The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) offers a larger, higher-resolution screen and a battery life that is favorable for long-duration use. This device is suitable for those needing high performance in general use with a preference for MacOS. In contrast, the Lenovo ThinkBook 13s is a more portable option with a touch screen and better suited for 3D tasks and engineering work due to its Windows operating system and a processor that better handles such tasks. Although it comes at a lower cost, the ThinkBook also has more storage and memory, making it a value choice for intensive multitasking and complex applications. The MacBook is more expensive, but it has a better display and build quality, which might be important for users prioritizing media consumption and design. 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
Excellent battery life
Best in class speakers
Best in class keyboard
Advantages of the Lenovo ThinkBook 13s
Excellent portability
Key differences
Screen Quality
7.8/10
7.2/10
15.3in
SIZE
13.3in
2880 x 1864
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
501.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
336.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Air 15 has a better screen than the Lenovo ThinkBook 13s for general use, AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The Apple MacBook Air's screen boasts high resolution, which provides crisp and clear images for general use, and with its excellent color gamut coverage, it's great for design tasks where accurate color representation matters. The Lenovo ThinkBook 13s offers good resolution and color fidelity too, making it suitable for everyday use and professional design work. However, both laptops have limitations for 3D applications and gaming due to their lower refresh rates, which could lead to less smooth visuals in fast-paced scenarios.
Battery
15.0 Hours
8.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Air 15 has 15 hours of battery life. The Lenovo ThinkBook 13s 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.
Build Quality
10.0/10
7.6/10
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) has best in class build quality, while the Lenovo ThinkBook 13s has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,199
$1,000
$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 Lenovo ThinkBook 13s costs $1,000.
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) and Lenovo ThinkBook 13s are both good for general use.
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) stands out for general use due to its powerful Apple M2 CPU, vivid and high-resolution screen, and exceptional battery life, though it has less storage and RAM than the Lenovo ThinkBook 13s, which also offers a touch screen and more RAM, making multitasking more fluid, but has a shorter battery life.
Gaming and AI
6.5/10
6.4/10
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
8.3/10
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) and Lenovo ThinkBook 13s 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
7.5/10
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 Lenovo ThinkBook 13s are both good for engineering and design.
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) with its M2 chipset provides strong performance and the 15-inch high-resolution, bright and color-accurate screen makes it ideal for engineering and design work. The Lenovo ThinkBook 13s offers similar high screen quality and even more RAM for multitasking, with an Intel i7 processor and Iris Xe graphics that can handle a range of engineering programs effectively, while also being slightly more portable and equipped with a touchscreen for ease of interaction.
Content Creation
8.0/10
7.8/10
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 Lenovo ThinkBook 13s 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
7.7/10
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 Lenovo ThinkBook 13s 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.
Portability
Very Good
Excellent
15.3in
SIZE
13.3in
3.3 lbs
WEIGHT
2.9 lbs
0.4in
THICKNESS
0.5in
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Lenovo ThinkBook 13s to have excellent portability, while the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) has very good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Give feedback
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How the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) and the Lenovo ThinkBook 13s 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 best thing about the ThinkBook 13S is that it’s a good deal. Business buyers looking for ThinkPad-level performance and software without ThinkPad pricing will probably find the ThinkBook a solid option. While nothing about it is really spectacular, it’s certainly unusual to see the ThinkBook’s screen resolution at a sub-$1,000 price, and its performance will be more than adequate for most office tasks. The generous port selection, 16:10 aspect ratio, physical webcam shutter, and clear audio are certainly icing on the cake."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) or the Lenovo ThinkBook 13s
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 Lenovo
Lenovo is a Chinese technology company, and one of the largest personal computer vendor. They are well known for a variety of technology products, including laptops. Their consumer series include their entry level IdeaPad and LOQ series and mid-to-high-end Yoga and Legion series. On the business-oriented side, their series include their entry-level ThinkBook series and mid-to-high-end ThinkPad series. Lenovo laptops offer strong performance for reasonable prices, and are often on sale.
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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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.
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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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Laptops Expert
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