If you prioritize portability and battery life for everyday tasks like web browsing, document editing, and media consumption, the Apple MacBook Air is a strong choice due to its lightweight design and efficient performance. However, if you need a laptop for more intensive tasks such as gaming, 3D rendering, or machine learning, the Lenovo Legion Slim 5 offers more robust performance capabilities ideal for these use cases. Be aware that this usually comes at the cost of reduced battery life and increased weight, making it less convenient for on-the-go use. Decide based on whether your priority lies with high-performance computing or day-to-day portability and longevity. 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 Slim 5
Very good for engineering and design
Good for gaming and AI
Key differences
Gaming and AI
6.4/10
7.7/10
4.1/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.4/10
2560 x 1664
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
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 Slim 5 is good for gaming and AI, while the Apple MacBook Air (2022) is only fair.
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) has an integrated GPU that's less powerful than dedicated gaming GPUs, limiting its performance in 3D tasks and gaming, while its 60Hz refresh rate is standard for most laptops but lower than ideal for gaming; the Lenovo Legion Slim 5, on the other hand, comes with a high-end Nvidia RTX 4060 GPU and higher screen refresh rate of 144Hz, which are both very important for gaming and make it a better choice for those tasks. Additionally, the fact that many popular games do not run on macOS further positions the Lenovo Legion Slim 5 as more suitable for gaming and 3D applications due to its compatibility with a wider range of games on Windows.
Software Development
8.0/10
7.4/10
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.3/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2560 x 1664
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
10.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) is very good for software development, while the Lenovo Legion Slim 5 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
7.2/10
13.6in
SIZE
16.0in
2560 x 1664
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
486.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
300.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Air has a better screen than the Lenovo Legion Slim 5 for general use, engineering and design, software development, and content creation, while the Lenovo Legion Slim 5 has a better screen for gaming and AI.
The MacBook Air's screen offers crisp images and vibrant colors due to its high resolution and broad color gamut coverage, which enhances general use and engineering and design tasks; however, its standard refresh rate diminishes its suitability for 3D content that benefits from smoother motion. The Lenovo Legion Slim 5, while providing ample resolution and satisfactory color representation for general tasks and creative work, lacks a high refresh rate that enhances the fluidity in fast-paced 3D scenarios. For both, suitability for 3D suffers without the higher refresh rates that gaming and intensive 3D modeling or rendering typically demand.
Battery
15.0 Hours
7.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Air has 15 hours of battery life. The Lenovo Legion Slim 5 has 7 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
5.2 lbs
0.4in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) has excellent portability, while the Lenovo Legion Slim 5 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 Slim 5 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$939
$1,000
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
$1,600
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) has a price of $939 and the Lenovo Legion Slim 5 costs $1,000.
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) and Lenovo Legion Slim 5 are both good for general use.
The Apple MacBook Air, with its efficient M2 processor, is suitable for those prioritizing portability and long battery life for daily tasks, while also offering an excellent screen and silent operation. The Lenovo Legion Slim 5, with a more powerful CPU and more RAM, caters to users needing higher performance for more demanding applications, but trades off with reduced battery life and greater weight.
Engineering and Design
7.5/10
8.0/10
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.3/10
4.1/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.4/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Lenovo Legion Slim 5 to be very good for engineering and design, while the Apple MacBook Air (2022) is good.
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) is equipped with an Apple M2 processor with integrated GPU, offering a balance of efficiency and power that, along with its lightweight design and silent operation, is suitable for engineering and design tasks done on-the-go.
Content Creation
7.9/10
7.5/10
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.3/10
2560 x 1664
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) and Lenovo Legion Slim 5 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.
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How the Apple MacBook Air (2022) and the Lenovo Legion Slim 5 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 Slim 5 Gen 8 acknowledges that a gaming laptop doesn’t have to be as thick as possible and can still ensure adequate cooling when the muscles need flexing. To this end, in the Slim 5 Gen 8, it finds a neat balance of refined, trimmed-down design that still lets its internals cruise (even above their max power ratings). Lenovo then added in some high-end build quality with an altogether excellent keyboard that’s useful for both work and play."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Air (2022) or the Lenovo Legion Slim 5
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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