Apple MacBook Air 15 (2024) Laptop Review

Although both are general productivity devices, the Microsoft Surface Pro 11th Edition (2024) and the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2024) are very different. The Surface Pro is a 2-in-1 tablet PC with a detachable keyboard and pen input, while the MacBook Air is a more traditional clamshell model. In terms of the user experience, each has its pros and cons; the MacBook Air has a sturdier build, a larger touchpad, and better-sounding, but the Surface Pro is more versatile and is available with 120Hz displays, including an OLED panel that's better suited for media consumption. If you often use your laptop on your lap, the MacBook Air is likely a better choice, as the Surface Pro can feel a little unstable on uneven surfaces. Also, Windows on ARM is still in a transitional phase at the time of writing, so some apps might not work, whereas most macOS apps now run natively on Apple silicon.

The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (M3, 2023) is better than the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2024) for most use. While they share a lot of similarities design-wise, the MacBook Pro is a device designed for professionals like content creators and other demanding workloads like 3D graphics and simulations, while the MacBook Air is mainly for general productivity tasks. The MacBook Pro has a few improved features, like a brighter 120Hz Mini LED display, better-sounding up-firing speakers, and a wider port selection with better multi-display support. It’s available with M3 Pro/Max SoCs, which perform better than the MacBook Air 15’s base M3 chip, especially on the graphics side. You can get the MacBook Pro with a base M3 SoC; it’s the same chip as the one in the MacBook Air 15, but because the MacBook Pro has an active cooling system, it’ll still outperform the MacBook Air in heavy, sustained workloads.

The ASUS Zenbook 14 OLED (2024) and the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2024) are both excellent ultraportables that deliver a premium user experience. Each has pros and cons, so the choice depends on your operating system preference and what you care about. The MacBook Air 15 has a larger display, giving you more screen real estate for work more comfortably; however, the Zenbook 14 is available with a sharper 2.8k panel that supports touch and pen input. The Zenbook 14's 2.8k display options are also OLED panels with a 120Hz refresh rate, so you get deeper blacks and smoother motion, though those things might not be all that important if you only look at static content like text documents and spreadsheets. As for inputs, the MacBook Air 15 has a larger, easier-to-use haptic touchpad; on the other hand, you can use the Zenbook's touchpad as a numpad, which is handy for those working with lots of numbers.

The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2024) is a newer, larger sibling of the Apple MacBook Air 13 (M1, 2020). The MacBook Air 15 is better in almost every way; its M3 chip is noticeably faster than the MacBook Air 13's M1 and brings new features like hardware-accelerated ray tracing, Dynamic Caching, and AV1 decoding. Other improvements on the MacBook Air 15 include a better webcam, Wi-Fi 6E wireless connectivity, and support for two external displays (with laptop closed). Also, there's a MagSafe port on the MacBook Air 15, so you don't have to use up one of the USB-C ports to charge the laptop.

The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2024) is much better than the ASUS Vivobook 16 M1605 (2023). Although both are ultraportables designed for light general productivity tasks, the MacBook is a high-end model with a more premium design and materials, while the ASUS is a budget-friendly model with an all-plastic build. The MacBook provides a better user experience, sporting a sharper, brighter display, a more comfortable keyboard, a larger haptic touchpad, better-sounding speakers, and a higher-resolution webcam. It also has significantly more processing power, allowing you to perform more demanding tasks like video editing, and its battery life lasts almost 13 hours in light use. The ASUS only lasts around eight hours.

The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2024) is a larger version of the Apple MacBook Air 13 (2024). These two laptops are very similar overall, so the buying decision largely comes down to size preference. The 15-inch gives you more screen space for multitasking, and you also get more space on the keyboard deck to rest your palms when typing. It also has better speakers than its smaller sibling; they sound fuller and richer, with more bass. Configuration-wise, although both are available with an M3 SoC, know that the base 13-inch model has an 8-core GPU (upgradeable to 10 cores), while the base 15-inch model only has a 10-core GPU option. The performance difference between the 8- and 10-core GPU is noticeable in some workloads but not significant. If your workload requires good sustained performance, it's best to go with the 15-inch, as it doesn't throttle as much.

The ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 (2024) and the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2024) are very different. The ASUS is a gaming laptop that can also double as a productivity laptop (especially for demanding tasks like video editing and programming), while the MacBook is an ultraportable intended for light productivity and everyday use. Thanks to its M3 chip's video engines, you can edit videos on the MacBook, but the experience won't be as smooth as on the ASUS if the material is extremely complex. As for other CPU- and GPU-intensive workloads, you're better off with the ASUS, as you'll get much better performance out of its AMD Ryzen CPU and NVIDIA discrete GPU. Both models provide a good user experience; the ASUS has a wider port selection, but the MacBook has a longer battery life.

The ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 (2024) GU605 and the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2024) are very different. The ASUS is a 16-inch Windows gaming laptop, while the MacBook is a 15-inch ultraportable running macOS. Both laptops provide a good user experience overall. However, there are some major differences between them, like the size of the device, the port selection, and the display's size, technology, and refresh rate. You can get significantly more processing power on the ASUS; however, this comes at the cost of battery life, as the ASUS struggles to last through a typical 8-hour workday, while the MacBook lasts nearly 13 hours in light uses.

The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2024) is much better than the ASUS Vivobook 15 OLED K513 (2021) in almost every way. The MacBook is a more premium model that provides a superior user experience. It has a brighter, sharper display, a more spacious and tactile keyboard, and a larger haptic touchpad. It also has better-sounding speakers, a higher-resolution webcam, and a significantly longer battery life. Performance-wise, the MacBook is faster and can handle more demanding workloads, like video editing and programming.

The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2024) is essentially a newer and bigger version of the Apple MacBook Air 13 (2022). Larger screen aside, the MacBook Air 15 has a few upgrades that make it better, including support for two external displays (with the laptop closed), more processing power, hardware-accelerated ray tracing, AV1 decoding, and longer battery life. These upgrades might not be necessary for most users with a light, general productivity workload, so it might be worth looking for the older M2 MacBook Air 13 if you want to save some money.

Although the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) was released three years before the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2024), it's a better laptop overall, as it has higher-end features, like a sharper, brighter 120Hz Mini LED display, better-sounding speakers, and a wider port selection. The MacBook Air 15's M3 SoC can match the base M1 Pro SoC in raw performance, but you can still get more performance out of the MacBook Pro 14 if you configure it with an M1 Max SoC. Plus, the MacBook Pro 14 can maintain its performance for longer since it has cooling fans. In short, if you only do general productivity tasks like text processing and web browsing, the MacBook Air 15 is a better option, as you won't have to pay for performance you don't need. However, if you perform more demanding tasks like video editing or 3D graphics, the MacBook Pro 14 is the one to get.

The Lenovo LOQ 15 (2023) and the Apple MacBook Air (2024) are very different devices. The Lenovo is a budget gaming laptop, while the MacBook is a premium productivity-focused ultraportable. You'll get better performance out of the Lenovo since it's available with faster CPUs and discrete GPUs, but if you only perform light tasks, the MacBook is a better option because it provides a superior user experience overall.

The Microsoft Surface Laptop 7th Edition 15 (2024) and the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2024) are both 15-inch ultraportables and direct competitors. Both laptops provide an amazing user experience, though the Surface Laptop beats the MacBook Air in a few areas, as it has a brighter 120Hz display, a wider port selection, Wi-Fi 7 wireless connectivity, and a much longer battery life. On the other hand, the MacBook Air has a larger touchpad, and unlike the Surface, it's a fanless device. Performance-wise, the Surface Laptop's Snapdragon SoC is faster than Apple's base M3 chip in heavy, multi-threaded workloads. However, the MacBook Air comes out ahead when considering app compatibility, as there are more apps that run natively on MacBooks with Apple silicon than Windows on ARM, and at the time of writing, Apple's Rosetta 2 emulation is more mature than Microsoft's Prism.

The ASUS ROG Strix G16 (2024) and the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2024) are vastly different laptops. The ASUS is a 16-inch gaming laptop that's bulky and heavy, while the Apple is a 15-inch ultraportable. As such, the ASUS offers much better performance for intensive workloads like gaming or workstation applications like 3D modeling, while the Apple is better suited for general productivity tasks. Nevertheless, the Apple takes the cake in terms of user experience, as it offers a much better touchpad, speakers, and webcam. 

Although there are many design similarities between the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) and the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2024), these two laptops have quite a few differences in features and performance. The MacBook Pro 16 is a workstation designed for demanding tasks like content creation, while the MacBook Air is an ultraportable designed for light, general productivity tasks. The MacBook Pro 16 is better overall since it has more premium features, like a 120Hz Mini LED display, better-sounding speakers, a wider port selection, and longer battery life. You can get better performance from the MacBook Pro 16 even though it sports an older M1 Pro/Max SoC. The MacBook Air 15 can handle some video editing, but the experience won't be as smooth as on the MacBook Pro, especially if the material is highly complex.

The HP Victus 15 (2022) and the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2024) are very different laptops. The HP is a gaming model, while the MacBook Air is an ultraportable designed for light productivity tasks. In terms of the user experience, the MacBook Air is better, as it's a more premium model with a sturdier build, a brighter and more colorful display, significantly better-sounding speakers, and a much better webcam. It also has a much longer battery life and biometrics for quick logins. That said, if you plan on using the laptop for intensive tasks like video editing or 3D graphics, the HP would be a better choice, as it has more processing power and can maintain its performance for longer.

The ASUS TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition (2023) and the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2024) are entirely different laptops. The ASUS is a budget-friendly gaming laptop, while the MacBook Air is a premium ultraportable. If you want to game or need a lot of processing power for demanding tasks, go with the ASUS, as it's available with high-performance CPUs and discrete GPUs. However, if you only need a laptop for general productivity tasks like web browsing and text processing, go with the MacBook Air, as it'll provide a better user experience overall. The MacBook Air can handle some intensive workloads, like photo and video editing, but the experience might not be as smooth if the material is highly complex.

The Lenovo Yoga 7i 16 (2023) and the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2024) are both ultraportables designed for light productivity tasks like web browsing, text processing, spreadsheets, and video playback. The MacBook is a more premium model, and it provides a better user experience with a brighter, sharper screen, a larger haptic touchpad, better-sounding speakers, a higher-resolution webcam, and more processing power. However, the Lenovo is more versatile since it's a 2-in-1 convertible with pen input support, and it's more functional, as it has a wider port selection and better external display support (the MacBook can only output to two external displays with the laptop closed).

The Lenovo Legion Pro 5 Gen 8 16 (2023) and the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2024) are very different laptops. The Lenovo is a mid-range Windows gaming laptop, while the MacBook is a premium productivity-focused ultraportable. In short, if you want to play games or perform demanding tasks like video editing and 3D graphics, the Lenovo is a better choice because it has more performance and will allow you to complete tasks faster with fewer stutters or slowdowns. However, if you only do light tasks like text processing and web browsing, get the MacBook because it provides a better user experience and lasts much longer on battery.

The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11 (2023) and the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2024) are both ultraportable laptops designed for general productivity and everyday use. Except for the port selection, the MacBook is better than the Lenovo for most uses. The MacBook has a sturdier all-aluminum build, a larger and more responsive touchpad, better-sounding speakers, and a much longer battery life. The Lenovo has quite a few more display options, with the top-end 2.8k OLED offering an arguably better viewing experience than the MacBook's IPS panel. However, you'll have to pay more to upgrade the display. Performance-wise, while the MacBook outpaces the Lenovo most times, you can likely get better performance on the ThinkPad if you get the top-end Intel Core i7-1370P processor.

The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2019) and the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2024) are laptops designed for different users; the MacBook Pro 16 is a workstation for professionals like content creators, while the MacBook Air 15 is a general productivity thin and light model. That said, at the time of writing (2024), there's no reason to get the MacBook Pro 16 from 2019 because Apple has moved to using their in-house ARM-based SoCs, which are much faster than the 2019 MacBook Pro's Intel CPUs and AMD Radeon GPUs. Even the MacBook Air 15 with a base M3 SoC performs better, and it does so without a cooling fan. You also get much longer battery life on the Apple-silicon MacBooks.

Although both are thin and light laptops designed for general productivity and media consumption, there are many differences between the Lenovo Yoga 7i 14 (2021) and the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2024). The former is a mid-range Windows 2-in-1 convertible, while the latter is a premium macOS model with no touch or pen input support. The MacBook is better in almost every way, though the Lenovo might still be a good option if you need tablet functionality.

The Dell XPS 16 (2024) and Apple MacBook Air 15 (2024) are both premium laptops but intended for different users, as the Dell is a mobile workstation designed for demanding workloads like 3D graphics and video editing, while the MacBook Air is an ultraportable designed for general productivity tasks like web browsing and text processing. The MacBook Air can handle some demanding tasks like video editing, too, as its M3 SoC has dedicated video encoders and decoders; however, the experience won't be as smooth, especially if the material is highly complex. In terms of the user experience, the MacBook Air comes out slightly ahead, as its keyboard and touchpad are easier to use and require less adaptation than the Dell laptop's invisible touchpad and edge-to-edge keys.

The Dell Alienware m16 R2 (2024) and the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2024) are entirely different laptops. The Dell is a Windows gaming laptop, while the MacBook Air is a general productivity ultraportable model. Go with the Dell model if you want to game or perform CPU/GPU-intensive tasks. The MacBook Air is mainly for light tasks like web browsing and text processing. It can handle some demanding tasks like video editing, thanks to its M3 SoC's dedicated video encoders and decoders. However, you're still better off with the Dell for tasks that primarily tax the GPU. As for the user experience, the MacBook Air is better. It has a sturdier build, a much better haptic touchpad, better-sounding speakers, a higher-quality webcam, and a longer battery life. Port selection is where it lags behind the Dell, as it only has two USB-C ports.

The Lenovo Slim Pro 7 14 (2023) and the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2024) are both productivity laptops. Each has its pros and cons. The MacBook Air has a slightly more premium and sturdier build, a larger and more responsive haptic touchpad, better-sounding speakers, and a much better webcam. It also has a much longer battery life, lasting almost three hours longer than the Lenovo. On the other hand, you can get better performance out of the Lenovo, as its cooling system helps minimize thermal throttling. The MacBook Air is a fanless device and loses more performance when performing heavy, sustained tasks. Also, the Lenovo has a dedicated NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Laptop GPU, which performs better than the MacBook Air's integrated graphics. The Lenovo is available with high-refresh displays (90Hz or 120Hz), which helps improve motion smoothness and input responsiveness, but they don't get nearly as bright as the MacBook Air's Retina display to combat glare.

The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2024) is a newer version of the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023). The 2024 M3 model’s outer design is identical to its M2 predecessor from 2023, as it’s mainly an internal upgrade. The newer model has a slightly faster M3 SoC, Wi-Fi 6E (up from Wi-Fi 6), and support for two external displays (with the laptop closed. Apple’s M3 SoC brings a few new features, including hardware-accelerated ray tracing, Dynamic Caching (helps with graphical performance), and an AV1 decoding engine (makes playback of AV1-encoded videos more efficient, resulting in longer battery life). The Midnight model also has a new coating that’s more fingerprint- and smudge-resistant.

The Dell XPS 15 (2023) and the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2024) are both premium productivity laptops that provide a great user experience overall. However, you can get more performance out of the Dell, as it's available with faster CPUs and discrete GPUs. Unlike the MacBook Air, it has active cooling fans to minimize thermal throttling, making it better suited for heavy, sustained workloads.

The ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED UX3404 (2023) and the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2024) are both premium laptops that provide a good user experience overall. Each has its pros and cons. The ASUS has arguably a better display, sporting a 2.8k 120Hz OLED display; however, the MacBook's Retina screen gets brighter to combat glare, and unlike the ASUS' OLED, it's immune to permanent burn-in. Also, while both displays flicker, the MacBook's panel is likely less bothersome to people sensitive to flickering, as its flicker frequency is much higher. The ASUS laptop's touchpad has a calculator function, which is handy for those working with lots of numbers, though the MacBook's haptic touchpad is larger and easier to use. Battery life is where these two laptops differ the most, as the MacBook lasts more than twice as long at almost 13 hours of light use.

Though the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2024) and Dell XPS 14 (2024) are both premium thin and light laptops, the Apple is better in most ways for most people. The Apple laptop's M3 silicon can handle some heavier workloads, but the fanless design limits its performance headroom, so it's really best for general productivity tasks. It also offers a much better user experience overall; it features a better keyboard and display by default, as well as industry-leading speakers and haptic touchpad. The Dell features more powerful hardware, including options for dedicated GPUS, making it better suited for workstation tasks. While you can get a nicer OLED display on the Dell, you have to pay extra for it.

The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2024) is a much better ultraportable laptop for most people than the LG gram 16 (2024). The Apple offers a premium user experience; its all-aluminum chassis is much better built and rigid, its display is sharper and brighter, and the haptic touchpad is significantly larger despite having less real estate to work with on the smaller deck. Performance-wise, the two laptops trade blows depending on the application. If you need many ports for peripherals and are willing to trade build quality for this convenience, then the LG is the better pick. Its IO layout is much better, including two USB-A, a full HDMI port, as well as support for Thunderbolt 4 on both USB-C ports.