The Acer Aspire 3 is more a budget-friendly option, suitable for general use with a moderate storage capacity and adequate for everyday tasks and lighter workloads. The MSI Summit E16 Flip, costing significantly more, offers vastly improved performance for 3D, machine learning, and engineering tasks with a more powerful processor and graphics card, a higher resolution display with touch capability, and more storage and memory. The MSI also has a larger and more efficient battery. These features make it a higher-end choice for professionals or users with intensive computing needs. Remember, the Acer is lighter and may have a longer battery life for light tasks, while the MSI's features add weight but greatly enhance capability for demanding software applications. 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 MSI Summit E16 Flip.
Advantages of the MSI Summit E16 Flip
Good for general use
Good for engineering and design
Very good overall display quality
Good overall build quality
Good speakers
Good keyboard
Key differences
General Use
6.6/10
7.9/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
244.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
294.0 nits
9.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
8.0 Hours
6.2/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
7.6/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.6/10
The MSI Summit E16 Flip is good for general use, while the Acer Aspire 3 15 is only fair.
The Acer Aspire 3 15 is fair for general use, likely because it has less RAM, a less powerful CPU, and a lower-quality screen compared to the MSI Summit E16 Flip, which has more RAM, a higher-tier CPU, a higher-resolution and touchscreen display, making it good for general use. Despite having slightly longer battery life and a quieter operation.
Gaming and AI
5.8/10
6.8/10
3.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.6/10
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 MSI Summit E16 Flip is only fair for gaming and AI, while the Acer Aspire 3 15 is poor.
The Acer Aspire 3 15 has an AMD Radeon 610M GPU and a standard refresh rate, which provides a reasonably enjoyable gaming and 3D experience within its range, but the MSI Summit E16 Flip boasts a more powerful Nvidia RTX 3050 Ti GPU and a higher refresh rate, which significantly enhances gaming and 3D performance, making it a better choice for more demanding users. Additionally, the MSI's better CPU, higher screen resolution, and quality contribute to a superior visual and processing experience, justifying its position in the gaming and 3D context.
Engineering and Design
5.9/10
7.7/10
4.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.9/10
3.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.6/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The MSI Summit E16 Flip is good for engineering and design, while the Acer Aspire 3 15 is poor.
The Acer Aspire 3 15, with an AMD Ryzen 3 CPU and Radeon GPU, is fairly adequate for engineering and design due to its competent but not top-tier processing and graphics capabilities, as well as a standard screen quality and a silent fanless operation which is ideal for quieter work environments.
Content Creation
7.0/10
7.9/10
4.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.9/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The MSI Summit E16 Flip and Acer Aspire 3 15 are both good for content creation, though the MSI Summit E16 Flip 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
7.9/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
6.2/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
The MSI Summit E16 Flip and Acer Aspire 3 15 are both good for software development, though the MSI Summit E16 Flip 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
8.0/10
15.6in
SIZE
16.0in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
244.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
294.0 nits
The MSI Summit E16 Flip 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 15 has a fair screen that provides adequate resolution and brightness, making it suitable for browsing, document editing, and video streaming, which are typical general use activities, but its color range may be limited for high-precision tasks. The MSI Summit E16 Flip boasts a high-quality display with superior resolution, brightness, and wide color gamuts, which is essential for professionals in engineering and design who require color accuracy and detail. However, for gaming and 3D applications, both laptops fall short due to their lower refresh rates, which can result in less fluid motion and slower response times, detracting from the immersive and interactive experience these applications demand.
Battery
9.5 Hours
8.0 Hours
The Acer Aspire 3 15 has 9.5 hours of battery life. The MSI Summit E16 Flip 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
6.2/10
7.4/10
The MSI Summit E16 Flip 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
$1,413
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
The Acer Aspire 3 15 has a price of $330 and the MSI Summit E16 Flip costs $1,413.
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."
"The MSI Summit E16 Flip is a 2-in-1 laptop with pen, 16:10 display, and RTX 3050 Ti. The Summit E16 Flip is a 2-in-1 laptop from the business segment that primarily targets creative users. MSI combines a 16-inch touchscreen in the 16:10 format with a powerful midrange GPU. While the 2-in-1 laptop from MSI isn't meant for everybody, it should definitely attract some followers. The touchscreen display (2,560 x 1,600 pixels) covers the DCI-P3 color space. This is accompanied by stable viewing angles, a good color reproduction, short response times, and a good contrast level."
Get a great deal on the Acer Aspire 3 15 or the MSI Summit E16 Flip
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 MSI
MSI, also known as Micro-Star International, is a Taiwanese technology corporation. MSI is known for their wide range of gaming devices. Their series include the entry-level Cyborg/Thin and Sword/Katana series, the mid-range Bravo/Delta and Crosshair/Pulse series, and their high-end Vector, Raider, Stealth, and Titan GT series. At every performance level, MSI offers a variety of devices with varying balances between performance, battery life, weight, and price, making them a solid option to consider at every price point.
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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