For general use, the Acer Aspire Go 14 is a better choice due to its superior performance, higher quality screen with a resolution of 1920 x 1200 and a taller 16:10 aspect ratio, and longer battery life of 9 hours. It also offers a more comfortable typing experience with a backlit keyboard and better build quality. However, if budget is your primary concern and you need a laptop for basic tasks like web browsing or document editing, the Gateway 14.1" could suffice, but be aware of its limited storage and RAM, which may slow down multitasking and storage-intensive activities. The Acer's AMD Ryzen 3 7320U processor and AMD Radeon 610M GPU provide a noticeable performance boost over the Gateway's Intel Celeron N4020 and Intel UHD Graphics 600, making the Acer a more future-proof investment, especially for light gaming or engineering tasks. The Acer also has a more modern design and is slightly more portable, making it a versatile option for users who value performance and quality in a laptop. 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 Go 14
Good for software development
Good for content creation
Good overall build quality
Very good speakers
Good keyboard
Advantages of the Gateway 14.1"
The Gateway 14.1" has no clear advantages over the Acer Aspire Go 14.
Key differences
General Use
6.7/10
5.6/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
280.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
208.0 nits
9.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
8.0 Hours
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
5.3/10
8.2/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Acer Aspire Go 14 is only fair for general use, while the Gateway 14.1" is poor.
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.
Engineering and Design
6.2/10
5.5/10
4.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
3.3/10
3.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.5/10
8.0 GB
RAM
4.0 GB
The Acer Aspire Go 14 is only fair for engineering and design, while the Gateway 14.1" is poor.
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
7.1/10
5.8/10
4.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
3.3/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0 GB
RAM
4.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Acer Aspire Go 14 is good for content creation, while the Gateway 14.1" is poor.
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
5.8/10
4.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
3.3/10
8.0 GB
RAM
4.0 GB
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
5.3/10
The Acer Aspire Go 14 is good for software development, while the Gateway 14.1" is poor.
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
6.7/10
6.0/10
14.0in
SIZE
14.1in
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
280.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
208.0 nits
The Acer Aspire Go 14 has a better screen than the Gateway 14.1" for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
PerfectRec’s screen quality scores take into account various important factors that are relevant for different use cases.
Build Quality
7.4/10
5.1/10
The Acer Aspire Go 14 has good build quality, while the Gateway 14.1" has poor build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$350
$99
$0
$100
$200
$300
$400
$500
The Acer Aspire Go 14 has a price of $350 and the Gateway 14.1" costs $99.
The Acer Aspire Go 14 and Gateway 14.1" are both poor for gaming and AI.
PerfectRec’s Gaming and AI Score strongly emphasizes graphics processing capability, while also taking into account other factors that impact suitability for gaming and AI work.
Battery
9.0 Hours
8.0 Hours
The Acer Aspire Go 14 has 9 hours of battery life. The Gateway 14.1" 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.
Portability
Very Good
Very Good
14.0in
SIZE
14.1in
3.2 lbs
WEIGHT
3.3 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Acer Aspire Go 14 and Gateway 14.1" both have very good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Give feedback
We’re constantly working to improve.
How the Acer Aspire Go 14 and the Gateway 14.1" compare to other laptops
"The Gateway Ultra Slim 14" is surprisingly quiet with long battery life. The inexpensive Gateway excels at maximizing performance per dollar with lots of RAM and storage, super-quiet fan, and a long battery life. It can even house up to two M.2 SSDs which we weren't expecting from such a cheap system. However, the iffy reliability of the keyboard and USB-C port on our test unit means users should double-check for these potential issues immediately after purchasing."
Get a great deal on the Acer Aspire Go 14 or the Gateway 14.1"
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 Gateway
Gateway is a laptop and tablet brand owned by Acer which sells budget-friendly laptops exclusively through Walmart. It was previously an American computer company until its acquisition by Acer in 2007, who then revived the brand in 2020. Gateway laptops are manufactured by Chinese company Shenzhen Bmorn Technology, which also makes EVOO-branded models.
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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Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
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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.