If you prioritize a laptop for general use with higher portability and longer battery life, you would prefer the Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2022). However, if your focus is on 3D rendering, machine learning, and higher performance for engineering tasks with a superior display for color work, the Gigabyte Aero 5 will serve you better despite being heavier and offering shorter battery life. Keep in mind the MacBook Pro offers a silent, fanless operation, whereas the Aero 5 is better equipped for intensive gaming and offers a larger storage capacity and more RAM. Both are similarly priced, so your choice should be guided by your specific needs and preferences for portability, battery life, and performance. 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 Pro 13 (2022)
Best in class overall build quality
Very good portability
Best in class battery life
Best in class speakers
Best in class keyboard
Advantages of the Gigabyte Aero 5
Very good for engineering and design
Good for gaming and AI
Very good for content creation
Very good overall display quality
Key differences
Gaming and AI
6.5/10
7.9/10
4.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.3/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
10.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.0/10
The Gigabyte Aero 5 is good for gaming and AI, while the Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2022) 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
7.5/10
8.7/10
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
4.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.3/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Gigabyte Aero 5 is very good for engineering and design, while the Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2022) is good.
The Gigabyte Aero 5 is more favorable for engineering and design due to its superior CPU and GPU, more RAM, high-resolution OLED screen, and larger storage capacity; however, the Apple MacBook Pro 13 is more portable, has a higher-quality keyboard and speakers, and operates more quietly, making it a solid choice for mobility and quieter work environments.
Screen Quality
7.6/10
8.6/10
13.3in
SIZE
15.6in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
497.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
446.0 nits
The Gigabyte Aero 5 has a better screen than the Apple MacBook Pro 13 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, and software development.
For general use, the Apple MacBook Pro 13 offers a high-resolution, bright display with IPS technology, making it sharp, clear, and readable in various lighting conditions. For engineering and design work, its screen covers a wide range of color spectrums, ensuring accurate color representation essential for detailed work. However, its refresh rate is lower than what's ideal for 3D applications and gaming, where screens with higher refresh rates provide smoother visuals and better overall experience.
Battery
20.0 Hours
7.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 13 has 20 hours of battery life. The Gigabyte Aero 5 has 7 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
Fair
13.3in
SIZE
15.6in
3.0 lbs
WEIGHT
5.0 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
1.0in
The Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2022) has very good portability, while the Gigabyte Aero 5 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
10.0/10
7.8/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2022) has best in class build quality, while the Gigabyte Aero 5 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
The Gigabyte Aero 5 and Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2022) are both good for general use.
The Apple MacBook Pro 13 is valued for its high-quality screen, silent operation, and portability complemented by a long battery life, making it highly suitable for everyday tasks. In contrast, the Gigabyte Aero 5 offers a larger, high-resolution OLED screen and more RAM and storage along with a powerful CPU and GPU combination, which makes it better suited for more demanding applications, but this comes with reduced battery life and lesser portability due to its larger size and weight.
Content Creation
7.9/10
8.2/10
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Gigabyte Aero 5 to be very good for content creation, while the Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2022) 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
7.8/10
7.9/10
6.7/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
The Gigabyte Aero 5 and Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2022) are both 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.
Cost
$1,219
$1,250
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
$1,600
$1,800
$2,000
The Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2022) has a price of $1,219 and the Gigabyte Aero 5 costs $1,250.
Give feedback
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How the Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2022) and the Gigabyte Aero 5 compare to other laptops
"The MacBook Pro 13 is still a very good subnotebook. The 2022 MacBook Pro 13 might look like recycling at first, because the device is completely identical to the old model expect for the new M2 SoC. We have to admit that we were surprised to see another iteration of the MBP 13 as well. The laptop is obviously familiar, but this does not change the fact that it is still a very good subnotebook. You get an excellent chassis with good stability, a very good display, good input devices and the new M2 chip is very powerful and efficient."
"It is unfortunate that the Gigabyte AERO notebook series have seem to lost its charm, as it’s not exactly any much different from the AORUS series now. Regardless, content creators and designers will certainly still appreciate the features on the AERO 5 XE4, which are fundamental to their work. This largely revolved around the notebook’s display, which is colour calibrated and validated, high resolution (4K) and with great AMOLED colour representation. Now that the AERO 5 XE4 has improved its performance with the latest CPU and GPU, the professionals can also appreciate the improved productivity from the notebook."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2022) or the Gigabyte Aero 5
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 Gigabyte
Gigabyte is a Taiwanese computer hardware manufacturer. While Gigabyte mainly focuses its business on desktop hardware, Gigabyte is known for its value-oriented G series laptops, thin and light Aero series, and performance-oriented Aorus series. Gigabyte laptops offer a strong value proposition to compete with mainstream alternatives.
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 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
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Laptops Expert
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