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Updated January 10, 2024·
The Acer Nitro 16 offers stronger performance for 3D rendering, machine learning, and engineering tasks due to its higher-end processors and graphics card, making it more suitable for intensive gaming and demanding applications. However, it is generally more expensive, heavier, and has shorter battery life compared to the MacBook Air. The MacBook Air, meanwhile, is more portable, cheaper, and boasts longer battery life, ideal for everyday use and tasks that do not require high computational power. It's also quieter, with a fanless design. If you need a laptop for general use with great battery life and easy mobility, the MacBook Air is a better choice, whereas the Nitro 16 is tailored for performance-intensive tasks and gaming, at the cost of portability and price. 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 Nitro 16
- Very good for engineering and design
- Very good for gaming and AI
- Very good overall display quality
Advantages of the Apple MacBook Air (2020)
- Best in class overall build quality
- Very good portability
- Excellent battery life
- Best in class speakers
- Best in class keyboard
Key differences
Gaming and AI
8.0
6.2
8.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.9/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
10.0/10
The Acer Nitro 16 is very good for gaming and AI, while the Apple MacBook Air (2020) is only fair.
The Acer Nitro 16 is equipped with a powerful Nvidia RTX 4070 graphics card and a high 165Hz screen refresh rate, making it excellent for gaming and 3D tasks. Conversely, the Apple MacBook Air (2020) has a less capable integrated Apple M1 (7C) GPU and a standard 60Hz refresh rate, plus the MacOS platform doesn't support many popular games, making it less suited for gaming or complex 3D applications.
Engineering and Design
8.2
7.3
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.0/10
8.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.9/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
The Acer Nitro 16 is very good for engineering and design, while the Apple MacBook Air (2020) is good.
The Acer Nitro 16 offers a more powerful CPU and GPU, along with greater RAM and screen quality, which are very important for demanding engineering and design tasks. In contrast, the MacBook Air excels in portability, keyboard and speaker quality, and operates more quietly, but it may not perform as well in intensive software applications due to its less robust hardware specifications.
Screen Quality
8.3
7.5
16.0in
SIZE
13.3in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
494.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
395.0 nits
The Acer Nitro 16 has a better screen than the Apple MacBook Air for general use, gaming and AI, and engineering and design.
The Acer Nitro 16's screen, with high resolution and brightness, provides crisp and vivid images needed for general tasks and detailed engineering work, but its lower refresh rate hinders the smooth visuals desired in fast-paced gaming scenarios. The Apple MacBook Air's screen also offers high resolution and brightness, leading to clear and attractive visuals suitable for everyday activities and precision tasks in design, but it lacks the high refresh rate and wider color gamut necessary for optimal 3D content creation and viewing. Both laptops prioritize visual clarity and color accuracy for productivity over the rapid motion handling that gamers and 3D enthusiasts typically seek.
Battery
9.0 Hours
15.0 Hours
The Acer Nitro 16 has 9 hours of battery life. The Apple MacBook Air has 15 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
Fair
Very Good
16.0in
SIZE
13.3in
5.9 lbs
WEIGHT
2.8 lbs
1.1in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) has very good portability, while the Acer Nitro 16 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.4
10.0
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) has best in class build quality, while the Acer Nitro 16 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,275
$1,000
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
The Acer Nitro 16 has a price of $1,275 and the Apple MacBook Air (2020) costs $1,000.
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Key similarities
General Use
7.8
7.6
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
494.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
395.0 nits
9.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
15.0 Hours
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.5/10
6.0/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
8.9/10
The Acer Nitro 16 and Apple MacBook Air (2020) are both good for general use.
The Acer Nitro 16 offers a more powerful CPU and GPU suitable for intensive multi-tasking and gaming, with abundant RAM and a quality screen, but it's heavier and has a shorter battery life, affecting portability. In contrast, the Apple MacBook Air provides excellent portability due to its lighter weight and longer battery life, with a high-quality screen and enough power for everyday tasks, albeit with less RAM and a less powerful, but efficient, CPU and GPU.
Content Creation
7.8
7.8
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.0/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Acer Nitro 16 and Apple MacBook Air (2020) 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
7.7
7.7
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.0/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.5/10
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) and Acer Nitro 16 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 Nitro 16 and the Apple MacBook Air (2020) compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Acer Nitro 16 | Apple MacBook Air (2020) |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$1,275 | $1,000 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | May 1, 2023 | November 1, 2020 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14.2'' x 11'' x 1.1'' | 12'' x 8.4'' x 0.63'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 5.95 lbs | 2.8 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 14.18" | 11.97" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 11.02" | 8.36" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | AMD Ryzen 7 7735HS | Apple M1 | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 8 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 4 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 2 | 0 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 256 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 9 Hours | 15 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 90 Wh | 49.9 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 16" | 13.3" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 2560 x 1600 | 2560 x 1600 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 165Hz | 60Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 494 nits | 395 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.4/10 | 10/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 6.1/10 | 9/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | Yes | No | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | Yes | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 7/10 | 10/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 8/10 | 9.5/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 7.5/10 | 9.5/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 720p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | No | Yes | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | Yes | No | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 3 | 0 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 2 | 2 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 2 | 1 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | N/A | 3 | |
Shopping
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."
Apple MacBook Air (2020)
See more
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 Nitro 16 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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