The MacBook Air 13 has a better screen than the Lenovo ThinkBook 13x for software development, while the Lenovo ThinkBook 13x has a better screen for general use, gaming and AI, and engineering and design.
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 Lenovo ThinkBook 13x 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
7.6/10
The Apple MacBook Air 13 (2024) has best in class build quality, while the Lenovo ThinkBook 13x has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,099
$1,399
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
The Apple MacBook Air 13 (2024) has a price of $1,099 and the Lenovo ThinkBook 13x costs $1,399.
The Apple MacBook Air 13 (2024) and Lenovo ThinkBook 13x are both good for general use.
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
6.6/10
4.2/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.7/10
2560 x 1664
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1920
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
10.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
8.3/10
The Lenovo ThinkBook 13x and Apple MacBook Air 13 (2024) are both only fair for gaming and AI.
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
7.9/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.6/10
4.2/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.7/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Lenovo ThinkBook 13x and Apple MacBook Air 13 (2024) are both good for engineering and design.
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
8.0/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.6/10
2560 x 1664
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1920
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Apple MacBook Air 13 (2024) and Lenovo ThinkBook 13x are both very good for content creation.
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
7.9/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.6/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2560 x 1664
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1920
10.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Apple MacBook Air 13 (2024) to be very good for software development, while the Lenovo ThinkBook 13x 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.
Portability
Excellent
Excellent
13.6in
SIZE
13.5in
2.7 lbs
WEIGHT
2.7 lbs
0.4in
THICKNESS
0.5in
The Apple MacBook Air 13 (2024) and Lenovo ThinkBook 13x both have excellent portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
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How the Apple MacBook Air 13 (2024) and the Lenovo ThinkBook 13x compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
Apple MacBook Air 13 (2024)
Lenovo ThinkBook 13x
GENERAL
Price
Price
$1,099
$1,399
Release Date
Release Date
February 1, 2024
January 30, 2024
Overall Dimensions
Overall Dimensions
12'' x 8.5'' x 0.44''
11.6'' x 8.1'' x 0.5''
Weight
Weight
2.7 lbs
2.7 lbs
Width
Width
11.97"
11.6"
Depth
Depth
8.46"
8.1"
INTERNAL
Processor
Processor
Apple M3
Intel Core Ultra 5 125H
RAM
RAM
8 GB
16 GB
DDR Memory Version
DDR Memory Version
5
5
RAM Slots
RAM Slots
0
0
Storage
Storage
256 GB
512 GB
Storage Slots
Storage Slots
0
1
Graphics
Graphics
M3 (8C)
Iris Xe
Mux Switch / Advanced Optimus
Mux Switch / Advanced Optimus
No
No
GPU Type
GPU Type
Integrated
Integrated
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
74 Wh
SCREEN
Diagonal Size
Diagonal Size
13.6"
13.5"
Display Technology
Display Technology
IPS
IPS
Resolution
Resolution
2560 x 1664
2880 x 1920
Refresh Rate
Refresh Rate
60Hz
120Hz
Display Brightness
Display Brightness
486 nits
500 nits
Screen Aspect Ratio
Screen Aspect Ratio
16:10
3:2
Pixel Density
Pixel Density
224.51 PPI
256.39 PPI
Contrast
Contrast
1384: 1
Unknown
Display Response Time
Display Response Time
32.9 ms
Unknown
DCI-P3
DCI-P3
98.4 %
81 %
sRGB
sRGB
99.9 %
100 %
Adobe RGB
Adobe RGB
87.6 %
78 %
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS
Build Quality Score
Build Quality Score
10/10
7.6/10
Portability Score
Portability Score
9.4/10
9.4/10
Gaming Laptop Appearance
Gaming Laptop Appearance
No
No
Premium Business Laptop
Premium Business Laptop
Yes
No
Fan Noise Score
Fan Noise Score
10/10
8.4/10
Facial Recognition
Facial Recognition
No
Yes
Upper Side Temp (Max)
Upper Side Temp (Max)
44.5°C
36.5°C
Lower Side Temp (Max)
Lower Side Temp (Max)
44.4°C
39.6°C
Palm Rest Temp (Max)
Palm Rest Temp (Max)
35.1°C
27.1°C
Keyboard Lighting Color
Keyboard Lighting Color
White
White
Warranty Period
Warranty Period
1 year
1 year
HARDWARE FEATURES
Keyboard Quality Score
Keyboard Quality Score
10/10
7.5/10
Speaker Quality Score
Speaker Quality Score
10/10
8.8/10
Webcam
Webcam
1080p
1080p
Fingerprint Reader
Fingerprint Reader
Yes
Yes
Backlit Keyboard
Backlit Keyboard
Yes
Yes
Number Pad
Number Pad
No
No
CONNECTIVITY
USB Type-A
USB Type-A
0
0
USB-C ports
USB-C ports
2
3
USB-C Charging
USB-C Charging
Yes
Yes
Display Outputs
Display Outputs
1
3
Thunderbolt Version
Thunderbolt Version
3
4
Thunderbolt Ports
Thunderbolt Ports
2
3
DisplayPorts
DisplayPorts
0
0
HDMI Ports
HDMI Ports
0
0
Ethernet
Ethernet
No
No
Bluetooth Version
Bluetooth Version
5.3
5.1
WiFi Version
WiFi Version
6E
6E
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Air 13 (2024) or the Lenovo ThinkBook 13x
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 Lenovo
Lenovo is a Chinese technology company, and one of the largest personal computer vendor. They are well known for a variety of technology products, including laptops. Their consumer series include their entry level IdeaPad and LOQ series and mid-to-high-end Yoga and Legion series. On the business-oriented side, their series include their entry-level ThinkBook series and mid-to-high-end ThinkPad series. Lenovo laptops offer strong performance for reasonable prices, 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
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103,395
Recommendations made
22,403
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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.