SEPTEMBER 2020 PCWorld 55Acer Spin 3 SP314-54N-58Q7
PROS- Performance is generally average for a budget PC.
- A nicely integrated stylus.
- Decent price.
CONS - Lots of bloatware.
- Webcam image quality is a little flat.
BOTTOM LINE
The Acer Spin 3 is a budget laptop with a few
surprisingly nice features: An integrated stylus, a
Thunderbolt port, and Wi-Fi 6. Even if its
performance is average, those bonuses help it
stand out.
$649
it stopped a bit short of full design capacity,
charging to just 45.9W). Its battery life of just
under nine hours will get you through a full
day’s work. However, other modern laptops
are doing far better.
BOTTOM LINE
For a budget laptop that’s largely middle-of-
the-road, the Acer Spin 3 still manages to
stand out because of several forward-looking
features. The Thunderbolt port, the
integrated stylus, and the Wi-Fi 6 antenna are
things you won’t find on many other models
in its price range.
You do have options. You could pay $30
more to buy the Acer Swift 3 SF314-42-R9YN
(go.pcworld.com/
r9yn), which is both
lighter and faster.
(My gut says that
AMD Ryzen
4000-powered
laptops will be the
budget laptop
story of 2020.) Or if
battery life is your
priority, Lenovo’s
Yoga C740-14IML
(go.pcworld.
com/14ml)
excels—and it’s also
more expensive. If
you shop around
and still end up
with the Acer Spin 3, though, you shouldn’t
be disappointed.