The HP Pavilion 15 has no clear advantages over the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2024).
Key differences
General Use
8.0/10
7.0/10
2880 x 1864
RESOLUTION
1366 x 768
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
TN
501.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
220.0 nits
15.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
3.0 Hours
10.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
6.2/10
8.9/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.7/10
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2024) is very good for general use, while the HP Pavilion 15 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
6.6/10
6.0/10
4.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
2880 x 1864
RESOLUTION
1366 x 768
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
10.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
8.7/10
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2024) and HP Pavilion 15 are both only fair for gaming and AI, though the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2024) is somewhat better.
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
7.8/10
6.2/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.2/10
4.5/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2024) is good for engineering and design, while the HP Pavilion 15 is only fair.
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
8.1/10
7.1/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.2/10
2880 x 1864
RESOLUTION
1366 x 768
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
TN
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2024) is very good for content creation, while the HP Pavilion 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
8.2/10
6.6/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.2/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2880 x 1864
RESOLUTION
1366 x 768
10.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
6.2/10
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2024) is very good for software development, while the HP Pavilion 15 is only fair.
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
5.3/10
15.3in
SIZE
15.6in
2880 x 1864
RESOLUTION
1366 x 768
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
TN
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
501.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
220.0 nits
The MacBook Air 15 has a better screen than the HP Pavilion 15 for general use, AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
PerfectRec’s screen quality scores take into account various important factors that are relevant for different use cases.
Battery
15.0 Hours
3.0 Hours
The MacBook Air 15 has 15 hours of battery life. The HP Pavilion 15 has 3 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
3.7 lbs
0.4in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2024) has very good portability, while the HP Pavilion 15 has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
10.0/10
6.2/10
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2024) has best in class build quality, while the HP Pavilion 15 has only fair build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,299
$600
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2024) has a price of $1,299 and the HP Pavilion 15 costs $600.
"The HP Pavilion 15 carries a fair amount of power and a sharp display in its handsome slimline shell. It's not perfect, but it's a hard worker. This is wonderfully designed and totes a heck of a lot of desktop power, with the added benefit of a decent webcam and a full-sized keyboard. If you're getting down to business on a budget, it's a great fit."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2024) or the HP Pavilion 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 HP
HP, also known as Hewlett-Packard, is an American technology company that develops personal computers and computer peripherals. In the laptop industry, HP is known for its entry level Essential series laptops, its mid-range Pavilion, Envy, and Victus series, and high-end Omen and Spectre series, in addition to its business-oriented EliteBook, ProBook, and Dragonfly series laptops. HP laptops generally undercut other mainstream competitors in terms of price, placing itself as the value-oriented mainstream brand.
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
103,395
Recommendations made
22,403
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.