The Acer Aspire 3 15 is more budget-friendly and has a sufficient performance level for general use. It's lighter, slightly more portable, and offers a fanless operation, which means it's silent. However, the Lenovo Slim 7 16, even though it comes at a higher price, offers significantly better performance suitable for more intensive tasks like 3D rendering, machine learning, and engineering work. It has a better screen resolution, refresh rate, and touchscreen capabilities. The Lenovo also comes with a much more powerful processor and graphics card, making it ideal for gaming or demanding creative work. Both laptops have similar battery life, but Lenovo's higher-quality display, CPU, and GPU make it better for professional and gaming use, whereas the Acer is a good choice for everyday tasks and users looking for a quieter, more economical option. 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 Lenovo Slim 7 16.
Advantages of the Lenovo Slim 7 16
Good for general use
Good for engineering and design
Very good overall display quality
Good overall build quality
Good speakers
Very good keyboard
Key differences
General Use
6.6/10
7.7/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
244.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
500.0 nits
9.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
9.5 Hours
6.2/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
7.6/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.5/10
The Lenovo Slim 7 16 is good for general use, while the Acer Aspire 3 15 is only fair.
The Acer Aspire 3 15 is considered fair due to its lower-end CPU and less RAM, which might not handle multitasking as smoothly, a standard screen resolution and brightness for average visual quality, and a lighter weight for better portability. The Lenovo Slim 7 16, on the other hand, is rated as good for general use because it boasts a more powerful CPU, double the RAM for better performance, a higher resolution and brighter screen for superior visual experience, and a significantly longer battery life, though it is slightly heavier, which could affect portability.
Gaming and AI
5.8/10
6.6/10
3.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.3/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
10.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.0/10
The Lenovo Slim 7 16 is only fair for gaming and AI, while the Acer Aspire 3 15 is poor.
The Acer Aspire 3 15's gaming and 3D performance is constrained due to its less powerful AMD Radeon 610M GPU and a standard 60Hz screen refresh rate, unlike the Lenovo Slim 7 16 which features a more robust Nvidia RTX 3050 GPU and a higher 165Hz refresh rate, providing smoother visuals and better handling of graphics-intensive tasks despite both having fair CPUs and screen qualities for those applications.
Engineering and Design
5.9/10
7.5/10
4.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.2/10
3.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.3/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Lenovo Slim 7 16 is good for engineering and design, while the Acer Aspire 3 15 is poor.
The Lenovo Slim 7 16 is better suited for engineering and design due to its superior AMD Ryzen 7 6800HS CPU, Nvidia RTX 3050 GPU, twice as much RAM, and a higher resolution screen with better color coverage, which are crucial for demanding software and detailed work.
Content Creation
7.0/10
7.6/10
4.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.2/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Lenovo Slim 7 16 and Acer Aspire 3 15 are both good for content creation, though the Lenovo Slim 7 16 is somewhat better.
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
7.6/10
4.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.2/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
6.2/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Lenovo Slim 7 16 and Acer Aspire 3 15 are both good for software development, though the Lenovo Slim 7 16 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
6.2/10
8.3/10
15.6in
SIZE
16.0in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
244.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
500.0 nits
The Lenovo Slim 7 16 has a better screen than the Acer Aspire 3 15 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
For general use, the Lenovo Slim 7 16's higher resolution and brighter panel provide a sharper, clearer image, making documents and web pages easier to read compared to the Acer Aspire 3 15. In engineering and design, the Lenovo's superior coverage of color gamuts such as DCI-P3 and Adobe RGB means colors are more accurate and consistent, which is crucial for professionals who need precise color representation. However, for Gaming and 3D, both laptops may not deliver the smoothest experience due to lower refresh rates, but screen resolution and panel quality are still adequate for casual play.
Build Quality
6.2/10
7.8/10
The Lenovo Slim 7 16 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
$1,440
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
The Acer Aspire 3 15 has a price of $330 and the Lenovo Slim 7 16 costs $1,440.
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."
"At $1,011, the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7 Pro is a real bargain among full-sized laptops, with a handsome 16-inch, 16:10 aspect ratio touch screen, a speedy CPU, a comfortable keyboard, ample memory, and a roomy solid-state drive. It's not a blazing gaming rig or mobile workstation, but it doesn't pretend to be. Its biggest negative is that it may be hard to find—during our review, it sold out and was marked "Temporarily Unavailable" on Lenovo's site."
Get a great deal on the Acer Aspire 3 15 or the Lenovo Slim 7 16
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 Lenovo
Lenovo is a Chinese technology company, and one of the largest personal computer vendor. They are well known for a variety of technology products, including laptops. Their consumer series include their entry level IdeaPad and LOQ series and mid-to-high-end Yoga and Legion series. On the business-oriented side, their series include their entry-level ThinkBook series and mid-to-high-end ThinkPad series. Lenovo laptops offer strong performance for reasonable prices, and are often on sale.
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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