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What we think
The PerfectRec laptop team Learn more
Updated January 10, 2024·
If you need a laptop for general use and are looking for something budget-friendly with decent battery life, the Acer Aspire 3 15 should suffice. It's lighter and quieter, since it has a less powerful processor and graphics unit, which makes it suitable for typical everyday tasks and light work. On the other hand, the ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16, with its higher price, offers significant boosts in processing and graphics power, making it ideal for intensive gaming, 3D rendering, or machine learning tasks. The trade-off for the ASUS comes with reduced battery life and increased weight, meaning less portability compared to the Acer. 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
- Good battery life
Advantages of the ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16
- Good for general use
- Very good for engineering and design
- Very good for gaming and AI
- Very good for content creation
- Excellent overall display quality
- Very good overall build quality
- Best in class speakers
Key differences
General Use
6.6
7.9
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
244.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
627.0 nits
9.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
4.5 Hours
6.2/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
6.5/10
7.6/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.3/10
The ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 is 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
8.5
3.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.9/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
10.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.2/10
The ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 is very good for gaming and AI, while the Acer Aspire 3 15 is poor.
The ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 outperforms the Acer Aspire 3 15 in gaming and 3D tasks primarily due to a significantly more powerful GPU and a higher screen refresh rate, enhancing visual smoothness and graphic performance. While the Acer offers basic gaming capabilities, the ASUS provides a premium experience, though at a higher cost and with less portability due to its weight and dimensions.
Engineering and Design
5.9
8.8
4.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.5/10
3.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.9/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 is very good for engineering and design, while the Acer Aspire 3 15 is poor.
The Acer Aspire 3 15 has a fair performance for engineering and design use because it comes with a modest processor and graphics card, a lower resolution display, and lesser RAM, which might limit the complexity of tasks it can handle smoothly. In contrast, the ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 is excellent for these tasks as it boasts a powerful CPU, high-end GPU, substantial RAM, and a superior high-resolution screen, which together provide the capability to handle resource-intensive software and deliver better visual clarity, albeit at a higher cost and slightly less portability due to increased weight.
Content Creation
7.0
8.2
4.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.5/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 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
7.7
4.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.5/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
6.2/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
6.5/10
The ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 and Acer Aspire 3 15 are both good for software development, though the ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 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
9.0
15.6in
SIZE
16.0in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
244.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
627.0 nits
The ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 has a better screen than the Acer Aspire 3 15 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
The Acer Aspire 3 15's screen quality is adequate for general use due to acceptable resolution and brightness but may lack the sharpness and vibrancy of higher-end displays. For engineering and design tasks, its color range may not cover the wider gamuts needed for precise color work. Meanwhile, the ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16's superior resolution and brightness enhance general and professional use, offering vivid colors and crisp images, however, its lower refresh rate limits its ability to smoothly render fast-paced 3D graphics, which can be a drawback for gaming and 3D applications.
Battery
9.5 Hours
4.5 Hours
The Acer Aspire 3 15 has 9.5 hours of battery life. The ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 has 4.5 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.
Build Quality
6.2
8.5
The ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 has very good 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
$1,842
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
The Acer Aspire 3 15 has a price of $330 and the ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 costs $1,842.
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Key similarities
Portability
Good
Good
15.6in
SIZE
16.0in
3.9 lbs
WEIGHT
4.6 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.8in
The Acer Aspire 3 15 and ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 both have good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
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We’re constantly working to improve.
How the Acer Aspire 3 15 and the ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Acer Aspire 3 15 | ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$330 | $1,842 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | January 1, 2023 | March 1, 2023 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14.3'' x 9.4'' x 0.74'' | 14'' x 9.7'' x 0.83'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 3.97 lbs | 4.63 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 14.29" | 13.98" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 9.35" | 9.69" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | AMD Ryzen 3 7320U | Intel i9-13900H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 8 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 128 GB | 1024 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 9.5 Hours | 4.5 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 40 Wh | 90 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 15.6" | 16" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 2560 x 1600 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 240Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 244 nits | 627 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 6.3/10 | 8.5/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 7.7/10 | 7.3/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | Yes | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 10/10 | 6.3/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 6.3/10 | 6.5/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 6/10 | 9.5/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 1080p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | No | No | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | No | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | Yes | No | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 2 | 2 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 1 | 2 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 2 | 3 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | N/A | 4 | |
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."
ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Christian Hintze | March 2023
"The ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 is not yet as optimised as its predecessor. Compared to the previous gen, performance and efficiency have improved significantly. What's more, the wonderful, Mini-LED Nebula display is a contender for the main highlight and almost manages to put the CPU and GPU in the shade. We already found its predecessor to be a well-rounded and well-optimised gaming machine. Generally, but not unequivocally, that also applies to the new Asus M16. Similar to most of the current, new laptops, we are dealing with a double generational leap in terms of the CPU and GPU. However, this change doesn't always run smoothly."
Get a great deal on the Acer Aspire 3 15 or the ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16
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 ASUS
ASUS, a Taiwanese electronics brand, is one of the largest personal computer vendor by market share. The majority of their laptops are targeted towards personal use or gaming. Their most popular product lines include the budget-friendly VivoBook, more premium ZenBook, and their TUF and ROG gaming laptops, the latter of which has a reputation for excellent gaming performance.
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