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Nitro 17
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MacBook Air 15 (2023)
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What we think

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Updated January 10, 2024·

The Acer Nitro 17 offers a larger storage capacity and more RAM, making it well-suited for gaming and engineering tasks that require higher performance and multitasking capabilities. With its dedicated Nvidia graphics, hardware ray tracing support, and a higher refresh rate display, it is also better for 3D rendering. However, it has lower battery life, is heavier, and thus less portable than the Apple MacBook Air 15. The Apple MacBook Air 15, on the other hand, has a higher resolution display, offers better battery life, and is much lighter, enhancing its portability. It features fanless operation for quieter performance. Though it has less storage and RAM, it is still a good fit for general use, content creation, and professionals preferring a premium build and MacOS ecosystem. It isn't designed for intensive gaming or heavy engineering software due to its integrated GPU. 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 17
  • Good for gaming and AI
Advantages of the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023)
  • Very good for software development
  • Very good for content creation
  • Best in class overall build quality
  • Very good portability
  • Excellent battery life
  • Best in class speakers
  • Best in class keyboard

Key differences

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Gaming and AI

7.4
Nitro 17
MacBook Air 15 (2023)
6.5
7.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.3/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1864
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
6.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
10.0/10
The Acer Nitro 17 is good for gaming and AI, while the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) is only fair.

Software Development

7.4
Nitro 17
MacBook Air 15 (2023)
8.1
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.7/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1864
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
10.0/10
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) is very good for software development, while the Acer Nitro 17 is good.

Screen Quality

7.4
Nitro 17
MacBook Air 15 (2023)
7.8
17.3in
SIZE
15.3in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1864
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
280.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
501.0 nits
The Acer Nitro 17 has a better screen than the Apple MacBook Air 15 for gaming and AI, while the Apple MacBook Air 15 has a better screen for general use, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.

Battery

8.0 Hours
Nitro 17
MacBook Air 15 (2023)
15.0 Hours
The Acer Nitro 17 has 8 hours of battery life. The Apple MacBook Air 15 has 15 hours of battery life.

Portability

Poor
Nitro 17
MacBook Air 15 (2023)
Very Good
17.3in
SIZE
15.3in
6.8 lbs
WEIGHT
3.3 lbs
1.1in
THICKNESS
0.4in
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) has very good portability, while the Acer Nitro 17 has poor portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.

Build Quality

7.4
Nitro 17
MacBook Air 15 (2023)
10.0
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) has best in class build quality, while the Acer Nitro 17 has good build quality.

Cost

$970
Nitro 17
MacBook Air 15 (2023)
$1,299
Product image
Product image

$0

$500

$1,000

$1,500

$2,000

The Acer Nitro 17 has a price of $970 and the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) costs $1,299.
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Key similarities

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General Use

7.8
Nitro 17
MacBook Air 15 (2023)
7.9
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1864
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
280.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
501.0 nits
8.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
15.0 Hours
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
10.0/10
5.5/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
8.9/10
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) and Acer Nitro 17 are both good for general use.

Engineering and Design

7.9
Nitro 17
MacBook Air 15 (2023)
7.6
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.7/10
7.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.3/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
The Acer Nitro 17 and Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) are both good for engineering and design.

Content Creation

7.8
Nitro 17
MacBook Air 15 (2023)
8.0
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.7/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1864
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) to be very good for content creation, while the Acer Nitro 17 is good.

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How the Acer Nitro 17 and the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) compare to other laptops

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Spec Comparison

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Acer Nitro 17Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023)
Acer Nitro 17Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023)

GENERAL

Price
$970
$1,299
Release Date
May 1, 2023June 1, 2023
Overall Dimensions
15.8'' x 11.6'' x 1.1''13.4'' x 9.4'' x 0.45''
Weight
6.83 lbs3.3 lbs
Width
15.77"13.4"
Depth
11.59"9.35"

INTERNAL

Processor
AMD Ryzen 7 7735HSApple M2
RAM
16 GB8 GB
DDR Memory Version
55
RAM Slots
20
Storage
1024 GB256 GB

BATTERY

Battery Life
8 Hours15 Hours
Battery Capacity
90 Wh66.6 Wh

SCREEN

Diagonal Size
17.3"15.3"
Display Technology
IPSIPS
Resolution
1920 x 10802880 x 1864
Refresh Rate
165Hz60Hz
Display Brightness
280 nits501 nits

RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS

Build Quality Score
7.4/1010/10
Portability Score
5.6/109/10
Gaming Laptop Appearance
YesNo
Premium Business Laptop
NoYes
Fan Noise Score
6.8/1010/10

HARDWARE FEATURES

Keyboard Quality Score
7/1010/10
Speaker Quality Score
8/1010/10
Webcam
720p1080p
Fingerprint Reader
NoYes
Backlit Keyboard
YesYes
Number Pad
YesNo

CONNECTIVITY

USB Type-A
30
USB-C ports
22
USB-C Charging
YesYes
Display Outputs
31
Thunderbolt Version
N/A3

Shopping

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Acer Nitro 17

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Dig into reviews and images

PCMag

Mark Knapp | October 2023
"The Acer Nitro 17 isn't an exceptional gaming laptop; it's kind of chunky even among 17.3-inch notebooks, with a lackluster keyboard, and it doesn't outperform comparably priced machines. But there's a lot to like about it, including a good array of ports, a screen that's sharp and bright for work and play alike, and battery life that soundly beats the competition. All this comes at an affordable price. If size and weight aren't big concerns, you'll find the Nitro 17 a dependable big-screen gaming rig. If you crave higher quality, consider a slight step down or up in screen size with the Lenovo Legion Slim 5 Gen 8 or Alienware m18 respectively."

Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023)

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Dig into reviews and images

NotebookCheck

Andreas Osthoff | June 2023
"The Apple MacBook Air 15 is boringly good. The new MacBook Air 15 is a very good, but also boring device, because apart from the larger screen and the higher price, there are no differences compared to the smaller MacBook Air M2 from last year. No new processor, no additional ports, just the usual basic hardware - but the overall package is extremely good and it simply works. Above all, the lack of fans is an aspect that should not be underestimated in everyday use. In our opinion, the Air could be a lot better, but Apple goes easy on itself here."

Get a great deal on the Acer Nitro 17 or the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023)

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 Apple

Apple, an American technology company, is one of the world’s largest company in terms of market capitalization. Their MacBook laptops feature a slim, minimalistic design, class-leading battery life, and premium display and speaker quality. In 2020 Apple switched from using Intel processors to their own silicon chips which have excellent performance and efficiency. The macOS operating system is the second most widely used OS, after Windows.

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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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About the laptop team

Joe Golden, Ph.D

CEO and Laptops Editor
Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.

Jason Lew

Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Jason is a staff expert and software engineer that has been making laptop recommendations for 7 years and moderates one of the largest laptop subreddits.

Chandradeep Chowdhury

Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Chandradeep is a staff expert and software engineer and expert in televisions and monitors. He’s been making monitor recommendations for ten years.

Craig Russell

Laptops Expert
Craig is a UK-based laptops expert. Craig works in IT, where he recommends and supports laptops and PCs for clients and has been recommending laptops on Reddit for five years.

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