The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) is a good choice if you're looking for a laptop with a midrange price, great portability, silent operation, and a strong battery life, making it well-suited for general use and tasks that don't require intense graphics processing, like software development or standard office work. It runs MacOS, which could be preferred if you're accustomed to the Apple ecosystem. On the other hand, the Razer Blade 14 (2023) offers more power with a high-performance CPU and GPU combo, more storage, and a higher refresh rate, ideal for gaming, 3D rendering, machine learning, and other engineering applications. However, it's heavier, comes at a higher price, and has a shorter battery life, which makes it less portable and more suitable if you primarily work from one location. The Razer Blade runs Windows 11 Home, which you may prefer for compatibility with a wide range of software. 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
Best in class overall build quality
Excellent battery life
Best in class speakers
Best in class keyboard
Advantages of the Razer Blade 14 (2023)
Very good for general use
Very good for engineering and design
Very good for gaming and AI
Very good overall display quality
Key differences
Gaming and AI
6.5/10
8.4/10
4.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.5/10
2880 x 1864
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
10.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The Razer Blade 14 (2023) is very good for gaming and AI, while the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) is only fair.
The Apple MacBook Air 15, while equipped with an integrated Apple M2 GPU suitable for moderate graphic tasks, is limited by its lower graphics performance and a screen refresh rate of 60Hz, making it less ideal for demanding 3D applications and popular games that run mostly on Windows. Conversely, the Razer Blade 14 boasts a dedicated Nvidia RTX 4060 GPU and a higher refresh rate screen, offering superior performance for gaming and 3D rendering, benefiting from a larger variety of compatible games on its Windows operating system.
Engineering and Design
7.6/10
8.7/10
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.2/10
4.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.5/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Razer Blade 14 (2023) is very good for engineering and design, while the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) is good.
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) is suitable for engineering and design with a capable Apple M2 processor and integrated GPU, high screen quality, and the benefit of silent operation due to a fanless design, making it highly portable at a lighter weight.
Screen Quality
7.8/10
8.9/10
15.3in
SIZE
14.0in
2880 x 1864
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
501.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
560.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Air 15 has a better screen than the Razer Blade 14 for software development, while the Razer Blade 14 has a better screen for general use, gaming and AI, and engineering and design.
If you prioritize a vibrant display and accurate colors for tasks like photo editing or CAD work, the MacBook Air with its high resolution and wide color coverage will excel, but its lower refresh rate makes it less ideal for 3D applications where smooth motion is key. The Razer Blade's strong suit is also in its high-resolution display and color accuracy, serving engineering and design users well, but like the MacBook, it falls short for gaming or 3D work due to a lower refresh rate. For everyday tasks like browsing or watching videos, both laptops provide crisp images and good brightness, ensuring a pleasant general use experience.
Battery
15.0 Hours
6.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Air 15 has 15 hours of battery life. The Razer Blade 14 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
Very Good
15.3in
SIZE
14.0in
3.3 lbs
WEIGHT
4.0 lbs
0.4in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) and Razer Blade 14 (2023) both have very good portability, though the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) has somewhat better portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
10.0/10
8.5/10
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) has best in class build quality, while the Razer Blade 14 (2023) has very good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,199
$2,400
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
$4,000
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) has a price of $1,199 and the Razer Blade 14 (2023) costs $2,400.
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Razer Blade 14 (2023) to be very good for general use, while the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) is good.
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.
Content Creation
8.0/10
8.2/10
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.2/10
2880 x 1864
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Razer Blade 14 (2023) and Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) are both very good for content creation.
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
7.9/10
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.2/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2880 x 1864
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
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 Razer Blade 14 (2023) 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.
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How the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) and the Razer Blade 14 (2023) 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."
"After making a huge splash with the original 2021 model, it's expected that the 2022 refresh would be more of a minor update to an already impressive machine. It adds a higher resolution webcam (720p to 1080p), faster CPU (Ryzen 9 5900HX to Ryzen 9 6900HX), faster GPU (RTX 3070/3080 to 3070/3080 Ti), faster RAM (DDR4-3200 to DDR5-4800), faster M.2 SSD support (PCIe3 x4 to PCIe4 x4), newer WLAN module (Killer AX1690i to Qualcomm WCN685x), and a MUX switch for the new integrated Radeon 680M GPU. It's indubitably an upgrade especially in terms of single-thread processor performance."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) or the Razer Blade 14 (2023)
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 Razer
Razer is an American-Singaporean technology company. Razer is best known for their Blade series laptops, well known for their strong performance and sleek design. Although Razer charges a premium price tag for their laptops, buyers can expect a stealthy laptop with clean fit and finish and strong performance. All of their models offer great portability and build quality compared to other gaming laptops.
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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