Let's consider your options. The Apple MacBook Air, particularly the 2022 model, is known for its lightweight design, which makes it highly portable and suitable for users often on the go. It usually offers a strong battery life and performs well for everyday tasks, making it ideal for general use or for professionals who prioritize mobility and moderate performance needs. On the other hand, an HP 15" Laptop typically provides a larger screen, which is preferred for tasks that benefit from more screen real estate, like spreadsheet work or multitasking. Be aware that larger laptops can be heavier and less portable, and they might offer shorter battery life compared to the MacBook Air. When considering performance for 3D applications, machine learning, gaming, or engineering software, it's important to look at the specific HP model in question – some are outfitted with powerful hardware to handle these tasks effectively, but they may also come with a higher price tag. In conclusion, if portability and battery life are your main concerns, with general use being the primary function, opt for the MacBook Air. If you need a larger screen and can handle less portability, or if your tasks are more performance-intensive, look to the specifics of the HP 15" Laptop to ensure it meets your requirements. 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)
Good for general use
Good for engineering and design
Very good for software development
Good for content creation
Good overall display quality
Best in class overall build quality
Excellent portability
Excellent battery life
Best in class speakers
Best in class keyboard
Advantages of the HP 15" Laptop
The HP 15" Laptop has no clear advantages over the Apple MacBook Air (2022).
Key differences
General Use
7.9/10
6.7/10
2560 x 1664
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
486.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
250.0 nits
15.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
6.0 Hours
10.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
6.0/10
9.4/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.8/10
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) is good for general use, while the HP 15" Laptop is only fair.
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.
Engineering and Design
7.5/10
6.2/10
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.8/10
4.1/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
8.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) is good for engineering and design, while the HP 15" Laptop is only fair.
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) is equipped with a more powerful Apple M2 processor and better integrated graphics, which provide enhanced performance for engineering and design software compared to the HP 15" Laptop's Intel i3-1215U processor and integrated graphics.
Content Creation
7.9/10
6.9/10
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.8/10
2560 x 1664
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) is good for content creation, while the HP 15" Laptop is only fair.
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
6.7/10
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.8/10
8.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
2560 x 1664
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
10.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
6.0/10
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) is very good for software development, while the HP 15" Laptop is only fair.
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
6.3/10
13.6in
SIZE
15.6in
2560 x 1664
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
486.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
250.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Air has a better screen than the HP 15" Laptop for general use, AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The Apple MacBook Air boasts a vibrant display with high resolution and brightness, ideal for everyday tasks and engineering design, thanks to its wide color gamut that accurately represents a range of colors. However, its screen refresh rate is not as high, which matters most for 3D applications, leading to a less optimal experience. The HP 15" Laptop, on the other hand, offers a screen that meets the basic requirements for general and design tasks with acceptable resolution and color representation but falls short for gaming and 3D because of lower refresh rates and average display characteristics.
Battery
15.0 Hours
6.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Air has 15 hours of battery life. The HP 15" Laptop 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
Good
13.6in
SIZE
15.6in
2.7 lbs
WEIGHT
3.7 lbs
0.4in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) has excellent portability, while the HP 15" Laptop has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
10.0/10
6.0/10
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) has best in class build quality, while the HP 15" Laptop has only fair build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$899
$378
$200
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) has a price of $899 and the HP 15" Laptop costs $378.
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Apple MacBook Air (2022) to be only fair for gaming and AI, while the HP 15" Laptop is poor.
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) and the HP 15" Laptop are both rated fair for 3D and gaming due to their GPU capabilities and standard screen refresh rates, which are important for these tasks. While the MacBook Air has a more powerful GPU with the Apple M2, it is constrained by many popular games not running on its MacOS, limiting its gaming performance; conversely, the HP laptop runs Windows and supports a wider range of games, but it has a basic integrated GPU which is less capable of handling intensive 3D tasks or gaming.
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How the Apple MacBook Air (2022) and the HP 15" Laptop 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."
"Chances are high that the HP 15 is one of the first laptops to pop up when you search for an inexpensive notebook. Indeed, its price tag is very tempting for many, and of course, this is the reason for its popularity. However, the HP 15" suffers from poor performance due to low power consumption. On the bright side, one of the good things about it is the port selection. On the inside, this includes two SODIMM slots for memory, an M.2 PCIe x4 slot for storage, and a SATA drive bay. However, the TN panel, and mediocre input devices are not ideal."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Air (2022) or the HP 15" Laptop
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 HP
HP, also known as Hewlett-Packard, is an American technology company that develops personal computers and computer peripherals. In the laptop industry, HP is known for its entry level Essential series laptops, its mid-range Pavilion, Envy, and Victus series, and high-end Omen and Spectre series, in addition to its business-oriented EliteBook, ProBook, and Dragonfly series laptops. HP laptops generally undercut other mainstream competitors in terms of price, placing itself as the value-oriented mainstream brand.
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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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
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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.
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.