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Updated January 10, 2024·
When deciding between the Acer Aspire 3 14 and the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023), consider your priorities. If cost is a major factor, the Acer Aspire 3 is a budget-friendly option. The MacBook Pro, while more expensive, offers a significantly more powerful processor suitable for more intensive tasks such as video editing, 3D modeling, or high-end gaming. It also boasts a higher quality display and longer battery life, making it well-suited for professionals who require top-notch performance and longevity. The Acer, however, is lighter and more portable, making it a good choice if you prioritize easy transportation and simplicity for everyday tasks. 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 (Late 2023)
- Very good for general use
- Very good for engineering and design
- Good for gaming and AI
- Very good for software development
- Very good 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
8.8
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 (Late 2023) is very good for general use, while the Acer Aspire 3 14 is good.
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.
Gaming and AI
5.9
7.5
3.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
6.2/10
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 (Late 2023) is good for gaming and AI, while the Acer Aspire 3 14 is poor.
The Acer Aspire 3 14 has a GPU that's adequate for gaming but may struggle with high-intensity 3D tasks, whereas the Apple MacBook Pro 16's GPU is more powerful, handling 3D work smoothly, but its gaming potential is limited as many popular games aren't compatible with macOS. Both have high-quality displays, but the MacBook's screen has a higher refresh rate and overall better quality, beneficial for 3D work, while the Acer's screen may not be as crisp or fluid in action scenes or rendering.
Engineering and Design
6.1
8.9
4.3/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
3.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
6.2/10
8.0 GB
RAM
18.0 GB
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) is very good for engineering and design, while the Acer Aspire 3 14 is only fair.
The Acer Aspire 3 14 is equipped with middle-tier components like the AMD Ryzen 5 CPU and AMD Radeon GPU, and a standard IPS screen, which together provide an adequate performance for engineering tasks but may struggle with more demanding design work. In contrast, the Apple MacBook Pro 16 boasts a powerful Apple M3 Pro CPU and GPU, coupled with a high-resolution Mini LED display, resulting in exceptional performance and screen quality ideal for intensive engineering and design applications, albeit at a higher cost and with slightly less portability.
Content Creation
7.2
8.9
4.3/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3456 x 2234
8.0 GB
RAM
18.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 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
8.9
4.3/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
8.0 GB
RAM
18.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3456 x 2234
6.2/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.5/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 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's screen offers adequate clarity for everyday tasks and sufficient detail for engineering work but might struggle to deliver the visual fidelity gamers crave due to its slower refresh rate. The MacBook Pro's display shines across general use and engineering with exceptional clarity, color accuracy, and brightness, enhancing productivity and creative work. However, for 3D applications, the MacBook Pro, despite its high-resolution and quality panel, isn't the best fit because of its standard refresh rate, which is less suited for the smooth visuals that high-paced 3D environments demand.
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 (Late 2023) has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
6.2
10.0
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 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
$2,299
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
The Acer Aspire 3 14 has a price of $434 and the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) costs $2,299.
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How the Acer Aspire 3 14 and the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Acer Aspire 3 14 | Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023) |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$434 | $2,299 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | March 1, 2023 | November 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 M3 Pro (12C) | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 8 GB | 18 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 0 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 512 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 (Late 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 (Late 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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About the laptop team
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CEO and Laptops Editor
Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
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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.
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