A comparison of specs, key information, reviews, and best pricing from top retailers
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Company ProductName Specs
Company ProductName Specs
Advantages of the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023)
- Best in class overall build quality
- Very good portability
- Excellent battery life
- Best in class speakers
- Best in class keyboard
Advantages of the Samsung Galaxy Book4 Ultra
- Very good for general use
- Very good for engineering and design
- Good for gaming and AI
- Very good overall display quality
Key differences
General Use
7.9
8.5
2880 x 1864
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1800
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
501.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
408.0 nits
15.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
8.0 Hours
10.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
8.9/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.7/10
The Samsung Galaxy Book4 Ultra is 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.
Gaming and AI
6.5
7.7
4.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.1/10
2880 x 1864
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1800
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
10.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.2/10
The Samsung Galaxy Book4 Ultra is good for gaming and AI, while the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) is only fair.
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
8.9
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.6/10
4.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.1/10
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The Samsung Galaxy Book4 Ultra is very good for engineering and design, while the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) is good.
PerfectRec’s Engineering and Design Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for graphic design and 3D rendering work.
Content Creation
8.0
8.6
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.6/10
2880 x 1864
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1800
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
The Samsung Galaxy Book4 Ultra and Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) are both very good for content creation, though the Samsung Galaxy Book4 Ultra is somewhat better.
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.
Screen Quality
7.8
8.7
15.3in
SIZE
16.0in
2880 x 1864
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1800
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
501.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
408.0 nits
The Samsung Galaxy Book4 Ultra has a better screen than the Apple MacBook Air 15 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
PerfectRec’s screen quality scores take into account various important factors that are relevant for different use cases.
Battery
15.0 Hours
8.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Air 15 has 15 hours of battery life. The Samsung Galaxy Book4 Ultra 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 Samsung Galaxy Book4 Ultra has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
10.0
7.8
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) has best in class build quality, while the Samsung Galaxy Book4 Ultra has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,299
$3,000
$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 $1,299 and the Samsung Galaxy Book4 Ultra costs $3,000.
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Key similarities
Software Development
8.1
8.4
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.6/10
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
2880 x 1864
RESOLUTION
2880 x 1800
10.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
The Samsung Galaxy Book4 Ultra and Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) are both very good for software development.
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 Samsung Galaxy Book4 Ultra compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) | Samsung Galaxy Book4 Ultra |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$1,299 | $3,000 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | June 1, 2023 | March 1, 2024 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 13.4'' x 9.4'' x 0.45'' | 14'' x 9.9'' x 0.65'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 3.3 lbs | 4.1 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 13.4" | 13.99" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 9.35" | 9.86" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Apple M2 | Intel Core Ultra 9 185H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 8 GB | 32 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 0 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 256 GB | 1024 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 15 Hours | 8 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 66.6 Wh | 76 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 15.3" | 16" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | OLED | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 2880 x 1864 | 2880 x 1800 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 120Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 501 nits | 408 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 10/10 | 7.8/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 9/10 | 7.8/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | No | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | Yes | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 10/10 | 7.3/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 10/10 | 7.5/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 10/10 | 8.8/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 1080p | 1080p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | Yes | Yes | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | No | Yes | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 0 | 1 | |
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 | |
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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."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) or the Samsung Galaxy Book4 Ultra
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 Samsung
Samsung Electronics is one of the largest technology corporation by revenue. Based in South Korea, they are very well known for their wide range of phones, tablets, TVs and appliances. Their main line of laptops is the Galaxy Book series, launched in 2017. This range includes 2-in-1 convertible devices and standard notebooks, with a focus on portability and value for money.
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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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Laptops evaluated
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Recommendations made
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About the laptop team
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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
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.
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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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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.
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