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What we think
The PerfectRec laptop team Learn more
Updated January 10, 2024·
If you prioritize a touch screen and higher resolution, the Lenovo Flex 5 16 is a better choice; it also offers double the RAM, which helps with multitasking and more intensive tasks. It further boasts a slightly larger battery and a backlit keyboard with a number pad, useful for productivity. However, it's heavier and more costly than the Acer Aspire 3 14. The Acer has the advantage of being more portable and budget-friendly, with lesser but adequate performance for general use, and a quieter operation without a fan. Neither is ideal for intensive gaming though. 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 Lenovo Flex 5 16
- Good for engineering and design
- Good overall display quality
- Good overall build quality
- Very good battery life
- Good keyboard
Key differences
General Use
7.0
7.6
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
250.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
400.0 nits
9.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
11.5 Hours
6.2/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
8.3/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.4/10
The Lenovo Flex 5 16 and Acer Aspire 3 14 are both good for general use, though the Lenovo Flex 5 16 is somewhat better.
The Lenovo Flex 5 16 is better for general use than the Acer Aspire 3 14 because it has double the RAM, which enables smoother multitasking, and a higher resolution touch-enabled screen, which provides sharper images and the convenience of tablet mode, with good portability despite being heavier. While the Acer Aspire 3 14 has a fair keyboard quality and is lighter, making it more portable, it has a non-touch, lower resolution screen, and less RAM, which may slow down performance when running multiple applications.
Engineering and Design
6.1
7.2
4.3/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.9/10
3.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.7/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Lenovo Flex 5 16 is good for engineering and design, while the Acer Aspire 3 14 is only fair.
The Lenovo Flex 5 16 offers superior performance for engineering and design tasks with its higher RAM capacity, more powerful CPU, and better-integrated GPU, along with a higher resolution touchscreen that has greater color accuracy, which makes it more suitable for precision work that such tasks demand.
Screen Quality
6.1
7.3
14.0in
SIZE
16.0in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
250.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
400.0 nits
The Lenovo Flex 5 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.
If you prioritize a clear and vibrant display for everyday tasks and professional design work, the Lenovo Flex 5 16's higher resolution and brighter screen offers a more pleasing visual experience. Its wider color gamut ensures more accurate color representation, essential for engineering and design projects. However, for fast-paced gaming or 3D rendering, neither laptop is ideal due to their lower refresh rates, which can result in less fluid motion compared to specialized gaming laptops.
Battery
9.5 Hours
11.5 Hours
The Acer Aspire 3 14 has 9.5 hours of battery life. The Lenovo Flex 5 16 has 11.5 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
16.0in
3.0 lbs
WEIGHT
4.6 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Acer Aspire 3 14 has very good portability, while the Lenovo Flex 5 16 has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
6.2
7.0
The Lenovo Flex 5 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
$779
$200
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
The Acer Aspire 3 14 has a price of $434 and the Lenovo Flex 5 16 costs $779.
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Key similarities
Gaming and AI
5.9
6.2
3.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.7/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
10.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.5/10
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Lenovo Flex 5 16 to be only fair for gaming and AI, while the Acer Aspire 3 14 is poor.
The Acer Aspire 3 14 handles fair for gaming and 3D because it has an AMD Radeon 610M GPU and a basic 60Hz screen refresh rate, while the Lenovo Flex 5 16 is also fair, with an Intel Iris Xe GPU and the same 60Hz refresh rate; both have average gaming CPU and screen quality, which are better suited for general use rather than intensive gaming.
Content Creation
7.2
7.6
4.3/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.9/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Lenovo Flex 5 16 and Acer Aspire 3 14 are both good for content creation.
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
7.5
4.3/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.9/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
6.2/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
The Lenovo Flex 5 16 and Acer Aspire 3 14 are both good for software development.
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.
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How the Acer Aspire 3 14 and the Lenovo Flex 5 16 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Acer Aspire 3 14 | Lenovo Flex 5 16 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$434 | $779 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | March 1, 2023 | April 1, 2022 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 12.9'' x 8.5'' x 0.74'' | 14.1'' x 10'' x 0.74'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 3.09 lbs | 4.63 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 12.9" | 14.09" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 8.5" | 9.99" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | AMD Ryzen 5 7520U | Intel i7-1255U | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 8 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 4 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 0 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 512 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 9.5 Hours | 11.5 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 40 Wh | 52.5 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 | 60Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 250 nits | 400 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 6.3/10 | 7/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 8.4/10 | 7.4/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | No | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 10/10 | 7.5/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 6.3/10 | 7/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 6/10 | 6.8/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 1080p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | No | Yes | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | No | Yes | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 2 | 2 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 1 | 1 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 1 | 2 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | N/A | 4 | |
Shopping
Lenovo Flex 5 16
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Andreas Osthoff | April 2023
"The Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 is a solidly equipped, 2-in-1 in the lower price segment. Performance is definitely sufficient for everyday tasks and in tests the battery proved itself to be very economical. That aside, there is a lot of standard fare on show and a search for real highlights ends in vain. The low color coverage and reflective display can be avoided by going for an optional 2.5K display but this also presumably results in poorer battery life. The cooling uses only one fan and leads to a raised temperature on one side of the device under load. Additionally, there is very loud fan noise, also under load or when gaming. On top of that, we also occasionally noticed electronic noises."
Get a great deal on the Acer Aspire 3 14 or the Lenovo Flex 5 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.
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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