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Updated January 10, 2024·
Choosing between the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) and the LG Gram 16 largely comes down to the operating system preference, performance expectations, and specific needs in terms of RAM and processor. The MacBook Air with the Apple M2 chip has integrated graphics and favors users looking for seamless macOS integration, while the LG Gram, with its Intel processor and Iris Xe graphics, might be more appealing for Windows users. The LG Gram offers twice the RAM of the MacBook Air, which can be significant for multitasking and more demanding applications. In terms of portability, both are lightweight, but the LG Gram is slightly lighter. Both laptops are well-suited for general use with high-quality screens, but if your work involves intensive engineering tasks or 3D rendering, the MacBook Air might offer better performance there, despite having less RAM, due to its specialized chip design. Battery life is comparable; however, consider that Apple's ecosystem allows for more seamless integration with other Apple devices, which might be a deciding factor if you already own other Apple products. 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
- Best in class speakers
- Best in class keyboard
Advantages of the LG Gram 16
- The LG Gram 16 has no clear advantages over the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023).
Key differences
Screen Quality
7.8
7.3
15.3in
SIZE
16.0in
2880 x 1864
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
501.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
347.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Air 15 has a better screen than the LG Gram 16 for general use, AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The Apple MacBook Air's screen excels in general use and engineering due to its high resolution and brightness, along with a wide color gamut which ensures accurate colors and sharp images crucial for design work. The LG Gram also provides good visual fidelity for general tasks and design professions with respectable color coverage and crisp visuals, thanks to its resolution and panel quality. However, both laptops fall short for 3D and gaming because they lack high refresh rates, which are essential for smooth motion and responsive gameplay.
Build Quality
10.0
7.0
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) has best in class build quality, while the LG Gram 16 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,299
$1,450
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) has a price of $1,299 and the LG Gram 16 costs $1,450.
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Key similarities
General Use
7.9
7.8
2880 x 1864
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
501.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
347.0 nits
15.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
15.0 Hours
10.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
8.9/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
8.5/10
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) and LG Gram 16 are both good for general use.
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) with its M2 chip, provides excellent performance and top-notch screen quality for general use within a very portable design, alongside a battery life adequate for a full day's work without the need for frequent charging. In comparison, the LG Gram 16 offers more RAM for multitasking, a slightly larger display, and is even lighter for enhanced portability, though it trades off some screen quality and has lower build and speaker quality than the MacBook Air.
Gaming and AI
6.5
6.4
4.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.8/10
2880 x 1864
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
10.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
10.0/10
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) and LG Gram 16 are both only fair for gaming and AI.
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) is fair for 3D because it has its own M2 GPU, which can handle moderate 3D tasks but many popular games don't run on its MacOS. Meanwhile, the LG Gram 16 is rated similarly for gaming and 3D partly due to its capable integrated Intel Iris Xe graphics, but like the MacBook, it has a standard screen refresh rate which is not ideal for high-end gaming which demands faster refresh rates.
Engineering and Design
7.6
7.5
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.9/10
4.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.8/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) and LG Gram 16 are both good for engineering and design.
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) with its M2 chip and integrated 10-core GPU delivers smooth performance for engineering and design tasks, also offering a high-resolution, color-accurate screen, though with less RAM compared to the LG Gram 16, which boasts a powerful Intel i7 processor and Iris Xe graphics, more RAM for multitasking, and a high-quality screen, making it a strong contender for demanding workloads, while also being lighter for enhanced portability. Both laptops offer fanless operation for a quiet working environment and have good battery life, but the MacBook's superior keyboard and build quality might appeal to those who prioritize typing experience and durability.
Content Creation
8.0
7.8
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.9/10
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 LG Gram 16 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
7.9
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.9/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2880 x 1864
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
10.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) to be very good for software development, while the LG Gram 16 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.
Battery
15.0 Hours
15.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Air 15 has 15 hours of battery life. The LG Gram 16 has 15 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
Very Good
15.3in
SIZE
16.0in
3.3 lbs
WEIGHT
2.6 lbs
0.4in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) and LG Gram 16 both have very good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
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How the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) and the LG Gram 16 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) | LG Gram 16 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$1,299 | $1,450 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | June 1, 2023 | April 1, 2022 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 13.4'' x 9.4'' x 0.45'' | 14'' x 9.5'' x 0.66'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 3.3 lbs | 2.64 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 13.4" | 13.96" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 9.35" | 9.53" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Apple M2 | Intel i7-1260P | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 8 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 0 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 256 GB | 256 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 15 Hours | 15 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 66.6 Wh | 80 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 15.3" | 16" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 2880 x 1864 | 2560 x 1600 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 60Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 501 nits | 347 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 10/10 | 7/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 9/10 | 8.5/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | No | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | Yes | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 10/10 | 10/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 10/10 | 7.5/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 10/10 | 7/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 1080p | 1080p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | Yes | No | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | No | Yes | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 0 | 2 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 2 | 2 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 1 | 3 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | 3 | 4 | |
Shopping
Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023)
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Andreas Osthoff | June 2023
"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."
LG Gram 16
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Florian Glaser | January 2023
"The LG Gram 16 is a lightweight device with stability issues. The LG Gram 16Z90Q with a Core i7-1260P is made with portability in mind and places less of a focus on users with high demands on performance. The compact and light chassis is particularly practical when you are on the go. The device is not only comfortably small and lightweight, it also boasts a great battery life. When connected to mains, on the other hand, the 16-inch device is rather disappointing. The standard cooling mode causes extreme volatility in terms of CPU, SSD and iGPU performance. The meager stability of the chassis may also put off some potential buyers."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) or the LG Gram 16
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 LG
LG is a South Korean conglomerate company. While LG is mainly known for various products outside of technology, LG also develops laptops. Within the laptop industry, they are known for their thin-and-light Gram series, as well as their value-oriented Ultra series. LG laptops offer very thin and light laptops with phenomenal battery life, and are often on sale.
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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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About the laptop team
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