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What we think
The PerfectRec laptop team Learn more
Updated January 10, 2024·
The Acer Nitro 16 offers higher performance for 3D, machine learning, and gaming due to its superior graphics card. For tasks like intensive engineering, it also performs well, but the battery life is shorter compared to the Dell G15 5520. On the other hand, the Dell G15 5520 is less expensive while still capable of handling engineering and gaming, yet with lower performance in demanding tasks. The Dell has a bigger storage capacity which may be beneficial for large projects or libraries of games. Both laptops are similarly portable, but the Acer has a better screen for color-intensive tasks. Choose the Acer for high-end performance or the Dell for a more budget-friendly option with ample storage. 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 gaming and AI
- Very good overall display quality
Advantages of the Dell G15 5520
- Very good speakers
Key differences
Screen Quality
8.3
7.1
16.0in
SIZE
15.6in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
494.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
251.0 nits
The Acer Nitro 16 has a better screen than the Dell G15 5520 for general use, gaming and AI, and engineering and design.
The Acer Nitro 16's high resolution and brightness, along with its robust color gamut, translate to sharp visuals and vibrant colors, making it suitable for engineering and general usage. However, its low refresh rate detracts from the gaming experience, where fluid motion is key. The Dell G15 5520 also offers sufficient resolution and brightness for engineering tasks and everyday activities, but like the Acer, it falls short in the gaming department due to a less-than-ideal refresh rate, which is critical for smooth, fast-paced gaming visuals.
Battery
9.0 Hours
6.0 Hours
The Acer Nitro 16 has 9 hours of battery life. The Dell G15 5520 has 6 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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Key similarities
General Use
7.8
7.9
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
494.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
251.0 nits
9.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
6.0 Hours
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
6.0/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.3/10
The Dell G15 5520 and Acer Nitro 16 are both good for general use.
The Acer Nitro 16 shines in general use with its larger, higher resolution screen and long battery life, providing an immersive and enduring experience; it's complemented by its capable CPU and sufficient RAM. Meanwhile, the Dell G15 5520, with its substantial storage, dependable CPU, and RAM, is also geared towards general use, with the added benefit of being slightly more portable due to its lighter weight, though it has a smaller screen and shorter battery life.
Gaming and AI
8.0
7.7
8.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.3/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.7/10
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Acer Nitro 16 to be very good for gaming and AI, while the Dell G15 5520 is good.
The Acer Nitro 16 is very good for gaming and 3D due to its superior GPU, the Nvidia RTX 4070, which offers better performance for graphically intensive tasks, and a high screen refresh rate, which provides smoother visuals during gameplay or 3D rendering.
Engineering and Design
8.2
8.2
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
8.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.3/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Acer Nitro 16 and Dell G15 5520 are both very good for engineering and design.
The Acer Nitro 16's AMD Ryzen CPU and RTX 4070 GPU provide powerful performance for engineering and design tasks with its higher screen resolution and color accuracy enhancing detail and visual fidelity; however, with a larger screen and increased weight, it may be less portable than the Dell G15 5520. The Dell offers substantial storage and a potent Intel i7 CPU along with an RTX 3060 GPU, suitable for engineering software, and has a slightly higher portability due to its smaller size and lighter weight, but it has a lower screen resolution and less vibrant colors compared to the Acer.
Content Creation
7.8
7.9
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Dell G15 5520 and Acer Nitro 16 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
7.5
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
The Acer Nitro 16 and Dell G15 5520 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.
Portability
Fair
Fair
16.0in
SIZE
15.6in
5.9 lbs
WEIGHT
5.5 lbs
1.1in
THICKNESS
1.0in
The Dell G15 5520 and Acer Nitro 16 both have only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.4
7.4
The Acer Nitro 16 and Dell G15 5520 both have good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,050
$1,000
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
$1,600
The Acer Nitro 16 has a price of $1,050 and the Dell G15 5520 costs $1,000.
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How the Acer Nitro 16 and the Dell G15 5520 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Acer Nitro 16 | Dell G15 5520 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$1,050 | $1,000 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | May 1, 2023 | May 1, 2022 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14.2'' x 11'' x 1.1'' | 14.1'' x 10.7'' x 1.06'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 5.95 lbs | 5.55 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 14.18" | 14.06" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 11.02" | 10.74" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | AMD Ryzen 7 7735HS | Intel i7-12700H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 2 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 1024 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 9 Hours | 6 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 90 Wh | 56 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 16" | 15.6" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 2560 x 1600 | 1920 x 1080 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 165Hz | 165Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 494 nits | 251 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.4/10 | 7.4/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 6.1/10 | 6.4/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | Yes | Yes | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 7/10 | 6.8/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 8/10 | 8.5/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 7.5/10 | 8.8/10 | |
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 | 3 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 2 | 1 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | No | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 2 | 2 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | N/A | 4 | |
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."
Dell G15 5520
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Rtings
Olivier Martin, Ryan Lim, and John Peroramas | April 2023
"The Dell G15 (2022) is a 15.6-inch budget gaming laptop, and is great for gaming. You can configure the laptop with powerful Intel 12th Gen. CPUs and various NVIDIA dedicated GPUs, all of which deliver a smooth gaming experience at 1080p. There's also a QHD 240Hz display option if you want better visuals, though you'll have to pair it with the top-end NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti to get good frame rates. It doesn't get overly hot or loud under load, and there's no noticeable throttling on the CPU or GPU. Unfortunately, the 120Hz panel has a slow response time, causing noticeable ghosting, and it doesn't support variable refresh rate."
Get a great deal on the Acer Nitro 16 or the Dell G15 5520
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 Dell
Dell is a highly recognizable American technology company, and is one of the largest personal computer vendor by market share. Their laptops are very popular for both personal and professional use, and they also own the Alienware brand which makes mid to high end gaming laptops. Their premium XPS range of laptops offer great build quality and portability, while Latitude and Precision laptops are known for reliability, repairability and performance for business users.
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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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