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Updated January 10, 2024·
The Acer Aspire 3 14 is considerably less expensive, making it a budget-friendly option, while the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) commands a premium price. The Acer is lighter and may be more portable, but the MacBook Pro provides a higher quality display, better build, and significantly greater power for demanding tasks such as 3D rendering or intensive engineering software. Battery life in the MacBook Pro is generally superior, suitable for longer use away from power sources. If you prioritize performance, display quality, and battery life for heavy workloads and can afford it, the MacBook Pro is an excellent choice. Conversely, for everyday tasks with a focus on affordability and portability, the Acer Aspire 3 should suffice. 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 Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023)
- Excellent for general use
- Very good for engineering and design
- Good for gaming and AI
- Very good for software development
- Excellent for content creation
- Excellent overall display quality
- Best in class overall build quality
- Best in class battery life
- Best in class speakers
- Best in class keyboard
Key differences
General Use
7.0
9.1
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3456 x 2234
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
250.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
487.0 nits
9.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
17.5 Hours
6.2/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.5/10
8.3/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.6/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) is excellent for general use, while the Acer Aspire 3 14 is good.
The Acer Aspire 3 14 has a mid-range CPU, less RAM, a standard IPS screen (full HD), and weighs less, making it decent for general use with satisfactory portability, but its lower brightness, lower color coverage, and shorter battery life impede premium performance and prolonged unplugged usage. In contrast, the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) boasts a high-end CPU, double the memory, a superior Mini LED screen (higher resolution), longer battery life, and higher quality speakers and keyboard, proving excellent for general use, albeit with a higher weight impacting its portability.
Gaming and AI
5.9
7.4
3.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
5.8/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3456 x 2234
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
10.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
8.7/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) is good for gaming and AI, while the Acer Aspire 3 14 is poor.
The Acer Aspire 3 14 comes with an AMD Radeon 610M GPU and has a screen refresh rate of 60Hz, which provides a fair level of gaming performance; however, it's hindered by its basic screen quality and graphics processor. In contrast, the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) includes a more powerful Apple M2 Pro (19C GPU) and a higher refresh rate of 120Hz, greatly enhancing gaming and 3D experiences, even though its operating system limits the selection of available games.
Engineering and Design
6.1
8.8
4.3/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.5/10
3.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
5.8/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) is very good for engineering and design, while the Acer Aspire 3 14 is only fair.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) outperforms the Acer Aspire 3 14 in engineering and design use mainly because of its superior CPU, double the RAM, and more powerful GPU, along with an exceptional screen quality featuring higher resolution and brightness. While the Acer Aspire 3 14 provides silent operation and is lighter for better portability, it falls short in performance and screen quality, which are very important for engineering tasks.
Content Creation
7.2
9.1
4.3/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.5/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3456 x 2234
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) is excellent 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
8.9
4.3/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.5/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3456 x 2234
6.2/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.5/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (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
9.3
14.0in
SIZE
16.2in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3456 x 2234
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
250.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
487.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 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, with its modest screen specifications, provides adequate resolution and brightness for everyday tasks but may not offer the color fidelity necessary for professional engineering and design work, and its refresh rate isn't suited for the demands of high-frame-rate gaming and 3D applications. The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023), on the other hand, boasts a high-resolution display with outstanding brightness and color gamut coverage, making it excellent for general use and color-critical engineering and design tasks, but like the Acer, it isn't optimized for 3D due to its focus on visual fidelity over refresh rate. Thus, while both laptops cater well to general use and professional design work, neither is ideal for users whose priority is 3D content creation or gaming.
Battery
9.5 Hours
17.5 Hours
The Acer Aspire 3 14 has 9.5 hours of battery life. The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has 17.5 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
Good
14.0in
SIZE
16.2in
3.0 lbs
WEIGHT
4.7 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The Acer Aspire 3 14 has very good portability, while the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
6.2
10.0
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (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
$2,423
$0
$1,000
$2,000
$3,000
$4,000
The Acer Aspire 3 14 has a price of $434 and the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) costs $2,423.
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How the Acer Aspire 3 14 and the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Acer Aspire 3 14 | Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$434 | $2,423 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | March 1, 2023 | January 1, 2023 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 12.9'' x 8.5'' x 0.74'' | 14'' x 9.8'' x 0.66'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 3.09 lbs | 4.7 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 12.9" | 14.01" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 8.5" | 9.77" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | AMD Ryzen 5 7520U | Apple M2 Pro (12C) | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 8 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 0 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 1024 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 9.5 Hours | 17.5 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 40 Wh | 99.6 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 14" | 16.2" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | Mini LED | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 3456 x 2234 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 120Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 250 nits | 487 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 6.3/10 | 10/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 8.4/10 | 7.6/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | No | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | Yes | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 10/10 | 8.8/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 6.3/10 | 9.5/10 | |
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 | 3 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 1 | 2 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | N/A | 4 | |
Shopping
Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023)
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Andreas Osthoff | February 2023
"The Apple MacBook Pro 16 2023: M2 Max challenges GeForce RTX 3080 Ti. The new MacBook Pro 16 2023 with the M2 Max SoC is the most powerful laptop Apple has on sale right now. While we do not get the expected performance and efficiency improvements from completely new 3 nm chips, which we expected ahead of the launch, the 2023 model is still a solid update. The CPU of the M2 Max can be up to 20 % faster than the old model and we also see an advantage of 25-30 % for the GPU with 38 cores. However, both components also consume more power, so the efficiency did not change that much under maximum load."
Get a great deal on the Acer Aspire 3 14 or the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (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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