The MacBook Air 15 with its M2 processor offers better overall performance than the Asus Vivobook 14, making it well-suited for tasks like 3D rendering or engineering. The Vivobook 14 is more budget-friendly and still capable for general use. The MacBook boasts a significantly longer battery life, but the Vivobook is slightly more portable due to its smaller size. Both laptops have similar storage and RAM, but the MacBook's display is larger with a higher resolution and boasts better color accuracy, which is great for creative professionals. The Vivobook, however, has a wider array of ports, including HDMI and Ethernet connections that the MacBook lacks. If you need high performance and a superior screen, go for the MacBook Air, but if affordability and port options are your priority, the Vivobook 14 might be 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 15 (2023)
Good for general use
Good for engineering and design
Very good for software development
Very good for content creation
Good overall display quality
Best in class overall build quality
Excellent battery life
Best in class speakers
Best in class keyboard
Advantages of the ASUS Vivobook 14
The ASUS Vivobook 14 has no clear advantages over the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023).
Key differences
General Use
7.9/10
6.9/10
2880 x 1864
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
501.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
250.0 nits
15.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
7.0 Hours
10.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
6.7/10
8.9/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
8.5/10
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) is good for general use, while the ASUS Vivobook 14 is only fair.
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.
Engineering and Design
7.6/10
6.3/10
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.4/10
4.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
8.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) is good for engineering and design, while the ASUS Vivobook 14 is only fair.
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) is better for engineering and design due to its high-resolution screen, superior color accuracy, and powerful Apple M2 CPU and GPU which are ideal for demanding tasks, while offering excellent portability and a top-rated keyboard. The ASUS Vivobook 14 falls short with its lower-resolution screen, less impressive color range, and a standard Intel CPU and GPU, making it less suitable for intensive engineering and design use, despite good portability and a very good heat management system.
Content Creation
8.0/10
6.9/10
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.4/10
2880 x 1864
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) is very good for content creation, while the ASUS Vivobook 14 is only fair.
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
6.8/10
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.4/10
8.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
2880 x 1864
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
10.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
6.7/10
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) is very good for software development, while the ASUS Vivobook 14 is only fair.
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
7.8/10
6.3/10
15.3in
SIZE
14.0in
2880 x 1864
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
501.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
250.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Air 15 has a better screen than the ASUS Vivobook 14 for general use, AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The Apple MacBook Air offers a high-resolution display that benefits from superior panel technology and brightness, ensuring crisp text and vibrant images for general use, while also providing wide color gamuts essential for color-accurate work in engineering and design. In contrast, the ASUS Vivobook 14, with a less impressive display resolution and brightness, may not deliver the same level of clarity and color fidelity, making it less suited for demanding visual tasks. However, both laptops may not be ideal for 3D applications due to their screens' limited refresh rates, which are crucial for smooth motion rendering in interactive environments.
Battery
15.0 Hours
7.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Air 15 has 15 hours of battery life. The ASUS Vivobook 14 has 7 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
7.0/10
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) has best in class build quality, while the ASUS Vivobook 14 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,299
$429
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) has a price of $1,299 and the ASUS Vivobook 14 costs $429.
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) and ASUS Vivobook 14 are both only fair for gaming and AI.
The Apple MacBook Air 15, with its own GPU, is suitable for 3D applications but might not be the best for gaming due to many popular games not being compatible with macOS and its standard screen refresh rate. On the other hand, the ASUS Vivobook 14's Iris Xe graphics and Windows operating system make it a fair choice for gaming and 3D tasks, although it shares the same standard refresh rate limitation.
Portability
Very Good
Very Good
15.3in
SIZE
14.0in
3.3 lbs
WEIGHT
3.0 lbs
0.4in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) and ASUS Vivobook 14 both have very good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Give feedback
We’re constantly working to improve.
How the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) and the ASUS Vivobook 14 compare to other laptops
"The Apple MacBook Air 15 is boringly good. The new MacBook Air 15 is a very good, but also boring device, because apart from the larger screen and the higher price, there are no differences compared to the smaller MacBook Air M2 from last year. No new processor, no additional ports, just the usual basic hardware - but the overall package is extremely good and it simply works. Above all, the lack of fans is an aspect that should not be underestimated in everyday use. In our opinion, the Air could be a lot better, but Apple goes easy on itself here."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) or the ASUS Vivobook 14
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 ASUS
ASUS, a Taiwanese electronics brand, is one of the largest personal computer vendor by market share. The majority of their laptops are targeted towards personal use or gaming. Their most popular product lines include the budget-friendly VivoBook, more premium ZenBook, and their TUF and ROG gaming laptops, the latter of which has a reputation for excellent gaming performance.
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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Staff Expert & Software Engineer
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