For general use with an emphasis on affordability, the Acer Aspire 3 15 is a more budget-friendly option with adequate performance, a larger screen, and a longer battery life. It is suited for those needing essential functions without the need for intensive tasks. In contrast, the Dell Latitude 5431, while pricier, offers better performance with more robust processing power and double the memory, making it a better fit for more demanding applications such as engineering software and multi-tasking. It's also more portable due to its lower weight, and includes premium business features like a backlit keyboard and additional display outputs, which might be attractive to professionals on the go. 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 Dell Latitude 5431.
Advantages of the Dell Latitude 5431
Good for general use
Good overall build quality
Very good speakers
Good keyboard
Key differences
General Use
6.6/10
7.5/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
244.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
241.0 nits
9.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
9.0 Hours
6.2/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
7.6/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.8/10
The Dell Latitude 5431 is good for general use, while the Acer Aspire 3 15 is only fair.
The Dell Latitude 5431 is considered better for general use than the Acer Aspire 3 15 due to its superior main processor, double the RAM, and longer battery life, which support better multitasking and longer use away from power sources. Despite being slightly less portable due to its slightly higher weight and larger form factor, the Latitude 5431 also has a higher screen pixel density for sharper images and offers a better keyboard and heat management, enhancing user comfort over extended sessions.
Engineering and Design
5.9/10
6.9/10
4.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.1/10
3.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.7/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Dell Latitude 5431 is only fair for engineering and design, while the Acer Aspire 3 15 is poor.
The Acer Aspire 3 15, with its AMD Ryzen 3 processor and AMD Radeon GPU, is outfitted with adequate hardware for engineering tasks but may lag with more demanding design software, while its larger screen benefits detailed work but adds to its weight. In contrast, the Dell Latitude 5431, with a more powerful Intel i5 processor and Iris Xe graphics, offers better performance for complex engineering and design applications and is more portable due to its smaller screen and lighter weight, making it suitable for professionals who require both power and mobility.
Screen Quality
6.2/10
6.1/10
15.6in
SIZE
14.0in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
244.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
241.0 nits
The Acer Aspire 3 15 has a better screen than the Dell Latitude 5431 for engineering and design, while the Dell Latitude 5431 has a better screen for content creation, and software development.
For general use, both the Acer Aspire 3 15 and Dell Latitude 5431 likely offer adequate resolution and brightness, but neither stands out in terms of exceptional display qualities like vibrant colors or exceptional clarity. In engineering and design, the importance of accurate color representation means that both laptops having only fair screen quality suggests that they do not cover professional color gamuts extensively, making them less suitable for color-critical tasks. For gaming and 3D tasks, the lack of high refresh rates combined with only moderate resolution and panel quality on both models would lead to less fluid visuals and reduced overall immersion.
Build Quality
6.2/10
7.4/10
The Dell Latitude 5431 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
$950
$0
$200
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
The Acer Aspire 3 15 has a price of $330 and the Dell Latitude 5431 costs $950.
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Dell Latitude 5431 to be only fair for gaming and AI, while the Acer Aspire 3 15 is poor.
PerfectRec’s Gaming and AI Score strongly emphasizes graphics processing capability, while also taking into account other factors that impact suitability for gaming and AI work.
Content Creation
7.0/10
7.4/10
4.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.1/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Dell Latitude 5431 and Acer Aspire 3 15 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
7.0/10
7.3/10
4.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.1/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
6.2/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
The Dell Latitude 5431 and Acer Aspire 3 15 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.
Battery
9.5 Hours
9.0 Hours
The Acer Aspire 3 15 has 9.5 hours of battery life. The Dell Latitude 5431 has 9 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
Good
15.6in
SIZE
14.0in
3.9 lbs
WEIGHT
3.3 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The Dell Latitude 5431 and Acer Aspire 3 15 both have good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Give feedback
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How the Acer Aspire 3 15 and the Dell Latitude 5431 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 Dell Latitude 5431
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 Dell
Dell is a highly recognizable American technology company, and is one of the largest personal computer vendor by market share. Their laptops are very popular for both personal and professional use, and they also own the Alienware brand which makes mid to high end gaming laptops. Their premium XPS range of laptops offer great build quality and portability, while Latitude and Precision laptops are known for reliability, repairability and performance for business users.
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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Staff Expert & Software Engineer
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