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Updated January 12, 2024·
Choosing the Acer Aspire 5 15 will save you money, yet offer decent performance for general use and moderate multitasking, with a focus on battery life and portability due to its lighter weight. On the other hand, the Acer Nitro 16, while more expensive, provides higher computing power and advanced graphics capabilities, making it suitable for demanding tasks like 3D rendering, machine learning, gaming, and engineering software. It has a larger, high-resolution screen with a faster refresh rate, which is great for crisp visuals in gaming and productivity, but it is heavier and may have shorter battery life due to its powerful components. 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 5 15
- Good portability
Advantages of the Acer Nitro 16
- Very good for engineering and design
- Very good for gaming and AI
- Very good overall display quality
- Good overall build quality
- Good speakers
- Very good keyboard
Key differences
Gaming and AI
6.1
8.0
2.4/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.9/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
7.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.0/10
The Acer Nitro 16 is very good for gaming and AI, while the Acer Aspire 5 15 is only fair.
The Acer Nitro 16 excels in gaming and 3D applications, thanks to a high-performance Nvidia RTX 4070 GPU and a higher screen refresh rate of 165Hz, which means smoother visuals and better responsiveness in fast-paced scenes. While the Acer Aspire 5 15, with its more basic Iris Xe graphics and a standard refresh rate of 60Hz, offers fair performance that's more suited to casual gaming and less demanding 3D tasks.
Engineering and Design
6.6
8.2
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.9/10
2.4/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.9/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Acer Nitro 16 is very good for engineering and design, while the Acer Aspire 5 15 is only fair.
PerfectRec’s Engineering and Design Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for graphic design and 3D rendering work.
Content Creation
7.3
7.8
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.9/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Acer Nitro 16 and Acer Aspire 5 15 are both good for content creation, though the Acer Nitro 16 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.
Screen Quality
6.2
8.3
15.6in
SIZE
16.0in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
275.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
494.0 nits
The Acer Nitro 16 has a better screen than the Acer Aspire 5 15 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
For general use, the Acer Aspire 5's screen offers adequate resolution and brightness, but the panel type may not provide the wide viewing angles and color richness one might prefer. The Acer Nitro, on the other hand, excels in these areas with a high-quality panel, better resolution, and strong brightness, making the display vibrant and easier on the eyes. However, when it comes to gaming and 3D tasks, both laptops fall short due to lower refresh rates which are crucial for smooth motion rendering, despite the Nitro having a slight edge in overall screen quality.
Battery
7.0 Hours
9.0 Hours
The Acer Aspire 5 15 has 7 hours of battery life. The Acer Nitro 16 has 9 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.
Portability
Good
Fair
15.6in
SIZE
16.0in
3.9 lbs
WEIGHT
5.9 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
1.1in
The Acer Aspire 5 15 has good portability, while the Acer Nitro 16 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
6.5
7.4
The Acer Nitro 16 has good build quality, while the Acer Aspire 5 15 has only fair build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$480
$1,050
$200
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
$1,600
The Acer Aspire 5 15 has a price of $480 and the Acer Nitro 16 costs $1,050.
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Key similarities
General Use
7.5
7.8
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
275.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
494.0 nits
7.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
9.0 Hours
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
7.7/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.0/10
The Acer Nitro 16 and Acer Aspire 5 15 are both good for general use.
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.
Software Development
7.3
7.7
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.9/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Acer Nitro 16 and Acer Aspire 5 15 are both good for software development.
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.
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How the Acer Aspire 5 15 and the Acer Nitro 16 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Acer Aspire 5 15 | Acer Nitro 16 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$480 | $1,050 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | May 1, 2023 | May 1, 2023 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14.2'' x 9.4'' x 0.7'' | 14.2'' x 11'' x 1.1'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 3.97 lbs | 5.95 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 14.21" | 14.18" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 9.4" | 11.02" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i5-1335U | AMD Ryzen 7 7735HS | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 512 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 7 Hours | 9 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 50 Wh | 90 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 15.6" | 16" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 2560 x 1600 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 165Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 275 nits | 494 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 6.5/10 | 7.4/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 7.8/10 | 6.1/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | Yes | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 7.5/10 | 7/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 7/10 | 8/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 6/10 | 7.5/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 1080p | 720p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | No | No | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | Yes | Yes | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 2 | 3 | |
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 | 4 | N/A | |
Shopping
Acer Aspire 5 15
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Sascha Mölck | November 2022
"The Acer Aspire 5 15 is a good value office laptop with reasonable battery life. The combination of slim exterior, relatively low weight (approx. 1.7 kg) and 8 hour real-life battery runtime makes the Acer Aspire a truly mobile laptop. The modest Tiger Lake processor supports this area and simultaneously ensures an affordable price point. The Aspire produces little noise and stays cool. The screen (FHD, IPS) might not win any prizes but is entirely appropriate for the price."
Acer Nitro 16
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Sascha Mölck | June 2023
"Video editing, rendering and, of course, gaming represent the Nitro 16's core competencies with a Ryzen 7 7735HS and GeForce RTX 4070 providing the necessary power. Both chips run at consistently high clock speeds. A fast PCIe 4 SSD (1 TB) provides the required storage space and ensures short loading times. With the Nitro 16 AN16-41, Acer has a well-specced, mid-range gaming laptop in its portfolio."
Get a great deal on the Acer Aspire 5 15 or the Acer Nitro 16
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.
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