We made a list of the best Acer laptops for fans of the brand. You can trust us to give you the best recommendations because we’ve thoroughly tested and reviewed each laptop on this page, so we have a very good idea which Acer laptops are worth your hard-earned money.

Acer is known for its wide selection of laptops, ranging from sleek ultraportables or beefy gaming laptops. And don’t worry if you’re shopping on a budget, Acer has plenty of notebooks that offer big value for a small price.

What is the best Acer laptop?

If you ask us, the best Acer laptop is the Acer Swift 3 with the AMD Ryzen 7 4700u CPU. If you’re looking for a high-performing laptop with more than 11 hours of battery life, but is less than $700, the Acer Swift 3 with the AMD Ryzen 7 processor would be the best option for you. However, the Swift 3’s display came up a little dim during our lab testing, so if you prefer a brilliant panel, there are other options you should consider. But if having a super-bright screen isn’t a necessity, the Acer Swift 3 is definitely one of the best Acer laptops you can buy.

Another laptop that earned the best Acer laptop status is Swift 5. It’s got a bright, vivid display and passable battery life. And at the time we reviewed the laptop, it was touted as the lightest 15.6-inch laptop.

Here are the best Acer laptops so far for 2020

1. Acer Swift 7 (2019)
2. Acer Aspire 5
3. Acer Predator Triton 500
4. Acer Nitro 5
5. Acer Spin 3
6. Acer Chromebook Spin 15 CP 315-1H
7. Acer Swift 5
8. Acer Travelmate P6 P614

1. Acer Swift 7 (2019)

Acer continues to push the boundaries of laptop design in every direction. Just like its predecessors, this year’s Swift 7 has an impossibly thin chassis that you’ll want to show to all of your friends. And while portability is the highlight of the Swift 7, this attractive laptop also offers a beautiful 14-inch display and surprisingly long battery life. Don’t let the slimness fool, this laptop is far from a gimmick.

2. Acer Aspire 5

Just because you can’t spring for a premium laptop doesn’t mean you should settle for less. Meet the Acer Aspire 5: A budget laptop that offers strong Intel Core i3 performance, a bright 15.6-inch display, and long battery life. If you’re looking to buy a premium-looking laptop with solid performance on the cheap, the Aspire 5 is the way to go.

3. Acer Predator Triton 500

Acer may have the thin-and-light game on lock. With the Predator Triton 500, gamers get a seriously portable system that offers a great mix of graphics and overall power. And thanks to the Turbo option, you can squeeze even more power out of the GPU. In addition to that aggressive svelteness, you get a solid display and a comfortable keyboard.

4. Acer Nitro 5

The Acer Nitro 5 is an ideal option for a casual or entry-level gamer. The notebook is equipped with a powerful 9th Gen i5 CPU, capable GTX 1650, and slick design, all for under $1,000. The laptop runs games remarkably well and stays cool while doing so. We’re also impressed with the abundant port selection. This machine’s plastic body is a bit chunky, but the 9th Gen Core i5 processor and Nvidia GTX 1650 GPU more than make up for the chassis.

5. Acer Spin 3

This marks the first time the Acer Spin 3 gets an Intel Core i7 CPU and it makes good use of the added power. It also has a responsive touch screen, a speedy SSD, and a fairly comfortable keyboard. And it keeps its cool during heavy multitasking projects. Students and professionals alike will find the Spin 3 to be a solid buy.

6. Acer Chromebook Spin 15 CP 315-1H

The Acer Chromebook Spin 15 CP315 looks to melds the simplicity of a Chromebook without sacrificing a big screen or a convertible 2-in-1 design. With a strong selection of ports, good-for-the-price performance and a lot of battery life, the Spin 15 gives big laptops a good name. One of the faster budget Chromebooks, the Spin 15 should definitely be at the top of your list.

 

7. Acer Swift 5

Acer took what it learned from making uber-slim, lightweight laptops and applied it to the Swift 5, creating the lightest 15-inch laptop ever. To hold the 2.2-pound system in your hand is a mind-boggling experience. But the Swift 5 is more than a barely-there chassis, bringing a  vibrant 1080p display and solid battery life to the party. You also get a solid performance from the Core i5 CPU and integrated graphics. If you’re looking for the ultimate in portability, you’ll be hard-pressed to beat the Acer Swift 5.

8. Acer TravelMate P6 P614

With the TravelMate P6, Acer has crafted a stylish notebook with a bright display, fast performance, and a good selection of ports. This extremely lightweight laptop has a good 1080p display and offers an optional discrete graphics card. The TravelMate P6 holds up surprisingly well against our favorite business laptops and should be seriously considered as an alternative to the ThinkPad X1 Carbon

9. Acer Swift 3 (2020, AMD Ryzen 7 4700U)

The Acer Swift 3, the one with the AMD Ryzen 7 4700U CPU, blew us away with its overall performance on our Geekbench 5.0 benchmark. Not only did the Acer Swift 3 outdo the laptops within its price range, but it also outperformed some top-tier, premium laptops such as the Dell XPS 13.

The Acer Swift 3 also has a good battery life. You’ll get more than 11 hours from the Acer Swift 3, which will last you a whole day. Equipped with a powerful CPU and great battery life, the Acer Swift 3 will only set you back $649, which is totally unheard of nowadays. However, for the price, you’ll have to sacrifice having a brilliant screen because the Acer Swift 3 has a dim display.

Still, the Acer Swift 3 will give you a lot of bang for your buck. We highly recommend it.

How we test for the best Acer laptops

To evaluate whether a laptop is worth your hard-earned money, we run industry-standard benchmarks such as Geekbench for overall performance and 3DMark for graphics. We also run a variety of real-world tests that we’ve developed in our in-house labs. This includes the Laptop Mag Battery Test, which surfs the web at 150 nits of brightness until a laptop runs out of juice, as well as a custom spreadsheet test that measures a laptop’s processing power. For more on our process, see this page on how we test laptops.

How to find the best Acer laptop

There are several things you should consider when shopping for the best Acer laptop: here’s a good breakdown so that you can be armed with the best information before taking the plunge in buying a laptop.

What’s your budget?

Typically, the more money you spend, the more powerful your laptop will be. The build quality will be better, and the display, battery life, and performance will likely be more impressive. However, there are some diamonds in the rough.

Do you want a 2-in-1 or a clamshell?

With a 2-in-1, you get to enjoy the luxuries of having both a laptop and a tablet. You can enjoy the display’s touchscreen features, and in some cases, you can use a stylus to add a new layer of fun. However, if you want a lower price and stronger-performing internals, you’ll be better off with a traditional laptop.

How much battery life do you need?

Let’s face it long battery life is awesome! Nothing is worse than your laptop dying on you too quickly. Now if you’re a homebody or you’re tied to a desk all day, maybe battery life is something you can sacrifice. But if you’re an on-the-go traveler, definitely consider laptops with long battery lives.