If you prioritize a thin and light device with long battery life for general use and are comfortable with a lower storage capacity, the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) with its M2 chip is an excellent choice. However, if your usage includes intensive engineering tasks, 3D rendering, machine learning, or gaming, and you're willing to sacrifice some portability and battery life, the Gigabyte Aorus 15P, with its powerful Intel processor and Nvidia RTX 3080 graphics, offers substantially better performance for these specific use cases despite being heavier and having a shorter battery life. The Gigabyte also has a higher storage capacity and more RAM, which benefits demanding workflows but comes at a higher cost compared to the MacBook Air. Give Feedback
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Advantages of the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023)
Very good for software development
Very good for content creation
Best in class overall build quality
Very good portability
Excellent battery life
Best in class speakers
Best in class keyboard
Advantages of the Gigabyte Aorus 15P
Very good for engineering and design
Good for gaming and AI
Very good overall display quality
Key differences
Gaming and AI
6.5/10
7.8/10
4.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.5/10
2880 x 1864
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
300Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
10.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The Gigabyte Aorus 15P is good for gaming and AI, while the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) is only fair.
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) has an integrated GPU which is less powerful compared to the Gigabyte Aorus 15P's dedicated Nvidia RTX 3080, and with a lower refresh rate of the screen, the MacBook is less suited for 3D applications and gaming. Additionally, not only does the Gigabyte Aorus 15P boast a higher refresh rate screen which is better for gaming, but it also runs Windows which supports a wider variety of games unlike MacOS on the MacBook which isn't compatible with many popular games.
Engineering and Design
7.6/10
8.3/10
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
4.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.5/10
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The Gigabyte Aorus 15P is very good for engineering and design, while the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) is good.
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) is designed with an Apple M2 CPU and integrated M2 GPU, which offer a balance between performance and efficiency, along with a high-resolution display making it suitable for engineering and design; however, its lower RAM may limit complex tasks. On the other hand, the Gigabyte Aorus 15P features a powerful Intel i7 processor and Nvidia RTX 3080 GPU, along with more RAM, enabling very good performance for demanding engineering applications, though it trades off some portability and operates noisier compared to the MacBook Air.
Software Development
8.1/10
7.3/10
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
2880 x 1864
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
10.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) is very good for software development, while the Gigabyte Aorus 15P 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.
Screen Quality
7.8/10
8.1/10
15.3in
SIZE
15.6in
2880 x 1864
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
300Hz
501.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
280.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Air 15 has a better screen than the Gigabyte Aorus 15P for general use, engineering and design, software development, and content creation, while the Gigabyte Aorus 15P has a better screen for gaming and AI.
The Apple MacBook Air boasts a vibrant display with wide color gamut coverage and high resolution, attributes that are essential for clarity and color accuracy in engineering and design tasks, but its lower refresh rate makes it less suitable for smooth 3D rendering. The Gigabyte Aorus 15P offers a good balance of resolution and color reproduction, which benefits both general use and engineering applications, although like the MacBook Air, its refresh rate isn’t high enough for optimal 3D applications where smoother motion display is key. While both laptops excel in screen attributes beneficial for general use and design work, professionals or enthusiasts in 3D fields should consider models with higher refresh rates for the best visual experience.
Battery
15.0 Hours
5.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Air 15 has 15 hours of battery life. The Gigabyte Aorus 15P has 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
Very Good
Good
15.3in
SIZE
15.6in
3.3 lbs
WEIGHT
4.8 lbs
0.4in
THICKNESS
1.0in
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) has very good portability, while the Gigabyte Aorus 15P has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
10.0/10
7.4/10
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) has best in class build quality, while the Gigabyte Aorus 15P has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,299
$1,950
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) has a price of $1,299 and the Gigabyte Aorus 15P costs $1,950.
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) and Gigabyte Aorus 15P 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.
Content Creation
8.0/10
7.8/10
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
2880 x 1864
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) to be very good for content creation, while the Gigabyte Aorus 15P 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.
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How the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) and the Gigabyte Aorus 15P 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."
"The Aorus 15P is a high-end gaming laptop with fast 360 Hz display. Gaming performance in the Aorus 15P YD is very high thanks to the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 installed here. However, with the use of the Intel Core i7-11800H, CPU performance also closes in on the strong competition from AMD. SSD performance is excellent as well, and it leaves no room for criticism. Thanks to the built-in Intel Core i7-11800H, the system performance of the Aorus 15P YD increases significantly."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) or the Gigabyte Aorus 15P
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 Gigabyte
Gigabyte is a Taiwanese computer hardware manufacturer. While Gigabyte mainly focuses its business on desktop hardware, Gigabyte is known for its value-oriented G series laptops, thin and light Aero series, and performance-oriented Aorus series. Gigabyte laptops offer a strong value proposition to compete with mainstream alternatives.
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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