If you prioritize portability and battery life for everyday tasks such as browsing, streaming, and office work, the Apple MacBook Air would be the better option as it's lighter and generally offers longer battery life. However, if your focus is on higher performance for demanding activities like gaming, 3D modeling, or intensive engineering software, the Lenovo Legion 5i Pro, while bulkier and heavier, is designed with more powerful hardware to handle those tasks more efficiently. Keep in mind, the Legion might also have a shorter battery life due to its high-performance components. 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 Pro 5i
Very good for engineering and design
Very good for gaming and AI
Very good overall display quality
Key differences
Gaming and AI
6.4/10
8.0/10
4.1/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.5/10
2560 x 1664
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
10.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5i is very good for gaming and AI, while the Apple MacBook Air (2022) is only fair.
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.
Engineering and Design
7.5/10
8.4/10
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.6/10
4.1/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.5/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Lenovo Legion Pro 5i is very good for engineering and design, while the Apple MacBook Air (2022) is good.
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) is good for engineering and design due to its high-quality screen and silent operation but has less RAM and a less powerful GPU compared to the Lenovo Legion Pro 5i, which is very good for such tasks, offering more RAM and a high-end dedicated GPU for intensive computational work, albeit with less portability and more noise.
Screen Quality
7.6/10
8.1/10
13.6in
SIZE
16.0in
2560 x 1664
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
486.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
368.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Air has a better screen than the Lenovo Legion Pro 5i for software development, and content creation, while the Lenovo Legion Pro 5i has a better screen for gaming and AI.
For general use, the high resolution and brightness of the MacBook Air's screen contribute to its very good quality, providing crisp and vibrant visuals. Engineering and design professionals value accurate color reproduction, and since both the MacBook Air and Lenovo Legion Pro 5i cover a wide range of color gamuts, they offer very good screen quality for these fields. However, for 3D and gaming, the refresh rate is crucial for fluid motion, and since both models have lower refresh rates, they are not optimal for these tasks despite their otherwise high screen quality.
Battery
15.0 Hours
3.5 Hours
The Apple MacBook Air has 15 hours of battery life. The Lenovo Legion Pro 5i has 3.5 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
Fair
13.6in
SIZE
16.0in
2.7 lbs
WEIGHT
5.6 lbs
0.4in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) has excellent portability, while the Lenovo Legion Pro 5i has only fair 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 Pro 5i has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$849
$1,000
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
$1,600
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) has a price of $849 and the Lenovo Legion Pro 5i costs $1,000.
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) and Lenovo Legion Pro 5i are both good for general use.
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) stands out for general use due to its excellent portability, long battery life, silent operation, and high-quality screen, though it has less RAM and a less powerful CPU than the Lenovo Legion Pro 5i, which offers a stronger CPU and double the RAM, making it better for performance-intensive tasks but with a trade-off in battery life and portability. The Legion also has a brighter screen and additional ports, beneficial for connectivity, but it is heavier and has a shorter battery life, making it less suitable for on-the-go use compared to the lightweight and fanless MacBook Air.
Content Creation
7.9/10
7.6/10
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.6/10
2560 x 1664
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) and Lenovo Legion Pro 5i are both good for content creation.
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
7.5/10
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.6/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2560 x 1664
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
10.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Apple MacBook Air (2022) to be very good for software development, while the Lenovo Legion Pro 5i 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.
Give feedback
We’re constantly working to improve.
How the Apple MacBook Air (2022) and the Lenovo Legion Pro 5i 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 midpriced Lenovo Legion Pro 5i Gen 8 follows some of our favorite gaming machines, including last year's model and the higher-end Legion Pro 7i Gen 8 tested earlier this year. But pedigree doesn't count for much in the computer world, and gaming laptops require a certain level of power and graphics performance to justify their prices. The Pro 5i Gen 8 just doesn't do that, offering middling CPU and GPU performance rather than the sort of muscle that would make it a great value."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Air (2022) or the Lenovo Legion Pro 5i
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
380
Laptops evaluated
48,640
Laptops stats compiled
13
Proprietary Laptops ratings developed
96,795
Recommendations made
20,973
Consumer hours saved
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.