If you prioritize high performance for gaming or engineering tasks and don't mind a heavier and bulkier device, the Acer Nitro 17 with its dedicated Nvidia graphics is a good choice, though its battery life is shorter, making it less portable. If mobility and longer battery life are more important to you, and your computing needs are more general, the lighter and fanless LG Ultra 16 with integrated AMD graphics would suit you well but note that it's less powerful for demanding applications and gaming. Give Feedback
this description is based on the product variant with some specs and product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars and the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Advantages of the Acer Nitro 17
Good for gaming and AI
Good overall display quality
Good overall build quality
Very good speakers
Good keyboard
Advantages of the LG Ultra 16
Good portability
Excellent battery life
Key differences
Gaming and AI
7.4/10
6.2/10
7.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
6.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
10.0/10
The Acer Nitro 17 is good for gaming and AI, while the LG Ultra 16 is only fair.
PerfectRec’s Gaming and AI Score strongly emphasizes graphics processing capability, while also taking into account other factors that impact suitability for gaming and AI work.
Engineering and Design
7.9/10
7.0/10
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.9/10
7.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Acer Nitro 17 and LG Ultra 16 are both good for engineering and design, though the Acer Nitro 17 is somewhat better.
The Acer Nitro 17 offers a potent combination for engineering and design, with strong processing power, ample memory, a dedicated graphics card, and a screen with high refresh rate and good color accuracy; however, its larger size and weight reduce its portability. In contrast, the LG Ultra 16, while also suitable for engineering and design with sufficient processing power and memory, emphasizes portability with a lighter build and a high-resolution screen, but trades off with integrated graphics and possibly lesser screen quality.
Screen Quality
7.4/10
6.2/10
17.3in
SIZE
16.0in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
280.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
270.0 nits
The Acer Nitro 17 has a better screen than the LG Ultra 16 for general use, gaming and AI, and engineering and design.
The Acer Nitro 17's good screen quality for general use and engineering stems from its sufficient resolution, brightness, and satisfactory color coverage, which enhance visual clarity and color fidelity, essential for detailed work such as design, but its screen falls short for gaming due to a lower refresh rate that can't deliver the smooth visuals preferred in fast-paced games. The LG Ultra 16 offers average screen quality across general use and engineering tasks as it balances decent resolution and brightness but lacks the wider color gamuts needed for precision in color-critical work. For gaming and 3D, both laptops aren't ideal because their screens don't reach high refresh rates, making them less suitable for the fluid motion demanded by these applications.
Battery
8.0 Hours
17.0 Hours
The Acer Nitro 17 has 8 hours of battery life. The LG Ultra 16 has 17 hours of battery life.
Battery life estimate is based on a mix of common use patterns. More portable and higher performing laptops tend to have less battery life.
Portability
Poor
Good
17.3in
SIZE
16.0in
6.8 lbs
WEIGHT
3.6 lbs
1.1in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The LG Ultra 16 has good portability, while the Acer Nitro 17 has poor portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.4/10
6.5/10
The Acer Nitro 17 has good build quality, while the LG Ultra 16 has only fair build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
The Acer Nitro 17 and LG Ultra 16 are both good for general use.
The Acer Nitro 17's powerful CPU and ample RAM make it suitable for a wide variety of tasks while its high-quality screen enhances the user experience; however, its larger size and potentially shorter battery life may limit portability compared to smaller laptops. The LG Ultra 16 also offers a strong CPU and sufficient RAM for general use, with the added benefits of a high-quality screen and greater portability due to its lighter weight and longer battery life, although it may have less storage and different keyboard and speaker qualities.
Content Creation
7.8/10
7.7/10
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.9/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Acer Nitro 17 and LG Ultra 16 are both good for content creation.
PerfectRec’s Content Creation Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for photo editing, video editing and other content creation tasks.
Software Development
7.4/10
7.5/10
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.9/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
6.7/10
The LG Ultra 16 and Acer Nitro 17 are both good for software development.
PerfectRec’s Software Development Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for software developers.
Cost
$970
$1,000
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
$1,600
The Acer Nitro 17 has a price of $970 and the LG Ultra 16 costs $1,000.
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How the Acer Nitro 17 and the LG Ultra 16 compare to other laptops
"The Acer Nitro 17 isn't an exceptional gaming laptop; it's kind of chunky even among 17.3-inch notebooks, with a lackluster keyboard, and it doesn't outperform comparably priced machines. But there's a lot to like about it, including a good array of ports, a screen that's sharp and bright for work and play alike, and battery life that soundly beats the competition. All this comes at an affordable price. If size and weight aren't big concerns, you'll find the Nitro 17 a dependable big-screen gaming rig. If you crave higher quality, consider a slight step down or up in screen size with the Lenovo Legion Slim 5 Gen 8 or Alienware m18 respectively."
"Unlike the gram, the Ultra PC isn't designed to be as lightweight as possible. The 16-inch laptop is a whole 400 g (0.88 lb) heavier than its 16-inch gram counterpart partly because its chassis is not made of magnesium. Other than that, the Ultra PC seems like a copy of the gram – but with longer battery life, lower noise levels, and a clean, delicate look."
Get a great deal on the Acer Nitro 17 or the LG Ultra 16
About Acer
Acer is a prominent Taiwanese electronics brand which makes a wide range of laptops, with multiple product lines catering to personal use, gaming, and business use. They are renowned for having exceptional value for money, as they frequently offer good specifications at a lower price than other manufacturers.
About LG
LG is a South Korean conglomerate company. While LG is mainly known for various products outside of technology, LG also develops laptops. Within the laptop industry, they are known for their thin-and-light Gram series, as well as their value-oriented Ultra series. LG laptops offer very thin and light laptops with phenomenal battery life, and are often on sale.
This information was produced and vetted by the PerfectRec laptops team. We are a product research and recommendation organization that meticulously reviews and evaluates the latest laptop information and makes it digestible for you.
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