MacBook has a MagSafe 3 connector that keeps both ports free. The Swift AI 16’s wireless connectivity is more up-to-date.
The Swift AI 16 also has a higher resolution 1440p webcam, while the MacBook Air 15 has “just” a 1080p version that supports Apple’s Center Stage and Deskview features. Both provide great images, and both have fast chipsets for powering the latest AI features. Acer has built several advanced videoconferencing feature that improve video and audio quality, and the Swift AI 16 supports Microsoft’s full Copilot+ PC AI initiative, while Apple Intelligence remains quite limited.
The Swift AI 16 is built around an Intel Core Ultra Series 2 chipset, also known as Lunar Lake chipsets, specifically the Core Ultra 7 256V. That’s an eight-core (four Performance and four Low Power Performance), eight-thread chipset consuming 17 watts of power, making it Intel’s latest low-power chipset for thin and light laptops. With this generation, Intel is looking to offer greater efficiency with moderately fast productivity performance. The Intel Arc 140V integrated graphics aren’t capable or more than entry-level gaming, and it doesn’t do much to accelerate creative tasks.
The MacBook Air 15 uses Apple’s newest Silicon chipset, the M4, with 10 CPU cores and 10 GPU cores. It’s a high performance chipset with the fastest cores around, making it significantly faster in single-core tasks and very fast in multi-core. The GPU cores are also faster than Intel’s integrated graphics, and the M4 also has various optimization that help speed up various creative tasks. That makes the MacBook Air 15 a faster solution for creative applications like video editing.
Simply put, the MacBook is the faster laptop in productivity, creative, and gaming tasks.
| Geekbench 6 (single/multi) | Cinebench R24 (single/multi/battery) | 3DMark Wild Life Extreme | |
| MacBook Air 15 (M4 10/10) | 3,770 / 14,798 | 172 / 853 | 9,154 |
| Acer Swift AI 16 (Core Ultra 7 256V / Intel Arc 140V) | 2,670 / 10,797 | 121 / 617 | 5,001 |
The Swift AI 16’s best feature is its 16.0-inch 16:10 2.8K (2880 x 1800) OLED display running at up to 120Hz. It provides the technology’s usual brilliant colors and inky blacks, and it runs at a fast refresh for a smooth user interface.
The MacBook Air 15 has the same 15.3-inch 16:10 2880 x 1864 LED IPS 60Hz as the previous generation, and it’s quite good for an IPS display. Its colors aren’t as wide or accurate as the Acer’s, and its contrast isn’t as deep. Also, it runs at just 60Hz.
The MacBook’s display is very good, but the Swift AI 16’s display is simply gorgeous. At the same time, the MacBook Air 15’s quad-speaker audio with force-cancelling woofers provides sound that’s louder, crisper, and boomier than the Acer’s stereo speakers.
| MacBook Air 15 (IPS) | Acer Swift AI 16 (OLED) | |
| Brightness (nits) | 475 | 407 |
| AdobeRGB gamut | 83% | 96% |
| sRGB gamut | 100% | 100% |
| DCI-P3 gamut | 94% | 100% |
| Accuracy (DeltaE, lower is better) | 1.48 | 0.77 |
The two laptops weigh almost the same, while the MacBook Air 15 is incredibly thin by comparison. It’s also slightly narrower and shallower, making it quite a bit more portable.
In terms of battery life, though, the MacBook Air 15 is in a different class entirely. It has the best efficiency of any large-display laptop, and it lasts up to twice as long as the Swift AI 16. That includes in more demanding tasks, meaning you’ll be able to work away from a plug for hours longer.
| Web | Video | |
| Apple MacBook Air 15 (M4 10/10) | 17 hours, 13 minutes | 22 hours, 33 minutes |
| Acer Swift AI 16 (Core Ultra 7 256V) | 10 hours, 30 minutes | 10 hours, 58 minutes |
The MacBook Air 15
The Swift AI 16 is a good laptop at a fair price. It’s fast enough to get work done, and it enjoys an excellent OLED display.
But the MacBook Air 15 is just better overall. It’s thinner and more portable, it’s a lot faster, and it lasts forever on a charge. You’ll spend a bit more for it, but you’ll enjoy the experience a lot more.
