If you prioritize a lower price, portability, and longer battery life for general use, the MacBook Air is a great choice. However, if you need more power for tasks like engineering, 3D rendering, or machine learning, the ThinkPad Z16 offers significantly better performance and a higher quality display, but with a higher price tag and reduced portability. 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)
Best in class overall build quality
Excellent portability
Excellent battery life
Best in class keyboard
Advantages of the Lenovo ThinkPad Z16
Very good for general use
Very good for engineering and design
Very good for content creation
Very good overall display quality
Key differences
General Use
7.9/10
8.6/10
2560 x 1664
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
486.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
393.0 nits
15.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
7.0 Hours
10.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
9.4/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.8/10
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 is very good for general use, while the Apple MacBook Air (2022) is good.
PerfectRec’s General Use Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for general productivity, web browsing, streaming, video calls, and running a wide variety of apps and programs.
Engineering and Design
7.5/10
8.4/10
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
4.1/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.6/10
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 is very good for engineering and design, while the Apple MacBook Air (2022) is good.
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 outshines the Apple MacBook Air (2022) in engineering and design use due to its substantially more powerful CPU, higher RAM capacity, and advanced GPU, along with a superior OLED display, which provides a more color-accurate and vivid visual experience.
Content Creation
7.9/10
8.5/10
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
2560 x 1664
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 is very good for content creation, while the Apple MacBook Air (2022) is good.
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.
Screen Quality
7.6/10
8.5/10
13.6in
SIZE
16.0in
2560 x 1664
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
486.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
393.0 nits
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 has a better screen than the Apple MacBook Air for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
The Apple MacBook Air's superior resolution and brightness make its screen ideal for everyday tasks, with a clear and vibrant display. However, the Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 excels in engineering and design due to its wider color gamut, providing more accurate color representation crucial for professional work. The screens of both laptops are less suitable for 3D applications because they lack high refresh rates, which are essential for smooth rendering of fast-moving visuals and gameplay.
Battery
15.0 Hours
7.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Air has 15 hours of battery life. The Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 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
Good
13.6in
SIZE
16.0in
2.7 lbs
WEIGHT
4.2 lbs
0.4in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) has excellent portability, while the Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
10.0/10
8.0/10
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) has best in class build quality, while the Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 has very good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$849
$1,120
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
$1,600
$1,800
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) has a price of $849 and the Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 costs $1,120.
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 and Apple MacBook Air (2022) are both only fair for gaming and AI.
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) with its Apple M2 integrated graphics is suitable for lighter 3D tasks and benefits from silent, fanless operation, but its gaming potential is limited, especially as many popular games aren't compatible with macOS.
Software Development
8.0/10
8.2/10
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
2560 x 1664
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
10.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 and Apple MacBook Air (2022) are both very good for software development.
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
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How the Apple MacBook Air (2022) and the Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 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."
"Lenovo’s ThinkPad Z16 tries has some success in its effort to tweak the ThinkPad formula. The laptop is attractive, yet still tame, and material quality is on par with the best Windows competition. I also like the smooth, responsive haptic touchpad and the wide range of modern connectivity. Yet the Z16 doesn’t fix ThinkPad’s typical weakness: value. Starting around $1,550, and more typically near $1,700, the Z16 finds itself facing alternatives that have better performance or an improved display for the same price, or less."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Air (2022) or the Lenovo ThinkPad Z16
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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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
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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.