The Gateway 11.6" has no clear advantages over the Apple MacBook Air 13 (2024).
Key differences
General Use
7.9/10
5.6/10
2560 x 1664
RESOLUTION
1366 x 768
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
486.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
200.0 nits
15.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
8.0 Hours
10.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
5.3/10
9.4/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
9.1/10
The Apple MacBook Air 13 (2024) is good for general use, while the Gateway 11.6" is poor.
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.
Gaming and AI
6.5/10
5.4/10
4.2/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.5/10
2560 x 1664
RESOLUTION
1366 x 768
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
10.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.0/10
The Apple MacBook Air 13 (2024) is only fair for gaming and AI, while the Gateway 11.6" is poor.
PerfectRec’s Gaming and AI Score strongly emphasizes graphics processing capability, while also taking into account other factors that impact suitability for gaming and AI work.
Engineering and Design
7.7/10
5.4/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
3.3/10
4.2/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.5/10
8.0 GB
RAM
4.0 GB
The Apple MacBook Air 13 (2024) is good for engineering and design, while the Gateway 11.6" is poor.
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.
Content Creation
8.0/10
5.7/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
3.3/10
2560 x 1664
RESOLUTION
1366 x 768
8.0 GB
RAM
4.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Apple MacBook Air 13 (2024) is very good for content creation, while the Gateway 11.6" is poor.
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
8.1/10
5.7/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
3.3/10
8.0 GB
RAM
4.0 GB
2560 x 1664
RESOLUTION
1366 x 768
10.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
5.3/10
The Apple MacBook Air 13 (2024) is very good for software development, while the Gateway 11.6" is poor.
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.
Screen Quality
7.6/10
5.7/10
13.6in
SIZE
11.6in
2560 x 1664
RESOLUTION
1366 x 768
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
486.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
200.0 nits
The MacBook Air 13 has a better screen than the Gateway 11.6" for general use, AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
PerfectRec’s screen quality scores take into account various important factors that are relevant for different use cases.
Battery
15.0 Hours
8.0 Hours
The MacBook Air 13 has 15 hours of battery life. The Gateway 11.6" has 8 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.
Build Quality
10.0/10
5.1/10
The Apple MacBook Air 13 (2024) has best in class build quality, while the Gateway 11.6" has poor build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,099
$89
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
The Apple MacBook Air 13 (2024) has a price of $1,099 and the Gateway 11.6" costs $89.
The Apple MacBook Air 13 (2024) and Gateway 11.6" both have excellent portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Give feedback
We’re constantly working to improve.
How the Apple MacBook Air 13 (2024) and the Gateway 11.6" compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
Apple MacBook Air 13 (2024)
Gateway 11.6"
GENERAL
Price
Price
$1,099
$89
Release Date
Release Date
February 1, 2024
August 1, 2021
Overall Dimensions
Overall Dimensions
12'' x 8.5'' x 0.44''
11'' x 7.5'' x 0.7''
Weight
Weight
2.7 lbs
2.6 lbs
Width
Width
11.97"
11"
Depth
Depth
8.46"
7.5"
INTERNAL
Processor
Processor
Apple M3
Intel Celeron N4020
RAM
RAM
8 GB
4 GB
DDR Memory Version
DDR Memory Version
5
4
RAM Slots
RAM Slots
0
0
Storage
Storage
256 GB
64 GB
Storage Slots
Storage Slots
0
1
Graphics
Graphics
M3 (8C)
UHD Graphics 600
Mux Switch / Advanced Optimus
Mux Switch / Advanced Optimus
No
No
GPU Type
GPU Type
Integrated
GPU Memory (VRAM)
GPU Memory (VRAM)
N/A
Supports DLSS
Supports DLSS
No
No
Supports Ray Tracing
Supports Ray Tracing
No
No
BATTERY
Battery Life
Battery Life
15 Hours
8 Hours
Battery Capacity
Battery Capacity
52.6 Wh
Unknown
SCREEN
Diagonal Size
Diagonal Size
13.6"
11.6"
Display Technology
Display Technology
IPS
IPS
Resolution
Resolution
2560 x 1664
1366 x 768
Refresh Rate
Refresh Rate
60Hz
60Hz
Display Brightness
Display Brightness
486 nits
200 nits
Screen Aspect Ratio
Screen Aspect Ratio
16:10
16:9
Pixel Density
Pixel Density
224.51 PPI
135.09 PPI
Contrast
Contrast
1384: 1
Unknown
Display Response Time
Display Response Time
32.9 ms
Unknown
DCI-P3
DCI-P3
98.4 %
35 %
sRGB
sRGB
99.9 %
50 %
Adobe RGB
Adobe RGB
87.6 %
35 %
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS
Build Quality Score
Build Quality Score
10/10
5.1/10
Portability Score
Portability Score
9.4/10
9.2/10
Gaming Laptop Appearance
Gaming Laptop Appearance
No
No
Premium Business Laptop
Premium Business Laptop
Yes
No
Fan Noise Score
Fan Noise Score
10/10
7/10
Facial Recognition
Facial Recognition
No
No
Upper Side Temp (Max)
Upper Side Temp (Max)
44.5°C
Lower Side Temp (Max)
Lower Side Temp (Max)
44.4°C
Palm Rest Temp (Max)
Palm Rest Temp (Max)
35.1°C
Keyboard Lighting Color
Keyboard Lighting Color
White
N/A
Warranty Period
Warranty Period
1 year
1 year
HARDWARE FEATURES
Keyboard Quality Score
Keyboard Quality Score
10/10
5.3/10
Speaker Quality Score
Speaker Quality Score
10/10
6/10
Webcam
Webcam
1080p
720p
Fingerprint Reader
Fingerprint Reader
Yes
No
Backlit Keyboard
Backlit Keyboard
Yes
No
Number Pad
Number Pad
No
No
CONNECTIVITY
USB Type-A
USB Type-A
0
2
USB-C ports
USB-C ports
2
0
USB-C Charging
USB-C Charging
Yes
No
Display Outputs
Display Outputs
1
1
Thunderbolt Version
Thunderbolt Version
3
N/A
Thunderbolt Ports
Thunderbolt Ports
2
0
DisplayPorts
DisplayPorts
0
0
HDMI Ports
HDMI Ports
0
1
Ethernet
Ethernet
No
No
Bluetooth Version
Bluetooth Version
5.3
4
WiFi Version
WiFi Version
6E
5
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Air 13 (2024) or the Gateway 11.6"
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 Gateway
Gateway is a laptop and tablet brand owned by Acer which sells budget-friendly laptops exclusively through Walmart. It was previously an American computer company until its acquisition by Acer in 2007, who then revived the brand in 2020. Gateway laptops are manufactured by Chinese company Shenzhen Bmorn Technology, which also makes EVOO-branded models.
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
103,695
Recommendations made
22,468
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.