The Apple MacBook Air (2022) offers longer battery life and a more vibrant display, which is great for general use and media consumption. It's also more portable due to its lighter weight and smaller size, making it suitable for travel or commuting. In contrast, the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17" has a larger screen and includes a number pad on the keyboard, which can be advantageous for data entry and productivity tasks. It comes with more storage space out of the box, but it has a bulkier frame and weighs more, making it less ideal for on-the-go usage. The Lenovo is generally less expensive, so it may be a better option if budget is a major concern and the larger form factor isn't an issue. Both laptops are not geared towards intensive gaming, so if gaming is a priority, you might want to consider alternative options. 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 Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17"
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17" 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
307.0 nits
15.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
9.0 Hours
10.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
6.5/10
9.4/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.1/10
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) and Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17" are both good for general use, though the Apple MacBook Air (2022) is somewhat better.
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) offers a superior screen quality, portability, and battery life with its high-resolution display, lightweight design, and long-lasting battery, making it ideal for users in need of a high-performing machine that is easy to carry around.
Engineering and Design
7.5/10
6.6/10
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 Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17" is only fair.
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) excels in engineering and design use primarily due to its high-quality CPU, GPU, and superior screen with greater color accuracy and brightness; it also benefits from a lighter weight and silent operation which enhances portability and comfort. The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17", with a fair performance in engineering and design tasks, offers a larger screen and more storage but has a less powerful CPU and GPU, lower screen quality, and is heavier, which may affect portability and ease of use in certain scenarios.
Content Creation
7.9/10
7.4/10
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) and Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17" 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
7.2/10
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
6.5/10
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) is very good for software development, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17" 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
6.7/10
13.6in
SIZE
17.3in
2560 x 1664
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
486.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
307.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Air has a better screen than the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17" for general use, AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The MacBook Air's display, known for its high resolution and brightness, provides a clear and vivid image that's beneficial for everyday tasks and detail-oriented work in engineering and design, with its strong color reproduction covering various color gamuts. However, its typical refresh rate makes it less suitable for 3D applications that require smoother motion. The Lenovo IdeaPad 3's screen, while also having good resolution and brightness for general tasks and sufficient color accuracy for design tasks, falls short in gaming and 3D performance due to its lower refresh rate, which is important for fluid motion and fast-paced visuals.
Battery
15.0 Hours
9.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Air has 15 hours of battery life. The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17" has 9 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
4.4 lbs
0.4in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) has excellent portability, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17" 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 17" has only fair build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$899
$784
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) has a price of $899 and the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17" costs $784.
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) and Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17" are both only fair for gaming and AI.
PerfectRec’s Gaming and AI Score strongly emphasizes graphics processing capability, while also taking into account other factors that impact suitability for gaming and AI work.
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How the Apple MacBook Air (2022) and the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17" 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."
"The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17" defies expectations. Indeed, it is just a minor upgrade over last year. However, this doesn’t make the laptop any less terrific. It’s got a great performance, courtesy of the Ryzen 5x25U processors. In addition, you get a pretty good battery life. Perhaps, the 2-hour decrease in video playback, compared to last year is not great, but still, 10 hours of Web browsing and 7 hours of video playback is okay for 17-inch notebooks."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Air (2022) or the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17"
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.
By the numbers
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Laptops evaluated
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Proprietary Laptops ratings developed
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Recommendations made
22,468
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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
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.