The best Acer laptops in July 2023

Three of the best Acer laptops on an orange background
(Image credit: Future)

If you're looking for the best Acer laptops, you're in the right place. Acer makes some of the best gaming laptops around and is known for its high-spec, powerful machines that will work well for anything from creative to business and general use needs.

We've looked at the value, design, and specs of the Acer laptops in this guide to help you choose which laptop is best for you. Based on our own expert reviews and benchmark tests as well as customer reviews and general market research, we've identified which laptops are best for different uses.

Of course, you might decide Acer laptops aren't for you; if so, check out our picks of the best laptops for video editing and the best laptops for programming.

The best Acer laptops available today

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acer predator triton 500

(Image credit: Future)

01. Acer Predator Triton 500

The best Acer laptop overall

Specifications

CPU: Corei7-10750H
Graphics: Nvidia RTX 2070 Super
RAM: up to 32GB
Screen: 15.6" Full HD (1920 x 1080) widescreen LED-backlit IPS display
Storage: 256GB – 512GB SSD

Reasons to buy

+
Fantastic specs
+
Great display
+
Very slick

Reasons to avoid

-
Battery life runs short
-
Expensive

This absolute powerhouse is fantastic at handling heavy-load tasks, thanks to its fantastic specs. Featuring a 10th-generation Intel CPU and an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 2080 SUPER graphics card, it's great not only for gaming but also handling power-intensive software.

It's also great for creative work, thanks to its Full HD 15.6” LED-backlit IPS display, making it a great choice for colour-sensitive work. Despite all of these excellent specs, it's surprisingly lightweight, and therefore our favourite all-rounder Acer laptop.

The Acer Chromebook 314, one of the best student laptops, on a desk

(Image credit: Future)
The best budget Acer laptop

Specifications

CPU: Intel Celeron N4000
Graphics: Intel UHD Graphics 600
RAM: 4GB
Screen: 14-inch LED (1366 x 768) high definition
Storage: 32GB eMMC

Reasons to buy

+
Excellent battery life and performance
+
Bright, crisp screen

Reasons to avoid

-
No touchscreen
-
No fingerprint reader

Despite being a very affordable laptop, the Acer Chromebook 314 still packs a punch, and it's a great choice for general use, as well as for students and workers. It's got a decent 12 hours of battery life and a 14-inch display, but you might need some external or portable storage to compensate for its minimal 32GB eMMC storage.

It's a Chromebook, meaning it's a bit more limited in terms of software availability, but it's still pretty powerful and can still handle some more basic creative apps, and has a good variety of ports for different peripherals.

See our in-depth
Acer Chromebook 314 review for more details.

Acer ConceptD 7 Ezel

(Image credit: Future)
The best premium Acer laptop

Specifications

CPU: Intel Core i7-10875H (8-core)
Graphics: Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070
RAM: 16GB - 32GB
Screen: 15.6-inch, 4K, 400 nits, IPS LCD
Storage: 1TB SSD

Reasons to buy

+
Fantastic 4K screen
+
Clever dual-hinge ergonomics
+
Quality engineering

Reasons to avoid

-
Heavy and not hugely portable
-
Last-gen Intel processor
-
Mediocre battery life

While its unique form seems like it might be all style and no substance, it actually works really well in the Acer ConceptD 7 Ezel Pro, enabling a huge range of ergonomic options that creatives will love. 

This does mean that a lot of its value for money is spent on design rather than specs, but such is the price of reshaping the clamshell form factor. It's not the first laptop to attempt this dual-hinge display format, but it does do it particularly well, and even comes with a Wacom EMR input pen, making it fantastic for productivity or creatives like photo editors and digital artists.

Read our full Acer ConceptD Ezel Pro review.

An Acer Chromebook Spin 514 sitting on a wooden table

(Image credit: Future / Ian Dean)
The best 2-in-1 Acer laptop

Specifications

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3500U
Graphics: AMD Radeon Graphics shared memory
RAM: 8GB
Screen: 35.6 cm (14") Full HD (1920 x 1080) 16:9 Touchscreen
Storage: 128GB Flash memory

Reasons to buy

+
Fast and reliable performance
+
Large 14-inch FHD touchscreen
+
Sturdy aluminium frame

Reasons to avoid

-
Flash memory rather than SSD

This is another affordable option from Acer, but it's among the best 2-in-1 laptops available now, especially for digital creatives, further evidenced in that it comes with its own stylus.

The Spin Acer 5 is somewhat of an oddity with its 3:2 aspect ratio (versus standard widescreen 16:9), meaning its 13.5-inch screen actually grants more vertical space for drawing than some of the alternatives. It feels a little flimsy, but otherwise is pretty well equipped for portable use, with a 12-hour battery life and rapid charging.

Read our full Acer Chromebook Spin 514 review for the full lowdown.

A black Acer Swift Edge 16 laptop sitting on a garden table

(Image credit: Future / Ian Evenden)
The best lightweight Acer laptop

Specifications

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 6800U
Graphics: AMD Radeon Graphics 680M
RAM: 16GB
Screen: 16in OLED, 3840x2400
Storage: 1TB

Reasons to buy

+
Thin and light
+
Looks great
+
Decent processor

Reasons to avoid

-
No Windows Hello
-
Average battery life
-
Reflective screen

The Acer Swift Edge 16 is a lightweight and portable laptop with a strong CPU, ample RAM, and a vibrant 16-inch OLED screen. It performs well with creative software and multitasking, making it a capable tool for on-the-go image editing and multitasking. While it does lack the graphics power for intense gaming or heavy 3D tasks, this stripped-back hardware paired with its aluminium-magnesium alloy frame contributes to its exceptional lightness. 

It also boasts fast USB 4 ports and ample internal storage. However, the cooling system and built-in speakers are not as robust as desired, but these limitations are mainly relevant to power users or those who rely on laptop speakers. Overall, the Acer Swift Edge 16 is a solid all-rounder with a few standout features.

For more information, read our full Acer Swift Edge 16 review.

Acer Chromebook 516 GE review; a gaming laptop on a coffee table with an Xbox controller

(Image credit: Future)
The best Acer Chromebook for gaming

Specifications

CPU: 12th Gen Intel Core i5, 1.70 GHz / 4.4 GHz (12th Gen Intel Core i7 P-series also available)
Graphics: Intel Iris Xe graphics
RAM: 8 - 16GB
Screen: 16-inches (2560 x 1600), 16:10, 350 nits, 120Hz refresh rate
Storage: 256GB NVMe SSD

Reasons to buy

+
Wonderful 120Hz display
+
Fast and powerful spec
+
Good for gaming and everyday use

Reasons to avoid

-
Needs speedy broadband

This powerful laptop is designed for AAA gaming, offering impressive performance and a stunning 16-inch, 120Hz display, Intel 12th-Gen i5 processor and compatibility with platforms like Xbox Game Pass, Nvidia GeForce Now, and Amazon Luna+... but it's a Chromebook?! Counterintuitive, we know, but it's designed especially for cloud-based gaming; this does mean it needs a reliable and fast WiFi connection to make the most of its capabilities.

While its primary focus is gaming, it also excels in everyday tasks and video streaming, making it one of the top Chromebooks currently available – all for a pretty affordable price.

Read our full Acer Chromebook 516 GE review for more insight.

Acer Chromebook Vero 514 review; a laptop in a wooden table with its screen open

(Image credit: Future)
The best Acer 2-in-1 Chromebook

Specifications

CPU: Intel Core i7-1255U
Graphics: Intel Iris Xe Graphics
RAM: 8 - 16GB
Screen: 14-inches (1,920 by 1,080)
Storage: 128GB SSD

Reasons to buy

+
You're saving the planet
+
A very stylish Chromebook
+
Speedy performance

Reasons to avoid

-
Speakers are a little weak

Overall, the Acer Chromebook Vero 514 is a recommended choice for daily tasks, especially if you want a laptop that stands out from the crowd; it's made from post-consumer recycled materials, it features a 14-inch Full HD display, 12th generation Intel Core i3-1235U, 8GB RAM, and 128GB SSD storage. 

While it lacks 2-in-1 flexibility, its performance is zippy. ChromeOS has made significant improvements, offering a virtual desktop and seamless compatibility with apps like Xbox Game Pass.

For further insights, check our Acer Chromebook Vero 514 review.

Why should I buy an Acer laptop?

Acer laptops are known to be very powerful, especially when it comes to gaming laptops. It's not just gaming laptops, though; Acer makes pretty much everything you can imagine from 2-in-1 machines to lightweight models.

They also tend to offer brilliant value for money, with some laptops being far more on the affordable end of the spectrum than some of the competition. More generally, they're a reliable and reputable brand we tend to trust with our money.

Acer has been especially prolific in introducing inventive and capable Chromebooks in recent years, and offers many of our favourite Chromebooks right now, so if you like the Chrome OS environment, Acer should really be your first port of call at the moment.

How should I choose the best Acer laptop for me?

Before diving into choosing the best Acer laptop, you'll want to figure out a few important things.

First off, you'll need to decide on a budget. Acer does some brilliant and affordable laptops, but also some much more premium powerhouses that come at a price. 

Next, think about what you'll be using it for mostly; if it's for gaming, for example you'll need a machine with a powerful GPU and CPU, a decent display and a good amount of RAM. Creatives will want a laptop with a large and high-quality display, preferably OLED, with a good colour gamut and a good processor, on the other hand. 

Josephine Watson
Managing Editor for Lifestyle

Josephine Watson (@JosieWatson) is an experienced tech journalist with experience writing on a variety of topics from pop culture to gaming and even the energy industry. She is the Managing Editor of Lifestyle on CreativeBloq's sister site, TechRadar, overseeing the Lifestyle vertical (Cameras, Home and Wellness) and How-To's, where she can be found writing across multiple channels including computing, software, homes and gaming.