The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) is a midrange-priced laptop offering a balance between performance and portability, with strengths in screen quality, battery life, and silence due to fanless operation. Choose the MacBook Air for portability and display quality or the HP for more storage, RAM, and cost savings at the expense of portability and screen resolution. 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 engineering and design
Very good for software development
Very good for content creation
Good overall display quality
Best in class overall build quality
Very good portability
Excellent battery life
Best in class speakers
Best in class keyboard
Advantages of the HP 17" Laptop
The HP 17" Laptop has no clear advantages over the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023).
Key differences
General Use
7.9/10
7.3/10
2880 x 1864
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
501.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
287.0 nits
15.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
5.5 Hours
10.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
6.0/10
8.9/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.1/10
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) and HP 17" Laptop are both good for general use, though the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) is somewhat better.
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) offers excellent portability and battery life with its slim design and 15-hour battery life, which is great for on-the-go use, and it has a high-quality screen and silent operation which enhance the everyday user experience. The HP 17" Laptop, though less portable due to its larger size and heavier weight, provides more RAM for better multitasking, a larger storage capacity and includes a number pad, making it a suitable choice for those who prioritize a more spacious workspace and need additional memory and storage.
Engineering and Design
7.6/10
6.8/10
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.9/10
4.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) is good for engineering and design, while the HP 17" Laptop is only fair.
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) is equipped with an Apple M2 processor and integrated GPU, which are suitable for engineering and design due to high screen resolution and color accuracy, lightweight design, and silent operation, but may face limitations with only 8 GB of RAM for highly complex tasks.
Content Creation
8.0/10
7.2/10
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.9/10
2880 x 1864
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) is very good for content creation, while the HP 17" Laptop 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.
Software Development
8.1/10
7.1/10
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.9/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2880 x 1864
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
10.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
6.0/10
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) is very good for software development, while the HP 17" Laptop 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
6.6/10
15.3in
SIZE
17.3in
2880 x 1864
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
501.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
287.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Air 15 has a better screen than the HP 17" Laptop for general use, AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The MacBook Air offers a high-resolution display with excellent brightness and panel technology, delivering crisp and vibrant visuals for general use and design work, complemented by wide color gamuts for accuracy in engineering tasks. The HP 17" Laptop, while having a fair resolution and adequate brightness, doesn't match the MacBook Air's display finesse, making it just acceptable for everyday tasks and engineering. However, for 3D applications where high refresh rates are crucial, both laptops fall short, as their screens are tuned more for visual quality than the rapid, smooth motion desired in gaming or immersive 3D environments.
Battery
15.0 Hours
5.5 Hours
The Apple MacBook Air 15 has 15 hours of battery life. The HP 17" Laptop has 5.5 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
17.3in
3.3 lbs
WEIGHT
4.5 lbs
0.4in
THICKNESS
0.8in
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) has very good portability, while the HP 17" Laptop has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
10.0/10
6.0/10
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) has best in class build quality, while the HP 17" Laptop has only fair build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,299
$600
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) has a price of $1,299 and the HP 17" Laptop costs $600.
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) and HP 17" Laptop are both only fair for gaming and AI.
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) is limited for 3D tasks and gaming due to its GPU that, while capable, isn't optimized for high-end graphics or gaming, and its operating system which doesn't support many popular games. On the other hand, the HP 17" Laptop with its AMD GPU also offers fair performance for gaming and 3D applications but similarly lacks a high refresh rate screen which is very important for a smooth gaming experience, even though it runs Windows which supports a wider range of games.
Give feedback
We’re constantly working to improve.
How the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) and the HP 17" Laptop 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."
"As far as starter laptops go, the HP Laptop 17 is a sound investment. Sure, it might not be the lightest of options, but what you get for the price is a well-rounded machine that fits multiple niches. Whether it be office duties that require you to multi-task between multiple programs, or study tasks in which you’ll spend hours browsing online, this laptop does it all. Plus, when it's time to unwind, you can watch your favorite shows or movies on a super-wide display. What's best of all is that you can do all this for about half a day on a single charge."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) or the HP 17" Laptop
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 HP
HP, also known as Hewlett-Packard, is an American technology company that develops personal computers and computer peripherals. In the laptop industry, HP is known for its entry level Essential series laptops, its mid-range Pavilion, Envy, and Victus series, and high-end Omen and Spectre series, in addition to its business-oriented EliteBook, ProBook, and Dragonfly series laptops. HP laptops generally undercut other mainstream competitors in terms of price, placing itself as the value-oriented mainstream brand.
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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