If performance and build quality are priorities, and you're okay with a higher price, the Apple MacBook Air is a strong choice with its efficient Apple M2 chip, high-resolution Retina display, and superior battery life. It's also lightweight and offers a silent, fanless operation. However, if budget is a major consideration and you mainly need a computer for basic tasks, the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 offers adequate performance for everyday use, has a larger screen, and comes with a range of ports, albeit with lower screen quality and a bulkier design. Keep in mind that the MacBook Air runs MacOS while the IdeaPad runs Windows, which could influence your software and usability preferences. 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 Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15"
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" has no clear advantages over the Apple MacBook Air (2022).
Key differences
General Use
7.9/10
6.2/10
2560 x 1664
RESOLUTION
1366 x 768
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
TN
486.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
220.0 nits
15.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
5.0 Hours
10.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
6.5/10
9.4/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.5/10
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) is good for general use, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" is only fair.
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) offers a superior general use experience due to its more powerful M2 processor, higher quality IPS display with better screen resolution, wider color coverage, and longer battery life, all in a more compact and lightweight design compared to the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15", which has a basic Intel i3 processor, lower resolution TN display with narrower color coverage, significantly shorter battery life, and is bulkier, making it less portable.
Gaming and AI
6.4/10
5.8/10
4.1/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
2560 x 1664
RESOLUTION
1366 x 768
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
10.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
9.5/10
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) is only fair for gaming and AI, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" is poor.
The MacBook Air (2022) has an Apple M2 GPU which is fairly capable of handling 3D tasks, whereas the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" has a weaker Intel UHD Xe G4 integrated GPU which falters in gaming and 3D performance; however, the Lenovo's advantage lies in its Windows operating system which supports a wider range of popular games compared to the MacBook Air's MacOS which is not compatible with many games. Both laptops have similar screen refresh rates, so despite better screen quality on the MacBook Air and moderate screen quality on the Lenovo, this won't affect gaming responsiveness.
Engineering and Design
7.5/10
5.8/10
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.2/10
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 Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" is poor.
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) has a high-resolution IPS screen, a powerful Apple M2 chip with dedicated GPU cores, and a fanless design, making it well-suited for demanding engineering and design tasks while also being very portable and quiet.
Content Creation
7.9/10
6.3/10
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.2/10
2560 x 1664
RESOLUTION
1366 x 768
8.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
TN
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) is good for content creation, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" 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
6.3/10
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.2/10
8.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
2560 x 1664
RESOLUTION
1366 x 768
10.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
6.5/10
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) is very good for software development, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" 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
5.2/10
13.6in
SIZE
15.6in
2560 x 1664
RESOLUTION
1366 x 768
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
TN
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
486.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
220.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Air has a better screen than the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" for general use, AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
When choosing a laptop for general use, the Apple MacBook Air typically offers a high-resolution, bright display, and a panel type known for rich colors, which enhances the viewing experience for everyday tasks. For engineering and design, the MacBook Air's display covers a wide range of color gamuts like DCI-P3 and Adobe RGB, which is crucial for accurate color work, a feature that the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 lacks. And for 3D applications, a high refresh rate is vital for smooth visuals, which the MacBook Air does not prioritize as much, making it less suitable for this purpose compared to laptops specifically designed with high refresh rate screens.
Battery
15.0 Hours
5.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Air has 15 hours of battery life. The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" has 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
15.6in
2.7 lbs
WEIGHT
3.7 lbs
0.4in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) has excellent portability, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
10.0/10
6.5/10
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) has best in class build quality, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" has only fair build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$899
$360
$200
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) has a price of $899 and the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" costs $360.
"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."
"The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 is an enduring office notebook with a powerful Ryzen APU. Lenovo's office all-rounder easily handles office and internet applications as well as modest games - the Ryzen 5 5625U APU and 16 GB of RAM make this possible. The CPU and GPU can work at consistently high clock rates. The emission values are okay, but the noise emissions should be lower under medium to full load. The relatively light notebook (approx. 1.6 kg) achieves practical battery runtimes of about 10 to 11 hours."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Air (2022) or the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 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 Lenovo
Lenovo is a Chinese technology company, and one of the largest personal computer vendor. They are well known for a variety of technology products, including laptops. Their consumer series include their entry level IdeaPad and LOQ series and mid-to-high-end Yoga and Legion series. On the business-oriented side, their series include their entry-level ThinkBook series and mid-to-high-end ThinkPad series. Lenovo laptops offer strong performance for reasonable prices, and are often on sale.
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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Staff Expert & Software Engineer
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Laptops Expert
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