Choose the MacBook Air if you prioritize a lighter, more portable laptop with a high-quality build, silent operation, and longer battery life, ideal for general use like web browsing, office work, and media consumption. On the other hand, the Lenovo Legion 7 is more targeted towards those who need greater performance for 3D rendering, gaming, or engineering applications due to its more powerful CPU and graphics, alongside extra RAM and storage. However, the Legion is heavier and has a shorter battery life, making it less ideal for frequent travel. Give Feedback
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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 7
Very good for engineering and design
Good for gaming and AI
Very good overall display quality
Key differences
Gaming and AI
6.4/10
7.8/10
4.1/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.4/10
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 7 is good for gaming and AI, while the Apple MacBook Air (2022) is only fair.
While the MacBook Air is equipped with an integrated M2 GPU suitable for light 3D tasks, the Lenovo Legion 7's dedicated Nvidia RTX 3070 and higher refresh rate display provide superior performance for gaming and more demanding 3D applications. Additionally, the Legion 7 is compatible with a wider range of popular games that often aren't available on macOS.
Engineering and Design
7.5/10
8.2/10
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
4.1/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.4/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Lenovo Legion 7 is very good for engineering and design, while the Apple MacBook Air (2022) is good.
The Lenovo Legion 7 offers superior performance for engineering and design due to its robust AMD Ryzen processor, double the RAM, and powerful Nvidia graphics compared to the Apple MacBook Air's more modest M2 processor and integrated graphics; this makes the Legion more capable of handling complex calculations and rendering tasks. However, this power comes at the expense of portability and silent operation, where the lightweight, fanless MacBook Air excels, offering better ease of transport and quieter working conditions.
Screen Quality
7.6/10
8.3/10
13.6in
SIZE
16.0in
2560 x 1664
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
486.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
469.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Air has a better screen than the Lenovo Legion 7 for software development, while the Lenovo Legion 7 has a better screen for general use, and gaming and AI.
The MacBook Air's high-resolution Retina display with true-to-life colors meets everyday needs brilliantly and satisfies engineering and design tasks with its wide color gamut coverage but falls short for 3D due to its standard refresh rate. The Lenovo Legion 7 also boasts a high-resolution display with excellent color accuracy, facilitating both general use and work requiring precise color representation, yet its gaming and 3D capabilities are hindered without a high refresh rate display. Screen quality isn't one-size-fits-all; creative professionals and general users will delight in the vivid displays of both, while gamers and 3D designers should seek laptops with faster screen refresh rates.
Battery
15.0 Hours
6.5 Hours
The Apple MacBook Air has 15 hours of battery life. The Lenovo Legion 7 has 6.5 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
16.0in
2.7 lbs
WEIGHT
5.5 lbs
0.4in
THICKNESS
0.8in
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) has excellent portability, while the Lenovo Legion 7 has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
10.0/10
8.5/10
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) has best in class build quality, while the Lenovo Legion 7 has very good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$899
$1,500
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) has a price of $899 and the Lenovo Legion 7 costs $1,500.
The Lenovo Legion 7 and Apple MacBook Air (2022) are both good for general use.
The Apple MacBook Air is praised for its excellent portability, screen quality, battery life, and silent operation, which are vital for general use, but it has less storage and RAM than the Lenovo Legion 7 which could be a tradeoff for power users. On the other hand, the Lenovo Legion 7, despite being heavier and having a shorter battery life, offers a more powerful CPU, more RAM, and better storage, making it well-suited for more demanding tasks while still delivering a good experience for general use.
Content Creation
7.9/10
7.9/10
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
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 7 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
7.6/10
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2560 x 1664
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
10.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Apple MacBook Air (2022) to be very good for software development, while the Lenovo Legion 7 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.
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How the Apple MacBook Air (2022) and the Lenovo Legion 7 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 7 is a fast 16-inch gamer with 165 Hz display. The new Lenovo Legion 7 is a very good gaming notebook that, despite its comparatively compact compact 16-inch case, does not have to do without the most powerful components. Thanks to good cooling, no compromises are made in terms of performance. Both the Core i9-12900HX and the GeForce RTX 3080 Ti perform at a very high level."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Air (2022) or the Lenovo Legion 7
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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Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
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