Acer novelties for Q4 2019: Predator Triton 300 PT315-51 and revised Swift 5 and 3 lines

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By Andrei Girbea, last updated on January 10, 2020

Acer offers some of the best-value ultraportable gaming laptops on the market with their Predator Triton lineup.

We’ve reviewed the competitive Triton 500 earlier this year, and that’s been updated for Q4 2019 with a brand-new 300 Hz display. However, the important novelty for the end of this year is the addition of a new entry-level Triton model at IFA in Berlin, the Predator Triton 300 PT315-51.

Switching our attention to the ultrabook segment, Acer also updated the Swift 5 and 3 series for the end of the year, with the latest 10th gen Intel Core U Ice Lake hardware and a few other tweaks.

Down below we’ve compiled the main traits and features of these products, our first hands-on impressions, as well as our thoughts on where they within the existing market. The article is developing as we’re gathering more info here on the show floors of IFA, so look further for updates.

Acer Predator Triton 300

First, here’s a quick specs sheets.

Acer Predator Triton 300 PT315-51
Screen 15.6 inch, 1920 x 1080 px, IPS, 144 Hz, G-Sync, non-touch, matte
Processor 9th gen Intel Core i5/i7
Video Intel HD 630 + Nvidia GTX 1650
Memory 2x DIMMs
Storage 2x M.2 NVMe 80 mm slots + 2.5″ storage bay
Connectivity Wireless WiFi 6 AX, Bluetooth 5.0, Gigabit LAN
Ports 2x USB-A 3.1, 1x USB-A 2.0, 1x USB-C, HDMI 2.0, LAN, mic/headphone, Kensington Lock
Battery 58 Wh, 135 W charger
Size
Weight ~5.1 lbs (2.4 kg)
Extras 3-zone RGB backlit keyboard, HD webcam, stereo speakers

On a first look, this Predator Triton 300 looks like a mix-up between Acer’s Nitro 7 and the Predator Helios 300 notebooks, both previously reviewed here on the site.

It gets a black aluminum chassis with blue Predator accents and branding elements, just like the Helios, a very similar set of ports and pretty much the same zoned RGB keyboard, the same clickpad, and the same 144 Hz IPS screen.

On the other hand, hardware-wise this is more closely related to the Nitro lineups, with Core H Intel processors and triple storage, but only a GTX 1650 Nvidia GPU. That suggests it is meant to compete in the lower price brackets, as one of the more affordable gaming laptops in Acer’s offer.

What’s still unclear at this point is whether the Triton 300 gets the thermal module from the Helios 300, or the older design from the Nitros. I’d go with the former variant, which should ensure excellent thermals and performance on a GTX 1650 configuration, but that needs to be confirmed.

I’ll also try to find out more about Acer’s positioning for this product. My feeling is that it’s meant to slot between the Nitros and the Helios 300, but that’s a very narrow niche, especially with the existing i7/ GTX 1660Ti variant of the Helios 300 often available for around $1000 at sales.

Update: Looks like I was wrong, the Triton 300 actually borrows the thermal design from the Nitros. I haven’t yet opened it up, but one of the pictures below show that the fans are grouped on one side, and the components on the other. You should read our review of the Nitro 7 to see how this sort of implementation handles an i7/GTX 1650 configuration.

Updated Acer Swift 5 14 and Swift 3 14

With the launch of Intel’s Comet Lake 10th gen platforms, most OEMs are bringing their ultrabooks up-to-date for Q4 2019.

Acer started with their 14-inch models, updating both the ultraportable Swift 5 line and the value-oriented Swift 3 model. Here’s a quick specs sheet of the two.

Acer Swift 5 SF514-54 Acer Swift 3 SF314-57 – review
Screen 14.0 inch, 1920 x 1080 px, IPS, non-touch, matte 14.0 inch, 1920 x 1080 px, IPS, non-touch, matte
Processor Intel Ice Lake Core U, up to Core i7-1065G7 Intel Ice Lake Core U, up to Core i7-1065G7
Video Intel Iris Plus + Nvidia MX250 2GB DDR5 (optional) Intel Iris Plus + Nvidia MX250 2GB DDR5 (optional)
Memory up to 16 GB LPDDR4X up to 16 GB LPDDR4X
Storage M.2 80 mm, PCIe x4 M.2 80 mm, PCIe x4
Connectivity Wireless 6 AX, Bluetooth 5.0 Wireless 6 AX, Bluetooth 5.0
Ports 2x USB-A 3.1, 1x USB-C with Thunderbolt 3, HDMI, mic/headphone, Kensington lock 2x USB-A 3.1, 1x USB-C with Thunderbolt, HDMI, card reader, mic/headphone, Kensington lock
Battery 54 Wh (?), with fast charging 48 Wh, with fast charging
Size ~15 mm or 0.59” (h) ~ 16 mm or 0.63” (h)
Weight ~2.2 lbs (1 kg) ~2.6 lbs (1.2 kg)
Extras magnesium construction, backlit keyboard, HD webcam, fingerprint reader aluminum/plastic construction, backlit keyboard, HD webcam, fingerprint reader

Much like its predecessor, the updated 2019 Swift 5 remains one of the lightest 14-inch notebooks on the market, at just under 1 kilo (2.2 lbs).

That’s possible due to the fact that magnesium-lithium and magnesium-aluminum alloys are used for the outer shell, allowing for a sturdy and still lightweight build. Unlike the previous variant, though, the Swift 5 SF514-54 is available in either White or Blue, as you can see in the pictures below.

The hardware has been updated to late-2019 level as well, with 10th gen Intel processors, LPDDR4X memory, PCIe x4 storage, and an optional Nvidia MX250 graphics chip, alongside the Iris Plus GPU integrated within the Ice Lake processor. There’s also dual-band Wireless 6 AX connectivity this time around.

We’ll further talk about this product in our future review, with details on the screen quality, performance, thermals and acoustics, aspects that have been fairly problematic on the previous 14-inch Swift 5 generation, and hopefully, have been addressed with this revised variant.

The late-2019 Swift 3 SF314-57 follows-up on last year’s SF314-56 as Acer’s entry-level ultraportable.

It’s not as thin or as compact or as light as the Swift 5, but it’s significantly more affordable and only compromises in the screen department, as you can see from our detailed review.

I would have expected perhaps some compromises in the IO or wireless or battery departments, but Acer offers pretty much the best you can expect at this point: Ice Lake hardware, Wireless AX, Thunderbolt 3 and a quick-charging battery.

In fact, aside from the construction, the Swift 5 and 3 models share their traits and hardware features, that’s why I expect this Swift 3 to be very popular in its class and we’re looking to get our hands on it for the full review.

Both the Swift 5 and the Swift 3 are scheduled for late Q3/early Q4 in most regions, with the Swift 5 starting around 999 USD/EUR, and the Swift 3 starting at 599 USD/EUR.

Further info on the updated Swift 3 line-up for 2020 are available in this separate article, with details on the three variants based on Intel and AmD Ryzen hardware.

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Author at Ultrabookreview.com
Article by: Andrei Girbea
Andrei Girbea is a Writer and Editor-in-Chief here at Ultrabookreview.com. I write about mobile technology, laptops and computers in general. I've been doing it for more than 15 years now. I'm a techie with a Bachelor's in Computer Engineering. I mostly write reviews and thorough guides here on the site, with some occasional columns and first-impression articles.

4 Comments

  1. Anonz332x

    September 14, 2019 at 6:22 am

    I know this may be too early but by looking at the screen of the swift 3 and visually comparing it to the swift 5 does the brightness look the same or different or in comparison to the previous swift 3 models. Hopefully this time they are using a brighter panel.

    • Andrei Girbea

      September 14, 2019 at 11:35 am

      I didn't get to compare them side by side. The panel on the Swift looked rather dim though, so I'd expect a 250-300 nits panel tops. Can't tell if the Swift 5 will get a brighter option, but hopefully it will, given that most other OEMs now offer brighter panel in this class

      • Anonz332x

        September 14, 2019 at 1:24 pm

        Ive seen other images that the swift 3 (2019) announced at IFA 2019 that it looks like its normally bright ie probaly it is brighter than the previous swift 3 14 52 models which looked dim but do you think its dim in comparison to say something that is higher end like a MacBook or that it looks dim like the previous swift 3 14 52?

  2. Anonz244

    September 14, 2019 at 9:24 am

    By looking at the screen of the swift 3 57 does it appear dim or is it improved and on par with the swift 5 2019?

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