The Acer Aspire 3 15 is a more affordable option with a larger 15.6-inch screen, a number pad on the keyboard, and a longer battery life which makes it suitable for general use and productivity tasks. If you prioritize a higher storage capacity, a slightly better processor performance for engineering and 3D tasks, and a more compact, lighter design for greater portability, the ASUS Vivobook 14 might be the better option despite being a bit pricier. Neither laptop is ideal for intensive gaming or heavy machine learning tasks due to their non-specialized GPUs. 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 for software development
Good for content creation
Advantages of the ASUS Vivobook 14
Good overall build quality
Very good portability
Key differences
Screen Quality
6.2/10
6.3/10
15.6in
SIZE
14.0in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
244.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
250.0 nits
The Acer Aspire 3 15 has a better screen than the ASUS Vivobook 14 for software development, and content creation.
When considering the Acer Aspire 3 and the ASUS Vivobook 14 for general use, both offer screens that are fine for everyday tasks, but their panel type, resolution, and brightness levels may not stand out for more demanding visual experiences. For engineering and design work, the same displays may lack the wider color gamuts like DCI-P3 and Adobe RGB required for precise color work. Meanwhile, for gaming and 3D visualization, the lower refresh rates of these laptops could hinder smooth motion rendering, even though resolution and panel type are satisfactory for moderate use.
Battery
9.5 Hours
7.0 Hours
The Acer Aspire 3 15 has 9.5 hours of battery life. The ASUS Vivobook 14 has 7 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
14.0in
3.9 lbs
WEIGHT
3.0 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The ASUS Vivobook 14 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
7.0/10
The ASUS Vivobook 14 has 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
$480
$100
$200
$300
$400
$500
$600
$700
The Acer Aspire 3 15 has a price of $330 and the ASUS Vivobook 14 costs $480.
The ASUS Vivobook 14 and Acer Aspire 3 15 are both only fair for general use.
The Acer Aspire 3 15 offers a fair balance for general use with a Ryzen processor, moderate RAM, and a Standard Full HD screen, but its moderate battery life and larger size affect portability; on the other hand, the ASUS Vivobook 14, also fair for general use, provides better portability due to its smaller size and weight, a slightly higher battery capacity, and a more storage, yet it shares a similar RAM amount and quality screen with the Acer.
Gaming and AI
5.8/10
6.0/10
3.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
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 ASUS Vivobook 14 to be only fair for gaming and AI, while the Acer Aspire 3 15 is poor.
The Acer Aspire 3 15 is equipped with an AMD Radeon 610M GPU, which offers modest graphics capabilities suitable for some gaming and 3D tasks, while the ASUS Vivobook 14 comes with the integrated Intel Iris Xe graphics in its i5-1235U CPU, which can handle similar tasks but may not be as powerful as dedicated gaming GPUs. Both laptops have standard 60Hz refresh rate screens, which are adequate for casual gaming, but serious gamers might prefer screens with higher refresh rates for smoother visuals.
Engineering and Design
5.9/10
6.3/10
4.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.4/10
3.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
8.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers ASUS Vivobook 14 to be only fair for engineering and design, while the Acer Aspire 3 15 is poor.
The Acer Aspire 3 15, with its AMD Ryzen 3 CPU and Radeon GPU, offers moderate performance for engineering and design tasks but has a larger screen and heavier build, which impacts portability. In contrast, the ASUS Vivobook 14 has a more capable Intel i5 CPU with integrated Iris Xe graphics, delivering better performance for similar tasks, and its smaller size and lighter weight make it more portable, but this comes with a screen that's less ideal for design due to its smaller size.
Content Creation
7.0/10
6.9/10
4.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.4/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Acer Aspire 3 15 to be good for content creation, while the ASUS Vivobook 14 is only fair.
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
7.0/10
6.8/10
4.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.4/10
8.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
6.2/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
6.7/10
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Acer Aspire 3 15 to be good for software development, while the ASUS Vivobook 14 is only fair.
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.
Give feedback
We’re constantly working to improve.
How the Acer Aspire 3 15 and the ASUS Vivobook 14 compare to other laptops
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."
Get a great deal on the Acer Aspire 3 15 or the ASUS Vivobook 14
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.
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.
By the numbers
380
Laptops evaluated
48,640
Laptops stats compiled
13
Proprietary Laptops ratings developed
124,095
Recommendations made
26,888
Consumer hours saved
About the laptop team
Joe Golden, Ph.D
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.
Chandradeep Chowdhury
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.
Craig Russell
Laptops Expert
Craig is a UK-based laptops expert. Craig works in IT, where he recommends and supports laptops and PCs for clients and has been recommending laptops on Reddit for five years.