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Updated January 12, 2024·
The Acer Nitro 16 is designed for higher performance tasks like gaming or engineering software and usually has a strong processor and dedicated graphics card, making it suitable for demanding applications but it is heavier and may have shorter battery life. The ASUS Vivobook Go 12 is more affordable, portable, and likely to have better battery life, but it won't perform as well with intensive tasks due to less powerful hardware. So if you need a machine for high-end tasks and can handle less portability and shorter battery life, the Acer Nitro 16 is suitable. If you prioritize affordability, portability, and longer battery life for general use, the ASUS Vivobook Go 12 would be more appropriate. 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
- Good for general use
- Very good for engineering and design
- Very good for gaming and AI
- Good for software development
- Good for content creation
- Very good overall display quality
- Good overall build quality
- Good speakers
- Very good keyboard
Advantages of the ASUS Vivobook Go 12
- Excellent portability
- Very good battery life
Key differences
General Use
7.8
5.6
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1366 x 768
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
TN
494.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
200.0 nits
9.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
10.0 Hours
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
5.3/10
6.0/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
9.3/10
The Acer Nitro 16 is good for general use, while the ASUS Vivobook Go 12 is poor.
The Acer Nitro 16 is better suited for general use with its more powerful AMD Ryzen CPU, significantly larger RAM, and high-quality IPS screen, advantages that contribute to robust multitasking, smooth performance, and better viewing experiences. On the other hand, the ASUS Vivobook Go 12's less capable Intel Celeron CPU, minimal RAM, and lower-quality TN screen affect its performance and display, making it less ideal for demanding tasks, despite its higher portability and battery life.
Gaming and AI
8.0
5.4
8.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.5/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1366 x 768
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.0/10
The Acer Nitro 16 is very good for gaming and AI, while the ASUS Vivobook Go 12 is poor.
The Acer Nitro 16's powerful Nvidia RTX 4070 graphics card and high 165Hz screen refresh rate make it highly capable for gaming and 3D tasks, while the ASUS Vivobook Go 12's modest Intel UHD Graphics 600 and standard 60Hz refresh rate are less suited for those demanding applications.
Engineering and Design
8.2
5.3
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
3.3/10
8.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.5/10
16.0 GB
RAM
4.0 GB
The Acer Nitro 16 is very good for engineering and design, while the ASUS Vivobook Go 12 is poor.
The Acer Nitro 16 outperforms the ASUS Vivobook Go 12 for engineering and design due to its superior CPU, ample RAM, high-end GPU, and better screen quality, which are critical for demanding software and visual precision. While the ASUS Vivobook Go 12 offers excellent portability and battery life, its modest performance specs, such as a lower-end CPU and GPU, less RAM, and a lower quality screen, make it unsuitable for intensive engineering and design tasks.
Content Creation
7.8
5.7
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
3.3/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1366 x 768
16.0 GB
RAM
4.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
TN
The Acer Nitro 16 is good for content creation, while the ASUS Vivobook Go 12 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
7.7
5.7
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
3.3/10
16.0 GB
RAM
4.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1366 x 768
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
5.3/10
The Acer Nitro 16 is good for software development, while the ASUS Vivobook Go 12 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
8.3
5.1
16.0in
SIZE
11.6in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1366 x 768
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
TN
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
494.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
200.0 nits
The Acer Nitro 16 has a better screen than the ASUS Vivobook Go 12 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
When considering the Acer Nitro 16, its superior screen quality for general use stems from a combination of a high-resolution display and impressive brightness, making text and images sharp and clear. For engineering and design, this laptop shines with its wide color gamuts, allowing accurate color representation which is vital for professionals in those fields. However, its lower refresh rates make it less ideal for gaming and 3D work, where fast-paced visuals benefit from higher refresh rates to ensure smoother motion and less visual lag.
Portability
Fair
Excellent
16.0in
SIZE
11.6in
5.9 lbs
WEIGHT
2.3 lbs
1.1in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The ASUS Vivobook Go 12 has excellent portability, while the Acer Nitro 16 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.4
5.1
The Acer Nitro 16 has good build quality, while the ASUS Vivobook Go 12 has poor build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,050
$267
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
The Acer Nitro 16 has a price of $1,050 and the ASUS Vivobook Go 12 costs $267.
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Key similarities
Battery
9.0 Hours
10.0 Hours
The Acer Nitro 16 has 9 hours of battery life. The ASUS Vivobook Go 12 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.
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How the Acer Nitro 16 and the ASUS Vivobook Go 12 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Acer Nitro 16 | ASUS Vivobook Go 12 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$1,050 | $267 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | May 1, 2023 | October 1, 2021 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14.2'' x 11'' x 1.1'' | 11'' x 7.5'' x 0.67'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 5.95 lbs | 2.31 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 14.18" | 10.98" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 11.02" | 7.52" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | AMD Ryzen 7 7735HS | Intel Celeron N4020 | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 4 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 4 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 2 | 0 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 64 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 9 Hours | 10 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 90 Wh | 38 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 16" | 11.6" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | TN | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 2560 x 1600 | 1366 x 768 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 165Hz | 60Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 494 nits | 200 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.4/10 | 5.1/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 6.1/10 | 9.3/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | Yes | No | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 7/10 | 7/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 8/10 | 5.3/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 7.5/10 | 6/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 480p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | No | No | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | No | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | Yes | Yes | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 3 | 2 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 2 | 1 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | No | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 2 | 1 | |
Thunderbolt Ports | |||
Thunderbolt Ports | 0 | 0 | |
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."
Get a great deal on the Acer Nitro 16 or the ASUS Vivobook Go 12
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 ASUS
ASUS, a Taiwanese electronics brand, is one of the largest personal computer vendor by market share. The majority of their laptops are targeted towards personal use or gaming. Their most popular product lines include the budget-friendly VivoBook, more premium ZenBook, and their TUF and ROG gaming laptops, the latter of which has a reputation for excellent gaming performance.
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