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MacBook Air (2022)
Company ProductName Specs











Creator Z16P
Company ProductName Specs











Advantages of the Apple MacBook Air (2022)
  • Very good for software development
  • Best in class overall build quality
  • Excellent portability
  • Excellent battery life
  • Best in class speakers
  • Best in class keyboard
Advantages of the MSI Creator Z16P
  • Very good for engineering and design
  • Good for gaming and AI
  • Very good overall display quality

Key differences

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Gaming and AI

6.5
MacBook Air (2022)
Creator Z16P
7.7
4.1/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.0/10
2560 x 1664
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
10.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.7/10
The MSI Creator Z16P is good for gaming and AI, while the Apple MacBook Air (2022) is only fair.

Engineering and Design

7.8
MacBook Air (2022)
Creator Z16P
8.6
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
4.1/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.0/10
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The MSI Creator Z16P is very good for engineering and design, while the Apple MacBook Air (2022) is good.

Screen Quality

7.6
MacBook Air (2022)
Creator Z16P
8.3
13.6in
SIZE
16.0in
2560 x 1664
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
486.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
394.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Air has a better screen than the MSI Creator Z16P for software development, and content creation, while the MSI Creator Z16P has a better screen for general use, and gaming and AI.

Battery

15.0 Hours
MacBook Air (2022)
Creator Z16P
5.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Air has 15 hours of battery life. The MSI Creator Z16P has 5 hours of battery life.

Portability

Excellent
MacBook Air (2022)
Creator Z16P
Good
13.6in
SIZE
16.0in
2.7 lbs
WEIGHT
5.2 lbs
0.4in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) has excellent portability, while the MSI Creator Z16P has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.

Build Quality

10.0
MacBook Air (2022)
Creator Z16P
8.0
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) has best in class build quality, while the MSI Creator Z16P has very good build quality.
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Key similarities

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General Use

8.4
MacBook Air (2022)
Creator Z16P
8.1
2560 x 1664
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
486.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
394.0 nits
15.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
5.0 Hours
10.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
9.4/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.2/10
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) and MSI Creator Z16P are both very good for general use.

Content Creation

8.5
MacBook Air (2022)
Creator Z16P
8.1
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
2560 x 1664
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) and MSI Creator Z16P are both very good for content creation.

Software Development

8.3
MacBook Air (2022)
Creator Z16P
7.8
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
2560 x 1664
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
10.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Apple MacBook Air (2022) to be very good for software development, while the MSI Creator Z16P is good.

Cost

$1,599
MacBook Air (2022)
Creator Z16P
$1,590
Product imageProduct image

$500

$1,000

$1,500

$2,000

$2,500

The Apple MacBook Air (2022) has a price of $1,599 and the MSI Creator Z16P costs $1,590.

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How the Apple MacBook Air (2022) and the MSI Creator Z16P compare to other laptops

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Spec Comparison

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Apple MacBook Air (2022)MSI Creator Z16P
Apple MacBook Air (2022)MSI Creator Z16P

GENERAL

Price
$1,599
$1,590
Release Date
July 1, 2022June 1, 2023
Overall Dimensions
12'' x 8.5'' x 0.44''14.1'' x 10.2'' x 0.75''
Weight
2.7 lbs5.27 lbs
Width
11.97"14.13"
Depth
8.46"10.18"

INTERNAL

Processor
Apple M2Intel i7-12700H
RAM
8 GB32 GB
DDR Memory Version
55
RAM Slots
02
Storage
1024 GB1024 GB

BATTERY

Battery Life
15 Hours5 Hours
Battery Capacity
52.6 Wh90 Wh

SCREEN

Diagonal Size
13.6"16"
Display Technology
IPSIPS
Resolution
2560 x 16642560 x 1600
Refresh Rate
60Hz165Hz
Display Brightness
486 nits394 nits

RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS

Build Quality Score
10/108/10
Portability Score
9.4/107.2/10
Gaming Laptop Appearance
NoNo
Premium Business Laptop
YesNo
Fan Noise Score
10/107.8/10

HARDWARE FEATURES

Keyboard Quality Score
10/108/10
Speaker Quality Score
10/108.8/10
Webcam
1080p1080p
Fingerprint Reader
YesYes
Backlit Keyboard
YesYes
Number Pad
NoYes

CONNECTIVITY

USB Type-A
01
USB-C ports
22
USB-C Charging
YesYes
Display Outputs
12
Thunderbolt Version
34

Shopping

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Apple MacBook Air (2022)

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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."

MSI Creator Z16P

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Dig into reviews and images

NotebookCheck

Mario Petzold | June 2022
"There's almost nothing left to be desired with the MSI Z16P. The creator laptop offers enormous performance resources for image editing, video editing, rendering, and more. All this is presented on a precalibrated, adequately sized, and high-resolution display. Its color space, refresh rate, and panel technology are also perfectly suited for a device that specializes in video reproduction and editing."

Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Air (2022) or the MSI Creator Z16P

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.

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Why trust us

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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.

By the numbers

380
Laptops evaluated
48,640
Laptops stats compiled
13
Proprietary Laptops ratings developed
112,395
Recommendations made
24,353
Consumer hours saved

About the laptop team

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.

Jason Lew

Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Jason is a staff expert and software engineer that has been making laptop recommendations for 7 years and moderates one of the largest laptop subreddits.

Chandradeep Chowdhury

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.

Craig Russell

Laptops Expert
Craig is a UK-based laptops expert. Craig works in IT, where he recommends and supports laptops and PCs for clients and has been recommending laptops on Reddit for five years.

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