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Updated January 10, 2024·
The Acer Aspire 3 15 is more budget-friendly, emphasizing good battery life and a larger 15.6-inch display, but offers moderate performance that's suitable for general use and lighter tasks. It lacks a touchscreen and has only a basic graphics card, which isn't ideal for intensive 3D tasks or engineering software. The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 is pricier but packs a punch with a powerful processor, superior graphics capability, and a high-resolution touchscreen. It's more suitable for demanding tasks like 3D rendering, machine learning, or gaming, but it's heavier and has a shorter battery life compared to the Acer Aspire 3 15. 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 Studio 2.
Advantages of the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2
- Very good for general use
- Very good for engineering and design
- Good for gaming and AI
- Very good for software development
- Very good for content creation
- Good overall display quality
- Very good overall build quality
- Very good speakers
- Very good keyboard
Key differences
General Use
6.6
8.3
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
244.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
503.0 nits
9.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
8.0 Hours
6.2/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
7.6/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.5/10
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 is very good for general use, while the Acer Aspire 3 15 is only fair.
PerfectRec’s General Use Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for general productivity, web browsing, streaming, video calls, and running a wide variety of apps and programs.
Gaming and AI
5.8
7.7
3.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.5/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
10.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.7/10
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 is good for gaming and AI, while the Acer Aspire 3 15 is poor.
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 outperforms the Acer Aspire 3 15 for gaming and 3D applications owing to its higher-end Nvidia RTX 4060 graphics card and a screen with a faster refresh rate. In contrast, the Acer has a more basic AMD Radeon 610M GPU and a standard refresh rate screen, which is not as well-suited for demanding gaming and 3D tasks.
Engineering and Design
5.9
8.7
4.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
3.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.5/10
8.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 is very good for engineering and design, while the Acer Aspire 3 15 is poor.
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 excels in engineering and design use primarily due to its high-performance CPU, abundant RAM, advanced GPU, and superior screen quality, which together facilitate complex tasks and vivid visual work. Conversely, the Acer Aspire 3 15, with a modest CPU, less RAM, a basic GPU, and an average-quality screen, provides fair performance for engineering and design at a lower cost, but with limitations in handling intensive applications and detailed graphical content.
Content Creation
7.0
8.4
4.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
8.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 is very good for content creation, while the Acer Aspire 3 15 is good.
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
8.2
4.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
8.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
6.2/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 is very good for software development, while the Acer Aspire 3 15 is good.
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
7.9
15.6in
SIZE
14.4in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
244.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
503.0 nits
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 has a better screen than the Acer Aspire 3 15 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
The Acer Aspire 3 has a screen that provides adequate clarity and brightness for everyday tasks, making it suitable for general use, but it lacks the high color accuracy and wide color gamut needed for professional engineering and design work. The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 offers a high-resolution display with great color accuracy and range, which is crucial for detailed design tasks, but neither laptop has the high refresh rates desired for smooth gaming and 3D rendering. For gaming and 3D applications, where fluid motion is key, you'll need to look for screens that prioritize refresh rate alongside resolution and panel quality.
Battery
9.5 Hours
8.0 Hours
The Acer Aspire 3 15 has 9.5 hours of battery life. The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 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.
Build Quality
6.2
8.5
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 has very 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
$2,900
$0
$1,000
$2,000
$3,000
$4,000
The Acer Aspire 3 15 has a price of $330 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 costs $2,900.
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Key similarities
Portability
Good
Good
15.6in
SIZE
14.4in
3.9 lbs
WEIGHT
4.4 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.8in
The Acer Aspire 3 15 and Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 both have good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
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How the Acer Aspire 3 15 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Acer Aspire 3 15 | Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$330 | $2,900 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | January 1, 2023 | September 1, 2023 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14.3'' x 9.4'' x 0.74'' | 12.7'' x 9.1'' x 0.86'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 3.97 lbs | 4.41 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 14.29" | 12.72" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 9.35" | 9.06" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | AMD Ryzen 3 7320U | Intel i7-13700H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 8 GB | 64 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 0 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 128 GB | 1024 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 9.5 Hours | 8 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 40 Wh | 58 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 15.6" | 14.4" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 2400 x 1600 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 120Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 244 nits | 503 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 6.3/10 | 8.5/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 7.7/10 | 7.5/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | No | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 10/10 | 6.8/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 6.3/10 | 8/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 6/10 | 8/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 1080p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | No | No | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | No | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | Yes | No | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 2 | 0 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 1 | 2 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 2 | 2 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | N/A | 4 | |
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 Studio 2
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Andreas Osthoff | March 2022
"The new Surface Laptop Studio with its foldable display is supposed to replace the old Surface Book and the overall impression is good after our review. The build quality and the materials are top-notch, the performance utilization of the two components is solid and the device does not show any major flaws in terms of display or speakers, either. The folding mechanism leaves a sold impression as well, but it remains to be seen how it will hold up over the years. The so-called presentation mode is also not ideal since it covers the whole keyboard."
Get a great deal on the Acer Aspire 3 15 or the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2
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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About the laptop team
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CEO and Laptops Editor
Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
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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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