The Acer Aspire 1 is significantly less expensive and offers basic features suitable for general use with its Intel Celeron processor and 4 GB of RAM, making it an option if you're on a tight budget. The Vivobook also has a higher quality IPS display, which offers better color reproduction and viewing angles for tasks that benefit from a good screen. Both laptops are similar in size and weight, thus portability is comparable between the two. 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
The Acer Aspire 1 has no clear advantages over the ASUS Vivobook 16.
Advantages of the ASUS Vivobook 16
Good for general use
Good for engineering and design
Good for software development
Good for content creation
Good overall build quality
Key differences
General Use
5.8/10
7.6/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
TN
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
200.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
295.0 nits
6.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
8.0 Hours
6.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
6.7/10
7.5/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.5/10
The ASUS Vivobook 16 is good for general use, while the Acer Aspire 1 is poor.
The Acer Aspire 1 is outfitted with basic components such as a less powerful CPU, minimal RAM, and a lower-quality TN screen, which can lead to slower performance and less vivid visuals, impacting general usability. On the other hand, the ASUS Vivobook 16 comes with a much more robust CPU, abundant RAM, and a high-quality IPS screen, enhancing performance and providing better color and viewing angles, making it more suitable for a variety of everyday tasks.
Gaming and AI
5.6/10
6.3/10
3.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
10.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.5/10
The ASUS Vivobook 16 is only fair for gaming and AI, while the Acer Aspire 1 is poor.
The Acer Aspire 1 is equipped with an Intel Celeron UHD Graphics GPU which is less capable for gaming and 3D applications in comparison to the ASUS Vivobook 16, which has an AMD Ryzen Vega 8 GPU known for better performance in such tasks; additionally, both laptops have similar screen refresh rates which are not particularly high for gaming.
Engineering and Design
5.5/10
7.0/10
3.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.9/10
3.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
4.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The ASUS Vivobook 16 is good for engineering and design, while the Acer Aspire 1 is poor.
PerfectRec’s Engineering and Design Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for graphic design and 3D rendering work.
Content Creation
5.9/10
7.5/10
3.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.9/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
4.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
TN
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The ASUS Vivobook 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
6.1/10
7.3/10
3.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.9/10
4.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
6.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
6.7/10
The ASUS Vivobook 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
5.2/10
6.4/10
15.6in
SIZE
16.0in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
TN
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
200.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
295.0 nits
The ASUS Vivobook 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's screen quality is lacking for general use due to its lower resolution and dim display, making details less sharp and content less vibrant. For engineering and design, its insufficient color range fails to accurately represent a wide spectrum of colors, which is crucial for detailed and color-critical work. When it comes to Gaming and 3D, the screen's low refresh rate hampers the experience by not providing the smooth motion crucial for fast-paced visuals, while its resolution and panel type fail to deliver the clarity and viewing angles desired for immersive gaming.
Battery
6.0 Hours
8.0 Hours
The Acer Aspire 1 has 6 hours of battery life. The ASUS Vivobook 16 has 8 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.
Build Quality
5.5/10
7.0/10
The ASUS Vivobook 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
$244
$629
$0
$200
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
The Acer Aspire 1 has a price of $244 and the ASUS Vivobook 16 costs $629.
"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."
Olivier Martin, Ryan Lim, Yannick Khong | May 2023
"The ASUS Vivobook 16 M1605 (2023) is a budget Windows laptop. It's available with various AMD Ryzen 5000 and 7000 U-series CPUs and integrated graphics. You can only get 8GB of RAM; however, there's an empty SO-DIMM slot if you want to upgrade it. It has an FHD+ (1920 x 1200) 16:10 IPS display, a full-size keyboard with a Numpad, a 720p webcam, and Wi-Fi 6E wireless connectivity. Ports include three USB-As, one USB-C, an HDMI, and a headphone jack. The USB-C supports charging but no video output."
Get a great deal on the Acer Aspire 1 or the ASUS Vivobook 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.
About ASUS
ASUS, a Taiwanese electronics brand, is one of the largest personal computer vendor by market share. The majority of their laptops are targeted towards personal use or gaming. Their most popular product lines include the budget-friendly VivoBook, more premium ZenBook, and their TUF and ROG gaming laptops, the latter of which has a reputation for excellent gaming performance.
This information was produced and vetted by the PerfectRec laptops team. We are a product research and recommendation organization that meticulously reviews and evaluates the latest laptop information and makes it digestible for you.
By the numbers
380
Laptops evaluated
48,640
Laptops stats compiled
13
Proprietary Laptops ratings developed
123,795
Recommendations made
26,823
Consumer hours saved
About the laptop team
Joe Golden, Ph.D
CEO and Laptops Editor
Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
Jason Lew
Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Jason is a staff expert and software engineer that has been making laptop recommendations for 7 years and moderates one of the largest laptop subreddits.
Chandradeep Chowdhury
Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Chandradeep is a staff expert and software engineer and expert in televisions and monitors. He’s been making monitor recommendations for ten years.
Craig Russell
Laptops Expert
Craig is a UK-based laptops expert. Craig works in IT, where he recommends and supports laptops and PCs for clients and has been recommending laptops on Reddit for five years.