When choosing between the Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 and the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3, consider your priorities. For more storage space out of the box, the Lenovo is the better option. If a larger screen size is important to you, again the Lenovo stands out with its 15.6-inch display compared to the Acer's 14-inch. However, the Acer is slightly more portable due to being lighter and offers superior performance for general use. It's also slightly more affordable. Both have similar battery life, touchscreen capabilities, and are considered budget laptops but the Lenovo will give you slightly longer battery life during typical usage. If you frequently perform tasks that demand higher processing power, neither is particularly strong, but both are suitable for everyday computing tasks and light multi-tasking. 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
Very good portability
Advantages of the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3
Good for general use
Good for software development
Very good battery life
Key differences
General Use
6.5/10
7.0/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
250.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
281.0 nits
8.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
10.0 Hours
6.2/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
6.5/10
8.1/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.9/10
The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 is good for general use, while the Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 is only fair.
The Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 offers fair performance in general use with its Intel i3 processor and 8GB RAM, complemented by a 14-inch touchscreen, which is beneficial for those seeking portability and versatility, particularly with its 2-in-1 convertible design and silent, fanless operation, but the storage is limited compared to the Lenovo.
Screen Quality
6.2/10
6.4/10
14.0in
SIZE
15.6in
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
250.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
281.0 nits
The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 has a better screen than the Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 for general use, content creation, and software development.
For general use, both the Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 and the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 offer panels that are adequate for everyday tasks, but they may lack high resolution or the brightness levels that premium screens offer, leading to a fair assessment. For engineering and design work, while both screens provide enough clarity for less demanding tasks, their color reproduction may not cover the wider color gamuts needed for professional color work, such as DCI-P3 and Adobe RGB, hence receiving only a fair designation. However, for gaming and 3D, their lower refresh rates and possible limitations in resolution and panel type can hinder the ability to display fast-moving visuals smoothly or with fine detail, which is why they are considered poor for these activities.
Battery
8.0 Hours
10.0 Hours
The Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 has 8 hours of battery life. The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 has 10 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.
Cost
$418
$390
$200
$300
$400
$500
$600
$700
The Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 has a price of $418 and the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 costs $390.
The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 and Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 are both poor for gaming and AI.
The Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 and the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 are both rated fair for gaming and 3D, largely due to their entry-level integrated GPUs and 60Hz screen refresh rates, which place limitations on rendering performance and visual fluidity critical for these tasks. While both have adequate CPUs and screen qualities for casual use, neither is equipped with the high-performance discrete GPUs or faster screen refresh rates often required for more demanding gaming and 3D applications.
Engineering and Design
5.9/10
6.1/10
3.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
3.6/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
8.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 to be only fair for engineering and design, while the Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 is poor.
The Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14, with an Intel i3 processor, basic integrated graphics, and a 14-inch screen with a higher resolution, offers moderate performance suited for lighter engineering tasks and its convertible design can be beneficial for certain design applications.
Content Creation
7.0/10
7.2/10
3.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
3.6/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 and Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 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
6.9/10
7.1/10
3.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
3.6/10
8.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
6.2/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
6.5/10
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 to be good for software development, while the Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 is only fair.
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.
Portability
Very Good
Good
14.0in
SIZE
15.6in
3.3 lbs
WEIGHT
3.5 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.7in
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 to have very good portability, while the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
6.2/10
6.5/10
The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 and Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 both have only fair build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Give feedback
We’re constantly working to improve.
How the Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 and the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 compare to other laptops
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."
Olivier Martin, Ryan Lim, and John Peroramas | May 2023
"The Lenovo IdeaPad 3i is decent for use as a workstation. Its Intel CPU and integrated graphics can only handle light productivity tasks, not demanding workloads like video editing or 3D graphics. You also can't do any color-critical work because the available displays have a narrow color gamut. It has a good port selection, but its USB-C lacks Thunderbolt 4 support. On the upside, it has a comfortable keyboard and doesn't get hot or loud under load."
Get a great deal on the Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 or the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 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 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.
By the numbers
380
Laptops evaluated
48,640
Laptops stats compiled
13
Proprietary Laptops ratings developed
116,295
Recommendations made
25,198
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.