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What we think
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Updated January 10, 2024·
Buying the Acer Aspire 3 15 means spending less money for a machine that can handle everyday tasks, but with lower graphics capability and display quality than the MacBook Air. It's also heavier, which might affect portability. The MacBook Air, although more costly, offers a higher-resolution screen, better graphics performance, and is lighter in weight, making it more portable and suited for more graphic-intensive tasks. The Air's battery life also surpasses that of the Acer. So consider the MacBook Air if you need higher performance and portability, and the Acer if you're looking to save money and need a laptop for more basic use. 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 15
- The Acer Aspire 3 15 has no clear advantages over the Apple MacBook Air (2020).
Advantages of the Apple MacBook Air (2020)
- Good for general use
- Good for engineering and design
- Good overall display quality
- Best in class overall build quality
- Very good portability
- Excellent battery life
- Best in class speakers
- Best in class keyboard
Key differences
General Use
6.6
7.6
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
244.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
395.0 nits
9.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
15.0 Hours
6.2/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.5/10
7.6/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
8.9/10
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) is good for general use, while the Acer Aspire 3 15 is only fair.
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) has a higher-resolution screen, a longer battery life, and higher quality build, making it better for general use, although it's less affordable than the Acer Aspire 3 15. The Acer offers a lower price, decent battery life, and a full HD screen, but it falls short in screen resolution and overall quality compared to the MacBook Air, while still being adequately portable and quiet.
Engineering and Design
5.9
7.3
4.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.0/10
3.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.9/10
8.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) is good for engineering and design, while the Acer Aspire 3 15 is poor.
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) with its Apple M1 chip provides a better mix of CPU and GPU power and has superior screen quality, making it more suited for engineering and design tasks compared to the Acer Aspire 3 15, which has an AMD Ryzen CPU and Radeon GPU that deliver fair performance for such tasks. Despite the MacBook Air being lighter and having better portability, both laptops offer silent operation and good keyboard quality, but MacBook's superior screen and computing power give it an edge for more demanding engineering and design applications.
Content Creation
7.0
7.8
4.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.0/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
8.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) and Acer Aspire 3 15 are both good for content creation, though the Apple MacBook Air (2020) 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
7.0
7.7
4.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.0/10
8.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
6.2/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.5/10
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) and Acer Aspire 3 15 are both good for software development, though the Apple MacBook Air (2020) 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
6.2
7.5
15.6in
SIZE
13.3in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
244.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
395.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Air has a better screen than the Acer Aspire 3 15 for general use, AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
The Acer Aspire 3 15 has a screen that's adequate for tasks like browsing and watching videos, but its resolution and brightness may not be ideal for sharpness and clarity which are critical for both everyday users and engineers who require precise details. The Apple MacBook Air (2020) offers a higher-quality display with better color accuracy and wider color gamuts, making it suitable for professionals in engineering and design who need to see accurate colors and fine details. However, for gaming and 3D applications where fast motion and quick refreshes are crucial, neither of these laptops' screens are optimal due to their lower refresh rates, which can result in motion blur and less fluid visuals.
Battery
9.5 Hours
15.0 Hours
The Acer Aspire 3 15 has 9.5 hours of battery life. The Apple MacBook Air 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
Good
Very Good
15.6in
SIZE
13.3in
3.9 lbs
WEIGHT
2.8 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) has very good portability, while the Acer Aspire 3 15 has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
6.2
10.0
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) has best in class build quality, while the Acer Aspire 3 15 has only fair build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$330
$1,000
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
The Acer Aspire 3 15 has a price of $330 and the Apple MacBook Air (2020) costs $1,000.
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Key similarities
Gaming and AI
5.8
6.2
3.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.9/10
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
10.0/10
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Apple MacBook Air (2020) to be only fair for gaming and AI, while the Acer Aspire 3 15 is poor.
The Acer Aspire 3 15, with an AMD Radeon GPU and a standard screen refresh rate, can handle gaming to a certain extent but may not deliver the most advanced graphics performance in more intensive games. The Apple MacBook Air, although equipped with a powerful Apple M1 GPU and a higher-resolution screen, faces limitations in gaming primarily because many popular games are not compatible with its operating system, MacOS.
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How the Acer Aspire 3 15 and the Apple MacBook Air (2020) compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Acer Aspire 3 15 | Apple MacBook Air (2020) |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$330 | $1,000 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | January 1, 2023 | November 1, 2020 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14.3'' x 9.4'' x 0.74'' | 12'' x 8.4'' x 0.63'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 3.97 lbs | 2.8 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 14.29" | 11.97" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 9.35" | 8.36" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | AMD Ryzen 3 7320U | Apple M1 | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 8 GB | 8 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 4 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 0 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 128 GB | 256 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 9.5 Hours | 15 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 40 Wh | 49.9 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 15.6" | 13.3" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 2560 x 1600 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 60Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 244 nits | 395 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 6.3/10 | 10/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 7.7/10 | 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 | 9.5/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 6/10 | 9.5/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 720p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | No | Yes | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | No | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | Yes | 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 | 2 | 1 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | N/A | 3 | |
Shopping
Acer Aspire 3 15
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Rtings
Alexander Tozzi, Ryan Lim, and Yannick Khong | March 2023
"The Acer Aspire 3 is okay for school use. It feels reasonably well-built, and it's easy to carry around. The display looks decently sharp and provides plenty of space for multitasking, but it doesn't get bright enough to combat glare. Its Intel Core i3-N305 CPU and integrated graphics can only handle simple tasks, like text processing, web browsing, and video playback, so it isn't ideal for students in more technical fields like 3D graphics. Unfortunately, the battery lasts only around six to seven hours of light use."
Apple MacBook Air (2020)
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Andreas Osthoff | July 2022
"The Apple MacBook Air M2 Entry is a very good, but too expensive daily MacBook. The new MacBook Air M2 is undoubtedly once again a very good mobile companion, but we are still a little bit disappointed on a very high level, which is definitely connected with the increased price point. The new chassis is extremely slim and the front edge is no problem during typing, but the bezels are pretty wide for a modern device and in addition with the vertical space required for the notch, the new Air has larger footprint than some Windows rivals."
Get a great deal on the Acer Aspire 3 15 or the Apple MacBook Air (2020)
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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Why trust us
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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Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
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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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