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Updated January 12, 2024·
To choose between the Apple MacBook Air (2020) and the Dell Latitude 5431, consider your primary needs. The MacBook Air offers a sleek design and is lightweight, making it highly portable for everyday tasks and creating a seamless Apple ecosystem experience if you use other Apple devices. However, if your work involves engineering software or you require more robust hardware customization options, the Dell Latitude 5431, while potentially less portable due to its design, might deliver better performance for these tasks. The Dell is also more versatile for corporate IT environments due to its Windows operating system, making it preferable for business applications. Keep in mind that the MacBook Air typically offers longer battery life, which is beneficial if you're frequently mobile. If cost is a significant factor and the MacBook Air is available at a lower price, it represents a good value for general use and multimedia consumption, provided that the slight dip in performance compared to the Dell is acceptable for your usage. 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 Apple MacBook Air (2020)
- Good for engineering and design
- Good overall display quality
- Best in class overall build quality
- Very good portability
- Excellent battery life
- Best in class speakers
- Best in class keyboard
Advantages of the Dell Latitude 5431
- The Dell Latitude 5431 has no clear advantages over the Apple MacBook Air (2020).
Key differences
Screen Quality
7.5
6.1
13.3in
SIZE
14.0in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
395.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
241.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Air has a better screen than the Dell Latitude 5431 for general use, AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The Apple MacBook Air, with its high-resolution Retina display, provides crisp, vibrant visuals and sufficient brightness that make it attractive for everyday tasks and professional design work, along with wide color gamuts to ensure accuracy for engineering and design professionals. However, its standard refresh rate limits its suitability for 3D applications which benefit from faster screen updates. In contrast, the Dell Latitude's fair screen quality suggests it offers competent but not exceptional resolution and brightness for general use, and lacks the wider color range and top-tier display features that are favored in engineering and design, while also falling short in refresh rate for gaming and 3D tasks.
Battery
15.0 Hours
9.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Air has 15 hours of battery life. The Dell Latitude 5431 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
14.0in
2.8 lbs
WEIGHT
3.3 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) has very good portability, while the Dell Latitude 5431 has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
10.0
7.4
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) has best in class build quality, while the Dell Latitude 5431 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
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Key similarities
General Use
7.6
7.5
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
395.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
241.0 nits
15.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
9.0 Hours
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
8.9/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.8/10
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) and Dell Latitude 5431 are both good for general use.
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) is favored for general use due to its superior screen quality, excellent battery life, and very high portability, along with a capable CPU and ample RAM for everyday tasks. In contrast, the Dell Latitude 5431 offers a higher RAM capacity which may enhance performance in multitasking, has decent portability, and also includes features suitable for business use, such as better connectivity options and robust heat management, despite having a slightly less impressive screen and battery life.
Gaming and AI
6.2
6.2
3.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.7/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
10.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
8.0/10
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) and Dell Latitude 5431 are both only fair for gaming and AI.
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
7.3
6.9
6.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.1/10
3.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.7/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Apple MacBook Air (2020) to be good for engineering and design, while the Dell Latitude 5431 is only fair.
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) is appreciated for engineering and design due to its superior screen quality with higher resolution and color accuracy, as well as the efficiency of the Apple M1 chip, which delivers good performance for CPU-intensive tasks within a silent, fanless design.
Content Creation
7.8
7.4
6.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.1/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) and Dell Latitude 5431 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
7.3
6.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.1/10
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 Dell Latitude 5431 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
$1,000
$950
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
$1,600
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) has a price of $1,000 and the Dell Latitude 5431 costs $950.
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How the Apple MacBook Air (2020) and the Dell Latitude 5431 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Apple MacBook Air (2020) | Dell Latitude 5431 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$1,000 | $950 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | November 1, 2020 | May 1, 2022 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 12'' x 8.4'' x 0.63'' | 12.7'' x 8.4'' x 0.96'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 2.8 lbs | 3.3 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 11.97" | 12.65" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 8.36" | 8.35" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Apple M1 | Intel i5-1250P | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 8 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 4 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 256 GB | 256 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 15 Hours | 9 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 49.9 Wh | 64 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 13.3" | 14" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 2560 x 1600 | 1920 x 1080 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 60Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 395 nits | 241 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 10/10 | 7.4/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 9/10 | 7.9/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | No | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | Yes | Yes | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 10/10 | 8/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 9.5/10 | 7/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 9.5/10 | 8/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 720p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | Yes | No | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | No | No | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 0 | 2 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 2 | 2 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 1 | 3 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | 3 | 4 | |
Shopping
Apple MacBook Air (2020)
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Andreas Osthoff | July 2022
"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."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Air (2020) or the Dell Latitude 5431
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 Dell
Dell is a highly recognizable American technology company, and is one of the largest personal computer vendor by market share. Their laptops are very popular for both personal and professional use, and they also own the Alienware brand which makes mid to high end gaming laptops. Their premium XPS range of laptops offer great build quality and portability, while Latitude and Precision laptops are known for reliability, repairability and performance for business users.
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Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
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Chandradeep is a staff expert and software engineer and expert in televisions and monitors. He’s been making monitor recommendations for ten years.
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