The Apple MacBook Air (2020) is better for on-the-go usage, with its lightweight design and higher battery efficiency, while the HP Omen 16 offers more power and higher storage, suited for gaming and intensive tasks. The MacBook Air operates silently and uses macOS, perfect for those ingrained in the Apple ecosystem, while the Omen 16 has a more robust cooling system, a gaming-oriented keyboard with RGB lighting, and Windows 11, which could be more familiar to PC users. The MacBook is cheaper, but if you need more performance and features for gaming or demanding applications, the higher-priced HP Omen 16 may be worth the extra cost. 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)
Best in class overall build quality
Very good portability
Excellent battery life
Best in class speakers
Best in class keyboard
Advantages of the HP Omen 16
Very good for engineering and design
Very good for gaming and AI
Key differences
Gaming and AI
6.2/10
8.0/10
3.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.5/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
10.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.0/10
The HP Omen 16 is very good for gaming and AI, while the Apple MacBook Air (2020) is only fair.
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) has a lower-tier integrated GPU and a standard refresh rate screen which makes it fair for 3D tasks, while the HP Omen 16 comes equipped with a powerful dedicated GPU and a high refresh rate screen, both very important for gaming and 3D, delivering very good performance. Additionally, the MacBook runs MacOS, which limits the availability of many popular games that are designed to run on Windows, found on the HP Omen 16.
Engineering and Design
7.3/10
8.4/10
6.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.6/10
3.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.5/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The HP Omen 16 is very good for engineering and design, while the Apple MacBook Air (2020) is good.
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) with an Apple M1 chip offers good screen quality and silent operation, making it suitable for engineering and design tasks in sound-sensitive environments, while its portability is favorable due to its lightweight and compact size.
Screen Quality
7.5/10
7.6/10
13.3in
SIZE
16.1in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
395.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
338.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Air has a better screen than the HP Omen 16 for engineering and design, while the HP Omen 16 has a better screen for gaming and AI.
If your primary use is everyday tasks like browsing, video streaming, and document editing, the MacBook Air's high-resolution, bright display ensures crisp and vibrant visuals. For engineering and design work, both laptops offer displays with broad color coverage, which is essential for precise color work. However, if 3D gaming or modeling is your focus, neither laptop is ideal as their screens do not support the high refresh rates needed for smooth motion and fast-paced visuals.
Battery
15.0 Hours
6.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Air has 15 hours of battery life. The HP Omen 16 has 6 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
Fair
13.3in
SIZE
16.1in
2.8 lbs
WEIGHT
5.4 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) has very good portability, while the HP Omen 16 has only fair 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 HP Omen 16 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,000
$1,100
$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 HP Omen 16 costs $1,100.
The HP Omen 16 and Apple MacBook Air (2020) are both good for general use.
The Apple MacBook Air (2020), with its efficient M1 processor and 8 GB of RAM, offers robust performance for everyday tasks, excellent screen quality, and is highly portable with a long battery life which is perfect for on-the-go use. On the other hand, the HP Omen 16, with a powerful Intel processor and double the RAM, is also suitable for general use with a high-quality large screen and dedicated graphics, though it is less portable and has a shorter battery life, making it a better fit for stationary use where high performance is required.
Content Creation
7.8/10
7.8/10
6.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.6/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The HP Omen 16 and Apple MacBook Air (2020) 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
7.6/10
6.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.6/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) and HP Omen 16 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 HP Omen 16 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 Omen 16 has proven to be a fairly good mid-range gaming laptop with all-around improvements compared to the Omen 15. The high overall performance level across all use cases, the long battery life, and the good FHD display constitute the main advantages of this HP laptop. The main drawbacks are the faulty touchpad (one-off?) and the high latencies that can be observed even after just opening the browser. Furthermore, the useless, preinstalled 30-day trial versions of various software also fall under the category "unnecessary"."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Air (2020) or the HP Omen 16
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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