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What we think
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Updated January 10, 2024·
The Acer Nitro 16 is a more expensive option with high performance suitable for intensive gaming, 3D modeling, and engineering tasks, featuring a powerful processor, high-end graphics, ample memory, and a high refresh rate display, but it's heavier and less portable. Meanwhile, the ASUS Zenbook 13 is more affordable, highly portable with a lighter build and long battery life, and has an OLED screen with excellent color coverage, which is great for general use and media consumption, but it's less suited for demanding tasks due to its integrated graphics and lower memory capacity. Choose the Acer Nitro 16 for performance-heavy activities or the ASUS Zenbook 13 for general use and portability. 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
- Very good keyboard
Advantages of the ASUS Zenbook 13
- Excellent portability
Key differences
Gaming and AI
8.0
6.2
8.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
8.3/10
The Acer Nitro 16 is very good for gaming and AI, while the ASUS Zenbook 13 is only fair.
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.
Engineering and Design
8.2
7.1
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.8/10
8.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
The Acer Nitro 16 is very good for engineering and design, while the ASUS Zenbook 13 is good.
The Acer Nitro 16, with its powerful CPU, ample RAM, and dedicated GPU, excels in tasks that demand high computational power and graphics capabilities, which are essential for engineering and design work, along with a high-quality screen that renders detailed visuals. Meanwhile, the ASUS Zenbook 13, while more portable and with a quality keyboard, falls short in performance for demanding applications due to its less powerful hardware, making it a fair choice for less intensive engineering tasks.
Screen Quality
8.3
7.8
16.0in
SIZE
13.3in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
494.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
378.0 nits
The Acer Nitro 16 has a better screen than the ASUS Zenbook 13 for gaming and AI, software development, and content creation.
For general use, the Acer Nitro 16 and ASUS Zenbook 13 likely offer vivid displays with sufficient resolution and brightness, making text clear and easy to read and providing good visibility in different lighting conditions. Engineering and design users would appreciate their wide color gamuts, rendering accurate and rich colors crucial for detailed design work. However, both laptops may fall short in gaming and 3D tasks because their screens possibly have lower refresh rates, which can result in less fluid motion and slower response times that can detract from fast-paced visuals.
Portability
Fair
Excellent
16.0in
SIZE
13.3in
5.9 lbs
WEIGHT
2.5 lbs
1.1in
THICKNESS
0.5in
The ASUS Zenbook 13 has excellent portability, while the Acer Nitro 16 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$1,050
$890
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
$1,600
The Acer Nitro 16 has a price of $1,050 and the ASUS Zenbook 13 costs $890.
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Key similarities
General Use
7.8
7.4
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
494.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
378.0 nits
9.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
9.0 Hours
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
6.0/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
9.2/10
The Acer Nitro 16 and ASUS Zenbook 13 are both good for general use.
The Acer Nitro 16, with a higher-end CPU and more RAM, excels in demanding tasks, and its larger, higher-resolution screen is great for detailed work and entertainment, but it's heavier and has a lower portability score, affecting on-the-go use.
Content Creation
7.8
7.6
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.8/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
The Acer Nitro 16 and ASUS Zenbook 13 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
7.3
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.8/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
The Acer Nitro 16 and ASUS Zenbook 13 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.
Battery
9.0 Hours
9.0 Hours
The Acer Nitro 16 has 9 hours of battery life. The ASUS Zenbook 13 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.
Build Quality
7.4
7.4
The Acer Nitro 16 and ASUS Zenbook 13 both have good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
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How the Acer Nitro 16 and the ASUS Zenbook 13 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Acer Nitro 16 | ASUS Zenbook 13 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$1,050 | $890 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | May 1, 2023 | February 1, 2021 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14.2'' x 11'' x 1.1'' | 12'' x 8'' x 0.55'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 5.95 lbs | 2.55 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 14.18" | 11.97" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 11.02" | 7.99" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | AMD Ryzen 7 7735HS | AMD Ryzen 7 5700U | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 8 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 4 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 2 | 0 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 512 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 9 Hours | 9 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 90 Wh | 67 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 16" | 13.3" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | OLED | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 2560 x 1600 | 1920 x 1080 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 165Hz | 60Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 494 nits | 378 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.4/10 | 7.4/10 | |
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 | 8.4/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 8/10 | 7/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 7.5/10 | 7/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 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 | 3 | 1 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 2 | 2 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 2 | 3 | |
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."
ASUS Zenbook 13
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Sebastian Bade | May 2021
"The Asus ZenBook 13 is a compact 13-inch laptop with a fast Ryzen 7 5800U and OLED display. The subnotebook is also light and the modern design is convincing. The selection of high-quality materials make the device not only light, but also very stable. In addition, the visuals and haptics of the device offers a high-quality impression. The AMD Ryzen 7 5800U is a very good fit for the ZenBook 13, ensuring a high performance in the test. However, in terms of the 3D performance, we also notice that the Vega architecture is beginning to hit its limits."
Get a great deal on the Acer Nitro 16 or the ASUS Zenbook 13
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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