The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) is a more expensive option that offers a lightweight design, higher screen resolution, and a longer battery life, making it suitable for general use and portability. It's equipped with Apple's own processors and excels in tasks that don't require dedicated graphics, like web browsing, media consumption, and office productivity. On the other hand, the MSI Cyborg 15 is generally less expensive and comes with a more powerful Intel processor and Nvidia graphics card, making it better suited for gaming, 3D rendering, and machine learning. It has a high refresh rate display for smoother visuals in fast-paced games, but this comes at the cost of a shorter battery life and heavier build, which affects portability. 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
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 MSI Cyborg 15
Good for gaming and AI
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
234.0 nits
15.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
7.5 Hours
10.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
8.9/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.2/10
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) and MSI Cyborg 15 are both good for general use, though the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) is somewhat better.
PerfectRec’s General Use Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for general productivity, web browsing, streaming, video calls, and running a wide variety of apps and programs.
Gaming and AI
6.5/10
7.2/10
4.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
6.5/10
2880 x 1864
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
10.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The MSI Cyborg 15 is good for gaming and AI, while the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) is only fair.
The MSI Cyborg 15's Nvidia RTX 4060 GPU and higher screen refresh rate of 144Hz make it well-suited for gaming and 3D tasks, whereas the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023), despite having an integrated GPU with its Apple M2 chip and a lower refresh rate of 60Hz, may not support many popular games that do not run on MacOS, and is less optimized for gaming and high-performance 3D tasks. The MSI also benefits from a Windows operating system which generally provides better compatibility with a wide range of games and applications tailored for high-performance tasks.
Content Creation
8.0/10
7.5/10
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.7/10
2880 x 1864
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) is very good for content creation, while the MSI Cyborg 15 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
7.2/10
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.7/10
8.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
2880 x 1864
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
10.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) is very good for software development, while the MSI Cyborg 15 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
6.8/10
15.3in
SIZE
15.6in
2880 x 1864
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
501.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
234.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Air 15 has a better screen than the MSI Cyborg 15 for general use, AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The Apple MacBook Air boasts a high-resolution display with vibrant colors and excellent brightness, making it great for daily tasks and professional design work due to its wide color gamut coverage, important for accurate color representation. On the other hand, the MSI Cyborg 15's fair screen quality offers a balance for general use and design tasks, but it may lack the high resolution, brightness, and comprehensive color range found in the MacBook Air. For 3D applications which demand a high refresh rate for smooth visuals, neither laptop excels, as both have screens that prioritize resolution and color over faster refresh rates, which are crucial for 3D work and gaming.
Battery
15.0 Hours
7.5 Hours
The Apple MacBook Air 15 has 15 hours of battery life. The MSI Cyborg 15 has 7.5 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
15.6in
3.3 lbs
WEIGHT
4.3 lbs
0.4in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) has very good portability, while the MSI Cyborg 15 has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
10.0/10
6.7/10
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) has best in class build quality, while the MSI Cyborg 15 has only fair build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,199
$999
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
$1,600
$1,800
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) has a price of $1,199 and the MSI Cyborg 15 costs $999.
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) and MSI Cyborg 15 are both good for engineering and design.
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) is well-suited for engineering and design thanks to its high-resolution screen, strong GPU integrated within the efficient M2 chip, and silent operation, making it highly portable and visually precise for design work.
Give feedback
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How the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) and the MSI Cyborg 15 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 focus of the MSI Cyborg 15 lies on a compromise of performance, mobility, and power consumption. Due to the reduced performance settings, the CPU and GPU perform below their capabilities. Nonetheless, their computing power is still sufficient for FHD gaming at high to maximum settings even then. The power consumption, which is low for a gaming laptop, can be translated into a good battery life. Realistic values of 7 to 8 h are still possible, despite the relatively small battery capacity of 53.5 Wh. Unfortunately the USB-C port doesn't offer any support for Power Delivery, which would be a sensible feature in the case of the Cyborg."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) or the MSI Cyborg 15
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 MSI
MSI, also known as Micro-Star International, is a Taiwanese technology corporation. MSI is known for their wide range of gaming devices. Their series include the entry-level Cyborg/Thin and Sword/Katana series, the mid-range Bravo/Delta and Crosshair/Pulse series, and their high-end Vector, Raider, Stealth, and Titan GT series. At every performance level, MSI offers a variety of devices with varying balances between performance, battery life, weight, and price, making them a solid option to consider at every price point.
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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