The Apple MacBook Air (2020) is a great choice for everyday tasks and boasts longer battery life along with a slight weight advantage, making it highly portable with a fanless design for silent operation. On the other hand, the Lenovo Slim Pro 7 14 packs more power with its AMD Ryzen processor and Nvidia graphics, making it better suited for demanding engineering applications, 3D work, or gaming; it also offers a touchscreen, but with a trade-off in battery life and increased weight. Both offer high-quality keyboards, displays, and build quality, but the MacBook tends to be more affordable. Consider the Lenovo if intensive tasks are a priority, or the MacBook Air for general use, portability, and longer use between charges. Give Feedback
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Advantages of the Apple MacBook Air (2020)
Best in class overall build quality
Excellent battery life
Best in class speakers
Best in class keyboard
Advantages of the Lenovo Slim Pro 7 14
Very good for general use
Very good for content creation
Key differences
Screen Quality
7.5/10
7.4/10
13.3in
SIZE
14.5in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
90Hz
395.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
334.0 nits
The Lenovo Slim Pro 7 14 has a better screen than the Apple MacBook Air for software development.
For general use, both the MacBook Air and the Lenovo Slim Pro 7 offer screens with high resolution and brightness, alongside panels that deliver crisp and clear images, making them suitable for everyday tasks like browsing, video streaming, and document editing. When it comes to engineering and design, these laptops provide wide color gamuts, allowing users to work with a range of colors accurately, which is essential for tasks such as photo editing, graphic design, and CAD work. However, for 3D applications and gaming, these laptops fall short as their screens do not have high refresh rates, which can limit the smoothness and responsiveness critical for these immersive experiences.
Battery
15.0 Hours
12.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Air has 15 hours of battery life. The Lenovo Slim Pro 7 14 has 12 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
Very Good
13.3in
SIZE
14.5in
2.8 lbs
WEIGHT
3.5 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) and Lenovo Slim Pro 7 14 both have very good portability, though the Apple MacBook Air (2020) has somewhat better 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 Pro 7 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
$1,200
$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 Slim Pro 7 14 costs $1,200.
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Lenovo Slim Pro 7 14 to be very good for general use, while the Apple MacBook Air (2020) is good.
The Lenovo Slim Pro 7 14 surpasses the MacBook Air (2020) in terms of RAM which improves multitasking and complex task handling, and also offers a superior screen with higher refresh rate and touch capabilities that can enhance interactivity and smoother visuals. While both laptops have high-quality displays, the MacBook Air shines with longer battery life and a fanless design for quieter operation, making it a solid choice for on-the-go use and environments where noise is a concern.
Gaming and AI
6.2/10
6.7/10
3.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.8/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
90Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
10.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
8.0/10
The Lenovo Slim Pro 7 14 and Apple MacBook Air (2020) are both only fair for gaming and AI.
The Lenovo Slim Pro 7 14's Nvidia RTX 3050 GPU and 90Hz refresh rate make it suitable for gaming and 3D tasks, while the MacBook Air (2020), with its M1 chip and integrated graphics, provides a lesser 3D performance and may not support many popular games due to macOS compatibility issues. Additionally, the higher screen refresh rate of the Lenovo provides a smoother visual experience during fast-paced gaming, which the MacBook Air's 60Hz screen doesn't match.
Engineering and Design
7.3/10
7.7/10
6.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.9/10
3.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.8/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Lenovo Slim Pro 7 14 and Apple MacBook Air (2020) are both good for engineering and design.
PerfectRec’s Engineering and Design Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for graphic design and 3D rendering work.
Content Creation
7.8/10
8.0/10
6.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.9/10
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 Slim Pro 7 14 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
7.9/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
The Lenovo Slim Pro 7 14 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.
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How the Apple MacBook Air (2020) and the Lenovo Slim Pro 7 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."
"The Lenovo Slim Pro 7 is an attractive, portable laptop that’s ideal if you need a combination of CPU and GPU performance. It also nails the fundamentals with solid connectivity, an enjoyable keyboard, a large touchpad, and top-notch webcam. Display quality is a weakness, but it’s an acceptable compromise for the laptop’s extremely competitive $1,199 MSRP. The Slim Pro 7 is a versatile, affordable laptop and hard to beat for the price."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Air (2020) or the Lenovo Slim Pro 7 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 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
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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.