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Updated January 12, 2024·
Choosing between the Acer Nitro 5 15 and the Apple MacBook Air (2020) involves considering your needs. The Acer Nitro 5, with its more powerful processor and dedicated graphics card, excels in heavy tasks like gaming, 3D modeling, and engineering software, but it's bulkier and has shorter battery life, making it less ideal for on-the-go usage. On the other hand, the MacBook Air is lighter and has a longer battery life, perfect for everyday use and portability, but it has less storage and might struggle with more intensive tasks due to less RAM and integrated graphics. If your priority is performance and you can handle a heavier laptop, the Acer might be for you; for portability and everyday tasks with long battery life, consider the MacBook Air. 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 5 15
- Good for gaming and AI
Advantages of the Apple MacBook Air (2020)
- Good overall display quality
- Best in class overall build quality
- Very good portability
- Excellent battery life
- Best in class speakers
- Best in class keyboard
Key differences
Gaming and AI
7.5
6.2
7.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.9/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
10.0/10
The Acer Nitro 5 15 is good for gaming and AI, while the Apple MacBook Air (2020) is only fair.
The Acer Nitro 5 15 is preferred for gaming and 3D tasks due to its powerful dedicated Nvidia RTX 4050 GPU and higher screen refresh rate of 144 Hz, which are crucial for a smoother and more immersive experience in graphically intensive applications.
Engineering and Design
7.9
7.3
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.0/10
7.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.9/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
The Acer Nitro 5 15 and Apple MacBook Air (2020) are both good for engineering and design, though the Acer Nitro 5 15 is somewhat better.
The Acer Nitro 5 15, with its Intel i5 processor, Nvidia RTX GPU, and larger RAM, offers robust performance for engineering tasks and graphical design, with the tradeoff of being less portable and having a lower screen quality than the Apple MacBook Air.
Screen Quality
6.9
7.5
15.6in
SIZE
13.3in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
262.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
395.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Air has a better screen than the Acer Nitro 5 15 for general use, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
The Acer Nitro 5 15 offers a balance for general users needing a clear display with adequate resolution and brightness, but may fall short for gamers due to a lower refresh rate, impacting the fluidity of fast-paced visuals. The Apple MacBook Air, with its high resolution and brightness, satisfies both general users and professionals in engineering and design who require accurate colors and wider color gamuts. However, its standard refresh rate, while sufficient for everyday tasks and professional design, does not cater to the high-speed demands of 3D gaming and content.
Battery
5.5 Hours
15.0 Hours
The Acer Nitro 5 15 has 5.5 hours of battery life. The Apple MacBook Air has 15 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.
Portability
Fair
Very Good
15.6in
SIZE
13.3in
5.5 lbs
WEIGHT
2.8 lbs
1.0in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) has very good portability, while the Acer Nitro 5 15 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.2
10.0
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) has best in class build quality, while the Acer Nitro 5 15 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$780
$1,000
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
$1,600
The Acer Nitro 5 15 has a price of $780 and the Apple MacBook Air (2020) costs $1,000.
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Key similarities
General Use
7.6
7.6
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
262.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
395.0 nits
5.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
15.0 Hours
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.5/10
6.3/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
8.9/10
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) and Acer Nitro 5 15 are both good for general use.
The Acer Nitro 5 15 provides a balance of performance for general use with a capable CPU and sufficient RAM, and a screen that is adequate for daily tasks, but it is heavier and has shorter battery life compared to the MacBook Air, which is highly portable with its light weight and long battery life, also offering a high-quality screen and efficient performance with its own CPU and RAM configuration, making both suitable for general use in their own right. While the Nitro may have better heat management for extended use, the MacBook Air boasts a silent operation with better build quality, and its keyboard and speaker quality are well regarded, providing comfort and multimedia enjoyment.
Content Creation
7.5
7.8
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.0/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) and Acer Nitro 5 15 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
7.4
7.7
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.0/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.5/10
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) and Acer Nitro 5 15 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.
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How the Acer Nitro 5 15 and the Apple MacBook Air (2020) compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Acer Nitro 5 15 | Apple MacBook Air (2020) |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$780 | $1,000 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | May 1, 2023 | November 1, 2020 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14.2'' x 10.7'' x 1.06'' | 12'' x 8.4'' x 0.63'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 5.51 lbs | 2.8 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 14.19" | 11.97" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 10.67" | 8.36" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i5-12500H | Apple M1 | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 8 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 4 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 2 | 0 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 256 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 5.5 Hours | 15 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 59 Wh | 49.9 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 15.6" | 13.3" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 2560 x 1600 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 144Hz | 60Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 262 nits | 395 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.2/10 | 10/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 6.4/10 | 9/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | Yes | No | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | Yes | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 7.5/10 | 10/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 8/10 | 9.5/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 7/10 | 9.5/10 | |
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 | 0 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 1 | 2 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 2 | 1 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | 4 | 3 | |
Shopping
Acer Nitro 5 15
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Sascha Mölck | June 2022
"The Acer Nitro 5 is a fast QHD gaming notebook. The Nitro 5 is a well-balanced gaming laptop for just under US$ 2400. A Core i7-12700H CPU and a GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU enable QHD gaming at high to maximum settings, accompanied by fast PCIe-4-SSD (1 TB) and 16 GB of RAM. Acer delivers a solid QHD gaming notebook with the Nitro 5 AN515-58. However, the laptop is not completely free of shortcomings. The CPU and GPU can work at consistently high clock rates. The laptop heats up noticeably under load, but not excessively. Noise development is on the usual class level. Once again, however, Acer needs to improve the fan control."
Apple MacBook Air (2020)
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Andreas Osthoff | July 2022
"The Apple MacBook Air M2 Entry is a very good, but too expensive daily MacBook. The new MacBook Air M2 is undoubtedly once again a very good mobile companion, but we are still a little bit disappointed on a very high level, which is definitely connected with the increased price point. The new chassis is extremely slim and the front edge is no problem during typing, but the bezels are pretty wide for a modern device and in addition with the vertical space required for the notch, the new Air has larger footprint than some Windows rivals."
Get a great deal on the Acer Nitro 5 15 or the Apple MacBook Air (2020)
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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