Choosing between the Apple MacBook Air (2022) and the Razer Blade 14 (2023), you'll have to consider your needs and preferences in terms of price, performance, and usage scenarios. If you prioritize portability, long battery life, and a fanless, silent operation for general use, the MacBook Air is typically less expensive and has a higher portability score with its lightweight design and longer battery life for typical usage. However, if you need higher performance for tasks like 3D rendering, machine learning, or intensive gaming, the Razer Blade 14, although more expensive, offers a more powerful CPU and GPU, a higher refresh rate display for fast motion, additional RAM, and storage, but with reduced battery life and heavier weight. Hence, for professional creative work, more demanding computing tasks, and gaming, the Razer Blade 14 is the better choice despite its added bulk and cost. 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 Razer Blade 14 (2023)
Very good for general use
Very good for engineering and design
Very good for gaming and AI
Very good for content creation
Very good overall display quality
Key differences
Gaming and AI
6.4/10
8.4/10
4.1/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.5/10
2560 x 1664
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
10.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The Razer Blade 14 (2023) is very good for gaming and AI, while the Apple MacBook Air (2022) is only fair.
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) is fair for 3D because it uses an integrated GPU designed for lighter workloads and has a standard screen refresh rate, which is suitable for general use but not optimized for high-end gaming or advanced 3D applications.
Engineering and Design
7.5/10
8.7/10
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.2/10
4.1/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.5/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Razer Blade 14 (2023) is very good for engineering and design, while the Apple MacBook Air (2022) is good.
PerfectRec’s Engineering and Design Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for graphic design and 3D rendering work.
Screen Quality
7.6/10
8.9/10
13.6in
SIZE
14.0in
2560 x 1664
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
486.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
560.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Air has a better screen than the Razer Blade 14 for software development, while the Razer Blade 14 has a better screen for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, and software development.
For general use, the Apple MacBook Air's high-resolution display and bright screen provide crisp and vibrant visuals, while the Razer Blade 14 combines similar qualities with a focus on high performance. In engineering and design, both the MacBook Air and Razer Blade 14 offer wide color gamuts, ensuring accurate color reproduction which is vital for professional-grade creativity and precision. However, for 3D applications and gaming, the MacBook Air falls short due to a lower refresh rate which can result in less fluid motion, whereas the Razer Blade 14, while better suited with a higher refresh rate, still may not meet the highest standards expected by gamers and 3D professionals.
Battery
15.0 Hours
6.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Air has 15 hours of battery life. The Razer Blade 14 has 6 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
Very Good
13.6in
SIZE
14.0in
2.7 lbs
WEIGHT
4.0 lbs
0.4in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) has excellent portability, while the Razer Blade 14 (2023) has very 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 Razer Blade 14 (2023) has very good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$899
$2,400
$0
$1,000
$2,000
$3,000
$4,000
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) has a price of $899 and the Razer Blade 14 (2023) costs $2,400.
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Razer Blade 14 (2023) to be very good for general use, while the Apple MacBook Air (2022) is good.
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) boasts an excellent battery life for extended usage and silent operation thanks to its fanless design, which along with its relatively lighter weight makes it highly portable and suitable for everyday tasks. In contrast, the Razer Blade 14 (2023) offers more power with superior CPU and RAM, better screen quality with higher brightness, and advanced features like ray tracing for gaming or graphically-intensive applications, but it is heavier and has shorter battery life, which may limit its mobility.
Content Creation
7.9/10
8.2/10
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.2/10
2560 x 1664
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Razer Blade 14 (2023) 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
7.9/10
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.2/10
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 Razer Blade 14 (2023) 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 Razer Blade 14 (2023) 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."
"After making a huge splash with the original 2021 model, it's expected that the 2022 refresh would be more of a minor update to an already impressive machine. It adds a higher resolution webcam (720p to 1080p), faster CPU (Ryzen 9 5900HX to Ryzen 9 6900HX), faster GPU (RTX 3070/3080 to 3070/3080 Ti), faster RAM (DDR4-3200 to DDR5-4800), faster M.2 SSD support (PCIe3 x4 to PCIe4 x4), newer WLAN module (Killer AX1690i to Qualcomm WCN685x), and a MUX switch for the new integrated Radeon 680M GPU. It's indubitably an upgrade especially in terms of single-thread processor performance."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Air (2022) or the Razer Blade 14 (2023)
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 Razer
Razer is an American-Singaporean technology company. Razer is best known for their Blade series laptops, well known for their strong performance and sleek design. Although Razer charges a premium price tag for their laptops, buyers can expect a stealthy laptop with clean fit and finish and strong performance. All of their models offer great portability and build quality compared to other gaming laptops.
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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