The Apple MacBook Air (2020) is more wallet-friendly than the MSI Stealth 14 Studio and boasts a longer battery life, in addition to its light weight, which makes it excellent for on-the-go use and general tasks. However, the MSI Stealth 14 Studio, while more expensive, offers superior performance for 3D tasks, machine learning, and gaming, thanks to a more powerful CPU and dedicated graphics. It also has a higher storage capacity and more RAM, which is beneficial for demanding software and multitasking. If your work involves intensive tasks and you need more power, the MSI might be the better option, but for everyday use and portability, the MacBook Air is a strong contender. Give Feedback
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Advantages of the Apple MacBook Air (2020)
Best in class overall build quality
Very good portability
Excellent battery life
Best in class keyboard
Advantages of the MSI Stealth 14 Studio
Very good for engineering and design
Good for gaming and AI
Key differences
Gaming and AI
6.2/10
7.8/10
3.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.1/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
10.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The MSI Stealth 14 Studio is good for gaming and AI, while the Apple MacBook Air (2020) is only fair.
PerfectRec’s Gaming and AI Score strongly emphasizes graphics processing capability, while also taking into account other factors that impact suitability for gaming and AI work.
Engineering and Design
7.3/10
8.5/10
6.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
3.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.1/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The MSI Stealth 14 Studio is very good for engineering and design, while the Apple MacBook Air (2020) is good.
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) with its Apple M1 processor and integrated GPU is well-suited for engineering and design tasks that require efficient performance and long battery life, along with a high-quality display, in a very lightweight and silent package.
Screen Quality
7.5/10
7.6/10
13.3in
SIZE
14.0in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
395.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
300.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Air has a better screen than the MSI Stealth 14 Studio for engineering and design, and software development, while the MSI Stealth 14 Studio has a better screen for gaming and AI.
The Apple MacBook Air's screen boasts high resolution and brightness, making colors pop and text sharp, ideal for browsing and document editing, yet its color gamut coverage may not fully satisfy professional design requirements. The MSI Stealth 14 Studio excels in similar areas with its high-quality display that covers a broader range of colors, crucial for accurately rendering designs and engineering projects. However, both laptops fall short for 3D applications where a high refresh rate is key to smooth visuals, as they are built more for clarity and color precision than for the rapid frame changes in gaming or 3D modeling.
Battery
15.0 Hours
5.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Air has 15 hours of battery life. The MSI Stealth 14 Studio has 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
14.0in
2.8 lbs
WEIGHT
3.7 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) has very good portability, while the MSI Stealth 14 Studio has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
10.0/10
7.6/10
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) has best in class build quality, while the MSI Stealth 14 Studio has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,000
$1,432
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) has a price of $1,000 and the MSI Stealth 14 Studio costs $1,432.
The MSI Stealth 14 Studio and Apple MacBook Air (2020) are both good for general use.
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) offers a balance of efficiency with its capable M1 CPU, sufficient RAM for everyday tasks, and a high-resolution screen, all in a lightweight and thin design with long battery life, making it ideal for general use. In contrast, the MSI Stealth 14 Studio, with a more powerful Intel CPU and double the RAM, along with a dedicated graphics card and a higher refresh rate screen, is better suited for performance-intensive tasks but compromises on battery life and portability. Both have quality screens and keyboards, and up-to-date operating systems, ensuring a good user experience for day-to-day activities.
Content Creation
7.8/10
7.9/10
6.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The MSI Stealth 14 Studio and Apple MacBook Air (2020) 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
7.4/10
6.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) and MSI Stealth 14 Studio 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 Stealth 14 Studio 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."
"You'll find a versatility in the MSI Stealth 14 Studio that isn’t matched by many content-creator laptops we've tested of late. The small frame allows you to (potentially) work from anywhere with an outlet and, if noise isn’t a concern, run your most demanding of programs, thanks to some powerful hardware inside. The MSI Stealth 14 Studio is an attractive and powerful option if you want a portable laptop to be the center of your content work setup."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Air (2020) or the MSI Stealth 14 Studio
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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Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
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