HP Pavilion Plus 14 vs. Acer Swift 3 OLED 14

Both of these laptops are great, but overall, we feel that the HP Pavilion Plus 14 will be the better choice for most people since it gives people a wider range of specs to choose from, as well as better GPU options and a display that goes toe-to-toe with the beautiful OLED panel you'll find on Acer's device. With that said, the Acer Swift 3 OLED 14 looks like it's going to be a fantastic alternative since it offers powerful hardware of its own, as well as DDR5 memory, Thunderbolt 4, and a potentially lower starting price. 

Pavilion Plus 14 vs. Swift 3 OLED 14: Specs and design

On the hardware side of things, the HP Pavilion Plus 14 and the Acer Swift 3 OLED 14 are fairly similar. However, there are some key differences between them. Both laptops use Intel 12th Gen Mobile CPUs, though the Acer Swift 3 OLED 14 is only available with performance-focused H-Series chips while the Pavilion Plus 14 can also be configured with U-Series processors optimized for battery life or P-Series ones that offer a balance between longevity and power. Intel's capable Iris Xe integrated graphics are available in both devices, too, though again, the Pavilion Plus 14 gets some extra powerful options: the GeForce MX550 and the RTX 2050 Mobile GPUs. You can get up to 1TB of SSD storage and up to 16GB of memory with each laptop as well, but the Acer Swift 3 OLED 14 scores a point here with its speedier DDR5 RAM that outperforms the DDR4 modules found in HP's Ultrabook. Both laptops fully support Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2 connectivity. 

The HP Pavilion Plus 14 and Acer Swift 3 OLED 14 have incredible displays, with both offering 2.8K OLED panels that have HDR support and a stunning 100% DCI-P3 color gamut. There's also a less expensive 2.2K 2240x1400 IPS display with 100% sRGB available for the Pavilion Plus if you want to save some money, though it isn't as sharp or bright as the 2.8K screen.

Each of these Ultrabooks feature a sleek and premium design, and they also come with top-notch webcams that are much sharper than the standard 720p cameras used in older laptops. A fingerprint reader that hooks into Microsoft's Windows Hello security is available for each device as well. Both laptops have a great port selection, though the Acer Swift 3 OLED 14 has an edge thanks to its dual Thunderbolt 4 ports (the Pavilion Plus 14 is limited to standard USB-C).

The starting price of the HP Pavilion Plus 14 was expected to be $799, but since it launched in late May 2022, its base cost has remained at $1,000. If the Acer Swift 3 OLED 14 retains its expected $900 starting price when it arrives in July 2022, it will be slightly more affordable, potentially making it a better choice for folks on a budget.

Pavilion Plus 14 vs. Swift 3 OLED 14: Which should you buy?

While these are both some of the best Windows laptops out there, we ultimately feel that the HP Pavilion Plus 14 will be the better device for most people. Having a wider range of CPUs and GPUs from which to choose is great, and in general, more powerful GPU options like the GeForce MX550 and the RTX 2050 Mobile will give you a large performance bump whenever you're working with visual media. The lack of DDR5 memory and Thunderbolt 4 is disappointing, but unless you have a specific need for these features, the absence of them won't bother you much. 

With that said, you shouldn't count out the Acer Swift 3 OLED 14, especially if you do RAM-intensive work or want to use some of the best Thunderbolt 4 hubs and docking stations. Though your GPU options with it are limited to Intel Iris Xe, powerful 12th Gen H-Series CPUs are still available with it. The increased performance and speed of DDR5 RAM can make a fairly big difference when multitasking heavily, and Thunderbolt 4 allows you to use Thunderbolt-compatible peripherals.