Lenovo is currently offering just one configuration of the Slim Pro 9i 14, which is the machine we reviewed. It’s $1,900 for a Core i7-13705H CPU, 32GB of RAM, a 1TB SSD, an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 GPU, and a 3K Mini-LED display.

The Swift X 14 has two configurations. An entry-level model is available for $1,050 with a Core i5-13500H, 16GB of RAM, a 512GB SSD, and an RTX 3050 GPU. For $1,500, you get a Core i7-13700H, 16GB of RAM, a 1TB SSD, an RTX 4050, and a 2.8K OLED display.

While the Slim Pro 9i 14 has more RAM, we’re not sure it’s worth it for an extra $400. It has a little more performance at the high end, but all but the most demanding creators will appreciate the Acer’s cost savings more.

Both laptops use essentially the same processor, although the Slim Pro 9i has a slight variant that doesn’t show up in any of the specifications. Both are 45-watt 13th-gen Core i7-13700H/13705H CPUs with 14 cores (six Performance and eight Efficient) and 20 threads. In our CPU-intensive benchmarks, the Slim Pro 9i 14 was slightly faster in a few of our benchmarks with the biggest difference being in single-core performance. Note that both laptops used the same Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 GPU, an entry-level model that can still speed up certain tasks in creative applications.

The Pugetbench Premiere Pro benchmark, which runs in a live version of Adobe’s Premiere Pro, tests the impact of the GPU along with CPU performance. In this benchmark, the laptops were almost identical when run in normal mode but the Slim Pro 9i 14 was much faster in performance mode. In fact, it competes with laptops equipping much faster GPUs.

Productivity users won’t be able to tell any difference between these two laptops. But creators will appreciate the higher speeds the Slim Pro 9i 14 can provide when cranked up. The Slim Pro 9i 14 was also slightly faster in 1080p gaming, running at about 20 frames per second faster than the Swift X 14 in Fortnite at 1200p and epic graphics.

The Slim Pro 9i 14 uses a mini-LED display while the Swift X 14 has an OLED panel. These are two different technologies with distinct advantages, with mini-LED offering higher brightness and potentially better high dynamic range (HDR) support and OLED providing wider and more accurate colors. Both, theoretically, can provide deep contrast.

However, Windows 11 holds back the Slim Pro 9i 14’s mini-LED display, particularly in terms of contrast when running in the default standard dynamic range (SDR) model. Here, its contrast is better than standard IPS displays but not as deep as OLED provides. The colorimeter used to test the Swift X 14’s display has problems measuring contrast with some OLED panels, but we’re certain it provides the usual 30,000:1 or better contrast ratio. To get these kinds of inky blacks with the Slim Pro 9i 14, you have to switch Windows t0 HDR mode, but that reduces the brightness and reduces color width and accuracy dramatically.

By default, then, the Swift X 14 offers a more pleasant display that’s better across the board except for brightness, where the Slim Pro 9i 14 excels. The Acer will be a better display for creators, while both will please productivity users and the Slim Pro 9i 14 will serve up better HDR for media consumers.

The Slim Pro 9i 14 is a bit deeper than the Swift X 14 while being considerably thicker at 0.85 inches versus 0.70 inches and slightly heavier at 3.7 pounds versus 3.42 pounds. Neither is too much to carry around, but the Swift X 14 is a bit more compact.

At the same time, both laptops have poor battery life, well below the average across each of our battery tests. Overall, the Swift X 14’s battery life was the worst of the two, but both will have you pulling out your charger by lunchtime.