If you prioritize battery life and portability, the Apple MacBook Air with its longer battery life and lighter design is a solid choice, especially for general use. However, for more power-intensive tasks such as 3D rendering, machine learning, and gaming, the Gigabyte Aero 5 provides superior performance due to its high-end graphics card and processor, making it better suited for engineering and gaming, albeit with a heavier build and shorter battery life. The Aero 5 also offers a larger, higher-resolution OLED screen, which may be preferable for those focused on visual detail and color accuracy but comes at the expense of added weight and reduced battery life compared to the MacBook Air. Give Feedback
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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 Aero 5
Very good for engineering and design
Good for gaming and AI
Very good for content creation
Very good overall display quality
Key differences
Gaming and AI
6.4/10
7.9/10
4.1/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.3/10
2560 x 1664
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
10.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.0/10
The Gigabyte Aero 5 is good for gaming and AI, while the Apple MacBook Air (2022) is only fair.
The Gigabyte Aero 5, with its powerful Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti GPU, excels for gaming and 3D applications, while the Apple MacBook Air (2022) with its less potent integrated Apple M2 GPU provides only adequate performance for 3D tasks and is further limited by poor compatibility with many popular games due to MacOS. Both have similar screen refresh rates, but the Gigabyte’s superior GPU ultimately makes it better suited for intensive graphics, though it is less portable than the lightweight MacBook Air.
Engineering and Design
7.5/10
8.7/10
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
4.1/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.3/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Gigabyte Aero 5 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
8.6/10
13.6in
SIZE
15.6in
2560 x 1664
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
486.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
446.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Air has a better screen than the Gigabyte Aero 5 for software development, while the Gigabyte Aero 5 has a better screen for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, and software development.
The MacBook Air's display offers high resolution and brightness, making text and images sharp and easy for the eyes, which is great for general use, but it may lack the color range professionals need for precision in engineering and design, and its refresh rate is not geared towards 3D applications where smooth motion is key. The Gigabyte Aero 5, on the other hand, shines with wide color gamuts and high resolution that cater to the nuanced color needs of engineering and design tasks, but its screen may not refresh fast enough to keep up with the demands of high-end gaming and 3D work which rely on quick, fluid visuals. Both laptops are well-suited for standard tasks and professional design work, but neither is optimized for the high refresh rates crucial for the most immersive 3D experiences.
Battery
15.0 Hours
7.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Air has 15 hours of battery life. The Gigabyte Aero 5 has 7 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
5.0 lbs
0.4in
THICKNESS
1.0in
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) has excellent portability, while the Gigabyte Aero 5 has only fair 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 Gigabyte Aero 5 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$899
$1,250
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) has a price of $899 and the Gigabyte Aero 5 costs $1,250.
The Gigabyte Aero 5 and Apple MacBook Air (2022) are both good for general use.
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) excels in portability and battery life, making it ideal for users needing a lightweight laptop with long-lasting power for everyday tasks, supported by its efficient CPU and high-quality screen. In contrast, the Gigabyte Aero 5 offers a more powerful CPU and GPU, more RAM and storage, and a superior screen resolution, catering to users who require more performance and a higher-quality display for demanding applications, albeit with less portability and shorter battery life.
Content Creation
7.9/10
8.2/10
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
2560 x 1664
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Gigabyte Aero 5 to be 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.
Software Development
8.0/10
7.9/10
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2560 x 1664
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
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 Gigabyte Aero 5 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 Gigabyte Aero 5 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."
"It is unfortunate that the Gigabyte AERO notebook series have seem to lost its charm, as it’s not exactly any much different from the AORUS series now. Regardless, content creators and designers will certainly still appreciate the features on the AERO 5 XE4, which are fundamental to their work. This largely revolved around the notebook’s display, which is colour calibrated and validated, high resolution (4K) and with great AMOLED colour representation. Now that the AERO 5 XE4 has improved its performance with the latest CPU and GPU, the professionals can also appreciate the improved productivity from the notebook."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Air (2022) or the Gigabyte Aero 5
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.
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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