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Updated January 10, 2024·
The Acer Aspire 1 is more budget-friendly and has a longer battery life, which makes it suitable for basic tasks like browsing and office applications. It's also lighter and has a fanless design for silent operation. However, if you're looking for higher performance for gaming, 3D rendering, or engineering tasks, the Acer Nitro 16 is a better choice with its more powerful processor, advanced graphics unit, more memory, and larger storage. It also has a higher-quality display with a larger screen, but these features come with a higher price tag, and it's heavier, which may affect portability. Give Feedback
this description is based on the product variant with some specs and product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars and the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Advantages of the Acer Aspire 1
- Good portability
Advantages of the Acer Nitro 16
- Good for general use
- Very good for engineering and design
- Very good for gaming and AI
- Good for software development
- Good for content creation
- Very good overall display quality
- Good overall build quality
- Good speakers
- Very good keyboard
Key differences
General Use
5.8
7.8
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
TN
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
200.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
494.0 nits
6.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
9.0 Hours
6.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
7.5/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.0/10
The Acer Nitro 16 is good for general use, while the Acer Aspire 1 is poor.
The Acer Aspire 1 offers limited performance due to its basic CPU and low amount of RAM, and while it's more portable with longer battery life, its screen quality and built quality are inferior, making it less suitable for general use. On the other hand, the Acer Nitro 16 boasts a more powerful CPU and ample RAM along with superior screen quality and better build, which though resulting in decreased portability and battery life, makes it well-equipped for more demanding general use tasks.
Gaming and AI
5.6
8.0
3.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.9/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
10.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.0/10
The Acer Nitro 16 is very good for gaming and AI, while the Acer Aspire 1 is poor.
The Acer Aspire 1 falls short for gaming and 3D tasks due to its basic Intel Celeron UHD Graphics and a lower screen refresh rate of 60Hz, while the Acer Nitro 16 excels with its high-end Nvidia RTX 4070 graphics card and a significantly higher screen refresh rate of 165Hz, offering smoother visuals and better performance for demanding applications.
Engineering and Design
5.5
8.2
3.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.9/10
3.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.9/10
4.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Acer Nitro 16 is very good for engineering and design, while the Acer Aspire 1 is poor.
The Acer Aspire 1 is less suitable for engineering and design due to its basic Intel Celeron processor, integrated graphics, and only 4GB of RAM, limiting its ability to handle complex software and multitasking, while its TN screen offers lower quality visuals.
Content Creation
5.9
7.8
3.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.9/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
4.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
TN
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Acer Nitro 16 is good for content creation, while the Acer Aspire 1 is poor.
PerfectRec’s Content Creation Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for photo editing, video editing and other content creation tasks.
Software Development
6.1
7.7
3.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.9/10
4.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
6.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Acer Nitro 16 is good for software development, while the Acer Aspire 1 is only fair.
PerfectRec’s Software Development Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for software developers.
Screen Quality
5.2
8.3
15.6in
SIZE
16.0in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
TN
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
200.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
494.0 nits
The Acer Nitro 16 has a better screen than the Acer Aspire 1 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
The Acer Aspire 1 may have a lower resolution and dimmer screen which makes it less appealing for both general use and tasks that demand precision like engineering and design. The Acer Nitro 16 likely offers a higher resolution and more vibrant colors, meeting the demands of general use and professional design work that relies on accurate color reproduction. However, its screen may not support high refresh rates, which is why it falls short for gaming and 3D applications where smooth motion is crucial.
Battery
6.0 Hours
9.0 Hours
The Acer Aspire 1 has 6 hours of battery life. The Acer Nitro 16 has 9 hours of battery life.
Battery life estimate is based on a mix of common use patterns. More portable and higher performing laptops tend to have less battery life.
Portability
Good
Fair
15.6in
SIZE
16.0in
4.1 lbs
WEIGHT
5.9 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
1.1in
The Acer Aspire 1 has good portability, while the Acer Nitro 16 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
5.5
7.4
The Acer Nitro 16 has good build quality, while the Acer Aspire 1 has poor build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$243
$1,050
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
The Acer Aspire 1 has a price of $243 and the Acer Nitro 16 costs $1,050.
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How the Acer Aspire 1 and the Acer Nitro 16 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Acer Aspire 1 | Acer Nitro 16 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$243 | $1,050 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | October 1, 2022 | May 1, 2023 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14.3'' x 9.4'' x 0.78'' | 14.2'' x 11'' x 1.1'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 4.19 lbs | 5.95 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 14.3" | 14.18" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 9.4" | 11.02" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel Celeron N4500 | AMD Ryzen 7 7735HS | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 4 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 4 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 128 GB | 512 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 6 Hours | 9 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 36.7 Wh | 90 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 15.6" | 16" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | TN | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 2560 x 1600 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 165Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 200 nits | 494 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 5.6/10 | 7.4/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 7.5/10 | 6.1/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | Yes | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 10/10 | 7/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 6/10 | 8/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 5.4/10 | 7.5/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 720p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | No | No | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | No | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | Yes | Yes | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 3 | 3 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 0 | 2 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | No | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 1 | 2 | |
Thunderbolt Ports | |||
Thunderbolt Ports | 0 | 0 | |
Shopping
Acer Aspire 1
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Dig into reviews and images
CNET
Joshua Goldman | May 2020
"There are no surprises and nothing's extraordinary here but this laptop's price. For those in need of an inexpensive Windows laptop for undemanding tasks, though, the Acer Aspire 1 offers just enough to get the basics done and a larger screen to do them on."
Acer Nitro 16
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Sascha Mölck | June 2023
"Video editing, rendering and, of course, gaming represent the Nitro 16's core competencies with a Ryzen 7 7735HS and GeForce RTX 4070 providing the necessary power. Both chips run at consistently high clock speeds. A fast PCIe 4 SSD (1 TB) provides the required storage space and ensures short loading times. With the Nitro 16 AN16-41, Acer has a well-specced, mid-range gaming laptop in its portfolio."
Get a great deal on the Acer Aspire 1 or the Acer Nitro 16
About Acer
Acer is a prominent Taiwanese electronics brand which makes a wide range of laptops, with multiple product lines catering to personal use, gaming, and business use. They are renowned for having exceptional value for money, as they frequently offer good specifications at a lower price than other manufacturers.
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