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Updated January 10, 2024·
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) is known for its sleek design, lightweight portability, and strong battery life, which makes it a good choice if you're always on the go and prioritize ease of carrying and not needing to charge often. The integration with other Apple products is seamless, which can contribute to a smooth user experience if you already have Apple devices. On the other hand, the Dell Inspiron 14 Plus may offer more robust performance suitable for intensive tasks like engineering, 3D modeling, or gaming due to potentially better processing power and dedicated graphics options. Dell laptops often offer more ports and customizable options as well. Choose the MacBook Air if your focus is on portability and battery life, and you're invested in the Apple ecosystem. Opt for the Dell Inspiron if you need higher performance for demanding applications and don't mind a bit more weight and shorter battery life for a possibly lower cost. 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 Inspiron 14 Plus
- The Dell Inspiron 14 Plus has no clear advantages over the Apple MacBook Air (2022).
Key differences
Screen Quality
7.6
7.0
13.6in
SIZE
14.0in
2560 x 1664
RESOLUTION
2240 x 1400
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
486.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
326.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Air has a better screen than the Dell Inspiron 14 Plus for general use, AI, engineering and design, and software development.
The Apple MacBook Air's screen boasts high resolution and brightness, making it excellent for general tasks where text and image clarity are a priority. For engineering and design, the wide color gamuts offered by this laptop ensure accurate representations of visuals, which is critical for these fields. However, it lacks a high refresh rate, which is key for smooth 3D rendering, making it less suitable for tasks that involve fast-moving graphics.
Battery
15.0 Hours
6.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Air has 15 hours of battery life. The Dell Inspiron 14 Plus 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
Very Good
13.6in
SIZE
14.0in
2.7 lbs
WEIGHT
3.7 lbs
0.4in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) has excellent portability, while the Dell Inspiron 14 Plus has very good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
10.0
7.4
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) has best in class build quality, while the Dell Inspiron 14 Plus has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$899
$1,162
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
$1,600
$1,800
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) has a price of $899 and the Dell Inspiron 14 Plus costs $1,162.
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Key similarities
General Use
7.9
7.9
2560 x 1664
RESOLUTION
2240 x 1400
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
486.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
326.0 nits
15.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
6.0 Hours
10.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
9.4/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
8.1/10
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) and Dell Inspiron 14 Plus are both good for general use.
PerfectRec’s General Use Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for general productivity, web browsing, streaming, video calls, and running a wide variety of apps and programs.
Gaming and AI
6.4
6.6
4.1/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.8/10
2560 x 1664
RESOLUTION
2240 x 1400
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
10.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.5/10
The Dell Inspiron 14 Plus and Apple MacBook Air (2022) are both only fair for gaming and AI.
The Dell Inspiron 14 Plus is more suited for gaming and 3D applications due to its powerful Intel Iris Xe graphics, whereas the Apple MacBook Air, with its Apple M2 GPU, is less capable in handling intensive 3D tasks and gaming, which is also limited by the fact that many popular games are incompatible with macOS. Additionally, both laptops have a screen refresh rate of 60Hz, which is adequate for casual gaming but may not be the best for competitive gaming where higher refresh rates can provide smoother visuals.
Engineering and Design
7.5
7.8
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
4.1/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.8/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Dell Inspiron 14 Plus and Apple MacBook Air (2022) are both good for engineering and design.
The Apple MacBook Air (2022), with its efficient M2 processor and strong GPU performance, caters well to design applications, making it a solid choice for engineering and design tasks, plus it boasts an exceptional screen quality with high color accuracy and brightness, essential for design work. In contrast, the Dell Inspiron 14 Plus offers superior main processor performance and double the RAM, which is better for more demanding engineering simulations and design software, along with a high-resolution screen, although with less color accuracy than the MacBook Air; it's slightly heavier and thicker, which impacts portability but has a better port selection for peripherals.
Content Creation
7.9
7.9
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
2560 x 1664
RESOLUTION
2240 x 1400
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) and Dell Inspiron 14 Plus 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
7.7
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2560 x 1664
RESOLUTION
2240 x 1400
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 Dell Inspiron 14 Plus 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 Inspiron 14 Plus compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Apple MacBook Air (2022) | Dell Inspiron 14 Plus |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$899 | $1,162 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | July 1, 2022 | July 1, 2022 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 12'' x 8.5'' x 0.44'' | 12.4'' x 9'' x 0.7'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 2.7 lbs | 3.7 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 11.97" | 12.36" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 8.46" | 8.96" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Apple M2 | Intel i7-12700H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 8 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 1 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 256 GB | 1024 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 15 Hours | 6 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 52.6 Wh | 64 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 13.6" | 14" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 2560 x 1664 | 2240 x 1400 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 60Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 486 nits | 326 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 10/10 | 7.4/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 9.4/10 | 8.1/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | No | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | Yes | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 10/10 | 7.5/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 10/10 | 8/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 10/10 | 6.8/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 1080p | 1080p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | Yes | No | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | No | No | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 0 | 2 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 2 | 1 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | No | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 1 | 2 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | 3 | 4 | |
Shopping
Apple MacBook Air (2022)
See more
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."
Dell Inspiron 14 Plus
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Allen Ngo | August 2022
"The Dell Inspiron 14 Plus is for power users on a budget. If you're looking to maximize CPU and GPU performance on your next 14-inch laptop, then consider the pricier Razer Blade 14 or Asus Zephyrus G14. If you're looking for a thin-and-light 14-inch Ultrabook, then the Asus Zenbook 14 or LG Gram 14 may be better options. For the best of both worlds, however, the Dell Inspiron 14 Plus 7420 rides a fine line between extreme performance and portability while keeping prices at reasonable levels. Frequent travelers who rely on performance beyond what the Core U-series and integrated graphics series can offer will find the Dell to be a solid solution."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Air (2022) or the Dell Inspiron 14 Plus
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.
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Why trust us
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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Recommendations made
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About the laptop team
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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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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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