The Apple MacBook Air 15, with its midrange price, offers an Apple M2 chip and 256 GB storage, prioritizing a larger, higher-resolution screen, longer battery life, and a sleek design, ideal for general use and multimedia tasks, but with limited port selection. Conversely, the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 is somewhat less expensive, with double the storage, more RAM, an AMD Ryzen processor, and a smaller, lower-resolution screen, which, combined with its wider array of ports and Windows operating system, might better suit business users and those who need more connectivity options. 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
Excellent battery life
Best in class speakers
Best in class keyboard
Advantages of the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13
Excellent portability
Key differences
Screen Quality
7.8/10
7.0/10
15.3in
SIZE
13.3in
2880 x 1864
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
501.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
379.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Air 15 has a better screen than the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 for general use, AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The MacBook Air's screen is highly regarded for general use and engineering due to its high resolution, brightness, and wide color gamut that ensures sharp, vibrant displays essential for detailed work. For the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13, the good screen quality in those same arenas stems from similar features, although it may not match the MacBook's brightness or color range. However, for 3D applications where a high refresh rate is crucial, both laptops might fall short, as they prioritize resolution and color accuracy over the faster refresh rates preferred in gaming and 3D rendering.
Battery
15.0 Hours
10.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Air 15 has 15 hours of battery life. The Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 has 10 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
8.5/10
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) has best in class build quality, while the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 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
$1,000
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) has a price of $1,299 and the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 costs $1,000.
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) and Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 are both good for general use.
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) is designed with an M2 processor and offers silent operation, high-quality display, and long battery life, making it ideal for general tasks while prioritizing visual experience and uninterrupted work in quieter environments.
Gaming and AI
6.5/10
6.3/10
4.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.9/10
2880 x 1864
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
10.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
9.1/10
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) and Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 are both only fair for gaming and AI.
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
7.3/10
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.8/10
4.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.9/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) and Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 are both good for engineering and design.
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) with its Apple M2 CPU and integrated GPU delivers strong performance suitable for engineering and design tasks, supported by a high-resolution screen that offers excellent color accuracy and brightness. On the other hand, the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13, with its AMD Ryzen 7 CPU and Radeon graphics, provides ample power for similar tasks and features a touchscreen, with a slightly higher amount of RAM and storage, and excels with its portability and superior keyboard quality.
Content Creation
8.0/10
7.8/10
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.8/10
2880 x 1864
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
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 ThinkPad Z13 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
6.8/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2880 x 1864
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
10.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) to be very good for software development, while the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 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.
Portability
Very Good
Excellent
15.3in
SIZE
13.3in
3.3 lbs
WEIGHT
2.7 lbs
0.4in
THICKNESS
0.5in
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 to have excellent portability, while the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) has very good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
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We’re constantly working to improve.
How the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) and the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 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."
"In the premium ultraportable space, the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13 competes with the best of the best, and still manages to shine. The design is an impressive departure from the bland bare-metal laptop that's become so popular in recent years, and the AMD-powered system has performance that's just as impressive. It's a stark alternative to the Intel-based majority, and it stands up well enough to the impressive Apple M2 processor."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) or the Lenovo ThinkPad Z13
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 Golden, Ph.D
CEO and Laptops Editor
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
Craig is a UK-based laptops expert. Craig works in IT, where he recommends and supports laptops and PCs for clients and has been recommending laptops on Reddit for five years.