If you prioritize a lightweight and quiet device with longer battery life for general use like web browsing and document editing, the Apple MacBook Air might be a better choice, and it usually costs less. However, if your needs lean towards more intensive tasks like 3D rendering, machine learning, or engineering software, and you can handle a slightly heavier and more expensive laptop with shorter battery life, then the Lenovo Slim Pro 9i with its higher performance hardware would be more suitable. The Lenovo also offers a touchscreen and higher refresh rate display, which might be useful for certain applications and more demanding visual tasks. 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 Pro 9i
Very good for general use
Very good for engineering and design
Good for gaming and AI
Very good for software development
Very good for content creation
Best in class overall display quality
Key differences
General Use
7.6/10
8.5/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
3072 x 1920
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
395.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
618.0 nits
15.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
6.0 Hours
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
8.9/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.6/10
The Lenovo Slim Pro 9i is very good for general use, while the Apple MacBook Air (2020) is good.
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) offers a well-rounded experience for general use with a capable CPU for everyday tasks, efficient memory management, and high portability due to its light weight and silent operation, complemented by a high-quality screen and long battery life.
Gaming and AI
6.2/10
7.6/10
3.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
6.9/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
3072 x 1920
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
10.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
8.0/10
The Lenovo Slim Pro 9i is good for gaming and AI, while the Apple MacBook Air (2020) is only fair.
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) has a less powerful integrated GPU and a standard 60Hz refresh rate, making it only fair for 3D applications, while the Lenovo Slim Pro 9i boasts a high-end Nvidia RTX GPU and a higher 165Hz refresh rate screen, enhancing its performance for gaming and 3D tasks. Moreover, the MacBook Air cannot run many popular games that are available on Windows, which the Lenovo laptop with its Windows OS can, providing an edge for gaming suitability.
Engineering and Design
7.3/10
8.9/10
6.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
3.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
6.9/10
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The Lenovo Slim Pro 9i is very good for engineering and design, while the Apple MacBook Air (2020) is good.
The Lenovo Slim Pro 9i excels in engineering and design due to its powerful Intel i7 processor, substantial 32GB of RAM, and Nvidia RTX 4050 GPU, along with a high-resolution Mini LED touchscreen offering superior color accuracy and brightness.
Content Creation
7.8/10
8.5/10
6.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
3072 x 1920
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
The Lenovo Slim Pro 9i is 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
8.3/10
6.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
3072 x 1920
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Lenovo Slim Pro 9i is very good for software development, while the Apple MacBook Air (2020) is good.
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
9.6/10
13.3in
SIZE
14.5in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
3072 x 1920
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
395.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
618.0 nits
The Lenovo Slim Pro 9i has a better screen than the Apple MacBook Air for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
The MacBook Air's screen offers high resolution and brightness, making it suitable for general tasks and engineering design due to its decent color accuracy, but its standard refresh rate limits its capability in handling 3D applications effectively. On the other hand, the Lenovo Slim Pro 9i features a screen that excels in resolution, brightness, and comprehensive color gamuts, ensuring crisp visuals and precise color representation for professionals in engineering and design fields. However, like the MacBook Air, the Lenovo's screen falls short for gaming and 3D applications due to a refresh rate that is not as high as specialized gaming laptops, which can diminish the smoothness of motion in fast-paced visuals.
Battery
15.0 Hours
6.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Air has 15 hours of battery life. The Lenovo Slim Pro 9i has 6 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
14.5in
2.8 lbs
WEIGHT
3.7 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.8in
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) has very good portability, while the Lenovo Slim Pro 9i has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
10.0/10
8.0/10
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) has best in class build quality, while the Lenovo Slim Pro 9i has very good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,000
$1,500
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) has a price of $1,000 and the Lenovo Slim Pro 9i costs $1,500.
"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 9i is an impressive laptop with a brilliant Mini-LED display, a powerful 100-watt version of Nvidia RTX 4050 graphics, and excellent connectivity. Having run the Cinebench benchmark again, we were impressed with the CPU performance. That makes the Slim Pro 9i is an easy recommendation, especially for those who care about GPU and CPU performance. It’s also a fantastic choice if you frequently view HDR movies and games on your laptop."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Air (2020) or the Lenovo Slim Pro 9i
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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