When choosing between the Apple MacBook Air (2020) and the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15", consider that the MacBook Air, while more expensive, offers a high-resolution Retina display, better battery life, and silent, fanless operation due to its efficient Apple M1 chip; it is also lighter and has a premium build quality. On the other hand, the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 is more affordable, but comes with a lower resolution display, shorter battery life, and a heavier build. The Lenovo runs Windows 11 Home, which may be preferable for those familiar with Windows, while the MacBook Air runs macOS. If performance and quality are a priority and budget allows, the MacBook Air is superior; however, for basic tasks and cost savings, the IdeaPad 3 will suffice. Give Feedback
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Advantages of the Apple MacBook Air (2020)
Good for general use
Good for engineering and design
Good for software development
Good for content creation
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 Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15"
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" has no clear advantages over the Apple MacBook Air (2020).
Key differences
General Use
7.6/10
6.2/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1366 x 768
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
TN
395.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
220.0 nits
15.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
5.0 Hours
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
6.5/10
8.9/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.5/10
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) is good for general use, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" is only fair.
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) offers better performance in general use compared to the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" due to its superior CPU and screen quality, including a higher resolution and better color accuracy. Additionally, the MacBook Air is more portable with a lighter weight and longer battery life, making it more suitable for use on-the-go, while the IdeaPad 3 has a larger screen but with lower resolution and less impressive color representation.
Engineering and Design
7.3/10
5.8/10
6.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.2/10
3.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
8.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) is good for engineering and design, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" is poor.
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) outperforms the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" in engineering and design tasks due to its superior Apple M1 processor and higher screen quality with a greater pixel density and color coverage, which are crucial for detailed design work. While both laptops have similar RAM and storage capacity, the MacBook Air's more powerful GPU and high-resolution Retina display provide better performance and visual clarity that professionals require, contrasting with the IdeaPad's basic Intel UHD graphics and lower-resolution TN panel that are less suitable for demanding engineering software and detailed design work.
Content Creation
7.8/10
6.3/10
6.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.2/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1366 x 768
8.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
TN
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) is good for content creation, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" is only fair.
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
6.3/10
6.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.2/10
8.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1366 x 768
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
6.5/10
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) is good for software development, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" is only fair.
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
5.2/10
13.3in
SIZE
15.6in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1366 x 768
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
TN
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
395.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
220.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Air has a better screen than the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" for general use, AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The MacBook Air offers a high-resolution display with bright and vivid image quality, making it suitable for both general use and tasks that require attention to color detail, such as in engineering and design, but its standard refresh rate may not be ideal for 3D applications where smoother motion is crucial. In contrast, the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 may fall short on screen resolution and brightness, impacts the clarity and comfort during everyday tasks, and it also likely lacks the color accuracy needed for professional design work. Furthermore, the Lenovo's standard refresh rate and moderate screen specs won't provide the best experience for gaming or 3D rendering, where fast and fluid visuals are key.
Battery
15.0 Hours
5.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Air has 15 hours of battery life. The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" has 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
15.6in
2.8 lbs
WEIGHT
3.7 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) has very good portability, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
10.0/10
6.5/10
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) has best in class build quality, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" 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
$360
$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 Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" costs $360.
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Apple MacBook Air (2020) to be only fair for gaming and AI, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" is poor.
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.
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How the Apple MacBook Air (2020) and the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" 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 Lenovo IdeaPad 3 is an enduring office notebook with a powerful Ryzen APU. Lenovo's office all-rounder easily handles office and internet applications as well as modest games - the Ryzen 5 5625U APU and 16 GB of RAM make this possible. The CPU and GPU can work at consistently high clock rates. The emission values are okay, but the noise emissions should be lower under medium to full load. The relatively light notebook (approx. 1.6 kg) achieves practical battery runtimes of about 10 to 11 hours."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Air (2020) or the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15"
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 Lenovo
Lenovo is a Chinese technology company, and one of the largest personal computer vendor. They are well known for a variety of technology products, including laptops. Their consumer series include their entry level IdeaPad and LOQ series and mid-to-high-end Yoga and Legion series. On the business-oriented side, their series include their entry-level ThinkBook series and mid-to-high-end ThinkPad series. Lenovo laptops offer strong performance for reasonable prices, and are often on sale.
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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About the laptop team
Joe Golden, Ph.D
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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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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.
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Laptops Expert
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