When choosing between the Apple MacBook Air (2022) and the LG Gram 17, consider your priorities. The MacBook Air is generally less expensive, more portable due to its lighter weight and smaller size, and it offers higher build quality and a fanless operation for silent use, making it ideal for general use and productivity tasks. With its exceptional battery life, it can handle everyday activities effortlessly. By contrast, the LG Gram 17, with its larger screen and more substantial weight, is great for people looking for a bigger display and more processing power thanks to its higher RAM capacity and the inclusion of an Intel processor suitable for more demanding tasks like 3D rendering and engineering software. However, this power comes with a tradeoff in battery life and portability. Both have high-quality keyboards, and neither is particularly suited to intensive gaming. 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 speakers
Best in class keyboard
Advantages of the LG Gram 17
Very good for general use
Very good for engineering and design
Very good for content creation
Key differences
General Use
7.9/10
8.5/10
2560 x 1664
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
486.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
353.0 nits
15.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
11.0 Hours
10.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
9.4/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.9/10
The LG Gram 17 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.
Screen Quality
7.6/10
7.4/10
13.6in
SIZE
17.0in
2560 x 1664
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
486.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
353.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Air has a better screen than the LG Gram 17 for general use, AI, and engineering and design, while the LG Gram 17 has a better screen for software development.
The Apple MacBook Air, with its high-resolution display and bright panel, offers vivid and clear visuals that make it excellent for everyday tasks and professional design work, where fine detail and color accuracy are key. Its color coverage is beneficial for engineering and design, where broad color gamuts are essential to accurately represent different hues and gradients. However, its lower refresh rate makes it less suitable for 3D applications and gaming, where smoother motion and rapid screen updates provide a more immersive experience.
Battery
15.0 Hours
11.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Air has 15 hours of battery life. The LG Gram 17 has 11 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
17.0in
2.7 lbs
WEIGHT
2.9 lbs
0.4in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) has excellent portability, while the LG Gram 17 has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
10.0/10
7.0/10
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) has best in class build quality, while the LG Gram 17 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$769
$2,100
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) has a price of $769 and the LG Gram 17 costs $2,100.
The LG Gram 17 and Apple MacBook Air (2022) are both only fair for gaming and AI.
The MacBook Air is less suited for 3D tasks due to its integrated GPU which, while capable, is less powerful than dedicated gaming graphics cards, and MacOS also does not support many popular games; on the other hand, the LG Gram 17 offers a more powerful Iris Xe GPU and a larger screen, enhancing its ability to handle gaming and 3D applications better.
Engineering and Design
7.5/10
8.0/10
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.9/10
4.1/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.8/10
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers LG Gram 17 to be very good for engineering and design, while the Apple MacBook Air (2022) is good.
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) with its high-resolution IPS screen and Apple M2 chip provides solid performance for engineering and design, and its lightweight and fanless design ensure a silent, portable experience. In contrast, the LG Gram 17 offers a larger IPS display and more RAM, making it well-suited for demanding engineering tasks, but it is slightly heavier, which slightly compromises portability.
Content Creation
7.9/10
8.4/10
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.9/10
2560 x 1664
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers LG Gram 17 to be 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.
Software Development
8.0/10
8.2/10
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.9/10
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
2560 x 1664
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
10.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
The LG Gram 17 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
We’re constantly working to improve.
How the Apple MacBook Air (2022) and the LG Gram 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 LG Gram 17 is a light office laptop with a large display and great battery life. The newest incarnation of the Gram 17 can be classified as a model update. LG uses the predecessor's compact, light magnesium case along with an identical port configuration (including 2x Thunderbolt 4) and keyboard. Changes can be found in the hardware. With the Gram 17 (2022), LG offers a light (approx. 1,350 g), mobile work device - and finally with a matte display."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Air (2022) or the LG Gram 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 LG
LG is a South Korean conglomerate company. While LG is mainly known for various products outside of technology, LG also develops laptops. Within the laptop industry, they are known for their thin-and-light Gram series, as well as their value-oriented Ultra series. LG laptops offer very thin and light laptops with phenomenal battery life, 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
123,795
Recommendations made
26,823
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.