Acer Spin 3 vs. Spin 5 Best Convertible Laptop in 2024

Acer has introduced two renewed versions – the Acer Spin 5 and Acer Spin 3. Generally, the Acer spin models are affordable 2-in-1 models with decent hardware, lightweight features, slim bezels, as well as thin profile.

These new models are similar in design but even lighter and slimmer than their predecessors. They also come with the powerful Intel Iris graphic card.

Both the new Acer spin 3 and the Acer 5 have similar features, but they also have some differences. With their similarity comes the headache of choosing one over the other: which is the best Acer Spin 3 vs. Spin 5.

Choosing Acer spin 3 vs Spin 5

If you want to select between Acer Spin 3 and Acer Spin 5, you may not be able to differentiate them based on design. But the individual components and features are slightly different. Let’s find out their differences to help you choose the ideal one for you.

Spin 3 vs Spin 5 – features

Both the Acer Spin 3 and 5 have common features, which includes HDMI 2.0 ports with HDCP support, additional thunderbolt 3 ports, firmware TPM solution,  4,096 pressure levels, fast charge, 4-cell batteries that can last for up to 15 hours, optional backlit keyboard, and Acer TrueHarmony audio.

But while Spin comes with 8th generation Intel Core i5 processor, the Spin 3 is equipped with 7th generation Intel Core i5 processor. Another difference is the 3.1 GHz for Acer Spin 3 against the 3.4GHz for Spin 5.

They both have the same memory bd storage capacity, with each having 8 GB DDR4 memories and 256GB SSD.

In terms of size, Acer Spin 5 is slightly smaller with 13.3-inches against the 14-inches of Spin 3.

Acer Spin 3 vs Spin 5 – Design

Both the Spin 5 and 3 models share some design similarities such as aluminum chassis, weight, and other external enhancements. But they are also different in many ways.

Acer Spin 5 is mostly built out of plastic and the laptop feels a bit chubby compared to Acer Spin 3. It doesn’t mean Spin 5 is not slim, but it’s wider than Spin 3.

So, if you have been a regular user of normal laptops, you will still find both Spin 5 and Spin 3 very compact and good looking.

For Spin 5, the lid is covered in aluminum, which makes it very durable. The main case of the laptop has a textured finishing, which mimics a brushed metal to some extent. Some parts of the interior are also based on the same material, which is also found around the keys and on the armrest. Although the textured finishing doesn’t make it look very appealing, it prevents it from getting scratches easily.

On the other hand, the Acer Spin 3 laptop is an entry-level convertible option, and most of the exterior is made of plastic, just like the Spin 5.

The textured plastic looks nice, as well as the keyboard flex, the bottom, and the screen of the laptop. Acer 3 is a fairly designed laptop as the textured plastic looks nice and solid enough to deal with daily tasks. With the Silva finishing on this one, it makes it a bit more attractive than the Spin 5 model.

You are also getting a fairly practical laptop with this one. It comes with rubber feet at the bottom, which offers a strong grip on the desk. Besides, this model comes with a spacious palm rest, making it practically more comfortable.

With the Acer 3, you don’t have to worry about corners or sharp edges around the system.

Both the Acer Spin 5 and Acer Spin 3 have the same weight at 3.1 lbs. If portability is one of your main concern, you should find out other features here that would separate them because both of them have similar weight.

And just like the Acer Spin 5, you can use this laptop as a tablet as well as a laptop. That is one of the reasons why Spin laptops have become increasingly popular.

Acer Spin 3 vs Spin 5 – Keyboard and trackpad

In terms of design and feel, the keyboard on the Acer Spin 5 is great. However, the keys have short travel and usually shallow. But the Acer Spin 3 has a longer travel, which may be good if you are used to keyboards with these types of travel.

The keys of Acer 3 are also stiff with a strong level of resistance. It also types fairly quiet, accurate, and fast.

Both the Spin 5 and Spin 3 keyboards are backlit, and you have the option of two intensity levels.

The Acer Spin 3 comes with a standard chiclet keyboard, with well-spaced keys and regular keyboard layout. However, the keys on this one have a shirt stroke and are rather mushy. And just like the Acer Spin 5 keyboard, this one also has shallow keys. That’s the kind of keyboards you will see on ultra-thin laptops these days, so you need to get used to these keys if you ever want to use a thin laptop.

Unfortunately, the Acer Spin 3 does not come with a backlighting feature, which is ever-present with the Acer Spin 5 model. Another downside of the laptop is the fairly noisy keyboard. This could raise some eyebrows when you are using it in a quiet environment.

However, just like the Spin 5 model, this one comes with plastic clickpad, and handles palm-rejection, taps, gestures, and swiped actions well enough.

Acer Spin 3 vs Spin 5 – Screen

When it comes to screen size, the Acer Spin 3 is a bit larger. It has a screen size of 14-inches while Acer Spin 5 comes with a 13.3-inch screen size.

Both have a touch-enabled IPS panel, which offers convenience and ease of use.

 Acer Spin 5 has about 200 display nits, which may not be bright enough to use in bright environments or outdoors. However, if you’re going to use the system mostly indoors, then the deem display won’t be much of a problem. In terms of contrast, Acer Spin 5 is great in that area with deep contrast you will love.

The Acer Spin 3 display is also deem, which means you will also struggle to get a good view when used outdoors.

But Spin 3 screen is bright enough to help you enjoy your laptop. It has contrast at maximum brightness of 730:1, measured gamma at 2:2, 51% AdobeRGB, 49% NTSC, and 66% sRGB.

Acer Spin 3 vs Spin 5 – Connectivity, heat, and speakers

A solid laptop should have a top temperature control feature. The Acer Spin 5 and Spin 3 offer a good temperature control level, although there are some other laptops with better levels.

Both laptops have fans in the internals as well as a small heatpipe. However, the temperature control is not the best out there. Actually, the laptop is designed to handle multitasking and general everyday tasks. So, you shouldn’t expect them to go unusually higher than what their small fans can handle.

In terms of connections, both systems also have similar connection features, with a decent wireless performance for video streaming and browsing.

Also, the speakers are loud enough for Acer’s slim built. While Acer Spin 5 offers 74 DB at head levels, Acer Spin 5 offers high 90 DB.

Acer Spin 3 vs Spin 5 – performance

In terms of hardware, both the Acer Spin 5 and Acer Spin 3 share similar features. As we have mentioned before, the Acer Spin 5 has 8GB DDR4 RAM, the same as Spin 3.

However, while Spin 3 boasts of 3.1GHz, Spin 5 offers better frequency at 3.4GHz. With the slightly higher frequency, the Spin 5 may offer better in terms of speed and performance. However, you may not easily notice the difference even when you are using both systems side by side.

Since both offer 256GB SSD and 8GB RAM each, you will probably select either of them, if your main priority is the storage capacity.

In terms of performance, both Spin 5 and Spin 3 offers superior performance on a wide range of tasks. If you are going to use the system for multitasking, either of the systems will serve.

Frequently asked questions

The following are answers to the most common questions about Acer Spin 3 vs Spin 5: