The Apple MacBook Air is less expensive, lighter, and boasts longer battery life, making it more suitable for general use and on-the-go tasks. It has good screen quality and operates silently without a fan, yet its performance is less suited for intensive 3D rendering, machine learning, or gaming compared to the ASUS ROG Strix G18. The ASUS, however, with its higher price, is targeted at high-end gaming and demanding engineering tasks, benefiting from a more powerful processor, dedicated graphics card, and higher RAM. It also features a larger screen with a higher refresh rate. But it is heavier and has a shorter battery life, which impacts its portability. 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 (2022)
Best in class overall build quality
Excellent portability
Excellent battery life
Best in class keyboard
Advantages of the ASUS ROG Strix G18
Very good for general use
Very good for engineering and design
Very good for gaming and AI
Very good for content creation
Very good overall display quality
Key differences
Gaming and AI
6.4/10
8.7/10
4.1/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.9/10
2560 x 1664
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
10.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.2/10
The ASUS ROG Strix G18 is very good for gaming and AI, while the Apple MacBook Air (2022) is only fair.
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) has an integrated GPU that delivers adequate performance for some 3D tasks, but the ASUS ROG Strix G18 comes with a dedicated Nvidia RTX 4070 GPU, which provides significantly better performance suitable for intensive gaming and 3D applications. Furthermore, the higher screen refresh rate of the ASUS enhances the gaming experience, which is crucial given that many popular games are not compatible with the MacBook's macOS.
Engineering and Design
7.5/10
8.9/10
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
4.1/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.9/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The ASUS ROG Strix G18 is very good for engineering and design, while the Apple MacBook Air (2022) is good.
PerfectRec’s Engineering and Design Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for graphic design and 3D rendering work.
Content Creation
7.9/10
8.6/10
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
2560 x 1664
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The ASUS ROG Strix G18 is very good for content creation, while the Apple MacBook Air (2022) 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
7.6/10
8.7/10
13.6in
SIZE
18.0in
2560 x 1664
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
486.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
422.0 nits
The ASUS ROG Strix G18 has a better screen than the Apple MacBook Air for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, and software development.
The MacBook Air's high-resolution Retina display boasts vibrant colors and sharp details, making it excellent for everyday tasks and professional design work which benefits from its wide color gamut coverage. However, its lower refresh rate limits its appeal for 3D applications where smoother visuals are critical. On the other hand, the ASUS ROG Strix G18, while offering a splendid display for daily activities and precise color representation for engineering and design, also falls short for gaming and 3D due to its subpar refresh rate despite reasonable resolution and panel technology.
Battery
15.0 Hours
8.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Air has 15 hours of battery life. The ASUS ROG Strix G18 has 8 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
Excellent
Poor
13.6in
SIZE
18.0in
2.7 lbs
WEIGHT
6.6 lbs
0.4in
THICKNESS
1.0in
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) has excellent portability, while the ASUS ROG Strix G18 has poor portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
10.0/10
7.8/10
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) has best in class build quality, while the ASUS ROG Strix G18 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$899
$2,299
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) has a price of $899 and the ASUS ROG Strix G18 costs $2,299.
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers ASUS ROG Strix G18 to be very good for general use, while the Apple MacBook Air (2022) is good.
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) offers portability with its lightweight design and strong battery life for general use, while its screen delivers a high-quality visual experience with high resolution and color accuracy. In contrast, the ASUS ROG Strix G18 provides superior performance with a more powerful processor and double the RAM, better suited for intensive tasks but sacrificing portability due to its larger size and heavier weight, while also offering excellent screen quality and speakers but with less battery life.
Software Development
8.0/10
8.1/10
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2560 x 1664
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
10.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The ASUS ROG Strix G18 and Apple MacBook Air (2022) are both very 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 (2022) and the ASUS ROG Strix G18 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."
"With the ROG Strix G18, Asus has made an almost consistently good debut in the still quite new 18-inch laptop segment. The base unit case shows a few signs of weakness in the area of stability and is something which has an effect on the perceived quality of the input devices (the chassis tends to rattle a bit). Nevertheless, thanks to generous port features (incl. Thunderbolt 4), a striking design, and extensive lighting (keyboard, LED strip on the front), gamers get a fitting gaming platform."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Air (2022) or the ASUS ROG Strix G18
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 ASUS
ASUS, a Taiwanese electronics brand, is one of the largest personal computer vendor by market share. The majority of their laptops are targeted towards personal use or gaming. Their most popular product lines include the budget-friendly VivoBook, more premium ZenBook, and their TUF and ROG gaming laptops, the latter of which has a reputation for excellent gaming performance.
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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