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MacBook Air (2020)
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Latitude 5431
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What we think

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The PerfectRec laptop team Learn more
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

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Screen Quality

7.5
MacBook Air (2020)
Latitude 5431
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.

Battery

15.0 Hours
MacBook Air (2020)
Latitude 5431
9.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Air has 15 hours of battery life. The Dell Latitude 5431 has 9 hours of battery life.

Portability

Very Good
MacBook Air (2020)
Latitude 5431
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
MacBook Air (2020)
Latitude 5431
7.4
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) has best in class build quality, while the Dell Latitude 5431 has good build quality.
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Key similarities

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General Use

7.6
MacBook Air (2020)
Latitude 5431
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.

Gaming and AI

6.2
MacBook Air (2020)
Latitude 5431
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.

Engineering and Design

7.3
MacBook Air (2020)
Latitude 5431
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.

Content Creation

7.8
MacBook Air (2020)
Latitude 5431
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.

Software Development

7.7
MacBook Air (2020)
Latitude 5431
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.

Cost

$1,000
MacBook Air (2020)
Latitude 5431
$950
Product imageProduct image

$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

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Spec Comparison

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Apple MacBook Air (2020)Dell Latitude 5431
Apple MacBook Air (2020)Dell Latitude 5431

GENERAL

Price
$1,000
$950
Release Date
November 1, 2020May 1, 2022
Overall Dimensions
12'' x 8.4'' x 0.63''12.7'' x 8.4'' x 0.96''
Weight
2.8 lbs3.3 lbs
Width
11.97"12.65"
Depth
8.36"8.35"

INTERNAL

Processor
Apple M1Intel i5-1250P
RAM
8 GB16 GB
DDR Memory Version
45
RAM Slots
02
Storage
256 GB256 GB

BATTERY

Battery Life
15 Hours9 Hours
Battery Capacity
49.9 Wh64 Wh

SCREEN

Diagonal Size
13.3"14"
Display Technology
IPSIPS
Resolution
2560 x 16001920 x 1080
Refresh Rate
60Hz60Hz
Display Brightness
395 nits241 nits

RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS

Build Quality Score
10/107.4/10
Portability Score
9/107.9/10
Gaming Laptop Appearance
NoNo
Premium Business Laptop
YesYes
Fan Noise Score
10/108/10

HARDWARE FEATURES

Keyboard Quality Score
9.5/107/10
Speaker Quality Score
9.5/108/10
Webcam
720p720p
Fingerprint Reader
YesNo
Backlit Keyboard
YesYes
Number Pad
NoNo

CONNECTIVITY

USB Type-A
02
USB-C ports
22
USB-C Charging
YesYes
Display Outputs
13
Thunderbolt Version
34

Shopping

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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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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.

By the numbers

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Laptops evaluated
48,640
Laptops stats compiled
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Proprietary Laptops ratings developed
116,295
Recommendations made
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About the laptop team

Joe Golden, Ph.D

CEO and Laptops Editor
Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.

Jason Lew

Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Jason is a staff expert and software engineer that has been making laptop recommendations for 7 years and moderates one of the largest laptop subreddits.

Chandradeep Chowdhury

Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Chandradeep is a staff expert and software engineer and expert in televisions and monitors. He’s been making monitor recommendations for ten years.

Craig Russell

Laptops Expert
Craig is a UK-based laptops expert. Craig works in IT, where he recommends and supports laptops and PCs for clients and has been recommending laptops on Reddit for five years.

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