The Apple MacBook Air (2020) is a good fit if you prioritize a lightweight laptop with long battery life, a high-resolution display, and silent operation due to its fanless design; it's ideal for general use and less demanding engineering tasks on macOS. The MSI Cyborg 15, with its powerful Intel processor and Nvidia graphics, suits those needing a machine for intensive 3D, machine learning, or gaming workloads on Windows though with reduced portability due to its greater weight and larger size. Give Feedback
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Advantages of the Apple MacBook Air (2020)
Good overall display quality
Best in class overall build quality
Very good portability
Excellent battery life
Best in class speakers
Best in class keyboard
Advantages of the MSI Cyborg 15
Good for gaming and AI
Key differences
Gaming and AI
6.2/10
7.2/10
3.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
6.5/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
10.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The MSI Cyborg 15 is good for gaming and AI, while the Apple MacBook Air (2020) is only fair.
The MacBook Air (2020) has a less powerful GPU and is limited to a 60Hz refresh rate, which reduces its suitability for 3D tasks compared to the MSI Cyborg 15 that includes a high-end Nvidia GPU and boasts a 144Hz screen refresh rate for smoother gaming and 3D rendering. Additionally, many popular games are not compatible with MacOS, which further limits the MacBook Air for gaming purposes, whereas the Cyborg 15 runs Windows, supporting a wider range of games and 3D applications.
Screen Quality
7.5/10
6.8/10
13.3in
SIZE
15.6in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
395.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
234.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Air has a better screen than the MSI Cyborg 15 for general use, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The MacBook Air offers a high-resolution display with bright, vibrant colors that makes it ideal for general use and engineering tasks, benefiting from its wide color gamut which is crucial for accurate design work. However, its screen has a lower refresh rate, which isn't optimal for 3D applications where smooth motion is key. The MSI Cyborg 15 provides an average visual experience across the board with neither high color accuracy for professional design work nor a high refresh rate for 3D gaming.
Battery
15.0 Hours
7.5 Hours
The Apple MacBook Air has 15 hours of battery life. The MSI Cyborg 15 has 7.5 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
15.6in
2.8 lbs
WEIGHT
4.3 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) has very good portability, while the MSI Cyborg 15 has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
10.0/10
6.7/10
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) has best in class build quality, while the MSI Cyborg 15 has only fair build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,000
$1,100
$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 MSI Cyborg 15 costs $1,100.
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) and MSI Cyborg 15 are both good for general use.
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) is appreciated for its portable design, strong build quality, and long battery life, making it ideal for everyday tasks and on-the-go use. In contrast, the MSI Cyborg 15 is recognized for its higher performance capabilities thanks to a robust CPU, more RAM, and a quality screen, catering well to users with heavier usage like gaming or intensive applications, albeit with a tradeoff in portability and battery life.
Engineering and Design
7.3/10
7.5/10
6.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.7/10
3.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
6.5/10
8.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
The MSI Cyborg 15 and Apple MacBook Air (2020) are both good for engineering and design.
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) is well-suited for engineering and design due to its efficient CPU and GPU that are part of the Apple M1 chip, high-quality screen, and silent operation, but it is slightly less portable due to lower battery life.
Content Creation
7.8/10
7.5/10
6.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.7/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) and MSI Cyborg 15 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
7.7/10
7.2/10
6.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.7/10
8.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) and MSI Cyborg 15 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 MSI Cyborg 15 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 focus of the MSI Cyborg 15 lies on a compromise of performance, mobility, and power consumption. Due to the reduced performance settings, the CPU and GPU perform below their capabilities. Nonetheless, their computing power is still sufficient for FHD gaming at high to maximum settings even then. The power consumption, which is low for a gaming laptop, can be translated into a good battery life. Realistic values of 7 to 8 h are still possible, despite the relatively small battery capacity of 53.5 Wh. Unfortunately the USB-C port doesn't offer any support for Power Delivery, which would be a sensible feature in the case of the Cyborg."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Air (2020) or the MSI Cyborg 15
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 MSI
MSI, also known as Micro-Star International, is a Taiwanese technology corporation. MSI is known for their wide range of gaming devices. Their series include the entry-level Cyborg/Thin and Sword/Katana series, the mid-range Bravo/Delta and Crosshair/Pulse series, and their high-end Vector, Raider, Stealth, and Titan GT series. At every performance level, MSI offers a variety of devices with varying balances between performance, battery life, weight, and price, making them a solid option to consider at every price point.
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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