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What we think
The PerfectRec laptop team Learn more
Updated January 10, 2024·
If you prioritize a larger screen and a lower price, the Acer Aspire 3 15 is a suitable choice; however, it is heavier and might have shorter battery life compared to its competitor. On the other hand, the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3, while more expensive, offers a lighter and more portable option with a touchscreen and better build quality. It's also more suitable for tasks that benefit from higher color accuracy and contrast in the display. If you need a more compact device for on-the-go use and can invest more, the Surface Laptop Go 3 might be the better fit, especially if you value touch capability and portability. 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 Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3.
Advantages of the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3
- Good for general use
- Good overall build quality
- Excellent portability
- Very good speakers
- Good keyboard
Key differences
General Use
6.6
7.2
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1536 x 1024
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
244.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
337.0 nits
9.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
8.0 Hours
6.2/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
7.6/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
9.2/10
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 is good for general use, while the Acer Aspire 3 15 is only fair.
The Acer Aspire 3 15 with its AMD Ryzen 3 processor and 8 GB RAM is a cost-effective option with ample storage and a fair screen for daily tasks but has limitations in battery life and portability due to its larger size. The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3, while offering better portability and a higher-quality touchscreen at a smaller size, also has an Intel i5 processor and 8 GB RAM, but at a higher price point, with tradeoffs including less stellar battery life and speaker quality.
Engineering and Design
5.9
6.8
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
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 is only fair for engineering and design, while the Acer Aspire 3 15 is poor.
The Acer Aspire 3 15 has an AMD processor with modest graphics capability, less storage, and a standard full HD screen, adequate for basic engineering and design tasks but may struggle with more complex simulations or graphic-intensive work.
Screen Quality
6.2
6.8
15.6in
SIZE
12.4in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1536 x 1024
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
244.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
337.0 nits
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 has a better screen than the Acer Aspire 3 15 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, and software development.
For general use, the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 offers a vibrant and sharp display, making it superior to the Acer Aspire 3 15, which has a decent but less impressive screen. When it comes to engineering and design work, the Surface Laptop Go 3's display covers a wider color spectrum, providing better accuracy for professionals than the Acer's, which has more limited color coverage. For 3D and gaming, both laptops fall short due to their lack of high refresh rates, but they still provide adequate resolution and panel quality for casual use, although serious gamers or 3D designers would need something more specialized.
Battery
9.5 Hours
8.0 Hours
The Acer Aspire 3 15 has 9.5 hours of battery life. The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 has 8 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
Excellent
15.6in
SIZE
12.4in
3.9 lbs
WEIGHT
2.4 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 has excellent portability, while the Acer Aspire 3 15 has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
6.2
7.8
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 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
$699
$0
$200
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
The Acer Aspire 3 15 has a price of $330 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 costs $699.
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Key similarities
Gaming and AI
5.8
6.1
3.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1536 x 1024
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 Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 to be only fair for gaming and AI, while the Acer Aspire 3 15 is poor.
The Acer Aspire 3 15, with an AMD Radeon GPU, and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3, with Intel Iris Xe graphics, have GPUs sufficient for fair gaming performance but not top-tier for heavy 3D tasks. Both have similar screen refresh rates which are standard for regular computing, but for gaming and 3D rendering, a higher refresh rate would be more ideal; the CPUs and screen quality are adequate but not optimized for demanding gaming and 3D applications.
Content Creation
7.0
7.3
4.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.4/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1536 x 1024
8.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 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
7.1
4.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.4/10
8.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1536 x 1024
6.2/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 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.
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How the Acer Aspire 3 15 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Acer Aspire 3 15 | Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$330 | $699 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | January 1, 2023 | October 1, 2023 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14.3'' x 9.4'' x 0.74'' | 11'' x 8.1'' x 0.62'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 3.97 lbs | 2.49 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 14.29" | 10.95" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 9.35" | 8.12" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | AMD Ryzen 3 7320U | Intel i5-1235U | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 8 GB | 8 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 0 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 128 GB | 256 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 9.5 Hours | 8 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 40 Wh | 41 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 15.6" | 12.4" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 1536 x 1024 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 60Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 244 nits | 337 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 6.3/10 | 7.8/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 7.7/10 | 9.3/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | No | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 10/10 | 7.5/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 6.3/10 | 7/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 6/10 | 8.4/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 720p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | No | Yes | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | No | No | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | Yes | No | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 2 | 1 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 1 | 1 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | No | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 2 | 1 | |
Thunderbolt Ports | |||
Thunderbolt Ports | 0 | 0 | |
Shopping
Acer Aspire 3 15
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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."
Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3
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Dig into reviews and images
PCMag
Joe Osborne | October 2023
"When it comes to affordably priced laptops, the numbers after the dollar sign are crucially important—more so than in any other price category. By increasing the starting price of its Laptop Go line by $200 and not changing much else, Microsoft irrevocably altered the calculus surrounding the decision of whether to buy the Surface Laptop Go 3. Sure, it has a newer processor and longer battery life, but don’t think for a second you’re not paying dearly for that extra RAM and SSD capacity at that new price."
Get a great deal on the Acer Aspire 3 15 or the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3
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 Microsoft
Microsoft is an American technology corporation. Microsoft is best known for their Windows operating system and Surface laptop series. The Surface Laptop is their standard notebook offering, while their Surface Go, Surface Pro, and Surface Studio are their 2-in-1/tablet offerings in order of increasing capability. Although Microsoft charges a premium price tag for their laptops, buyers can expect a well integrated and packaged device since Microsoft develops the Windows operating system.
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Why trust us
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
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Recommendations made
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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.
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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.
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