Choosing between the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) and the Lenovo Slim Pro 9i involves understanding your priorities. The MacBook Air is typically less expensive and offers a longer battery life, with Apple's ecosystem and silent operation being major pluses, especially for general use and tasks not requiring high-end graphics performance. However, if you’re looking for a laptop with more power, particularly for 3D rendering, machine learning, or gaming, the Lenovo Slim Pro 9i is a stronger choice, featuring a high-refresh-rate touchscreen display and a dedicated Nvidia graphics card, though you'll be paying more and dealing with less battery life. The Lenovo also boasts substantially more RAM and storage. The MacBook Air, with its lightweight design, is more portable, whereas the Lenovo's Mini LED display provides better screen quality for color-intensive tasks. Give Feedback
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Advantages of the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023)
Best in class overall build quality
Very good portability
Excellent battery life
Best in class speakers
Best in class keyboard
Advantages of the Lenovo Slim Pro 9i
Very good for general use
Very good for engineering and design
Good for gaming and AI
Best in class overall display quality
Key differences
General Use
7.9/10
8.5/10
2880 x 1864
RESOLUTION
3072 x 1920
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
501.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
618.0 nits
15.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
6.0 Hours
10.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
8.9/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.6/10
The Lenovo Slim Pro 9i is very good for general use, while the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) is good.
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) is suitable for general use with its efficient Apple M2 processor, lightweight and thin design, and fanless operation for silent use, offering a blend of performance and portability with a long-lasting battery. The Lenovo Slim Pro 9i, with a more powerful Intel processor and Nvidia graphics, more RAM, and a higher resolution Mini LED touchscreen, excels in performance, especially for multitasking and media, but this comes at the cost of a slightly heavier build and shorter battery life.
Gaming and AI
6.5/10
7.6/10
4.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
6.9/10
2880 x 1864
RESOLUTION
3072 x 1920
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
10.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
8.0/10
The Lenovo Slim Pro 9i is good for gaming and AI, while the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) is only fair.
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
7.6/10
8.9/10
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
4.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
6.9/10
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The Lenovo Slim Pro 9i is very good for engineering and design, while the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) is good.
The Lenovo Slim Pro 9i excels in engineering and design due to its robust Intel processor, abundant RAM, and dedicated Nvidia graphics, which significantly outpaces the Apple MacBook Air 15's Apple M2 chip and integrated GPU. While the MacBook Air boasts a high-resolution IPS screen with impressive color accuracy and low operating noise, the Lenovo's Mini LED display with higher brightness and contrast, combined with superior processing power, gives it an edge for more demanding engineering applications despite being slightly less portable and noisier.
Content Creation
8.0/10
8.5/10
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
2880 x 1864
RESOLUTION
3072 x 1920
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
The Lenovo Slim Pro 9i and Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) are both very good for content creation, though the Lenovo Slim Pro 9i is somewhat better.
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.
Screen Quality
7.8/10
9.6/10
15.3in
SIZE
14.5in
2880 x 1864
RESOLUTION
3072 x 1920
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
501.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
618.0 nits
The Lenovo Slim Pro 9i has a better screen than the Apple MacBook Air 15 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, and software development.
For general use, the Lenovo Slim Pro 9i excels with its high-resolution display and impressive brightness, providing clear and vivid visuals that enhance everyday activities like browsing and video streaming. In engineering and design, its wide color gamuts ensure precise color representation, essential for tasks requiring color accuracy like photo editing or CAD work. However, for 3D applications where a high refresh rate is critical to a smooth experience, both the MacBook Air and the Slim Pro 9i fall short, making them less suitable for gaming or real-time animation work.
Battery
15.0 Hours
6.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Air 15 has 15 hours of battery life. The Lenovo Slim Pro 9i 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
14.5in
3.3 lbs
WEIGHT
3.7 lbs
0.4in
THICKNESS
0.8in
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) has very good portability, while the Lenovo Slim Pro 9i has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
10.0/10
8.0/10
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) has best in class build quality, while the Lenovo Slim Pro 9i has very good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,299
$1,500
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) has a price of $1,299 and the Lenovo Slim Pro 9i costs $1,500.
The Lenovo Slim Pro 9i and Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) are both very good for software development.
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 Slim Pro 9i 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 Lenovo Slim Pro 9i is an impressive laptop with a brilliant Mini-LED display, a powerful 100-watt version of Nvidia RTX 4050 graphics, and excellent connectivity. Having run the Cinebench benchmark again, we were impressed with the CPU performance. That makes the Slim Pro 9i is an easy recommendation, especially for those who care about GPU and CPU performance. It’s also a fantastic choice if you frequently view HDR movies and games on your laptop."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) or the Lenovo Slim Pro 9i
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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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
Chandradeep is a staff expert and software engineer and expert in televisions and monitors. He’s been making monitor recommendations for ten years.
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Laptops Expert
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