A comparison of specs, key information, reviews, and best pricing from top retailers
Last updated -- hours ago | Report incorrect information
Company ProductName Specs
Company ProductName Specs
What we think
The PerfectRec laptop team Learn more
Updated January 10, 2024·
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) offers portability, a high-resolution screen, and longer battery life for general use, but with limited storage and RAM. Its built-in M2 chip provides solid performance for everyday tasks. The Gigabyte A7 has double the storage, more RAM, a larger screen with a higher refresh rate, and a dedicated Nvidia RTX 3060 graphics card for better performance in 3D work, machine learning, and gaming. However, it has shorter battery life and is less portable due to its larger size and weight. 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 Gigabyte A7
- Good for gaming and AI
Key differences
General Use
7.9
7.3
2560 x 1664
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
486.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
318.0 nits
15.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
4.5 Hours
10.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
9.4/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.0/10
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) and Gigabyte A7 are both good for general use, though the Apple MacBook Air (2022) is somewhat better.
The Apple MacBook Air is favored for general use due to its lightweight design, fanless silent operation, and long battery life, coupled with the highly efficient M2 processor, sharp screen, and ample RAM. The Gigabyte A7 offers a larger screen and superior gaming capabilities due to its powerful AMD Ryzen CPU and Nvidia GPU, more RAM, and better heat management, although it's heavier and has a shorter battery life, making it less portable.
Gaming and AI
6.4
7.3
4.1/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.3/10
2560 x 1664
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
10.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The Gigabyte A7 is good for gaming and AI, while the Apple MacBook Air (2022) is only fair.
The Apple MacBook Air (2022), with its Apple M2 GPU, delivers only a fair level of performance for 3D applications and isn't ideal for gaming, especially since many popular games don't work on macOS, underlined by its 60Hz screen refresh rate.
Content Creation
7.9
7.3
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
2560 x 1664
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) and Gigabyte A7 are both good for content creation, though the Apple MacBook Air (2022) is somewhat better.
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
7.0
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2560 x 1664
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
10.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) is very good for software development, while the Gigabyte A7 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
7.3
13.6in
SIZE
17.3in
2560 x 1664
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
486.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
318.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Air has a better screen than the Gigabyte A7 for general use, engineering and design, software development, and content creation, while the Gigabyte A7 has a better screen for gaming and AI.
The Apple MacBook Air's screen excels in resolution and brightness, making texts sharp and content vibrant, which is great for general use, while its wide color gamut ensures precise colors for engineering and design tasks. However, it typically has a standard refresh rate, which is less ideal for 3D applications where a higher refresh rate can make motion appear smoother. In contrast, the Gigabyte A7 provides decent resolution and acceptable brightness for daily tasks and engineering designs but still falls short for gaming and 3D since its refresh rate likely won't match that of specialized gaming laptops.
Battery
15.0 Hours
4.5 Hours
The Apple MacBook Air has 15 hours of battery life. The Gigabyte A7 has 4.5 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
17.3in
2.7 lbs
WEIGHT
5.5 lbs
0.4in
THICKNESS
1.1in
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) has excellent portability, while the Gigabyte A7 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
10.0
7.2
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) has best in class build quality, while the Gigabyte A7 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Let Us Help Find Your Perfect Laptop
Find your new laptop
Key similarities
Engineering and Design
7.5
7.6
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
4.1/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.3/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Gigabyte A7 and Apple MacBook Air (2022) are both good for engineering and design.
The Apple MacBook Air (2022), with its M2 chip, provides solid CPU and GPU performance suitable for engineering and design tasks while maintaining excellent portability and screen quality, but it's limited by 8 GB of RAM. The Gigabyte A7, boasting a Ryzen 7 processor, 16 GB of RAM, and a dedicated Nvidia RTX 3060 GPU, handles engineering software with ease and offers a larger screen, but is less portable and has lower screen quality compared to the MacBook Air.
Cost
$944
$940
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) has a price of $944 and the Gigabyte A7 costs $940.
Give feedback
We’re constantly working to improve.
How the Apple MacBook Air (2022) and the Gigabyte A7 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Apple MacBook Air (2022) | Gigabyte A7 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$944 | $940 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | July 1, 2022 | February 1, 2022 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 12'' x 8.5'' x 0.44'' | 15.6'' x 10.3'' x 1.19'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 2.7 lbs | 5.58 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 11.97" | 15.59" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 8.46" | 10.31" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Apple M2 | AMD Ryzen 7 5800H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 8 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 4 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 256 GB | 512 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 15 Hours | 4.5 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 52.6 Wh | 49 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 13.6" | 17.3" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 2560 x 1664 | 1920 x 1080 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 144Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 486 nits | 318 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 10/10 | 7.2/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 9.4/10 | 6/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | Yes | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | Yes | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 10/10 | 6.5/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 10/10 | 7.5/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 10/10 | 8/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 1080p | 720p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | Yes | No | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | No | Yes | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 0 | 3 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 2 | 1 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | No | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 1 | 3 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | 3 | N/A | |
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."
Gigabyte A7
See more
Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Mike Wobker | October 2021
"In terms of looks, the Gigabyte A7 X1 is certainly not a trendy, slim, and ultra-mobile gaming laptop. But it does what it's supposed to do, namely bringing games smoothly onto the screen, very well. Both the processor and the GeForce RTX 3070 are able to unleash their performance without restrictions thanks to the well-ventilated case. The Gigabyte A7 X1 brings modern games smoothly onto the screen and offers excellent maintenance options."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Air (2022) or the Gigabyte A7
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 Gigabyte
Gigabyte is a Taiwanese computer hardware manufacturer. While Gigabyte mainly focuses its business on desktop hardware, Gigabyte is known for its value-oriented G series laptops, thin and light Aero series, and performance-oriented Aorus series. Gigabyte laptops offer a strong value proposition to compete with mainstream alternatives.
Give feedback
We're constantly perfecting our model
Laptop guides you might be interested in
More comparisons for you
FAQs
FAQs about laptops
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.
By the numbers
380
Laptops evaluated
48,640
Laptops stats compiled
13
Proprietary Laptops ratings developed
73,695
Recommendations made
15,968
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.
Featured in
