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Updated January 10, 2024·
Choosing between the Apple MacBook Air (2020) and the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 depends on your preferences and needs. The MacBook Air is known for exceptional build quality, fanless silent operation, and strong performance in general use; it excels with Apple's ecosystem but offers lower RAM and storage compared to the ThinkPad at a similar price. The ThinkPad Z13, with a Windows operating system, provides more RAM, storage, a touchscreen, and stronger engineering performance thanks to its AMD Ryzen processor, making it more suitable if you need these features for productivity or multitasking. Both have excellent keyboards, are very portable, and don't specifically cater to intensive gaming. 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
- Excellent battery life
- Best in class speakers
- Best in class keyboard
Advantages of the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13
- Excellent portability
Key differences
Screen Quality
7.5
7.0
13.3in
SIZE
13.3in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
395.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
379.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Air has a better screen than the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 for general use, AI, and engineering and design.
The Apple MacBook Air's high-resolution display and impressive brightness make it ideal for day-to-day tasks, while its wide color gamut support ensures accurate color representations necessary for engineering and design work. The Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 also offers a high-quality display with sufficient brightness and a wide color range, catering well to professional applications and general use. However, both the MacBook Air and the ThinkPad Z13 lack the high refresh rates desired for smooth 3D rendering, which is a drawback for gaming or working with 3D applications.
Battery
15.0 Hours
10.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Air has 15 hours of battery life. The Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 has 10 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.
Build Quality
10.0
8.5
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) has best in class build quality, while the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 has very good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
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Key similarities
General Use
7.6
7.8
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
395.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
379.0 nits
15.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
10.0 Hours
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
8.9/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
9.2/10
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 and Apple MacBook Air (2020) are both good for general use.
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) is well-suited for general use as it offers a high-quality screen, long battery life, and fanless operation that makes it silent, combined with the efficient performance of the Apple M1 chip and MacOS; it is lightweight and very portable. The Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 also excels in general use through its powerful AMD Ryzen CPU, ample RAM, and reliable Windows 11 Home environment, complemented by touch-enabled high-resolution display and strong build quality, though it has shorter battery life and is slightly heavier than the MacBook Air.
Gaming and AI
6.2
6.3
3.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.9/10
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
9.1/10
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 and Apple MacBook Air (2020) are both only fair for gaming and AI.
The MacBook Air, with its integrated Apple M1 GPU, offers limited gaming performance due to its generally lower graphical capabilities and the fact that many popular games aren't compatible with macOS; meanwhile, its screen refresh rate is standard at 60Hz, which is not ideal for high-frame-rate gaming. The Lenovo ThinkPad Z13, while it also has a 60Hz display which won't be the best option for fast-paced gaming, has a more powerful AMD Radeon GPU, which is better suited for gaming and 3D tasks, plus it runs Windows, which supports a wider range of games.
Engineering and Design
7.3
7.3
6.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.8/10
3.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.9/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 and Apple MacBook Air (2020) are both good for engineering and design.
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) is equipped with an Apple M1 chip that integrates CPU and GPU for efficient performance in engineering and design tasks, complemented by a high-resolution IPS screen that ensures quality visual detail and color accuracy. In contrast, the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 boasts a more powerful AMD Ryzen CPU with more RAM and an integrated Radeon GPU, delivering stronger performance for demanding engineering applications, accompanied by a touch-enabled IPS display suitable for hands-on design work, although with a slightly lower resolution and color coverage compared to the MacBook Air.
Content Creation
7.8
7.8
6.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.8/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) and Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 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
7.7
6.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.8/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) and Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 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.
Portability
Very Good
Excellent
13.3in
SIZE
13.3in
2.8 lbs
WEIGHT
2.7 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.5in
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 to have excellent portability, while the Apple MacBook Air (2020) has very good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
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 ThinkPad Z13 costs $1,000.
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How the Apple MacBook Air (2020) and the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Apple MacBook Air (2020) | Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$1,000 | $1,000 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | November 1, 2020 | May 1, 2022 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 12'' x 8.4'' x 0.63'' | 11.6'' x 7.9'' x 0.55'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 2.8 lbs | 2.78 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 11.97" | 11.59" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 8.36" | 7.86" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Apple M1 | AMD Ryzen 7 6850U | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 8 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 4 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 0 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 256 GB | 512 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 15 Hours | 10 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 49.9 Wh | 51.5 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 13.3" | 13.3" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 2560 x 1600 | 1920 x 1200 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 60Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 395 nits | 379 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 10/10 | 8.5/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 9/10 | 9.3/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | No | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | Yes | Yes | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 10/10 | 9.1/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 9.5/10 | 9/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 9.5/10 | 8.8/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 1080p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | Yes | Yes | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | No | No | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 0 | 0 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 2 | 2 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 1 | 2 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | 3 | N/A | |
Shopping
Apple MacBook Air (2020)
See more
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 Z13
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Dig into reviews and images
PCMag
Brian Westover | September 2022
"In the premium ultraportable space, the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 competes with the best of the best, and still manages to shine. The design is an impressive departure from the bland bare-metal laptop that's become so popular in recent years, and the AMD-powered system has performance that's just as impressive. It's a stark alternative to the Intel-based majority, and it stands up well enough to the impressive Apple M2 processor."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Air (2020) or the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13
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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