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Updated January 10, 2024·
The Acer Aspire 3 is much less expensive and has a larger screen, but it comes with less storage and a less powerful processor compared to the Apple MacBook Pro. The MacBook Pro, while more expensive, offers a higher-quality display with greater brightness and color accuracy, longer battery life, and is pre-installed with macOS. It's also lighter and thinner, making it more portable. The MacBook's performance is better suited for 3D, machine learning, or engineering tasks than the Acer. If portability and high-end tasks are crucial, the MacBook is the better option, but for budget-conscious buyers needing a laptop for general use, the Acer Aspire 3 serves well. 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 Pro 14 (Late 2023).
Advantages of the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023)
- Very good for general use
- Very good for engineering and design
- Very good for software development
- Very good for content creation
- Excellent 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
8.2
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3024 x 1964
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
244.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
489.0 nits
9.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
17.0 Hours
6.2/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.5/10
7.6/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
8.6/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) is very good for general use, while the Acer Aspire 3 15 is only fair.
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
5.8
6.7
3.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.5/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3024 x 1964
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 14 (Late 2023) is only fair for gaming and AI, while the Acer Aspire 3 15 is poor.
The Acer Aspire 3 15 incorporates a lesser-end AMD Radeon 610M GPU and a standard 60Hz screen refresh rate which makes it fair for gaming and 3D tasks. However, the MacBook's gaming potential is limited because many popular games do not support macOS.
Engineering and Design
5.9
8.1
4.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
3.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.5/10
8.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) is very good for engineering and design, while the Acer Aspire 3 15 is poor.
PerfectRec’s Engineering and Design Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for graphic design and 3D rendering work.
Content Creation
7.0
8.4
4.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3024 x 1964
8.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) is very good for content creation, while the Acer Aspire 3 15 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
7.0
8.2
4.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
8.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3024 x 1964
6.2/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.5/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) is very good for software development, while the Acer Aspire 3 15 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
6.2
9.2
15.6in
SIZE
14.2in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3024 x 1964
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
244.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
489.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 has a better screen than the Acer Aspire 3 15 for general use, AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
For general use, the MacBook Pro's high-resolution and bright display offers crisp and vibrant visuals, making it superior to the Acer Aspire 3, which has a decent but less impressive display. When it comes to engineering and design, the MacBook Pro stands out with its wide color gamut, providing accurate color representation that is essential for professional design work, unlike the Acer's display which covers less of the color spectrum. However, for 3D tasks and gaming, where high refresh rates are crucial for smooth motion, neither laptop excels, as both are likely geared more towards productivity and general use than high-performance gaming.
Battery
9.5 Hours
17.0 Hours
The Acer Aspire 3 15 has 9.5 hours of battery life. The Apple MacBook Pro 14 has 17 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
14.2in
3.9 lbs
WEIGHT
3.4 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) 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 Pro 14 (Late 2023) 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
$1,499
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
The Acer Aspire 3 15 has a price of $330 and the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) costs $1,499.
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How the Acer Aspire 3 15 and the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Acer Aspire 3 15 | Apple MacBook Pro 14 (Late 2023) |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$330 | $1,499 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | January 1, 2023 | November 1, 2023 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14.3'' x 9.4'' x 0.74'' | 12.3'' x 8.7'' x 0.61'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 3.97 lbs | 3.4 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 14.29" | 12.31" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 9.35" | 8.71" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | AMD Ryzen 3 7320U | Apple M3 | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 8 GB | 8 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 0 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 128 GB | 512 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 9.5 Hours | 17 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 40 Wh | 69.6 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 15.6" | 14.2" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | Mini LED | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 3024 x 1964 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 120Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 244 nits | 489 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 6.3/10 | 10/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 7.7/10 | 8.6/10 | |
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 | 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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Dig into reviews and images
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 Pro 14 (Late 2023)
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Andreas Osthoff | January 2023
"In the Apple MacBook Pro 14 2023, the M2 Pro is slowed down. From the improved 5nm process, the new M2 Pro is a very solid upgrade. Graphics performance has increased by about 25% in tandem with a clear improvement in efficiency. The processor has also seen a performance leap of up to 20%, but this is accompanied by an increase in consumption of up to 25%. Fundamentally, Apple its maintaining its advantage over AMD and Intel, particularly in optimized applications where the results are very good in view of the comparatively low power consumption."
Get a great deal on the Acer Aspire 3 15 or the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (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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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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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.
Jason Lew
Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Jason is a staff expert and software engineer that has been making laptop recommendations for 7 years and moderates one of the largest laptop subreddits.
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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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