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MacBook Air (2020)
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ThinkPad X13
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What we think

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The PerfectRec laptop team Learn more
Updated March 22, 2024·

If affordability is a priority and you primarily engage in everyday tasks like browsing, streaming, and office applications, the MacBook Air offers a sleek design, reliable performance, and good battery life, making it a solid choice. However, if you need a laptop for more demanding activities like engineering software, the ThinkPad could be a better fit due to its robust build and capabilities usually favored by professionals. The ThinkPad typically offers more ports and better repairability, so if connectivity and long-term maintenance are important, it may justify the extra cost. On the other hand, the MacBook Air will be lighter, granting superior portability. 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)
  • Good overall display quality
  • Best in class overall build quality
  • Excellent battery life
  • Best in class speakers
  • Best in class keyboard
Advantages of the Lenovo ThinkPad X13
  • Very good for general use
  • Very good for engineering and design
  • Very good for software development
  • Very good for content creation

Key differences

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General Use

7.6
MacBook Air (2020)
ThinkPad X13
8.4
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
395.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
321.0 nits
15.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
8.5 Hours
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
8.9/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
8.9/10
The Lenovo ThinkPad X13 is very good for general use, while the Apple MacBook Air (2020) is good.

Engineering and Design

7.3
MacBook Air (2020)
ThinkPad X13
8.0
6.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.8/10
3.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.0/10
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The Lenovo ThinkPad X13 is very good for engineering and design, while the Apple MacBook Air (2020) is good.

Screen Quality

7.5
MacBook Air (2020)
ThinkPad X13
6.9
13.3in
SIZE
13.3in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
395.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
321.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Air has a better screen than the Lenovo ThinkPad X13 for general use, AI, and engineering and design, while the Lenovo ThinkPad X13 has a better screen for content creation, and software development.

Battery

15.0 Hours
MacBook Air (2020)
ThinkPad X13
8.5 Hours
The Apple MacBook Air has 15 hours of battery life. The Lenovo ThinkPad X13 has 8.5 hours of battery life.

Build Quality

10.0
MacBook Air (2020)
ThinkPad X13
8.5
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) has best in class build quality, while the Lenovo ThinkPad X13 has very good build quality.
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Key similarities

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Gaming and AI

6.2
MacBook Air (2020)
ThinkPad X13
6.7
3.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.0/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
10.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.5/10
The Lenovo ThinkPad X13 and Apple MacBook Air (2020) are both only fair for gaming and AI.

Content Creation

7.8
MacBook Air (2020)
ThinkPad X13
8.2
6.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.8/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Lenovo ThinkPad X13 to be very good for content creation, while the Apple MacBook Air (2020) is good.

Software Development

7.7
MacBook Air (2020)
ThinkPad X13
8.1
6.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.8/10
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Lenovo ThinkPad X13 to be very good for software development, while the Apple MacBook Air (2020) is good.

Portability

Very Good
MacBook Air (2020)
ThinkPad X13
Very Good
13.3in
SIZE
13.3in
2.8 lbs
WEIGHT
2.8 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) and Lenovo ThinkPad X13 both have very good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.

Cost

$1,000
MacBook Air (2020)
ThinkPad X13
$948
Product imageProduct image

$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 ThinkPad X13 costs $948.

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How the Apple MacBook Air (2020) and the Lenovo ThinkPad X13 compare to other laptops

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Spec Comparison

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Apple MacBook Air (2020)Lenovo ThinkPad X13
Apple MacBook Air (2020)Lenovo ThinkPad X13

GENERAL

Price
$1,000
$948
Release Date
November 1, 2020September 1, 2023
Overall Dimensions
12'' x 8.4'' x 0.63''11.9'' x 8.5'' x 0.63''
Weight
2.8 lbs2.87 lbs
Width
11.97"11.88"
Depth
8.36"8.46"

INTERNAL

Processor
Apple M1AMD Ryzen 7 7840U
RAM
8 GB32 GB
DDR Memory Version
45
RAM Slots
00
Storage
256 GB1024 GB

BATTERY

Battery Life
15 Hours8.5 Hours
Battery Capacity
49.9 Wh41 Wh

SCREEN

Diagonal Size
13.3"13.3"
Display Technology
IPSIPS
Resolution
2560 x 16001920 x 1200
Refresh Rate
60Hz60Hz
Display Brightness
395 nits321 nits

RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS

Build Quality Score
10/108.5/10
Portability Score
9/108.9/10
Gaming Laptop Appearance
NoNo
Premium Business Laptop
YesYes
Fan Noise Score
10/107.5/10

HARDWARE FEATURES

Keyboard Quality Score
9.5/109/10
Speaker Quality Score
9.5/107.5/10
Webcam
720p1440p
Fingerprint Reader
YesYes
Backlit Keyboard
YesYes
Number Pad
NoNo

CONNECTIVITY

USB Type-A
02
USB-C ports
22
USB-C Charging
YesYes
Display Outputs
13
Thunderbolt Version
3N/A

Shopping

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Apple MacBook Air (2020)

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Dig into reviews and images

NotebookCheck

Andreas Osthoff | July 2022
"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."

Lenovo ThinkPad X13

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Dig into reviews and images

NotebookCheck

Benjamin Herzig | September 2023
"The Lenovo ThinkPad X13 G4 has very good input devices, a wide array of security features and ports as well as 5G in the tested configuration. It is more compact and lightweight compared with its predecessor, and it has improved speakers and a slightly better webcam. On the other hand, the fan is more annoying and the performance is barely improved. The battery is worse as well, but this is primarily attributable to the OLED screen - if this aspect is important, buyers should choose the IPS Low Power LCD."

Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Air (2020) or the Lenovo ThinkPad X13

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.

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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

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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.

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.

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