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Aspire 3 Spin 14
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Surface Laptop Go 3
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What we think

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

When deciding between the Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3, consider your priorities. If you’re looking for a more budget-friendly option that is somewhat less expensive, the Acer might suit you. The Acer also has a slightly larger screen and higher resolution which is beneficial for work that involves a lot of reading or multitasking. However, if better performance, particularly in more intensive engineering tasks or higher-end general use, is crucial for you, the Microsoft Surface with its more powerful processor will deliver better results. The Surface Laptop Go 3 also offers more storage space, a smaller and lighter form factor for easier portability, and higher quality in its build and speakers. Both laptops have touchscreens and similar battery life, but the Acer may be quieter since it operates fanlessly. Keep in mind that the Microsoft product is positioned at a slightly higher price range reflecting its upgraded features and overall more premium experience. 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 Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3.
Advantages of the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3
  • Good for general use
  • Good for software development
  • Good overall build quality
  • Excellent portability
  • Very good speakers
  • Good keyboard

Key differences

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General Use

6.5
Aspire 3 Spin 14
Surface Laptop Go 3
7.2
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1536 x 1024
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
250.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
337.0 nits
8.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
8.0 Hours
6.2/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
8.1/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
9.2/10
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 is good for general use, while the Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 is only fair.

Engineering and Design

5.9
Aspire 3 Spin 14
Surface Laptop Go 3
6.8
3.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.4/10
3.6/10
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 Spin 14 is poor.

Screen Quality

6.2
Aspire 3 Spin 14
Surface Laptop Go 3
6.8
14.0in
SIZE
12.4in
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1536 x 1024
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
250.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
337.0 nits
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 has a better screen than the Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.

Portability

Very Good
Aspire 3 Spin 14
Surface Laptop Go 3
Excellent
14.0in
SIZE
12.4in
3.3 lbs
WEIGHT
2.4 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 has excellent portability, while the Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 has very good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.

Build Quality

6.2
Aspire 3 Spin 14
Surface Laptop Go 3
7.8
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 has good build quality, while the Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 has only fair build quality.

Cost

$418
Aspire 3 Spin 14
Surface Laptop Go 3
$699
Product image
Product image

$200

$400

$600

$800

$1,000

$1,200

The Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 has a price of $418 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 costs $699.
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Key similarities

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Gaming and AI

5.8
Aspire 3 Spin 14
Surface Laptop Go 3
6.1
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
1920 x 1200
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 Spin 14 is poor.

Content Creation

7.0
Aspire 3 Spin 14
Surface Laptop Go 3
7.3
3.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.4/10
1920 x 1200
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 Spin 14 are both good for content creation.

Software Development

6.9
Aspire 3 Spin 14
Surface Laptop Go 3
7.1
3.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.4/10
8.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1536 x 1024
6.2/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 to be good for software development, while the Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 is only fair.

Battery

8.0 Hours
Aspire 3 Spin 14
Surface Laptop Go 3
8.0 Hours
The Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 has 8 hours of battery life. The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 has 8 hours of battery life.

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How the Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 compare to other laptops

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Spec Comparison

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Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3
Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3

GENERAL

Price
$418
$699
Release Date
April 1, 2023October 1, 2023
Overall Dimensions
12.6'' x 9'' x 0.74''11'' x 8.1'' x 0.62''
Weight
3.31 lbs2.49 lbs
Width
12.6"10.95"
Depth
9"8.12"

INTERNAL

Processor
Intel i3-N305Intel i5-1235U
RAM
8 GB8 GB
DDR Memory Version
55
RAM Slots
00
Storage
128 GB256 GB

BATTERY

Battery Life
8 Hours8 Hours
Battery Capacity
40 Wh41 Wh

SCREEN

Diagonal Size
14"12.4"
Display Technology
IPSIPS
Resolution
1920 x 12001536 x 1024
Refresh Rate
60Hz60Hz
Display Brightness
250 nits337 nits

RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS

Build Quality Score
6.3/107.8/10
Portability Score
8.2/109.3/10
Gaming Laptop Appearance
NoNo
Premium Business Laptop
NoNo
Fan Noise Score
10/107.5/10

HARDWARE FEATURES

Keyboard Quality Score
6.3/107/10
Speaker Quality Score
6/108.4/10
Webcam
720p720p
Fingerprint Reader
NoYes
Backlit Keyboard
NoNo
Number Pad
NoNo

CONNECTIVITY

USB Type-A
21
USB-C ports
11
USB-C Charging
YesNo
Display Outputs
21
Thunderbolt Ports
00

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."

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 Spin 14 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

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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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