The Apple MacBook Air (2020) is more expensive than the HP 17" Laptop, but it offers a higher-resolution screen and longer battery life, making it suitable for those who prioritize display quality and portability. However, the MacBook's smaller 13.3-inch screen may not be ideal for users who prefer a larger display for multitasking or media consumption, where the HP's 17.3-inch screen excels. The HP Laptop also has more storage and memory, which is beneficial for demanding tasks and storage-intensive applications. It runs Windows 11, which might be preferable for users familiar with or requiring Windows-specific software, unlike the MacBook that runs MacOS. The MacBook is lighter and has a higher portability score, making it a better choice for travel or work on the go. On the other hand, the HP's lower cost and a number pad on the keyboard could be deciding factors for budget-conscious users and those who frequently input numerical data. Give Feedback
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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 HP 17" Laptop
The HP 17" Laptop has no clear advantages over the Apple MacBook Air (2020).
Key differences
Content Creation
7.8/10
7.2/10
6.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.9/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) and HP 17" Laptop are both good for content creation, though the Apple MacBook Air (2020) is somewhat better.
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
7.1/10
6.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.9/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
6.0/10
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) and HP 17" Laptop are both good for software development, though the Apple MacBook Air (2020) is somewhat better.
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.
Screen Quality
7.5/10
6.6/10
13.3in
SIZE
17.3in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
395.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
287.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Air has a better screen than the HP 17" Laptop for general use, AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The MacBook Air, with its high-resolution display and bright panel, provides crisp and vibrant visuals, making it suitable for everyday tasks and professional design work, where color accuracy across different color gamuts is crucial. However, it lacks the high refresh rate needed for smooth 3D rendering. The HP 17" Laptop, with adequate resolution and brightness, offers a decent display for daily activities and some engineering tasks, but its color range may fall short for precise design work, and its screen has limitations for gaming and 3D due to a standard refresh rate.
Battery
15.0 Hours
5.5 Hours
The Apple MacBook Air has 15 hours of battery life. The HP 17" Laptop has 5.5 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
17.3in
2.8 lbs
WEIGHT
4.5 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.8in
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) has very good portability, while the HP 17" Laptop has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
10.0/10
6.0/10
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) has best in class build quality, while the HP 17" Laptop has only fair build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,000
$600
$200
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
$1,600
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) has a price of $1,000 and the HP 17" Laptop costs $600.
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) and HP 17" Laptop are both good for general use.
The MacBook Air (2020) with its Apple M1 processor and 8GB of RAM offers a balance of power and efficiency for general use, plus its high-resolution screen and lightweight design enhance portability and battery life. In contrast, the HP 17" Laptop with an AMD Ryzen 7 processor and 16GB of RAM provides a larger screen and more power which might be more suitable for multitasking, but it's heavier and has a shorter battery life, making it less portable.
Gaming and AI
6.2/10
6.2/10
3.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
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 HP 17" Laptop 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
7.3/10
6.8/10
6.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.9/10
3.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
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 HP 17" Laptop is only fair.
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) is better suited for design tasks due to its superior screen quality with higher resolution and color accuracy, while the HP 17" Laptop excels in engineering due to its larger RAM capacity and powerful CPU, but it’s heavier and less portable. The MacBook Air offers a better balance of portability and quiet operation, making it ideal for on-the-go work, whereas the HP's larger screen and numeric keypad might be more convenient for extensive numerical data entry and multitasking.
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How the Apple MacBook Air (2020) and the HP 17" Laptop 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."
"As far as starter laptops go, the HP Laptop 17 is a sound investment. Sure, it might not be the lightest of options, but what you get for the price is a well-rounded machine that fits multiple niches. Whether it be office duties that require you to multi-task between multiple programs, or study tasks in which you’ll spend hours browsing online, this laptop does it all. Plus, when it's time to unwind, you can watch your favorite shows or movies on a super-wide display. What's best of all is that you can do all this for about half a day on a single charge."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Air (2020) or the HP 17" Laptop
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 HP
HP, also known as Hewlett-Packard, is an American technology company that develops personal computers and computer peripherals. In the laptop industry, HP is known for its entry level Essential series laptops, its mid-range Pavilion, Envy, and Victus series, and high-end Omen and Spectre series, in addition to its business-oriented EliteBook, ProBook, and Dragonfly series laptops. HP laptops generally undercut other mainstream competitors in terms of price, placing itself as the value-oriented mainstream brand.
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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Laptops evaluated
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22,468
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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.