For everyday use, the Apple MacBook Air is more portable, offers longer battery life, and operates silently due to its fanless design. With its higher-quality build and better keyboard, it's excellent for general productivity and media consumption, especially if you're integrated into the Apple ecosystem.
If you need a laptop for more demanding tasks like 3D rendering, engineering software, or gaming, the ASUS TUF Dash 15 is a stronger performer with its dedicated Nvidia graphics and newer Intel processor. While it is heavier and has a shorter battery life, the ASUS provides a larger screen and extra ports, including Ethernet, which is useful for a gaming or workstation setup. Give Feedback
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Advantages of the Apple MacBook Air (2020)
Best in class overall build quality
Very good portability
Excellent battery life
Best in class speakers
Best in class keyboard
Advantages of the ASUS TUF Dash 15
Good for gaming and AI
Key differences
Gaming and AI
6.2/10
7.4/10
3.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.0/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
10.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The ASUS TUF Dash 15 is good for gaming and AI, while the Apple MacBook Air (2020) is only fair.
The ASUS TUF Dash 15 is better for gaming and 3D tasks due to its higher refresh rate display and dedicated Nvidia RTX 3060 graphics, which provide smoother visuals and better rendering capabilities for games and 3D applications. In contrast, the Apple MacBook Air (2020) has a lower refresh rate and an integrated GPU, limiting its 3D performance and game compatibility, especially because many popular games aren't available on macOS.
Screen Quality
7.5/10
7.0/10
13.3in
SIZE
15.6in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
395.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
272.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Air has a better screen than the ASUS TUF Dash 15 for general use, engineering and design, and software development, while the ASUS TUF Dash 15 has a better screen for gaming and AI.
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) offers a Retina display with high resolution and brightness, suitable for general use, and supports wide color gamut making it favorable for engineering and design, but its standard refresh rate is less ideal for 3D applications that benefit from higher refresh rates. The ASUS TUF Dash 15 also provides a high-resolution display with ample brightness for general tasks and covers enough of the color spectrum to satisfy engineering and design needs, yet for gaming and 3D work, its standard refresh rate doesn't match the smoother visuals experienced with displays that have higher refresh rates. Both laptops strike a balance between visual fidelity for professional work and general activities, but neither is optimized for the high-refresh demands of 3D content and gaming.
Battery
15.0 Hours
9.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Air has 15 hours of battery life. The ASUS TUF Dash 15 has 9 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
Very Good
Good
13.3in
SIZE
15.6in
2.8 lbs
WEIGHT
4.4 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.8in
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) has very good portability, while the ASUS TUF Dash 15 has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
10.0/10
7.4/10
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) has best in class build quality, while the ASUS TUF Dash 15 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,000
$1,150
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
$1,600
$1,800
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) has a price of $1,000 and the ASUS TUF Dash 15 costs $1,150.
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) and ASUS TUF Dash 15 are both good for general use.
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) excels in portability with a lightweight design and strong battery life, while its high-quality screen and silent operation make it ideal for general use. In contrast, the ASUS TUF Dash 15 offers a larger screen and more powerful CPU and GPU, making it suitable for more demanding applications, but it does so at the cost of being heavier with a shorter battery life.
Engineering and Design
7.3/10
7.8/10
6.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.7/10
3.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.0/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The ASUS TUF Dash 15 and Apple MacBook Air (2020) are both good for engineering and design.
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) with its Apple M1 chip offers efficient CPU performance and integrated graphics suitable for design tasks, complemented by a high-quality Retina display with wide color coverage, while being lightweight and virtually silent, thereby enhancing portability and minimizing distractions. The ASUS TUF Dash 15, on the other hand, stands out for engineering uses with a powerful Intel i7 CPU, dedicated Nvidia RTX 3060 GPU for demanding graphics work, a larger screen with a high refresh rate, though it is heavier and might have more audible operating noise.
Content Creation
7.8/10
7.6/10
6.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.7/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) and ASUS TUF Dash 15 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
7.7/10
7.4/10
6.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.7/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) and ASUS TUF Dash 15 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.
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How the Apple MacBook Air (2020) and the ASUS TUF Dash 15 compare to other laptops
"The Apple MacBook Air M2 Entry is a very good, but too expensive daily MacBook. The new MacBook Air M2 is undoubtedly once again a very good mobile companion, but we are still a little bit disappointed on a very high level, which is definitely connected with the increased price point. The new chassis is extremely slim and the front edge is no problem during typing, but the bezels are pretty wide for a modern device and in addition with the vertical space required for the notch, the new Air has larger footprint than some Windows rivals."
"The Asus TUF Dash F15 FX517ZR is a laptop with mobile RTX 3070 and acceptable battery life. The Asus TUF Dash F15 was made for high-performance applications like video editing, rendering, and gaming. The laptop can manage the latter in QHD resolution and at high to maximum settings. However, the focus isn't on maximum performance, but instead, it's about a compromise between performance and portability."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Air (2020) or the ASUS TUF Dash 15
About Apple
Apple, an American technology company, is one of the world’s largest company in terms of market capitalization. Their MacBook laptops feature a slim, minimalistic design, class-leading battery life, and premium display and speaker quality. In 2020 Apple switched from using Intel processors to their own silicon chips which have excellent performance and efficiency. The macOS operating system is the second most widely used OS, after Windows.
About ASUS
ASUS, a Taiwanese electronics brand, is one of the largest personal computer vendor by market share. The majority of their laptops are targeted towards personal use or gaming. Their most popular product lines include the budget-friendly VivoBook, more premium ZenBook, and their TUF and ROG gaming laptops, the latter of which has a reputation for excellent gaming performance.
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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