The Acer Aspire 3 15 (2023) is a budget ultraportable Windows laptop. It has a 15.6-inch FHD (1920 x 1080) TN display, an Intel Core i3-N305 CPU, and integrated Intel UHD Graphics. RAM and storage max out at 16GB and 512GB, respectively. Its port selection includes two USB-As, one USB-C, an HDMI 2.0, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. The USB-C port supports charging and video output. It has Wi-Fi 6 wireless connectivity and a 40Wh battery.
Our Verdict
The Acer Aspire 3 is okay for school use. It feels reasonably well-built, and it's easy to carry around. The display looks decently sharp and provides plenty of space for multitasking, but it doesn't get bright enough to combat glare. Its Intel Core i3-N305 CPU and integrated graphics can only handle simple tasks, like text processing, web browsing, and video playback, so it isn't ideal for students in more technical fields like 3D animation or modeling. Unfortunately, the battery lasts only around six to seven hours of light use.
- Easy to carry around.
- CPU can handle most light productivity tasks.
- Great port selection.
- TN panel looks dim and washed out.
- Short battery life.
The Acer Aspire 3 is inadequate for gaming. It's only available with a low-power Core i3 CPU and integrated graphics, which aren't powerful enough to handle demanding games. You can play some simple, puzzle-like games, but you'll likely have to play with low graphical settings. Also, it has a TN panel with a slow response time causing noticeable ghosting, and no VRR to reduce screen tearing. It doesn't get hot or loud under load, though, and it has a wide port selection for your peripherals and external display.
- Minimal performance loss under load.
- Fast SSD.
- Great port selection.
- CPU and integrated graphics can't handle demanding tasks.
- 60Hz display with slow response time.
- Can only get up to 16GB of soldered RAM.
- No VRR to reduce screen tearing.
The Acer Aspire 3 is bad for media consumption. Its TN display looks washed out and doesn't get bright enough to combat glare. It also has a low contrast ratio that makes blacks look gray, which isn't ideal for dark room viewing. Although the speakers get loud, they sound unnatural and shouty, with no bass at all. On the upside, it's very portable, and its battery lasts over six hours of video playback.
- Easy to carry around.
- Good battery life for video playback.
- TN panel looks dim and washed out.
- Low contrast makes blacks look gray.
- Speakers sound unnatural and shouty.
The Acer Aspire 3 isn't designed for use as a workstation. While it can maintain near-full performance under load, it's only available with a low-power Intel Core i3 CPU and integrated graphics, which aren't capable of handling demanding tasks. Also, you can only get a maximum of 16GB of RAM, and the memory isn't user-replaceable. It has a wide port selection, but sadly, no Thunderbolt 4 support.
- Minimal performance loss under load.
- Fast SSD.
- Great port selection.
- CPU and integrated graphics can't handle demanding tasks.
- Can only get up to 16GB of soldered RAM.
- Display isn't ideal for color work due to poor color gamut.
- No Thunderbolt 4.
The Acer Aspire 3 is okay for business use. It feels reasonably well-built, and its compact and light design makes it very portable. Its 15.6-inch display looks decently sharp and gives you plenty of room for multitasking; however, its low brightness means you'll have visibility issues in bright settings, and its narrow viewing angle makes it hard to share the screen with someone else. The keyboard feels spacious but mushy, and the webcam's image looks soft and underexposed. Also, the battery lasts only around six to seven hours of light use. On the upside, its Intel Core i3 CPU can easily handle general productivity tasks like text processing, spreadsheets, and presentations.
- Easy to carry around.
- CPU can handle most light productivity tasks.
- Great port selection.
- TN panel looks dim and washed out.
- Short battery life.
Changelog
- Updated May 07, 2025: We've updated this review to Test Bench 0.8.3, which removes the viewing angle tests and adds a GPU Total Graphics Power comparison in the GPU section. The Pen Input test in the Extra Features section has also changed, as it now shows whether the laptop supports pen input rather than the inclusion of a stylus in the box. See the changelog for more details.
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Updated Nov 28, 2024:
Added mention of the Samsung Galaxy Book4 (2024) as an alternative with a higher contrast display in the Contrast section.
- Updated Aug 20, 2024: Added mention of the Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 714 (2024) as a Chromebook alternative with longer battery life in the Battery section.
- Updated Aug 07, 2024: Added mention of the Acer Aspire 5 15 (2023) as an alternative with longer battery life in the Battery section.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We tested the 15-inch Acer Aspire 3 with an Intel Core i3-N305 CPU, integrated Intel UHD graphics, 8GB of memory, and 512GB of storage. Our review applies to all variants with a model number starting with 'A315-510P'.
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Popular Laptop Comparisons
The Acer Aspire 3 is an okay budget laptop. It has a wide port selection and a fast storage drive; however, the overall user experience isn't very good, as it has a dim display and a mushy keyboard.
For more options, check out our recommendations for the best laptops, the best laptops for college, and the best budget and cheap laptops.
The Dell Inspiron 15 3000 (2020) is marginally better than the Acer Aspire 3 15 (2023) for most uses. The Dell has a slightly sturdier build, and it's much more upgradeable because you can replace the RAM. It also has two storage slots, whereas the Acer only has one. The Dell offers more configuration options, including a brighter IPS display and a more powerful NVIDIA GeForce MX330 discrete GPU. On the other hand, the Acer has a faster SSD, and the keyboard doesn't get as hot under load. The Acer has a USB-C port, although you can also get the Dell with one.
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15 (2021) is better than the Acer Aspire 3 15 (2023) for most uses. The Lenovo's build feels sturdier, and its battery lasts much longer. It's available with a better IPS display, as it gets brighter to combat glare, and its wider viewing angle makes it easier to share the screen with someone else. The Lenovo is an older model with AMD Ryzen 5000-series CPUs; however, depending on which configuration you get, it performs just as well or better than the Acer, which is only available with an Intel Core i3-N305 CPU.
The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3i 15 (2023) is better than the Acer Aspire 3 15 (2023) for most uses. The IdeaPad Slim 3i has a sturdier build, a brighter display, a more comfortable keyboard, and a more responsive touchpad. It also has a fingerprint sensor and is available with faster CPUs.
The ASUS VivoBook 15 OLED K513 (2021) is better than the Acer Aspire 3 15 (2023) for most uses. Although the build is similar between these two laptops, the ASUS is more compact and lighter, making it easier to carry around. The ASUS has a significantly better OLED display compared to the Acer laptop's TN panel. The ASUS model's screen gets much brighter, provides a better dark room viewing experience, and has full Adobe RGB and DCI P3 coverage. On the other hand, the Acer has a better port selection, as its USB-C supports charging and DisplayPort Alt Mode.
Test Results
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