A comparison of specs, key information, reviews, and best pricing from top retailers
Last updated -- hours ago | Report incorrect information
Aspire 3 15
Company ProductName Specs











15.6"
Company ProductName Specs











What we think

Chevron down
PerfectRec Logo
The PerfectRec laptop team Learn more
Updated January 10, 2024·

The Acer Aspire 3 15 is less expensive and sufficient for general use with a better battery life, making it ideal for on-the-go users who prioritize long usage away from a power source. However, the Gateway 15.6" offers significantly better performance for 3D, machine learning, and engineering tasks due to a more powerful processor and double the RAM and storage, although it is more expensive and has a lower battery life. If you need a laptop mainly for general purposes and cost is a concern, the Acer Aspire 3 might be a suitable choice. On the other hand, if you require higher performance for more demanding tasks and are prepared to invest more, consider the Gateway 15.6". 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
Advantages of the Gateway 15.6"
  • Good for general use

Key differences

Chevron down

Screen Quality

6.2
Aspire 3 15
15.6"
6.1
15.6in
SIZE
15.6in
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 Gateway 15.6" for software development.

Battery

9.5 Hours
Aspire 3 15
15.6"
8.0 Hours
The Acer Aspire 3 15 has 9.5 hours of battery life. The Gateway 15.6" has 8 hours of battery life.

Build Quality

6.2
Aspire 3 15
15.6"
5.1
The Acer Aspire 3 15 has only fair build quality, while the Gateway 15.6" has poor build quality.

Cost

$330
Aspire 3 15
15.6"
$100
Product image
Product image

$0

$100

$200

$300

$400

$500

The Acer Aspire 3 15 has a price of $330 and the Gateway 15.6" costs $100.
Image of Laptops
Let Us Help Find Your Perfect Laptop
Find your new laptop

Key similarities

Chevron down

General Use

6.6
Aspire 3 15
15.6"
7.0
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
244.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
250.0 nits
9.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
8.0 Hours
6.2/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
5.3/10
7.6/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.3/10
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Gateway 15.6" to be good for general use, while the Acer Aspire 3 15 is only fair.

Gaming and AI

5.8
Aspire 3 15
15.6"
6.0
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
7.0/10
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Gateway 15.6" to be only fair for gaming and AI, while the Acer Aspire 3 15 is poor.

Engineering and Design

5.9
Aspire 3 15
15.6"
6.2
4.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.9/10
3.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Gateway 15.6" to be only fair for engineering and design, while the Acer Aspire 3 15 is poor.

Content Creation

7.0
Aspire 3 15
15.6"
7.0
4.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.9/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Gateway 15.6" and Acer Aspire 3 15 are both good for content creation.

Software Development

7.0
Aspire 3 15
15.6"
6.7
4.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.9/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
6.2/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
5.3/10
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Acer Aspire 3 15 to be good for software development, while the Gateway 15.6" is only fair.

Portability

Good
Aspire 3 15
15.6"
Good
15.6in
SIZE
15.6in
3.9 lbs
WEIGHT
4.8 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Acer Aspire 3 15 and Gateway 15.6" both have good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.

Give feedback

We’re constantly working to improve.

How the Acer Aspire 3 15 and the Gateway 15.6" compare to other laptops

Chevron down

Spec Comparison

Chevron down
Acer Aspire 3 15Gateway 15.6"
Acer Aspire 3 15Gateway 15.6"

GENERAL

Price
$330
$100
Release Date
January 1, 2023August 1, 2021
Overall Dimensions
14.3'' x 9.4'' x 0.74''14.8'' x 9.5'' x 0.77''
Weight
3.97 lbs4.8 lbs
Width
14.29"14.75"
Depth
9.35"9.5"

INTERNAL

Processor
AMD Ryzen 3 7320UIntel i5-1135G7
RAM
8 GB16 GB
DDR Memory Version
54
RAM Slots
00
Storage
128 GB512 GB

BATTERY

Battery Life
9.5 Hours8 Hours
Battery Capacity
40 WhUnknown

SCREEN

Diagonal Size
15.6"15.6"
Display Technology
IPSIPS
Resolution
1920 x 10801920 x 1080
Refresh Rate
60Hz60Hz
Display Brightness
244 nits250 nits

RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS

Build Quality Score
6.3/105.1/10
Portability Score
7.7/107.3/10
Gaming Laptop Appearance
NoNo
Premium Business Laptop
NoNo
Fan Noise Score
10/107/10

HARDWARE FEATURES

Keyboard Quality Score
6.3/105.3/10
Speaker Quality Score
6/106/10
Webcam
720p720p
Fingerprint Reader
NoYes
Backlit Keyboard
NoNo
Number Pad
YesYes

CONNECTIVITY

USB Type-A
22
USB-C ports
11
USB-C Charging
YesNo
Display Outputs
21
Thunderbolt Ports
00

Shopping

Chevron down

Acer Aspire 3 15

See more

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."

Gateway 15.6"

See more

Dig into reviews and images

PCMag

Francisco Lahoz | July 2022
"Some concessions have to be made when shopping for a budget laptop. Walmart's Gateway Ultra Slim laptops succeeds on the affordability front and delivers serviceable specs and good battery life, though it's hard to claim it's the best (or even particularly good) at any particular aspect. Its build quality, especially the touchpad, is mediocre, and its performance is decent but doesn't lead the way. The Gateway does undercut the cost of some competitors and offers ample storage with good connectivity, so it's not to be ignored."

Get a great deal on the Acer Aspire 3 15 or the Gateway 15.6"

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 Gateway

Gateway is a laptop and tablet brand owned by Acer which sells budget-friendly laptops exclusively through Walmart. It was previously an American computer company until its acquisition by Acer in 2007, who then revived the brand in 2020. Gateway laptops are manufactured by Chinese company Shenzhen Bmorn Technology, which also makes EVOO-branded models.

Give feedback

We're constantly perfecting our model

Laptop guides you might be interested in

Chevron down

FAQs

Chevron down

FAQs about laptops

Questions about PerfectRec >

Why trust us

Chevron down
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
109,395
Recommendations made
23,703
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.

Featured in

Color LTT LogoGeekwire logo9to5 Mac logoPhone Arena LogoColor Daring Fireball logo