The Apple MacBook Air (2022) is a more portable and less expensive option with a high-quality display, good battery life, and a silent fanless design, suitable for general computing, media consumption, and light productivity tasks. On the other hand, the Razer Blade 18, while significantly pricier and heavier, offers a much larger screen, significantly higher performance for 3D rendering, machine learning, engineering applications, gaming, and it includes hardware features such as more ports and an Ethernet connection, which might appeal to professionals or gamers seeking a desktop replacement. The MacBook is ideal for everyday use and mobility, while the Razer Blade 18 caters to power users needing performance and larger screen real estate despite its lower battery life and 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 Razer Blade 18
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
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
486.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
524.0 nits
15.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
4.0 Hours
10.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
9.4/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.1/10
The Razer Blade 18 is very good for general use, while the Apple MacBook Air (2022) is good.
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) is highly favored for general use due to its excellent portability and silent operation from a fanless design, paired with a high-quality screen and sufficient performance from its M2 processor and RAM for everyday tasks, alongside impressive battery life. The Razer Blade 18, while offering superior performance with a top-end CPU and significantly more RAM, and a better screen in terms of brightness and refresh rate, is less portable due to its larger size and weight and has a much shorter battery life, making it less ideal for on-the-go use despite being very capable for demanding tasks.
Gaming and AI
6.4/10
8.9/10
4.1/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.9/10
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
7.2/10
The Razer Blade 18 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 that is less powerful compared to dedicated gaming GPUs, features a standard screen refresh rate, and its operating system isn't compatible with many popular games.
Engineering and Design
7.5/10
9.3/10
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
4.1/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.9/10
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The Razer Blade 18 is excellent for engineering and design, while the Apple MacBook Air (2022) is good.
The Razer Blade 18 offers superior CPU and GPU performance, more RAM, and a larger screen, all of which contribute to excellent engineering and design capabilities, but it is less portable and has shorter battery life compared to the Apple MacBook Air (2022) which offers good performance for such tasks within a lightweight and fanless design that promises longer battery usage. While both have high-quality screens and keyboards, the Razer's additional RAM and advanced GPU make it better suited for the most intensive tasks, despite being heavier and noisier when operating.
Content Creation
7.9/10
8.6/10
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
2560 x 1664
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Razer Blade 18 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
8.9/10
13.6in
SIZE
18.0in
2560 x 1664
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
486.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
524.0 nits
The Razer Blade 18 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 typically features a high-resolution IPS panel known for vibrant colors and wide viewing angles, suitable for general tasks, but its screen lacks the high refresh rate preferred for smooth 3D rendering. Razer Blade laptops, designed for gaming, often include high resolution and color accuracy that benefit both general use and detailed engineering work, yet for gaming-specific models, surprisingly subpar refresh rates can hold back their potential in 3D applications. In both cases, the importance of color gamut coverage ensures engineering and design tasks are displayed with precision, but for 3D purposes, the lack of prioritization on refresh rates can lead to less fluid visuals in dynamic environments.
Battery
15.0 Hours
4.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Air has 15 hours of battery life. The Razer Blade 18 has 4 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
18.0in
2.7 lbs
WEIGHT
6.6 lbs
0.4in
THICKNESS
0.8in
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) has excellent portability, while the Razer Blade 18 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 18 has very good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$899
$10
$0
$200
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) has a price of $899 and the Razer Blade 18 costs $10.
The Razer Blade 18 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 Razer Blade 18 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."
"Razer made a powerful laptop in the Blade 18, showing off a beautiful and fast display and the same high-quality build we’ve come to expect from this product line. It’s also quite expensive, which is hardly a surprise, but bears repeating even in this price range. It’s pricier than the Scar 18 despite an inferior GPU and half the storage, so you really have to want the Blade 18’s design to justify the cost."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Air (2022) or the Razer Blade 18
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 is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
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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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