- Table of Contents
- Intro
- Review Updates
- Best Laptop
- Best Mid-Range
- Best Budget
- Best Gaming
- Comparison
- Lineup
- Conclusion
- Comments
Founded in 1976 as Multitech, Acer Inc. is a Taiwanese company that started as a distributor of electronic parts. Since then, the company—renamed Acer in 1987—has expanded its product portfolio to include a multitude of products, including desktop computers, laptops, tablets, servers, monitors, smartphones, and more. Acer produces a wide range of laptops, from cheap Chromebooks to high-end productivity and creator models, as well as gaming laptops at different price points. They're most well known for their budget and mid-range offerings, which are often among the best value models you can find on the market, competing against the likes of Lenovo and HP.
Updates
- 11/01/2024 Acer Swift Go 14 (2024) reviewed
- 11/01/2024 Acer Nitro V 16 (2024) reviewed
- 09/18/2024 Acer Chromebook Plus 516 GE (2024) reviewed
- 08/20/2024 Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 714 (2024) reviewed
- 08/07/2024 Acer Aspire 5 15 (2023) reviewed
Best Acer Laptops
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Best Acer Laptop
School8.2Gaming6.6Multimedia7.8Workstation8.4Business8.2The best Acer laptop we've tested is the Acer Swift Go 14 (2024). This thin, light productivity laptop is a solid option that provides a great user experience without the high price tag of premium models from brands like Dell, Microsoft, or Apple. It features the latest Intel Meteor Lake CPUs, which are powerful enough to handle tasks like text processing, web browsing, spreadsheets, and presentations, as well as more demanding workloads like programming and simulation. There's no dedicated GPU option, so any work requiring lots of graphical processing power is out of the question. You can get up to 32GB of RAM and 2TB of storage; unfortunately, only the latter is user-replaceable, so ensure you get enough RAM for your needs upfront.
The build quality is great. Though not as rigid as an Apple MacBook Air, it feels sturdily built, exhibiting only a small amount of flex on the lid and keyboard deck. You can choose between an FHD+ IPS or a 2.8k OLED panel for the display. Both look sharp and get bright enough to combat glare in most indoor settings. Of course, the OLED display will provide a better visual experience, but remember that it's susceptible to permanent burn-in and will drain the battery faster. The keyboard feels spacious, albeit slightly mushy, and the touchpad is large and responsive. You get Wi-Fi 6E wireless connectivity, a 1080p webcam, and a wide port selection that includes two Thunderbolt 4s and an HDMI. Battery life is excellent at around 11 hours of light use—you can charge the laptop via USB-C.
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Best Mid-Range Acer Laptop
School7.9Gaming4.6Multimedia8.1Workstation6.9Business7.8If you want something more affordable, check out the Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 714 (2024), a 2-in-1 convertible. This Chrome OS device is better suited for those with a light workload, as it sports a lower-power Intel U-series processor. Also, Chrome OS is more limited than Windows; significantly fewer programs run on Chrome OS, so you must ensure that you can complete your work via the Chrome browser or an Android app. As for the laptop itself, it feels surprisingly well-built compared to most Chromebooks, and its compact design makes it easy to carry around. It sports a nice FHD+ display, an amazingly comfortable keyboard, and an excellent 1440p webcam. The display gets pretty bright, so you get good visibility in well-lit settings, and since this is a 2-in-1, you can flip the screen around and use it as a tablet.
Configuration-wise, you can get this laptop with an Intel Core Ultra 5 or 7 CPU paired with up to 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. However, only the base model with a Core Ultra 5 115U model, 8GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage is available at this time. Don't worry; this configuration can handle most productivity tasks on Chrome OS. The battery lasts around ten hours of light use and charges over USB-C, so you don't have to carry around a proprietary charger. Ports include a USB-A, two USB-C/Thunderbolt 4s, an HDMI, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. Unfortunately, there are no biometrics like a fingerprint sensor or facial recognition camera, though that's fairly typical for a Chromebook.
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Best Budget Acer Laptop
School6.7Gaming5.3Multimedia6.5Workstation6.7Business6.7Searching for a budget-friendly model or shopping for a younger student? The Acer Aspire 3 Spin 14 (2023) might fit the bill. We have yet another 14-inch model, but as you can probably guess from its price, this is a fairly low-end device, so expect some compromises. It's available with an Intel N100, N200, or Core i3-N305 CPU; they're all low-power processors that can handle general productivity tasks like text processing, web browsing, and video playback, but since you can only get 4GB or 8GB of RAM, heavy multitasking is a no-go. Expect around seven hours of battery life with light use; a quick charge may be necessary to get through a typical work or school day.
The overall user experience is just okay. Its FHD+ display looks sharp but dim, so visibility might be an issue in well-lit settings, and the panel's narrow color gamut makes content look a tad washed out. The keyboard, touchpad, and webcam are usable, albeit unremarkable. The port selection is pretty good, though; you get two USB-As, a USB-C (supports charging and video output), an HDMI, and a headphone jack. The laptop remains cool and quiet even under heavy use, perfect for noise-sensitive environments like offices, classrooms, and libraries. There are no biometrics, though that's to be expected on a device in this price range.
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Best Acer Gaming Laptop
School6.8Gaming8.8Multimedia7.0Workstation9.2Business7.4The best Acer gaming laptop we've tested is the Acer Nitro V 16 (2024). This 16-inch budget model is a good option if you're just getting into gaming or don't want to spend too much. Configurable with an AMD Ryzen 5 or 7 8040-series CPU paired with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050, 4050, or 4060, it can deliver a pretty good gaming experience at 1080p or 1440p. If you want to play at 1440p, we highly recommend getting an RTX 4060 model, as the 3050 and 4050 are primarily designed for 1080p gaming. You can get up to 32GB of RAM and 2TB of storage; both are user-replaceable, so you can upgrade or add more later.
There are multiple display options, including two FHD+ (with 45% NTSC or 100% sRGB coverage) and a QHD+ panel. All three panels have a 165Hz refresh rate and G-SYNC support. There's Wi-Fi 6E wireless connectivity and an Ethernet port to ensure a fast, reliable internet connection when gaming online. Speaking of ports, you also get two USB-As, a USB-C, an HDMI 2.1, and a headphone jack. Thermal throttling is very minimal, though the fans get pretty loud under load. The battery life is so-so; you can get around six hours in light uses, but gaming cuts that down to an hour or two, so you'll need to keep the charger close by.
Compared To Other Brands
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Lots of budget-friendly options.
Acer typically produces a lot of budget-friendly models, making it a good brand to go to if you don't want to spend too much.
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Good performance overall.
Acer laptops generally perform well, with many budget and mid-range models outperforming the competition.
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Produces more high-end Chromebooks models.
Acer produces more high-end Chromebooks than other manufacturers, like the Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 714 (2024) and the Acer Chromebook Plus 516 GE (2024).
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High-end models don't feel as premium as other brands.
Although Acer produces some high-end models, their design tends to be more bland than other premium models on the market. Build quality can also be a hit or miss, depending on the model.
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Some configurations are hard to find.
While Acer announces multiple configuration options, many models are hard to find, even months after the release.
Acer vs Apple
Acer and Apple are very different in their approach to laptop manufacturing. Acer makes a wide range of Windows and Chrome OS models at various price points, including productivity and gaming models, while Apple exclusively makes premium productivity laptops. Though more expensive, Apple laptops are generally superior in build quality and user experience. See our recommendations for the best Apple laptops.
Acer vs HP
Acer and HP are major laptop manufacturers producing a wide range of Windows and Chrome OS laptops. HP generally has more premium models like the Spectre and Omnibook lines, and they also have more workstation and business offerings. However, Acer's mid-range and budget models are usually of better value, providing a superior user experience and better performance at a lower price. See our recommendations for the best HP laptops.
Acer vs ASUS
Although there's a lot of overlap, ASUS generally has a wider range of offerings than Acer, as they produce more premium models like their Zenbook and ROG (Republic of Gamers) lines, and they also experiment more with newer form factors and features, like dual-screen laptops and gaming tablets. However, Acer's mid-range and budget models are usually of better value, providing a better user experience at the same price or less. See our recommendations for the best ASUS laptops.
Acer vs Lenovo
Lenovo typically has a wider selection of laptops than Acer, as they produce many more models in the high-end premium range and make more workstation and business laptops. Lenovo also makes more laptops with Linux compatibility and regularly experiments with newer form factors. While both companies offer a lot of mid-range and budget models, Lenovo's laptops typically feel sturdier and provide a better user experience overall. However, shopping for a Lenovo laptop can sometimes be frustrating, as their laptops often have multiple names and far more configuration options. See our recommendations for the best Lenovo laptops.
Like most laptop manufacturers, Acer makes a wide range of laptops at various price points and for various uses. They tend to compete more in the budget and mid-range tiers, where they have had a lot of success, producing models that are of better value than most of their competitors. However, Acer doesn't make nearly as many workstation and business laptops, and their creator laptops aren't particularly popular. Their high-end offerings are also less appealing than other brands due to their bland, often uninspiring design.
Lineup
Acer currently has eight series of laptops that cover a wide range of uses, including:
- Aspire: Budget productivity laptops.
- ConceptD: Creator laptops.
- Chromebooks: Chrome OS devices. This series includes Chromebooks for enterprise and regular consumers.
- Enduro: Rugged laptops built to withstand drops, falls, and water exposure.
- Nitro: Budget gaming laptops.
- Predator: Mid-range and high-end gaming laptops. This series includes the Triton and Helios models; the former are typically thinner and lighter models designed for on-the-go use, while the latter are usually bulkier, more powerful models that can deliver a better gaming experience.
- Swift: Mid-range and high-end productivity laptops.
- TravelMate: Laptops for business.
Conclusion
While Acer doesn't get as much attention as other laptop manufacturers in the high-end, premium space, it's a good brand to look for if you're shopping on a limited budget. The company produces a large number of wallet-friendly models, with many outperforming the competition. Availability can sometimes be frustrating, depending on where you live, but if you're willing to look, you'll likely find something that fits your needs.