The Apple MacBook Air (2022) is a more budget-friendly option ideal for general use, with great portability due to its lightweight design and fanless operation, leading to a silent experience. It has a solid build with a high-resolution display, but its performance might not keep up with demanding tasks like gaming or 3D modeling. On the other hand, the Razer Blade 17 is much pricier and offers a larger, higher-resolution screen, a more powerful processor, and a top-tier graphics card, fitting for intensive gaming, 3D rendering, and engineering software. However, it is significantly heavier and might have a louder cooling system. Consider your primary usage: if it's everyday tasks and you value portability and silent operation, go for the MacBook Air. If performance for high-end gaming and professional tasks is critical and you're okay with a higher cost and less portability, the Razer Blade 17 is the better choice. 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 Razer Blade 17
Very good for general use
Excellent for engineering and design
Very good for gaming and AI
Very good for content creation
Very good overall display quality
Key differences
General Use
7.9/10
8.5/10
2560 x 1664
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
486.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
486.0 nits
15.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
5.5 Hours
10.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
9.4/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.7/10
The Razer Blade 17 is very good for general use, while the Apple MacBook Air (2022) is good.
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) offers a lightweight, fanless design with a high-quality screen and long battery life, making it highly portable and suitable for on-the-go use, despite having a less powerful CPU and less RAM compared to the Razer Blade 17. On the other hand, the Razer Blade 17 boasts a top-tier CPU, plentiful RAM, and a superior screen resolution suitable for intensive tasks, but it is bulkier and has shorter battery life, making it less portable but more potent for demanding applications like gaming or creative work.
Gaming and AI
6.4/10
8.6/10
4.1/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.2/10
2560 x 1664
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
10.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.2/10
The Razer Blade 17 is very good for gaming and AI, while the Apple MacBook Air (2022) is only fair.
The Apple MacBook Air (2022), with its M2 chip including an 8-core GPU, is fair for 3D tasks but due to its operating system limitations, many popular games are not supported, and its 60 Hz refresh rate isn't optimal for gaming. On the other hand, the Razer Blade 17 offers an Nvidia RTX 3080 Ti and a higher refresh rate of 144 Hz, which along with the more powerful Intel i9 processor and Windows operating system compatibility, makes it excellent for gaming and intensive 3D work.
Engineering and Design
7.5/10
9.1/10
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.2/10
4.1/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.2/10
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The Razer Blade 17 is excellent for engineering and design, while the Apple MacBook Air (2022) is good.
The Razer Blade 17 outshines the MacBook Air (2022) in engineering and design due to its superior Intel i9 processor, ample 32 GB of RAM, and high-end Nvidia RTX 3080 Ti GPU, paired with a larger and higher resolution display which is crucial for detailed design work. However, the MacBook Air, with its efficiently integrated M2 chip and GPU, still performs well and offers significant advantages in portability and silent operation, which are important for users who prioritize mobility and a quiet working environment over the top-tier performance.
Content Creation
7.9/10
8.5/10
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.2/10
2560 x 1664
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Razer Blade 17 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
8.6/10
13.6in
SIZE
17.3in
2560 x 1664
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
486.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
486.0 nits
The Razer Blade 17 has a better screen than the Apple MacBook Air for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
The MacBook Air's screen shines for general use and engineering due to its high resolution and bright, color-accurate panel that covers a wide range of colors, making it excellent for detailed design work. However, its refresh rate is lower, which is less ideal for 3D applications that require smoother motion rendering. The Razer Blade 17, similarly, has a high-quality display offering vibrant colors and high resolution suitable for both general tasks and precision engineering, yet falls short for gaming and 3D work since it doesn't prioritize the high refresh rates preferred for these activities.
Battery
15.0 Hours
5.5 Hours
The Apple MacBook Air has 15 hours of battery life. The Razer Blade 17 has 5.5 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
Fair
13.6in
SIZE
17.3in
2.7 lbs
WEIGHT
6.0 lbs
0.4in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) has excellent portability, while the Razer Blade 17 has only fair 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 17 has very good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$899
$4,300
$0
$1,000
$2,000
$3,000
$4,000
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) has a price of $899 and the Razer Blade 17 costs $4,300.
The Razer Blade 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 Razer Blade 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."
"Our test configuration of the Blade 17 targets gamers and creative professionals. A Core i9-12900H processor, GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU (175 watts TGP after the BIOS update, 16 GB of VRAM), and 32 GB of working memory equip the laptop for video processing, rending, and 4k gaming at the highest level. In addition, a fast PCIe-4 SSD (1 TB) ensures short load and storage times. With the Blade 17 (Early 2022), Razer delivers a successful and powerful work device for creative professionals. But this also has its price."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Air (2022) or the Razer Blade 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 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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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.
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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.
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