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What we think
The PerfectRec laptop team Learn more
Updated January 10, 2024·
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) is known for being lightweight and having a silent, fanless operation, making it excellent for general use and portability; it runs MacOS and uses Apple's M1 chip for efficient performance. On the other hand, the LG Gram 17 offers a larger screen and more storage space, which could be advantageous for tasks like engineering and multitasking, and it operates on Windows 11. However, the LG Gram 17 is typically heavier and pricier. If your priorities include a larger display and more storage, consider the LG Gram. If portability and silent operation are more crucial, the MacBook Air might be a better fit. 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 LG Gram 17
- Very good for general use
- Very good for engineering and design
- Very good for software development
- Very good for content creation
Key differences
General Use
7.6
8.5
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
395.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
353.0 nits
15.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
11.0 Hours
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
8.9/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.9/10
The LG Gram 17 is very good for general use, while the Apple MacBook Air (2020) is good.
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) offers good portability and silent operation due to its low weight and fanless design, with a high-quality screen and reliable battery life making it suitable for general use. The LG Gram 17 stands out with a larger, high-resolution display and substantial performance from its more powerful processor and increased RAM, but it's slightly heavier and has a shorter battery life.
Engineering and Design
7.3
8.0
6.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.9/10
3.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.8/10
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The LG Gram 17 is very good for engineering and design, while the Apple MacBook Air (2020) is good.
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) with its Apple M1 CPU provides efficient performance for engineering and design tasks within a highly portable, fanless design offering silent operation and a high-quality Retina display with excellent color accuracy.
Content Creation
7.8
8.4
6.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.9/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The LG Gram 17 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.
Screen Quality
7.5
7.4
13.3in
SIZE
17.0in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
395.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
353.0 nits
The LG Gram 17 has a better screen than the Apple MacBook Air for content creation, and software development.
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) and LG Gram 17 both offer screens with high resolution and brightness, making them suitable for general use where text and images need to be clear and easy to see. Their color accuracy and wide color gamuts cater well to engineering and design applications, where precise color representation is crucial for detailed work. However, for tasks like 3D modeling, which benefit greatly from high refresh rates to maintain fluid visuals, both laptops may fall short, as they prioritize display qualities other than refresh rate.
Battery
15.0 Hours
11.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Air has 15 hours of battery life. The LG Gram 17 has 11 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
17.0in
2.8 lbs
WEIGHT
2.9 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) has very good portability, while the LG Gram 17 has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
10.0
7.0
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) has best in class build quality, while the LG Gram 17 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,000
$1,699
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) has a price of $1,000 and the LG Gram 17 costs $1,699.
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Key similarities
Gaming and AI
6.2
6.5
3.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.8/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
10.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
8.7/10
The LG Gram 17 and Apple MacBook Air (2020) are both only fair for gaming and AI.
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) with its Apple M1 GPU provides fair performance for 3D tasks but gaming is limited as many popular games do not run on MacOS. Both laptops have similar screen refresh rates and quality, but broader game compatibility and a more capable GPU make the LG Gram 17 more suitable for gaming and 3D applications.
Software Development
7.7
8.2
6.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.9/10
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers LG Gram 17 to be 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.
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How the Apple MacBook Air (2020) and the LG Gram 17 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Apple MacBook Air (2020) | LG Gram 17 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$1,000 | $1,699 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | November 1, 2020 | April 1, 2022 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 12'' x 8.4'' x 0.63'' | 14.9'' x 10.2'' x 0.7'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 2.8 lbs | 2.98 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 11.97" | 14.91" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 8.36" | 10.19" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Apple M1 | Intel i7-1260P | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 8 GB | 32 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 4 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 0 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 256 GB | 2048 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 15 Hours | 11 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 49.9 Wh | 80 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 13.3" | 17" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 2560 x 1600 | 2560 x 1600 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 60Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 395 nits | 353 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 10/10 | 7/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 9/10 | 8/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | No | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | Yes | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 10/10 | 8.8/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 9.5/10 | 7.5/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 9.5/10 | 7/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 720p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | Yes | No | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | No | Yes | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 0 | 2 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 2 | 2 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 1 | 3 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | 3 | 4 | |
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."
LG Gram 17
See more
Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Sascha Mölck | August 2022
"The LG Gram 17 is a light office laptop with a large display and great battery life. The newest incarnation of the Gram 17 can be classified as a model update. LG uses the predecessor's compact, light magnesium case along with an identical port configuration (including 2x Thunderbolt 4) and keyboard. Changes can be found in the hardware. With the Gram 17 (2022), LG offers a light (approx. 1,350 g), mobile work device - and finally with a matte display."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Air (2020) or the LG Gram 17
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 LG
LG is a South Korean conglomerate company. While LG is mainly known for various products outside of technology, LG also develops laptops. Within the laptop industry, they are known for their thin-and-light Gram series, as well as their value-oriented Ultra series. LG laptops offer very thin and light laptops with phenomenal battery life, and are often on sale.
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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
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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