The Apple MacBook Air, while more affordable, excels in portability and battery life, making it suitable for general use and productivity on the go. However, if your work involves 3D applications, machine learning, or gaming, the HP Omen Transcend 14 offers better performance for these intensive tasks due to its superior graphics and processing power, at the expense of being heavier and having a shorter battery life. Choose the MacBook Air for everyday tasks and value, or the Omen for demanding software and gaming, if you're okay with the higher price and less portability. 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 Transcend 14
Very good for general use
Very good for engineering and design
Good for gaming and AI
Very good for software development
Very good for content creation
Very good overall display quality
Key differences
General Use
7.6/10
8.2/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1800
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
395.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
400.0 nits
15.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
11.0 Hours
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
8.9/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.9/10
The HP Omen Transcend 14 is very good for general use, while the Apple MacBook Air (2020) is good.
The Apple MacBook Air offers a balance of performance, with a capable CPU and enough RAM to handle everyday tasks, combined with a high-quality screen and exceptional battery life, all in a lightweight and portable design, making it a solid choice for general use. However, the HP Omen Transcend 14 boasts stronger performance due to better CPU and RAM, which could enhance multitasking and demanding applications, while also offering good screen quality and portability, but it may fall short in battery life compared to the MacBook Air.
Gaming and AI
6.2/10
7.9/10
3.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.9/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1800
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
10.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.5/10
The HP Omen Transcend 14 is good for gaming and AI, while the Apple MacBook Air (2020) is only fair.
The HP Omen Transcend 14, with its dedicated gaming GPU and higher screen refresh rate, is more suited for smooth gaming and 3D tasks, especially those requiring rapid visual updates, whereas the MacBook Air has integrated graphics and a standard refresh rate, making it less capable for heavy 3D applications and many games that aren't compatible with macOS. Additionally, despite the MacBook Air's quality screen and efficient CPU, it lacks the graphical power for more graphically intensive tasks that the HP Omen readily supports.
Engineering and Design
7.3/10
8.5/10
6.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.8/10
3.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.9/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The HP Omen Transcend 14 is very good for engineering and design, while the Apple MacBook Air (2020) is good.
The Apple MacBook Air, with its efficient CPU and high screen quality, offers a balance of performance and portability for engineering tasks, but it might fall short for intensive design applications due to its more modest GPU and RAM capabilities. In contrast, the HP Omen Transcend stands out with its powerful GPU, higher RAM, and superior CPU, making it ideal for demanding engineering and design work, though it is less portable and could have a noisier operation.
Content Creation
7.8/10
8.3/10
6.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.8/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1800
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
The HP Omen Transcend 14 is very good for content creation, while the Apple MacBook Air (2020) is good.
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.
Screen Quality
7.5/10
8.6/10
13.3in
SIZE
14.0in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1800
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
395.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
400.0 nits
The HP Omen Transcend 14 has a better screen than the Apple MacBook Air for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
The Apple MacBook Air's screen, with its high resolution and brightness, offers clear and vivid display quality for general use, while its strong color accuracy makes it suitable for engineering and design tasks. However, its relatively low refresh rate means it isn't ideal for 3D applications which require smoother motion. On the other hand, the HP Omen Transcend 14's higher refresh rate suits both general use and design work well, but for gaming and 3D tasks, despite the decent refresh rate, it may fall short in providing the ultra-fast response times and smoothest visuals preferred by these users.
Battery
15.0 Hours
11.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Air has 15 hours of battery life. The HP Omen Transcend 14 has 11 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
3.8 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) has very good portability, while the HP Omen Transcend 14 has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
10.0/10
7.2/10
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) has best in class build quality, while the HP Omen Transcend 14 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,000
$1,699
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) has a price of $1,000 and the HP Omen Transcend 14 costs $1,699.
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers HP Omen Transcend 14 to be very good for software development, while the Apple MacBook Air (2020) is good.
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 Transcend 14 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."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Air (2020) or the HP Omen Transcend 14
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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Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
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