To assist you in deciding between the Acer Nitro 16 and the Gateway 14.1", consider how you intend to use your laptop. The Acer Nitro generally offers better performance for gaming or resource-intensive tasks due to its more powerful components. However, it's larger and heavier, which compromises portability. On the other hand, the Gateway 14.1" is more compact and lightweight, making it a convenient choice for carrying around. It might not handle heavy tasks as well, but it's quite suitable for general use, such as browsing, office applications, and light media consumption. If battery life is crucial for you, typically, gaming laptops like the Acer Nitro have shorter battery life due to their powerful hardware, while the Gateway may last longer on a single charge for everyday tasks. Lastly, the price is an essential factor—the Acer Nitro is likely more expensive due to its advanced features, whereas the Gateway might be more budget-friendly. Consider these tradeoffs carefully based on your needs and budget constraints. 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 Gateway 14.1"
Very good portability
Key differences
General Use
7.8/10
5.6/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
494.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
208.0 nits
9.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
8.0 Hours
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
5.3/10
6.0/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Acer Nitro 16 is good for general use, while the Gateway 14.1" is poor.
The Acer Nitro 16 offers strong performance for general use with its higher RAM and advanced CPU, ensuring smoother multitasking and faster processing, while the Gateway 14.1" falls short due to its basic CPU and low RAM, which may struggle with more than basic tasks. With the Acer's superior screen quality and battery life, it provides a better viewing experience and longer usage time, whereas the Gateway's limited storage and lower screen quality make it less suitable for varied or intensive use.
Gaming and AI
8.0/10
5.4/10
8.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.5/10
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
7.0/10
The Acer Nitro 16 is very good for gaming and AI, while the Gateway 14.1" is poor.
The Acer Nitro 16 is equipped with a high-performance Nvidia RTX GPU and a high screen refresh rate, making it very good for gaming and 3D applications, while the Gateway 14.1" has a lower-end Intel UHD Graphics GPU and a standard refresh rate, making it less suitable for such demanding tasks. Additionally, the Acer's powerful AMD Ryzen CPU and quality IPS display enhance gaming and 3D performance, which the Gateway's basic Intel Celeron CPU and screen quality do not support as robustly.
Engineering and Design
8.2/10
5.5/10
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 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
7.8/10
5.8/10
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
3.3/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
4.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Acer Nitro 16 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
7.7/10
5.8/10
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
3.3/10
16.0 GB
RAM
4.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
5.3/10
The Acer Nitro 16 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
8.3/10
6.0/10
16.0in
SIZE
14.1in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
494.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
208.0 nits
The Acer Nitro 16 has a better screen than the Gateway 14.1" for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The Acer Nitro 16 likely offers vivid colors and sharp visuals with its high resolution and bright panel, making it suitable for tasks like browsing and document editing. Its wide color gamut enables precise color work needed in engineering and design. However, for gaming and 3D applications, the refresh rate falls short, which is crucial for smooth motion and a responsive gaming experience.
Portability
Fair
Very Good
16.0in
SIZE
14.1in
5.9 lbs
WEIGHT
3.3 lbs
1.1in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Gateway 14.1" 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
5.1/10
The Acer Nitro 16 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
$1,050
$99
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
The Acer Nitro 16 has a price of $1,050 and the Gateway 14.1" costs $99.
"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."
"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 Nitro 16 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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