The MacBook Air is more portable and offers exceptional battery life, making it ideal for those on the go who require a light device for general use, with a silent operation and high-quality display. However, the IdeaPad Pro 5i provides more storage, higher RAM, superior processing power for tasks like 3D rendering, machine learning, and engineering, as well as being better equipped for gaming due to its dedicated graphics card. The MacBook Air is more expensive, but if portability and battery life are your primary concerns, it is a great option. Conversely, for those requiring more power for specialized tasks and gaming who are willing to compromise on portability, the IdeaPad Pro 5i is the better choice and generally comes at a lower price point. 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)
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 Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i
Very good for engineering and design
Good for gaming and AI
Key differences
Gaming and AI
6.5/10
7.4/10
4.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
6.7/10
2880 x 1864
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
10.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.5/10
The Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i is good for gaming and AI, while the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) is only fair.
The Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i is better suited for gaming and 3D tasks due to its dedicated Nvidia RTX 4050 graphics card and a higher screen refresh rate, catering to fast-paced visual demands. In contrast, the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) is limited by its integrated GPU and lower refresh rate, and its macOS may not support many popular games, making it fair for 3D tasks but less ideal for gaming compared to the Lenovo.
Screen Quality
7.8/10
7.8/10
15.3in
SIZE
16.0in
2880 x 1864
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
501.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
409.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Air 15 has a better screen than the Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i for general use, engineering and design, software development, and content creation, while the Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i has a better screen for gaming and AI.
The MacBook Air's screen excels in general use and engineering scenarios due to its high resolution and brightness, coupled with robust color accuracy covering ample portions of the DCI-P3 and Adobe RGB spectrums, ensuring vivid and precise visuals. For the Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i, similar attributes grant it a strong performance for general tasks and fairly good competency for engineering and design purposes, with a slightly lower color gamut coverage compared to the Macbook. However, both laptops fall short for 3D uses because of their lower refresh rates, which limit the smoothness of motion that's critical for high-end 3D rendering and gaming, even though their resolution and panel types moderately fulfill other visual needs.
Battery
15.0 Hours
6.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Air 15 has 15 hours of battery life. The Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i has 6 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
16.0in
3.3 lbs
WEIGHT
4.3 lbs
0.4in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) has very good portability, while the Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
10.0/10
7.6/10
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) has best in class build quality, while the Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,299
$860
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) has a price of $1,299 and the Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i costs $860.
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) and Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i are both good for general use.
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) offers a balance for general use with a high-quality screen, strong battery life, and silent operation in a lightweight and thin design, while the Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i provides more storage and RAM with a powerful processor and graphics card, making it also suitable for more demanding tasks besides general use yet sacrifices some battery life and portability due to its heavier build.
Engineering and Design
7.6/10
8.1/10
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
4.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
6.7/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i to be very good for engineering and design, while the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) is good.
The Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i pulls ahead for engineering and design due to its higher RAM capacity, more powerful Intel processor, dedicated Nvidia GPU, and larger storage, supporting more intensive tasks and complex software used in these fields. Although the Apple MacBook Air 15's high-quality screen and silent operation make it a strong contender, its lower RAM capacity and integrated GPU make it less suited for heavy engineering applications compared to the IdeaPad Pro 5i's superior specs.
Content Creation
8.0/10
7.7/10
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
2880 x 1864
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 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 Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i 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
7.7/10
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2880 x 1864
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
10.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) to be very good for software development, while the Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i 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.
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How the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) and the Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i 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."
"Lenovo’s IdeaPad Pro 5i represents an impressive opening salvo for Meteor Lake in the ultraportable space against familiar foes from AMD and Apple. Not only does the Core Ultra 5 125H processor provide good performance across the board, but battery life remains a strong point against the Acer Swift Edge 16 with its AMD Ryzen 7 7840U processor. It can’t quite match the endurance of the 15-inch MacBook Pro, but the gap is shrinking."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) or the Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i
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.
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