The Apple MacBook Air (2022) is lighter and more portable with longer battery life, making it suitable for people on the go, but it has less storage and memory than the HP 17" Laptop. The MacBook Air is also more expensive and has a higher-quality display with better color coverage, which could be important for creative work. On the other hand, the HP 17" Laptop has a larger screen and includes a number pad, which might be beneficial for productivity tasks, and its hardware is ample for general use and more intensive tasks like casual gaming, albeit it may fall short for high-end gaming. The HP is generally less costly but also heavier and has shorter battery life, so if you prioritize having a larger display and want to save money at the expense of portability and battery life, the HP could be a better choice. Give Feedback
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Advantages of the Apple MacBook Air (2022)
Good for engineering and design
Very good for software development
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 17" Laptop
The HP 17" Laptop has no clear advantages over the Apple MacBook Air (2022).
Key differences
General Use
7.9/10
7.3/10
2560 x 1664
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
486.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
287.0 nits
15.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
5.5 Hours
10.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
6.0/10
9.4/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.1/10
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) and HP 17" Laptop are both good for general use, though the Apple MacBook Air (2022) is somewhat better.
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) is slim, extremely portable with a high-resolution screen, and offers silent operation with its fanless design, making it ideal for general use on the go. In contrast, the HP 17" Laptop, with its larger screen and more RAM, caters to those needing more workspace and multitasking capability, yet it's less portable and has shorter battery life.
Engineering and Design
7.5/10
6.8/10
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.9/10
4.1/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) is good for engineering and design, while the HP 17" Laptop is only fair.
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.
Content Creation
7.9/10
7.2/10
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.9/10
2560 x 1664
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) and HP 17" Laptop 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
8.0/10
7.1/10
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.9/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 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 17" Laptop 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
6.6/10
13.6in
SIZE
17.3in
2560 x 1664
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
486.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
287.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Air has a better screen than the HP 17" Laptop for general use, AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) boasts a high-resolution Retina display that offers vibrant colors and excellent brightness, making it ideal for general use and precise enough for engineering and design work due to its wide color coverage, but it lacks a fast refresh rate, which is crucial for smooth 3D graphics. The HP 17" Laptop's larger screen size provides an ample workspace but has lower resolution and limited color accuracy, which can make finer details less sharp for general use and engineering tasks, and its standard refresh rate doesn't align with the needs of gaming or 3D rendering. For users requiring mobility, the MacBook Air offers a lightweight design and long battery life, while the HP's larger size and potentially shorter battery life may be less convenient for on-the-go use.
Battery
15.0 Hours
5.5 Hours
The Apple MacBook Air has 15 hours of battery life. The HP 17" Laptop has 5.5 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
Good
13.6in
SIZE
17.3in
2.7 lbs
WEIGHT
4.5 lbs
0.4in
THICKNESS
0.8in
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) has excellent portability, while the HP 17" 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 17" Laptop has only fair build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$839
$510
$200
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) has a price of $839 and the HP 17" Laptop costs $510.
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) and HP 17" Laptop are both only fair for gaming and AI.
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) is powered by its own integrated graphics within the M2 chip, which provides decent performance for some 3D tasks but is limited by the MacOS, restricting many popular game titles that aren’t compatible with it. In contrast, the HP 17" Laptop is equipped with integrated Vega graphics that can handle common gaming and 3D applications adequately on its larger screen, but as with most integrated GPUs, it isn't designed for high-end gaming performance, and its standard refresh rate won't appeal to gamers seeking smoother visuals.
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How the Apple MacBook Air (2022) and the HP 17" 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."
"As far as starter laptops go, the HP Laptop 17 is a sound investment. Sure, it might not be the lightest of options, but what you get for the price is a well-rounded machine that fits multiple niches. Whether it be office duties that require you to multi-task between multiple programs, or study tasks in which you’ll spend hours browsing online, this laptop does it all. Plus, when it's time to unwind, you can watch your favorite shows or movies on a super-wide display. What's best of all is that you can do all this for about half a day on a single charge."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Air (2022) or the HP 17" 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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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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