The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) is a better choice for those looking for a midrange priced, lightweight laptop with long battery life, a high-quality display, and silent operation, ideal for general use such as browsing, office work, and media consumption. Conversely, the MSI Summit E16 Flip, while typically more expensive, offers a more powerful Intel processor and Nvidia graphics, making it suitable for more intensive tasks such as 3D rendering, engineering work, and light gaming. Its larger storage and RAM support multitasking and complex software requirements, but it is heavier and has less battery endurance compared to the MacBook Air. Additionally, the Summit E16 Flip features a touchscreen, which might be beneficial for certain use cases like design or presentation work. 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 MSI Summit E16 Flip
Very good overall display quality
Key differences
Screen Quality
7.8/10
8.0/10
15.3in
SIZE
16.0in
2880 x 1864
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
501.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
294.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Air 15 has a better screen than the MSI Summit E16 Flip for software development, and content creation, while the MSI Summit E16 Flip has a better screen for gaming and AI.
When selecting a laptop, the Apple MacBook Air offers a high-resolution display and brightness, providing sharp and clear visuals suitable for everyday tasks and detail-oriented work in engineering and design, supported by its wide color gamut for accurate colors. The MSI Summit E16 Flip also boasts similar screen attributes for general use and professional design work, ensuring vivid colors and crisp images. However, for 3D work and gaming where smooth motion is key, both laptops fall short due to lower refresh rates, affecting users who require fluid on-screen motion for an optimal experience.
Battery
15.0 Hours
8.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Air 15 has 15 hours of battery life. The MSI Summit E16 Flip has 8 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
4.1 lbs
0.4in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) has very good portability, while the MSI Summit E16 Flip has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
10.0/10
7.4/10
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) has best in class build quality, while the MSI Summit E16 Flip has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,000
$1,413
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) has a price of $1,000 and the MSI Summit E16 Flip costs $1,413.
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) and MSI Summit E16 Flip are both good for general use.
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
6.8/10
4.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.6/10
2880 x 1864
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
10.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.0/10
The MSI Summit E16 Flip and Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) 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
7.7/10
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.9/10
4.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.6/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The MSI Summit E16 Flip and Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) are both good for engineering and design.
The Apple MacBook Air 15 with its Apple M2 processor, integrated M2 GPU, and high-resolution IPS display is designed for seamless engineering and design work, offering fanless silent operation which contributes to its portability and sustained performance for computational tasks. In contrast, the MSI Summit E16 Flip, equipped with a higher capacity SSD, double the RAM, an Intel i7 processor, and Nvidia's dedicated RTX 3050 Ti GPU, caters to demanding engineering and design applications, and its convertible design with a touchscreen enhances creative workflows, although it is slightly heavier and bulkier.
Content Creation
8.0/10
7.9/10
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 MSI Summit E16 Flip 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
7.6/10
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 MSI Summit E16 Flip 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.
Give feedback
We’re constantly working to improve.
How the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) and the MSI Summit E16 Flip 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 MSI Summit E16 Flip is a 2-in-1 laptop with pen, 16:10 display, and RTX 3050 Ti. The Summit E16 Flip is a 2-in-1 laptop from the business segment that primarily targets creative users. MSI combines a 16-inch touchscreen in the 16:10 format with a powerful midrange GPU. While the 2-in-1 laptop from MSI isn't meant for everybody, it should definitely attract some followers. The touchscreen display (2,560 x 1,600 pixels) covers the DCI-P3 color space. This is accompanied by stable viewing angles, a good color reproduction, short response times, and a good contrast level."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) or the MSI Summit E16 Flip
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.
By the numbers
380
Laptops evaluated
48,640
Laptops stats compiled
13
Proprietary Laptops ratings developed
95,895
Recommendations made
20,778
Consumer hours saved
About the laptop team
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.
Jason Lew
Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Jason is a staff expert and software engineer that has been making laptop recommendations for 7 years and moderates one of the largest laptop subreddits.
Chandradeep Chowdhury
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.
Craig Russell
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.