The Apple MacBook Air (2022) is known for its slim design, lightweight, and fanless operation, making it ideal for portability and general use. It offers a great screen, but the performance is not optimized for intensive gaming or engineering tasks. On the other hand, the Eluktronics RP-15, with a more powerful processor and dedicated graphics card, is better suited for 3D rendering, machine learning, and gaming, although it is heavier and potentially has a shorter battery life, making it less portable than the MacBook Air. Choose the MacBook Air for everyday tasks and portability, while the RP-15 is more suitable for performance-intensive activities. 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 Eluktronics RP-15
Very good for engineering and design
Good for gaming and AI
Very good overall display quality
Key differences
Gaming and AI
6.4/10
7.8/10
4.1/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.5/10
2560 x 1664
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
10.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.0/10
The Eluktronics RP-15 is good for gaming and AI, while the Apple MacBook Air (2022) is only fair.
The Apple MacBook Air, with its integrated M2 GPU and a standard 60Hz display, handles 3D tasks competently but may falter in more complex scenarios, whereas the Eluktronics RP-15 with its dedicated Nvidia RTX 4060 GPU and higher 165Hz screen refresh rate is tailored for superior gaming and 3D performance, further limited by the fact that many popular games aren't compatible with macOS.
Engineering and Design
7.5/10
8.2/10
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
4.1/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.5/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Eluktronics RP-15 is very good for engineering and design, while the Apple MacBook Air (2022) is good.
The Eluktronics RP-15 outshines the Apple MacBook Air (2022) for engineering and design due to its superior processing capabilities, with a more powerful CPU and double the RAM, as well as a higher-end dedicated GPU, making it more suitable for demanding applications and multitasking. However, the MacBook Air offers a higher-resolution screen with better color accuracy and advantages in portability with its lighter weight and fanless design that ensures silent operation.
Software Development
8.0/10
7.4/10
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2560 x 1664
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
10.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) is very good for software development, while the Eluktronics RP-15 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.
Screen Quality
7.6/10
8.0/10
13.6in
SIZE
15.6in
2560 x 1664
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
486.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
350.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Air has a better screen than the Eluktronics RP-15 for software development, and content creation, while the Eluktronics RP-15 has a better screen for gaming and AI.
When choosing a laptop for general use, the Apple MacBook Air's screen is praised for its high resolution and brightness, coupled with an excellent panel type that delivers crisp visuals and clear text. The screen's wide color gamuts are important for engineering and design work, where accurate color representation is essential, and the MacBook Air performs well here too, meeting professional color standards. However, when it comes to 3D applications, which demand high refresh rates for smooth motion, the MacBook Air falls short, making it less suitable for intensive gaming or 3D modeling, while the Eluktronics RP-15 may offer better refresh rates but with compromises possibly in color accuracy or brightness.
Battery
15.0 Hours
6.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Air has 15 hours of battery life. The Eluktronics RP-15 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
4.9 lbs
0.4in
THICKNESS
1.0in
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) has excellent portability, while the Eluktronics RP-15 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
10.0/10
7.2/10
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) has best in class build quality, while the Eluktronics RP-15 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$839
$1,399
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) has a price of $839 and the Eluktronics RP-15 costs $1,399.
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) and Eluktronics RP-15 are both good for general use.
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) offers a balance of performance with its M2 processor and solid screen quality, all in a highly portable and fanless design with long battery life, making it well-suited for general use and on-the-go productivity.
Content Creation
7.9/10
7.6/10
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
2560 x 1664
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) and Eluktronics RP-15 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.
Give feedback
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How the Apple MacBook Air (2022) and the Eluktronics RP-15 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."
"To conclude, I’m genuinely impressed with Eluktronics and what they have been able to deliver with the RP-15. You see this is all about maximizing performance, cooling, and giving users the most flexible I/O, and then wrapping it into a chassis that doesn’t feel super cheap. Let’s also not forget the price point, I think they have really nailed it in that department."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Air (2022) or the Eluktronics RP-15
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 Eluktronics
Eluktronics is a relatively new American gaming laptop company, founded in 2011. They are a reseller for the Taiwanese brand Clevo, who manufacture laptops exclusively and ship them to resellers like Eluktronics who customize them. Eluktronics laptops generally have great hardware specifications for the money, including the CPU, GPU, and RAM. They also feature a relatively clean design by gaming laptop standards, with few logos and discreet colors.
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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