If you prioritize performance for intensive tasks like 3D rendering, machine learning, or gaming, and don't mind a heavier and bulkier laptop, the Lenovo Legion 5 17" with its dedicated graphics card and larger screen is a good choice. However, if portability, longer battery life, and a higher-quality display are more important to you, and you're looking for a machine suitable for general use with a silent operation due to no fans, the Apple MacBook Air (2022) with its lightweight design and impressive screen may be the better option. Keep in mind the MacBook Air is generally less expensive compared to the Legion, which could also influence your decision. 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)
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 Lenovo Legion 5 17"
Good for gaming and AI
Key differences
General Use
7.9/10
7.2/10
2560 x 1664
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
486.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
305.0 nits
15.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
4.5 Hours
10.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
9.4/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
5.8/10
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) and Lenovo Legion 5 17" are both good for general use, though the Apple MacBook Air (2022) is somewhat better.
The Apple MacBook Air, with its efficient M2 processor and long battery life, is a lightweight and portable option suitable for general use, also offering a high-quality screen with sharp resolution and wide color coverage. On the other hand, the Lenovo Legion 5 comes with a more powerful CPU and double the standard RAM, coupled with a larger screen size and better gaming capabilities, but it's heavier and has a shorter battery life, making it less portable yet more suited for performance-intensive tasks.
Gaming and AI
6.4/10
7.4/10
4.1/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.5/10
2560 x 1664
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
10.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The Lenovo Legion 5 17" is good for gaming and AI, while the Apple MacBook Air (2022) is only fair.
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) uses an integrated Apple M2 GPU which delivers moderate performance for 3D tasks and has a standard screen refresh rate of 60Hz, whereas the Lenovo Legion 5 comes equipped with a dedicated Nvidia RTX 3060 GPU and a higher screen refresh rate of 144Hz, offering a better experience for gaming and more demanding 3D applications. Additionally, the Legion's higher-spec GPU and compatibility with a wider range of games due to its Windows operating system make it more suitable for gaming compared to the MacBook Air, which may not support many popular games.
Content Creation
7.9/10
7.2/10
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
2560 x 1664
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) and Lenovo Legion 5 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
7.0/10
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2560 x 1664
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
10.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) is very good for software development, while the Lenovo Legion 5 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
7.3/10
13.6in
SIZE
17.3in
2560 x 1664
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
486.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
305.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Air has a better screen than the Lenovo Legion 5 17" for general use, engineering and design, software development, and content creation, while the Lenovo Legion 5 17" has a better screen for gaming and AI.
The Apple MacBook Air, with its high-resolution display and excellent color accuracy across a wide spectrum, offers clear and vibrant visuals that appeal to engineers and designers who need precise color representation. However, its screen lacks a high refresh rate, making it less suitable for 3D applications where fluid motion is crucial. The Lenovo Legion 5, while offering a sizeable and decent resolution display for everyday tasks and sufficient color range for engineering and design work, falls short in gaming and 3D scenarios due to its subpar refresh rate compared to specialized gaming laptops.
Battery
15.0 Hours
4.5 Hours
The Apple MacBook Air has 15 hours of battery life. The Lenovo Legion 5 17" has 4.5 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
Poor
13.6in
SIZE
17.3in
2.7 lbs
WEIGHT
6.5 lbs
0.4in
THICKNESS
1.0in
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) has excellent portability, while the Lenovo Legion 5 17" has poor portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
10.0/10
7.4/10
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) has best in class build quality, while the Lenovo Legion 5 17" has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$899
$1,200
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
$1,600
$1,800
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) has a price of $899 and the Lenovo Legion 5 17" costs $1,200.
The Lenovo Legion 5 17" and Apple MacBook Air (2022) are both good for engineering and design.
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) with its Apple M2 chip is great for engineering and design thanks to its powerful CPU and GPU encapsulated in a light and quiet package, complemented by a high-quality screen with impressive color accuracy and brightness, making long work sessions less straining on the eyes.
Give feedback
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How the Apple MacBook Air (2022) and the Lenovo Legion 5 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 Legion 5 17 is a current-gen 17-inch gaming laptop and equipped with the latest AMD CPU and a powerful GPU, that manages to reach its full potential. The AMD Ryzen 5 5600H is a very good choice for this laptop and able to maintain its performance level for long periods of time. Our test model only falls behind consistently in a direct comparison with its competitors that are often equipped with eight cores and 16 threads. Despite this, the Legion 5 17 leaves an excellent impression and is almost able to keep up with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 mobile GPU in synthetic benchmarks."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Air (2022) or the Lenovo Legion 5 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.
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