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Updated January 10, 2024·
The Acer Aspire 3 14 is a budget-friendly choice with a larger storage capacity, whereas the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) is more expensive with higher build quality and an outstanding display. If your priority is performing everyday tasks cost-effectively, the Acer is suitable. For those who need superior display resolution, battery life, and silent operation for general use, multimedia tasks, and light design work, the MacBook Air provides an excellent experience at a higher price point. The MacBook Air also features hardware tailored for its operating system, providing a smooth user experience, but it comes with less built-in storage. On the other hand, the Aspire offers ample storage and decent performance for typical computing needs, but with lesser screen quality and battery life compared to the MacBook Air. 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
- The Acer Aspire 3 14 has no clear advantages over the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023).
Advantages of the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023)
- Good for engineering and design
- Very good for software development
- Very good for content creation
- Good overall display quality
- Best in class overall build quality
- Excellent battery life
- Best in class speakers
- Best in class keyboard
Key differences
General Use
7.0
7.9
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1864
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
250.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
501.0 nits
9.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
15.0 Hours
6.2/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
10.0/10
8.3/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
8.9/10
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) and Acer Aspire 3 14 are both good for general use, though the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) is somewhat better.
The Acer Aspire 3 14 is fair for general use because it offers reasonable RAM and storage with an AMD Ryzen 5 processor, which can handle everyday tasks, but its screen quality and battery life are limited compared to higher-end laptops. On the other hand, the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) is rated good for general use due to its more powerful Apple M2 CPU, higher screen pixel density, which contributes to a sharper display with better color accuracy, and its significantly longer battery life, making it more suitable for users who need higher performance and portability.
Gaming and AI
5.9
6.5
3.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.3/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1864
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
10.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
10.0/10
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) is only fair 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
7.6
4.3/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.7/10
3.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.3/10
8.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) is good for engineering and design, while the Acer Aspire 3 14 is only fair.
The Acer Aspire 3 14's AMD Ryzen 5 CPU and AMD Radeon GPU are fair for engineering and design, offering a good balance for moderate tasks but may lag in intensive workloads, while the Apple MacBook Air 15's Apple M2 CPU and integrated 10-core GPU show strong performance suitable for more demanding engineering and design applications. Additionally, the MacBook Air has a higher-quality display with greater resolution and color accuracy which is crucial for design work, although both have good screen quality and are fairly portable.
Content Creation
7.2
8.0
4.3/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.7/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1864
8.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) is very good for content creation, while the Acer Aspire 3 14 is good.
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
8.1
4.3/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.7/10
8.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1864
6.2/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
10.0/10
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) is very good for software development, while the Acer Aspire 3 14 is good.
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
7.8
14.0in
SIZE
15.3in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1864
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
250.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
501.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Air 15 has a better screen than the Acer Aspire 3 14 for general use, AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
The Acer Aspire 3 14's screen may not be as bright or high-resolution as the MacBook Air, making it less ideal for vibrant displays and detail-oriented work in general use and engineering, but it's still serviceable for basic tasks. While the MacBook Air excels in color accuracy and a high-resolution display, catering to precise color work in engineering and design, its lack of a high refresh rate panel makes it less suitable for smooth rendering needed in 3D and gaming. Conversely, a high refresh rate, which the Acer also lacks, is crucial for 3D applications to provide fluid motion, making neither laptop ideal for those seeking the best experience in gaming or 3D modeling.
Battery
9.5 Hours
15.0 Hours
The Acer Aspire 3 14 has 9.5 hours of battery life. The Apple MacBook Air 15 has 15 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
Very Good
Very Good
14.0in
SIZE
15.3in
3.0 lbs
WEIGHT
3.3 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.4in
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) and Acer Aspire 3 14 both have very good portability, though the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) has somewhat better portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
6.2
10.0
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) has best in class 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
$1,299
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
The Acer Aspire 3 14 has a price of $434 and the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) costs $1,299.
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How the Acer Aspire 3 14 and the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Acer Aspire 3 14 | Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$434 | $1,299 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | March 1, 2023 | June 1, 2023 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 12.9'' x 8.5'' x 0.74'' | 13.4'' x 9.4'' x 0.45'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 3.09 lbs | 3.3 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 12.9" | 13.4" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 8.5" | 9.35" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | AMD Ryzen 5 7520U | Apple M2 | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 8 GB | 8 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 0 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 256 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 9.5 Hours | 15 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 40 Wh | 66.6 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 14" | 15.3" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 2880 x 1864 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 60Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 250 nits | 501 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 6.3/10 | 10/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 8.4/10 | 9/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | No | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | Yes | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 10/10 | 10/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 6.3/10 | 10/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 6/10 | 10/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 1080p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | No | Yes | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | No | No | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 2 | 0 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 1 | 2 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 1 | 1 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | N/A | 3 | |
Shopping
Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023)
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Andreas Osthoff | June 2023
"The Apple MacBook Air 15 is boringly good. The new MacBook Air 15 is a very good, but also boring device, because apart from the larger screen and the higher price, there are no differences compared to the smaller MacBook Air M2 from last year. No new processor, no additional ports, just the usual basic hardware - but the overall package is extremely good and it simply works. Above all, the lack of fans is an aspect that should not be underestimated in everyday use. In our opinion, the Air could be a lot better, but Apple goes easy on itself here."
Get a great deal on the Acer Aspire 3 14 or the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023)
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 Apple
Apple, an American technology company, is one of the world’s largest company in terms of market capitalization. Their MacBook laptops feature a slim, minimalistic design, class-leading battery life, and premium display and speaker quality. In 2020 Apple switched from using Intel processors to their own silicon chips which have excellent performance and efficiency. The macOS operating system is the second most widely used OS, after Windows.
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