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What we think
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Updated January 10, 2024·
The Acer Aspire 3 14 is budget-friendly and offers moderate performance suitable for general use with a smaller screen size making it more portable. The Acer Nitro 16, while more expensive, provides significantly higher performance for 3D, machine learning, and engineering tasks, in addition to a larger, higher resolution screen with a faster refresh rate, ideal for gaming and intensive work. The Nitro also features a more powerful processor, more memory, and a beefier graphics card, but it's less portable due to its larger size and weight. 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 3 14
- Very good portability
Advantages of the Acer Nitro 16
- Very good for engineering and design
- Very good for gaming and AI
- Very good overall display quality
- Good overall build quality
- Good speakers
- Very good keyboard
Key differences
General Use
7.0
7.8
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
250.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
494.0 nits
9.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
9.0 Hours
6.2/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
8.3/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.0/10
The Acer Nitro 16 and Acer Aspire 3 14 are both good for general use, though the Acer Nitro 16 is somewhat better.
The Acer Aspire 3 14 is rated fair for general use because it has a moderate CPU and RAM, sufficient for everyday tasks, decent portability and a longer battery life, but it compromises on screen resolution and lacks a backlit keyboard, affecting visibility and comfort in various lighting conditions.
Gaming and AI
5.9
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 3 14 is poor.
PerfectRec’s Gaming and AI Score strongly emphasizes graphics processing capability, while also taking into account other factors that impact suitability for gaming and AI work.
Engineering and Design
6.1
8.2
4.3/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.9/10
3.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.9/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Acer Nitro 16 is very good for engineering and design, while the Acer Aspire 3 14 is only fair.
The Acer Aspire 3 14 is suitable for engineering and design but has limitations due to its mid-range CPU and GPU, lower screen resolution and color accuracy, making it less ideal for demanding tasks compared to the Acer Nitro 16, which boasts a more powerful CPU, higher RAM capacity, a superior GPU, and a higher-resolution screen with better color representation; however, the Nitro 16 is heavier and less portable.
Content Creation
7.2
7.8
4.3/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.9/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Acer Nitro 16 and Acer Aspire 3 14 are both good for content creation, though the Acer Nitro 16 is somewhat better.
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
7.1
7.7
4.3/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.9/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
6.2/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Acer Nitro 16 and Acer Aspire 3 14 are both good for software development, though the Acer Nitro 16 is somewhat better.
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
6.1
8.3
14.0in
SIZE
16.0in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
250.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
494.0 nits
The Acer Nitro 16 has a better screen than the Acer Aspire 3 14 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
The Acer Aspire 3, with its fair screen quality, offers adequate resolution and brightness for routine tasks but may lack the color accuracy needed for engineering and design work, and its lower refresh rate isn't ideal for smooth 3D graphics and gaming. On the other hand, the Acer Nitro 16 provides a vibrant, high-resolution display that's suitable for precise design work due to its wide color gamut, yet its poor screen quality for gaming and 3D suggests it falls short in refresh rate, affecting gameplay fluidity. For general use, both laptops will suffice, but the engineering and gaming experiences will vary significantly between them due to these screen attributes.
Portability
Very Good
Fair
14.0in
SIZE
16.0in
3.0 lbs
WEIGHT
5.9 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
1.1in
The Acer Aspire 3 14 has very good portability, while the Acer Nitro 16 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
6.2
7.4
The Acer Nitro 16 has good build quality, while the Acer Aspire 3 14 has only fair build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$434
$1,275
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
The Acer Aspire 3 14 has a price of $434 and the Acer Nitro 16 costs $1,275.
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Key similarities
Battery
9.5 Hours
9.0 Hours
The Acer Aspire 3 14 has 9.5 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.
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How the Acer Aspire 3 14 and the Acer Nitro 16 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Acer Aspire 3 14 | Acer Nitro 16 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$434 | $1,275 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | March 1, 2023 | May 1, 2023 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 12.9'' x 8.5'' x 0.74'' | 14.2'' x 11'' x 1.1'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 3.09 lbs | 5.95 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 12.9" | 14.18" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 8.5" | 11.02" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | AMD Ryzen 5 7520U | AMD Ryzen 7 7735HS | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 8 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 512 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 9.5 Hours | 9 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 40 Wh | 90 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 14" | 16" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 2560 x 1600 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 165Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 250 nits | 494 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 6.3/10 | 7.4/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 8.4/10 | 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 | 6.3/10 | 8/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 6/10 | 7.5/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 720p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | No | No | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | No | Yes | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 2 | 3 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 1 | 2 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 1 | 2 | |
Thunderbolt Ports | |||
Thunderbolt Ports | 0 | 0 | |
Shopping
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 3 14 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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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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