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What we think
The PerfectRec laptop team Learn more
Updated January 10, 2024·
If you prioritize performance and storage, the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 is the better choice because it offers a more powerful processor and double the storage compared to the Acer Aspire 1. It also has a higher-quality IPS display and longer battery life, making it suitable for tasks that require good color reproduction and can serve well for a full day of work or study. However, it is usually more expensive than the Acer Aspire 1 which is lighter on the wallet. The Aspire 1, while more budget-friendly and with a larger 15.6-inch screen, provides modest performance suitable for basic tasks and casual use due to its lower-tier processor and half the RAM. Its TN panel display is less impressive in terms of color and viewing angles compared to the Lenovo. If portability is a concern, the lighter Lenovo might be easier to carry around than the slightly heavier Acer. 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 Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14".
Advantages of the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14"
- Good for software development
- Good for content creation
- Very good portability
- Very good battery life
Key differences
General Use
5.8
6.9
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
TN
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
200.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
313.0 nits
6.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
10.0 Hours
6.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
6.5/10
7.5/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
8.2/10
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" is only fair for general use, while the Acer Aspire 1 is poor.
PerfectRec’s General Use Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for general productivity, web browsing, streaming, video calls, and running a wide variety of apps and programs.
Engineering and Design
5.5
6.1
3.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.6/10
3.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
4.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" is only fair for engineering and design, while the Acer Aspire 1 is poor.
The Acer Aspire 1 has a weaker CPU and GPU, and it comes with less RAM, which makes it less capable of handling the demands of engineering and design software than the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14", which offers a more robust AMD Ryzen 5 processor with Vega 7 graphics and doubled RAM. Furthermore, the Acer's TN screen delivers inferior color accuracy and view angles compared to the IdeaPad's IPS display, which is crucial for design work.
Content Creation
5.9
7.1
3.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.6/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
4.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
TN
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" 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
7.1
3.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.6/10
4.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
6.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
6.5/10
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" 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
6.4
15.6in
SIZE
14.0in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
TN
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
200.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
313.0 nits
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" has a better screen than the Acer Aspire 1 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
For general use, the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 offers a more balanced experience with decent resolution and brightness, making it easier on the eyes for everyday tasks, while the Acer Aspire 1 falls short with a display that might appear dull or less crisp. When it comes to engineering and design, the Lenovo IdeaPad 3's fair screen quality means more accurate color representation within certain color gamuts, such as DCI-P3 and Adobe RGB, which is crucial for detailed and color-sensitive work, unlike the Acer Aspire 1 which may not accurately depict colors. Meanwhile, for gaming and 3D applications, the Lenovo IdeaPad 3's limitations in refresh rate may not provide as smooth an experience, and while the Acer Aspire 1 also offers poor performance in this area, the importance of resolution and panel type is not as effectively addressed, making both less suitable for fast-paced or visually intensive 3D tasks.
Battery
6.0 Hours
10.0 Hours
The Acer Aspire 1 has 6 hours of battery life. The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" has 10 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
Very Good
15.6in
SIZE
14.0in
4.1 lbs
WEIGHT
3.1 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" has very good portability, while the Acer Aspire 1 has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
5.5
6.5
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" has only fair 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
$390
$100
$200
$300
$400
$500
$600
The Acer Aspire 1 has a price of $244 and the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" costs $390.
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Key similarities
Gaming and AI
5.6
6.0
3.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
10.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
9.5/10
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" to be only fair for gaming and AI, while the Acer Aspire 1 is poor.
The Acer Aspire 1's gaming and 3D capabilities lag due to its basic Intel Celeron processor and integrated graphics, which aren't designed for demanding tasks, whereas the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" has a more capable AMD Ryzen chip and Vega 7 graphics, offering fair performance for light gaming and 3D applications. With both laptops featuring similar screen refresh rates, the GPU heavily influences their suitability for gaming, with the IdeaPad 3 coming out ahead.
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How the Acer Aspire 1 and the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Acer Aspire 1 | Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$244 | $390 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | October 1, 2022 | October 1, 2021 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14.3'' x 9.4'' x 0.78'' | 12.8'' x 8.5'' x 0.78'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 4.19 lbs | 3.1 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 14.3" | 12.76" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 9.4" | 8.49" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel Celeron N4500 | AMD Ryzen 5 5500U | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 4 GB | 8 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 4 | 4 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 1 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 128 GB | 256 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 6 Hours | 10 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 36.7 Wh | 45 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 15.6" | 14" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | TN | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 1920 x 1080 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 60Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 200 nits | 313 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 5.6/10 | 6.5/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 7.5/10 | 8.3/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | No | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 10/10 | 9.5/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 6/10 | 6.5/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 5.4/10 | 6/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 720p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | No | Yes | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | No | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | Yes | No | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 3 | 2 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 0 | 1 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | No | No | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 1 | 1 | |
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."
Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14"
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Marvin Gollor | February 2023
"The low-priced IdeaPad 3 14 delivers on core functionality. Lenovo's IdeaPad 3 14 meets all the basic requirements for an inexpensive office laptop. The matte IPS display is bright enough, the performance is high for the class, and the input devices are rock solid. In addition, the mostly quiet operation including the useful performance modes, cool surface temperatures, easy maintainability as well as expandable working and mass storage all contribute to the IdeaPad 3 14's value proposition."
Get a great deal on the Acer Aspire 1 or the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14"
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 Lenovo
Lenovo is a Chinese technology company, and one of the largest personal computer vendor. They are well known for a variety of technology products, including laptops. Their consumer series include their entry level IdeaPad and LOQ series and mid-to-high-end Yoga and Legion series. On the business-oriented side, their series include their entry-level ThinkBook series and mid-to-high-end ThinkPad series. Lenovo laptops offer strong performance for reasonable prices, and are often on sale.
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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.
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