The Apple MacBook Air (2020) is typically less expensive, more portable, and offers silent, fanless operation, making it suitable for general use, with a high-quality display and keyboard. It has a longer battery life, which is a plus for on-the-go usage. Meanwhile, the Lenovo Legion Slim 5i, though somewhat more expensive, is a better fit for 3D rendering, machine learning tasks, and intensive gaming due to its powerful Intel processor and Nvidia graphics. Its keyboard is also of high quality, and it has more ports for connectivity. However, it is heavier and has a shorter battery life, making it less ideal for frequent travel. If portability and battery life are crucial for you, the MacBook Air might be the better choice. But if you need higher performance for demanding tasks and gaming is a priority, the Legion Slim 5i will serve you better. 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 Lenovo Legion Slim 5i
Very good for engineering and design
Very good for gaming and AI
Very good for content creation
Very good overall display quality
Key differences
Gaming and AI
6.2/10
8.0/10
3.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.4/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
10.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The Lenovo Legion Slim 5i is very good for gaming and AI, while the Apple MacBook Air (2020) is only fair.
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) is limited in 3D performance due to its Apple M1 integrated GPU, which is less powerful than dedicated GPUs, and a standard screen with a refresh rate of 60 Hz. Additionally, the MacBook's operating system is not compatible with many popular games, which further hinders its gaming capabilities.
Engineering and Design
7.3/10
8.4/10
6.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
3.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.4/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Lenovo Legion Slim 5i is very good for engineering and design, while the Apple MacBook Air (2020) is good.
The Lenovo Legion Slim 5i is favored for engineering and design due to its more powerful CPU, double the RAM, and dedicated Nvidia RTX GPU which outperform the Apple MacBook Air's M1 chip in terms of processing and graphics, essential for computational and graphic-intensive tasks. While the MacBook Air offers higher portability, lower weight, and a quieter operation, the Legion Slim 5i's superior screen refresh rate and substantially more storage space make it a robust choice for those who prioritize performance over portability.
Screen Quality
7.5/10
8.0/10
13.3in
SIZE
16.0in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
395.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
343.0 nits
The Lenovo Legion Slim 5i has a better screen than the Apple MacBook Air for general use, gaming and AI, and software development.
The Apple MacBook Air's display, with its high resolution and brightness, makes it suitable for general tasks like browsing and watching videos, its wide color gamut ensures accuracy for engineering and design work, but a lower refresh rate impedes its performance for 3D applications. The Lenovo Legion Slim 5i's excellent resolution and brightness contribute to its standout display for everyday use, while its color reproduction is competent for design and engineering, but the screen's lower refresh rate may not be ideal for the fast-paced visuals required in gaming and 3D content. The quality of both laptops' screens reflects a balance between resolution and color accuracy for productivity and creatives, and compromises in refresh rate for high motion clarity in gaming and 3D modeling.
Battery
15.0 Hours
7.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Air has 15 hours of battery life. The Lenovo Legion Slim 5i has 7 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
16.0in
2.8 lbs
WEIGHT
5.2 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) has very good portability, while the Lenovo Legion Slim 5i 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 Lenovo Legion Slim 5i has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
The Lenovo Legion Slim 5i and Apple MacBook Air (2020) are both good for general use.
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) is great for general use due its light weight, fanless silent operation, and impressive 15 hours of battery life which supports portability and ease of use, along with a high-quality screen and keyboard. In contrast, the Lenovo Legion Slim 5i, though heavier and with shorter battery life, provides significantly more power with its Intel processor and Nvidia graphics, more RAM and storage, and a very good keyboard, making it also suitable for more demanding tasks alongside general usage.
Content Creation
7.8/10
8.0/10
6.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Lenovo Legion Slim 5i to be 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.
Software Development
7.7/10
7.8/10
6.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
The Lenovo Legion Slim 5i and Apple MacBook Air (2020) 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.
Cost
$1,000
$1,000
$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 Legion Slim 5i costs $1,000.
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How the Apple MacBook Air (2020) and the Lenovo Legion Slim 5i 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 Legion Slim 5 Gen 8 acknowledges that a gaming laptop doesn’t have to be as thick as possible and can still ensure adequate cooling when the muscles need flexing. To this end, in the Slim 5 Gen 8, it finds a neat balance of refined, trimmed-down design that still lets its internals cruise (even above their max power ratings). Lenovo then added in some high-end build quality with an altogether excellent keyboard that’s useful for both work and play."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Air (2020) or the Lenovo Legion Slim 5i
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.