The Apple MacBook Air (2020) is more portable, has a longer battery life, and is typically quieter because it has no fan. It's better suited for general use and day-to-day tasks. The Lenovo Slim 7 16, on the other hand, offers a larger screen, more power, and better performance for engineering, 3D rendering, and machine learning, thanks to its more robust processor and dedicated graphics card; it's also equipped with a better port selection. The Lenovo is heavier and has a shorter battery life, making it less convenient for travel. 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 Slim 7 16
Very good overall display quality
Key differences
Screen Quality
7.5/10
8.3/10
13.3in
SIZE
16.0in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
395.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
500.0 nits
The Lenovo Slim 7 16 has a better screen than the Apple MacBook Air for general use, gaming and AI, and engineering and design.
For general use, a laptop like the MacBook Air offers a crisp display with good resolution and brightness, making reading and browsing a pleasant experience. In engineering and design, the Lenovo Slim 7 16 likely offers wider color coverage, crucial for accurate color work. However, both laptops lack high refresh rate screens, which diminishes the experience for 3D applications and games, where smooth motion is essential.
Battery
15.0 Hours
9.5 Hours
The Apple MacBook Air has 15 hours of battery life. The Lenovo Slim 7 16 has 9.5 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
16.0in
2.8 lbs
WEIGHT
4.6 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) has very good portability, while the Lenovo Slim 7 16 has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
10.0/10
7.8/10
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) has best in class build quality, while the Lenovo Slim 7 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
$1,440
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) has a price of $1,000 and the Lenovo Slim 7 16 costs $1,440.
The Lenovo Slim 7 16 and Apple MacBook Air (2020) are both good for general use.
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) is favored for its very good portability and long battery life, along with a high-quality keyboard and speakers, making it ideal for on-the-go use and everyday tasks. In contrast, the Lenovo Slim 7 16 offers a more powerful CPU and double the RAM for improved performance, a higher resolution screen with touch capability, and more storage, catering to those who may need more demanding applications or multitasking, but with reduced battery life and portability.
Gaming and AI
6.2/10
6.6/10
3.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.3/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
10.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.0/10
The Lenovo Slim 7 16 and Apple MacBook Air (2020) are both only fair for gaming and AI.
The Apple MacBook Air (2020), with its Apple M1 GPU, can only offer basic 3D performance and doesn't support many popular games that don't run on macOS. Conversely, the Lenovo Slim 7 16, equipped with a dedicated Nvidia RTX 3050 GPU and a higher screen refresh rate, will provide smoother gaming and 3D experiences but it still ranks as fair because it's not among the highest-performing gaming laptops available.
Engineering and Design
7.3/10
7.5/10
6.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.2/10
3.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.3/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Lenovo Slim 7 16 and Apple MacBook Air (2020) are both good for engineering and design.
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) with its Apple M1 CPU and GPU is suitable for engineering and design due to its robust CPU performance, efficient GPU for lightweight design tasks, and high-quality screen, coupled with its portability and silent operation.
Content Creation
7.8/10
7.6/10
6.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.2/10
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 Slim 7 16 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
7.2/10
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 Slim 7 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.
Give feedback
We’re constantly working to improve.
How the Apple MacBook Air (2020) and the Lenovo Slim 7 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."
"At $1,011, the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7 Pro is a real bargain among full-sized laptops, with a handsome 16-inch, 16:10 aspect ratio touch screen, a speedy CPU, a comfortable keyboard, ample memory, and a roomy solid-state drive. It's not a blazing gaming rig or mobile workstation, but it doesn't pretend to be. Its biggest negative is that it may be hard to find—during our review, it sold out and was marked "Temporarily Unavailable" on Lenovo's site."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Air (2020) or the Lenovo Slim 7 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 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.
By the numbers
380
Laptops evaluated
48,640
Laptops stats compiled
13
Proprietary Laptops ratings developed
103,695
Recommendations made
22,468
Consumer hours saved
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.
Jason Lew
Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Jason is a staff expert and software engineer that has been making laptop recommendations for 7 years and moderates one of the largest laptop subreddits.
Chandradeep Chowdhury
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.
Craig Russell
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.