The Apple MacBook Air (2022) offers a lightweight and portable design with great battery life, making it well-suited for general use and on-the-go productivity. Its performance is suitable for everyday tasks, media consumption, and light creative work, thanks to its efficient Apple M2 chip. On the other hand, the Dell G15 5520 is a bulkier machine with a more powerful Intel processor and Nvidia RTX 3060 graphics card, catering to intensive gaming, 3D rendering, and engineering software needs. The tradeoff with the Dell is reduced battery life and portability; however, it excels in raw performance for demanding applications. Choose the MacBook Air for portability and battery life or the Dell G15 for higher performance in specialized tasks. 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)
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 Dell G15 5520
Very good for engineering and design
Good for gaming and AI
Key differences
Gaming and AI
6.4/10
7.7/10
4.1/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.3/10
2560 x 1664
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
10.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.7/10
The Dell G15 5520 is good for gaming and AI, while the Apple MacBook Air (2022) is only fair.
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) has an integrated GPU that performs modestly for 3D tasks and a standard refresh rate screen, making it less suitable for high-refresh-rate gaming needs; plus, macOS is not compatible with many popular games. In contrast, the Dell G15 5520 is equipped with a powerful Nvidia RTX 3060 graphics card and a high refresh rate display, providing better performance and smoother visuals for gaming and 3D applications, and runs Windows which supports a broader range of games.
Engineering and Design
7.5/10
8.2/10
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
4.1/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.3/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Dell G15 5520 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.
Screen Quality
7.6/10
7.1/10
13.6in
SIZE
15.6in
2560 x 1664
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
486.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
251.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Air has a better screen than the Dell G15 5520 for general use, engineering and design, and software development, while the Dell G15 5520 has a better screen for gaming and AI.
The MacBook Air's display offers high resolution and brightness, making it ideal for tasks like browsing, writing, and streaming, which emphasizes clarity and visibility. For engineering and design, its support for wide color gamuts ensures accurate color representation crucial for detailed design work. However, the MacBook Air's lower refresh rate may hinder the smooth rendering needed in 3D applications, making it less suitable for gaming or 3D modeling where fluid motion and quick screen updates are key.
Battery
15.0 Hours
6.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Air has 15 hours of battery life. The Dell G15 5520 has 6 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
Fair
13.6in
SIZE
15.6in
2.7 lbs
WEIGHT
5.5 lbs
0.4in
THICKNESS
1.0in
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) has excellent portability, while the Dell G15 5520 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
10.0/10
7.4/10
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) has best in class build quality, while the Dell G15 5520 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$899
$1,000
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
$1,600
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) has a price of $899 and the Dell G15 5520 costs $1,000.
The Dell G15 5520 and Apple MacBook Air (2022) are both good for general use.
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) is ideal for general use because of its excellent portability, silent operation due to lack of a fan, and its longer battery life, combined with a high-quality screen and the efficiency of the Apple M2 chip. On the other hand, the Dell G15 5520 offers a more powerful CPU suitable for demanding tasks, twice the RAM for multitasking, a larger screen with a higher refresh rate for smoother visuals, and dedicated graphics which is preferable for intensive applications, making it well-suited for general use that may also include occasional gaming or demanding software use.
Content Creation
7.9/10
7.9/10
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
2560 x 1664
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) and Dell G15 5520 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
8.0/10
7.5/10
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2560 x 1664
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
10.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Apple MacBook Air (2022) to be very good for software development, while the Dell G15 5520 is good.
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 Dell G15 5520 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."
Olivier Martin, Ryan Lim, and John Peroramas | April 2023
"The Dell G15 (2022) is a 15.6-inch budget gaming laptop, and is great for gaming. You can configure the laptop with powerful Intel 12th Gen. CPUs and various NVIDIA dedicated GPUs, all of which deliver a smooth gaming experience at 1080p. There's also a QHD 240Hz display option if you want better visuals, though you'll have to pair it with the top-end NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti to get good frame rates. It doesn't get overly hot or loud under load, and there's no noticeable throttling on the CPU or GPU. Unfortunately, the 120Hz panel has a slow response time, causing noticeable ghosting, and it doesn't support variable refresh rate."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Air (2022) or the Dell G15 5520
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 Dell
Dell is a highly recognizable American technology company, and is one of the largest personal computer vendor by market share. Their laptops are very popular for both personal and professional use, and they also own the Alienware brand which makes mid to high end gaming laptops. Their premium XPS range of laptops offer great build quality and portability, while Latitude and Precision laptops are known for reliability, repairability and performance for business users.
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
Chandradeep is a staff expert and software engineer and expert in televisions and monitors. He’s been making monitor recommendations for ten years.
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