Acer Swift Edge (SFE16-43) review – has a lot of potential but the cooling solution needs a revamp

Design and construction

The design is clean and mature with minimal branding and rounded edges. There is a slight gap between the lid and base for easier opening. The device is made of aluminum-magnesium alloy.

The machine is super thin and light for a 16-incher. It weighs just 1.24 kilos and the profile is 12.95 mm – that’s magic! On the other hand, the lid can be bent a bit in the center when it’s closed. When it’s opened, it’s averagely flexible which isn’t good. The base is stable for the most part. We observed some bends between the Space key and the touchpad as well as the zone below the Arrow keys. During super harsh typing, the mentioned areas feel a bit spongy. The rest of the base seems rigid.

The lid can be opened with a single hand but the hinge stiffness isn’t optimal. If you try to open the device fast, the base will probably “jump” upwards. So, you have to open the laptop a bit slower. The lid has a built-in level mechanism that lifts up the back side of the machine once you open the lid past a certain angle. The bezels around the display are thin. Above the panel, you’ll find a 1440p Web camera with Acer’s Temporal Noise Reduction and Purified Voice. The camera lacks a privacy shutter or an E-shutter.

On the base, we can see a backlit keyboard with a NumPad. The key travel and the feedback are average which is kind of normal for such a thin laptop. The power button has a built-in fingerprint reader.

The touchpad has a smooth glass surface, it’s comfortable for work, but we’ve seen more precise units than this one.

The bottom panel houses four rubber feet, a battery reset pinhole, and a ventilation grille. The hot air is pushed through a vent on the back of the laptop that aims directly at the lower part of the display.

Ports

On the left, there are two USB 4 ports with DisplayPort and charging capabilities, an HDMI 2.1, and a USB Type-A 3.2 (Gen. 1) port with power-off charging. On the right, you get a Noble lock slot, another USB Type-A 3.2 (Gen. 1) port, an Audio jack, and a MicroSD card slot.

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