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Aspire 3 Spin 14
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MacBook Air (2020)
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What we think

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

Choosing between the Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 and the Apple MacBook Air (2020) involves several trade-offs. If you prefer a lower-priced option and need a device with a touchscreen that doubles as a tablet, the Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 is worth considering. However, the MacBook Air offers higher resolution, potentially better performance with the Apple M1 chip, and a more premium build quality, though it comes at a higher cost. If your tasks are everyday computing such as web browsing and office applications, and budget is a concern, the Acer may serve you well. On the other hand, for more demanding applications and a preference for a sleek design and macOS, the MacBook Air could be a better choice, albeit at a higher price point. Both laptops offer silent, fanless operation, so they're quiet during use. 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 Spin 14
  • The Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 has no clear advantages over the Apple MacBook Air (2020).
Advantages of the Apple MacBook Air (2020)
  • Good for general use
  • Good for engineering and design
  • Good for software development
  • Good overall display quality
  • Best in class overall build quality
  • Excellent battery life
  • Best in class speakers
  • Best in class keyboard

Key differences

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General Use

6.5
Aspire 3 Spin 14
MacBook Air (2020)
7.6
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
250.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
395.0 nits
8.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
15.0 Hours
6.2/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.5/10
8.1/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
8.9/10
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) is good for general use, while the Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 is only fair.

Engineering and Design

5.9
Aspire 3 Spin 14
MacBook Air (2020)
7.3
3.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.0/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.9/10
8.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) is good for engineering and design, while the Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 is poor.

Content Creation

7.0
Aspire 3 Spin 14
MacBook Air (2020)
7.8
3.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.0/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
8.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) and Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 are both good for content creation, though the Apple MacBook Air (2020) is somewhat better.

Software Development

6.9
Aspire 3 Spin 14
MacBook Air (2020)
7.7
3.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.0/10
8.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
6.2/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.5/10
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) is good for software development, while the Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 is only fair.

Screen Quality

6.2
Aspire 3 Spin 14
MacBook Air (2020)
7.5
14.0in
SIZE
13.3in
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
250.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
395.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Air has a better screen than the Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 for general use, AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.

Battery

8.0 Hours
Aspire 3 Spin 14
MacBook Air (2020)
15.0 Hours
The Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 has 8 hours of battery life. The Apple MacBook Air has 15 hours of battery life.

Portability

Very Good
Aspire 3 Spin 14
MacBook Air (2020)
Very Good
14.0in
SIZE
13.3in
3.3 lbs
WEIGHT
2.8 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) and Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 both have very good portability, though the Apple MacBook Air (2020) has somewhat better portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.

Build Quality

6.2
Aspire 3 Spin 14
MacBook Air (2020)
10.0
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) has best in class build quality, while the Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 has only fair build quality.

Cost

$418
Aspire 3 Spin 14
MacBook Air (2020)
$1,000
Product image
Product image

$200

$400

$600

$800

$1,000

$1,200

$1,400

$1,600

The Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 has a price of $418 and the Apple MacBook Air (2020) costs $1,000.
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Key similarities

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Gaming and AI

5.8
Aspire 3 Spin 14
MacBook Air (2020)
6.2
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.9/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
10.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
10.0/10
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Apple MacBook Air (2020) to be only fair for gaming and AI, while the Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 is poor.

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How the Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 and the Apple MacBook Air (2020) compare to other laptops

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Spec Comparison

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Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14Apple MacBook Air (2020)
Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14Apple MacBook Air (2020)

GENERAL

Price
$418
$1,000
Release Date
April 1, 2023November 1, 2020
Overall Dimensions
12.6'' x 9'' x 0.74''12'' x 8.4'' x 0.63''
Weight
3.31 lbs2.8 lbs
Width
12.6"11.97"
Depth
9"8.36"

INTERNAL

Processor
Intel i3-N305Apple M1
RAM
8 GB8 GB
DDR Memory Version
54
RAM Slots
00
Storage
128 GB256 GB

BATTERY

Battery Life
8 Hours15 Hours
Battery Capacity
40 Wh49.9 Wh

SCREEN

Diagonal Size
14"13.3"
Display Technology
IPSIPS
Resolution
1920 x 12002560 x 1600
Refresh Rate
60Hz60Hz
Display Brightness
250 nits395 nits

RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS

Build Quality Score
6.3/1010/10
Portability Score
8.2/109/10
Gaming Laptop Appearance
NoNo
Premium Business Laptop
NoYes
Fan Noise Score
10/1010/10

HARDWARE FEATURES

Keyboard Quality Score
6.3/109.5/10
Speaker Quality Score
6/109.5/10
Webcam
720p720p
Fingerprint Reader
NoYes
Backlit Keyboard
NoYes
Number Pad
NoNo

CONNECTIVITY

USB Type-A
20
USB-C ports
12
USB-C Charging
YesYes
Display Outputs
21
Thunderbolt Version
N/A3

Shopping

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Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14

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Dig into reviews and images

Rtings

Olivier Martin, Ryan Lim, and Yannick Khong | November 2023
"The Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 is okay for school use. It feels reasonably well-built, and its compact design makes it easy to carry around. The battery lasts around seven hours of light use, so you only have to plug it in for a short time to get through a typical school day. The overall user experience is so-so; the display looks sharp but dim, and the touchpad is fairly responsive, albeit small."

Apple MacBook Air (2020)

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Dig into reviews and images

NotebookCheck

Andreas Osthoff | July 2022
"The Apple MacBook Air M2 Entry is a very good, but too expensive daily MacBook. The new MacBook Air M2 is undoubtedly once again a very good mobile companion, but we are still a little bit disappointed on a very high level, which is definitely connected with the increased price point. The new chassis is extremely slim and the front edge is no problem during typing, but the bezels are pretty wide for a modern device and in addition with the vertical space required for the notch, the new Air has larger footprint than some Windows rivals."

Get a great deal on the Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 or the Apple MacBook Air (2020)

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 Apple

Apple, an American technology company, is one of the world’s largest company in terms of market capitalization. Their MacBook laptops feature a slim, minimalistic design, class-leading battery life, and premium display and speaker quality. In 2020 Apple switched from using Intel processors to their own silicon chips which have excellent performance and efficiency. The macOS operating system is the second most widely used OS, after Windows.

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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.

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