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What we think
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Updated January 10, 2024·
The Acer Nitro 16 is a better choice for users needing high performance for tasks like 3D rendering, machine learning, or gaming due to its powerful processor, superior graphics card, larger RAM, and higher storage capacity. However, it's heavier and has a larger screen, which detracts from portability compared to the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14". On the other hand, the Lenovo is more budget-friendly, lighter, and has a longer battery life, making it suitable for general use and carrying around. It's less capable for intensive tasks due to its less powerful processor and graphics. Choose the Acer for performance-intensive tasks or the Lenovo for general use and better 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
- Good for general use
- Very good for engineering and design
- Very good for gaming and AI
- Very good overall display quality
- Good overall build quality
- Good speakers
- Very good keyboard
Advantages of the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14"
- Very good portability
- Very good battery life
Key differences
General Use
7.8
6.9
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
494.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
313.0 nits
9.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
10.0 Hours
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
6.5/10
6.0/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
8.2/10
The Acer Nitro 16 is good for general use, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" is only fair.
The Acer Nitro 16 is equipped with a more powerful CPU, more RAM, and a higher quality screen, providing better performance and visual experience for general use compared to the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 which has a less powerful CPU, less RAM and a lower resolution screen. However, the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 is lighter and therefore more portable, and it has a longer battery life, which might appeal to those who prioritize mobility and longer use without charging over performance and screen quality.
Gaming and AI
8.0
6.0
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
9.5/10
The Acer Nitro 16 is very good for gaming and AI, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" is only fair.
The Acer Nitro 16 is equipped with a more powerful Nvidia RTX 4070 graphics card and a higher screen refresh rate of 165, making it very good for gaming and 3D applications; in contrast, the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" uses a more modest integrated AMD Vega 7 graphics solution and a standard refresh rate of 60, resulting in fair performance for gaming and 3D tasks.
Engineering and Design
8.2
6.1
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.6/10
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 Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" is only fair.
The Acer Nitro 16 is superior for engineering and design mainly because it features a high-end CPU and GPU, along with more RAM and a screen with better resolution and color coverage, which are critical for such tasks. In comparison, the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" has a mid-range processor and integrated graphics, less RAM, and a lower quality display, making it less suitable for demanding engineering applications.
Content Creation
7.8
7.1
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.6/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Acer Nitro 16 and Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" are both good for content creation, though the Acer Nitro 16 is somewhat better.
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
7.1
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.6/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
6.5/10
The Acer Nitro 16 and Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" are both good for software development, though the Acer Nitro 16 is somewhat better.
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
6.4
16.0in
SIZE
14.0in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
494.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
313.0 nits
The Acer Nitro 16 has a better screen than the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
For general use, the Acer Nitro 16's superior panel type and higher resolution contribute to its very good screen quality, offering crisp and vibrant visuals, whereas the Lenovo IdeaPad 3's moderate resolution results in fair quality that is sufficient but not as impressive. In engineering and design, the Acer Nitro 16's screen excels due to wider color gamuts ensuring accurate color reproduction, which is essential for precise work, whereas the Lenovo IdeaPad 3's fair screen quality may not deliver the same level of color precision. However, for gaming and 3D applications, the Acer Nitro 16's screen is outperformed by those with higher refresh rates that provide smoother motion, making its quality poor for these particular tasks, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 is similarly challenged due to its low refresh rate.
Portability
Fair
Very Good
16.0in
SIZE
14.0in
5.9 lbs
WEIGHT
3.1 lbs
1.1in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" 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
6.5
The Acer Nitro 16 has good build quality, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" has only fair build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,050
$490
$200
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
$1,600
The Acer Nitro 16 has a price of $1,050 and the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" costs $490.
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Key similarities
Battery
9.0 Hours
10.0 Hours
The Acer Nitro 16 has 9 hours of battery life. The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" 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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We’re constantly working to improve.
How the Acer Nitro 16 and the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Acer Nitro 16 | Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14" |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$1,050 | $490 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | May 1, 2023 | October 1, 2021 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14.2'' x 11'' x 1.1'' | 12.8'' x 8.5'' x 0.78'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 5.95 lbs | 3.1 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 14.18" | 12.76" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 11.02" | 8.49" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | AMD Ryzen 7 7735HS | AMD Ryzen 5 5500U | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 8 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 4 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 2 | 1 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 256 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 9 Hours | 10 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 90 Wh | 45 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 16" | 14" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 2560 x 1600 | 1920 x 1080 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 165Hz | 60Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 494 nits | 313 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.4/10 | 6.5/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 6.1/10 | 8.3/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | Yes | No | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 7/10 | 9.5/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 8/10 | 6.5/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 7.5/10 | 6/10 | |
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 | 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."
Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14"
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Marvin Gollor | February 2023
"The low-priced IdeaPad 3 14 delivers on core functionality. Lenovo's IdeaPad 3 14 meets all the basic requirements for an inexpensive office laptop. The matte IPS display is bright enough, the performance is high for the class, and the input devices are rock solid. In addition, the mostly quiet operation including the useful performance modes, cool surface temperatures, easy maintainability as well as expandable working and mass storage all contribute to the IdeaPad 3 14's value proposition."
Get a great deal on the Acer Nitro 16 or the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14"
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 Lenovo
Lenovo is a Chinese technology company, and one of the largest personal computer vendor. They are well known for a variety of technology products, including laptops. Their consumer series include their entry level IdeaPad and LOQ series and mid-to-high-end Yoga and Legion series. On the business-oriented side, their series include their entry-level ThinkBook series and mid-to-high-end ThinkPad series. Lenovo laptops offer strong performance for reasonable prices, and are often on sale.
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