The Apple MacBook Air (2020) is more portable and has a fanless design for silent operation, with strong performance for general use and higher quality speakers and build. However, the Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro boasts a larger screen with a higher refresh rate, better performance for gaming, engineering, and 3D/machine learning tasks due to its superior processor and dedicated graphics card. The tradeoff is in portability and battery life, where the MacBook Air excels. Choose the MacBook Air for a lightweight laptop with good all-around performance and silent operation, or the IdeaPad 5 Pro if you need more power for specialized tasks and a larger, higher-refresh-rate display despite being heavier and having shorter battery life. Give Feedback
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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 Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro
The Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro has no clear advantages over the Apple MacBook Air (2020).
Key differences
Screen Quality
7.5/10
7.8/10
13.3in
SIZE
16.0in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
395.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
409.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Air has a better screen than the Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro for software development, and content creation, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro has a better screen for gaming and AI.
For general use, the Apple MacBook Air and the Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro offer screens with sufficient resolution and brightness, along with quality panels that produce clear and vibrant images, satisfying the needs of typical everyday tasks like browsing, watching videos, and document editing. In engineering and design, both laptops have displays that support a broad color spectrum, covering larger parts of the DCI-P3 and Adobe RGB color spaces, which is crucial for accurate color work in professional editing and modeling software. However, for 3D tasks and gaming, while both have decent resolution and panel types, they lack higher refresh rates necessary for smooth rendering and gameplay, leading to a less optimal visual experience in fast-paced scenarios.
Battery
15.0 Hours
10.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Air has 15 hours of battery life. The Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro has 10 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
16.0in
2.8 lbs
WEIGHT
4.3 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) has very good portability, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
10.0/10
7.6/10
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) has best in class build quality, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,000
$1,162
$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 Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro costs $1,162.
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) and Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro are both good for general use.
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) is often chosen for general use due to its lightweight design, long battery life, and high screen quality with notable color accuracy and brightness, complemented by a silent operation thanks to efficient heat management. The Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro, meanwhile, is also suitable for general tasks, offering more RAM which aids multitasking, a larger screen with a higher refresh rate preferred by some users, and a more powerful CPU and GPU combination which improves performance albeit at the cost of increased weight and shorter battery life.
Gaming and AI
6.2/10
6.5/10
3.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.3/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
10.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.0/10
The Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro and Apple MacBook Air (2020) are both only fair for gaming and AI.
The Apple MacBook Air has a GPU that isn't as powerful as dedicated gaming GPUs and a screen refresh rate of 60Hz, which is standard for most tasks but not opti optimal for high-frame rate gaming or intensive 3D work. The Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro, with its Nvidia RTX 3050 GPU, is better suited for these tasks and has double the screen refresh rate of the MacBook Air, yet MacBook's MacOS operating system limits the selection of games that can be run compared to the Windows-based IdeaPad.
Engineering and Design
7.3/10
7.2/10
6.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.4/10
3.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.3/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) and Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro are both good for engineering and design.
The Apple MacBook Air (2020), with its Apple M1 CPU and integrated GPU, offers quality performance for engineering and design tasks, as well as a high-resolution screen with excellent color accuracy, making it great for detailed visual work.
Content Creation
7.8/10
7.5/10
6.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.4/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) and Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro 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
7.4/10
6.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.4/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) and Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro 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 Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro 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 5 Pro turns out a successful all-rounder that, aside from 3D applications, always strikes a good or very good figure. This begins with the elegant metal case that isn't particularly light but fairly robust, giving a high-quality impression. The input devices are also better than those of many competitors. Both the keyboard and the touchpad are attractive and comfortable. In addition, the performance of the Ryzen 5 6600HS is easily able to keep up with the Intel competitors."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Air (2020) or the Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro
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
CEO and Laptops Editor
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
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.