The Apple MacBook Air (2020) is generally more expensive but offers excellent battery life and a high-resolution screen, suitable if you prioritize longevity and display quality for media consumption or general use. It runs silently without a fan and uses macOS, making it ideal for those already invested in the Apple ecosystem or looking for a unified experience with other Apple devices. On the other hand, the XPG Xenia 14 gives you more storage and memory for heavy multitasking or moderate engineering tasks, better connectivity options with more ports, and a more powerful Intel processor suited for gaming or 3D applications, all in a slightly lighter package that runs Windows. However, expect the battery life to be shorter compared to the MacBook Air and a lower screen resolution. 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 for engineering and design
Good overall display quality
Best in class overall build quality
Excellent battery life
Best in class speakers
Best in class keyboard
Advantages of the XPG Xenia 14
Excellent portability
Key differences
Screen Quality
7.5/10
6.9/10
13.3in
SIZE
14.0in
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 XPG Xenia 14 for general use, AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The MacBook Air's display offers crisp visuals and vibrant colors due to its high resolution and wide color gamut coverage, making it excellent for general use and detailed engineering work, but its refresh rate isn't high enough to match the demands of 3D applications. Similarly, the XPG Xenia 14 provides sharp and accurate color representation that serves general tasks and engineering design very well, but falls short for gaming and 3D due to an average refresh rate. For both laptops, while the display quality supports day-to-day activities and professional work involving color precision, they don't cater well to the needs of 3D rendering or fast-paced gaming where fluid motion is crucial.
Battery
15.0 Hours
10.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Air has 15 hours of battery life. The XPG Xenia 14 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
10.0/10
7.2/10
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) has best in class build quality, while the XPG Xenia 14 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,000
$800
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
$1,600
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) has a price of $1,000 and the XPG Xenia 14 costs $800.
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) and XPG Xenia 14 are both good for general use.
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) is praised for its high-resolution screen, efficient M1 CPU, and long battery life, wrapped in a lightweight design that makes it very portable and suitable for general use, while also being remarkably quiet due to its fanless operation.
Gaming and AI
6.2/10
6.1/10
3.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
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
7.0/10
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) and XPG Xenia 14 are both only fair for gaming and AI.
The Apple MacBook Air (2020), with its Apple M1 GPU, delivers satisfactory performance for 3D tasks within the constraints of its hardware but is limited in gaming due to many popular games not being compatible with MacOS and a more basic GPU.
Engineering and Design
7.3/10
6.8/10
6.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.9/10
3.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Apple MacBook Air (2020) to be good for engineering and design, while the XPG Xenia 14 is only fair.
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) is well-suited for engineering and design due to its high-resolution screen and robust CPU and integrated GPU, which are essential for tasks such as coding and graphic design, alongside MacOS advantages in certain creative workflows.
Content Creation
7.8/10
7.4/10
6.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.9/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) and XPG Xenia 14 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
4.9/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Apple MacBook Air (2020) and XPG Xenia 14 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
14.0in
2.8 lbs
WEIGHT
2.2 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
0.5in
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers XPG Xenia 14 to have excellent portability, while the Apple MacBook Air (2020) has very good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Give feedback
We’re constantly working to improve.
How the Apple MacBook Air (2020) and the XPG Xenia 14 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 Xenia 14 is a top 14-inch laptop under 1 kg. ADATA isn't exactly known for its laptops and so we weren't expecting much from its first 14-inch Ultrabook. With that said, we're pleasantly surprised by how well the Xenia 14 looks and performs. Not only is it incredibly light, but it has a color accurate 16:10 display, high CPU and GPU performance, easy RAM and SSD serviceability, plenty of port options including Thunderbolt 4, and long battery life. It packs a lot of punch and features considering the size and weight to be better than even the LG Gram series."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Air (2020) or the XPG Xenia 14
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.
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 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.
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Staff Expert & Software Engineer
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