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InnoReviews

Apple MacBook Air 13 (M3) vs Lenovo Legion Pro 5i Gen 9 (16IRX9)

Apple MacBook Air 13 (M3)
53.5Inno Score
VS
WINNER
Lenovo Legion Pro 5i Gen 9 (16IRX9)
56.2Inno Score
44.5Performance59.9
29.8Display55.5
66.7Battery73.3
88Portability29.1
3 spec wins — Apple MacBook Air 13 (M3)7 spec wins — Lenovo Legion Pro 5i Gen 9 (16IRX9)

InnoReviews verdict

Lenovo Legion Pro 5i Gen 9 (16IRX9) wins this laptop face-off, 56.2 to 53.5, pulling ahead mainly in display (+26) and performance (+15). Apple MacBook Air 13 (M3) still makes sense if its price or standout specs fit your needs better.

Which would you pick?

Key differences

Reasons to pick the Apple MacBook Air 13 (M3)

  • Stronger portability score: 88 vs 29
  • 58% lower thickness: 11.3 mm vs 27 mm
  • 50% lower weight: 1.24 kg vs 2.5 kg
  • Lower launch price: $1,099 vs $1,499

Reasons to pick the Lenovo Legion Pro 5i Gen 9 (16IRX9)

  • Stronger performance score: 60 vs 45
  • Stronger display score: 56 vs 30
  • Stronger battery score: 73 vs 67
  • 757% higher charging: 300 W vs 35 W
  • 300% higher Refresh rate: 240 Hz vs 60 Hz

Display

Display comparison: Apple MacBook Air 13 (M3) versus Lenovo Legion Pro 5i Gen 9 (16IRX9)
SpecApple MacBook Air 13 (M3)Lenovo Legion Pro 5i Gen 9 (16IRX9)
Screen size13.6 ″16 ″+18%
Panel typeIPS (Liquid Retina)IPS (PureSight)
Resolution2560x16642560x1600
Refresh rate60 Hz240 Hz+300%
Peak brightness500 nits500 nits

Performance

Performance comparison: Apple MacBook Air 13 (M3) versus Lenovo Legion Pro 5i Gen 9 (16IRX9)
SpecApple MacBook Air 13 (M3)Lenovo Legion Pro 5i Gen 9 (16IRX9)
ProcessorApple M3 (8-core)Intel Core i9-14900HX
GraphicsApple M3 8-core GPUNVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop
RAM16 GB32 GB+100%
RAM typeLPDDR5 (unified)DDR5-5600 (2x SO-DIMM)
Storage256 GB1,024 GB+300%
Storage typeNVMe SSDPCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD (2 slots)

Benchmarks

Benchmarks comparison: Apple MacBook Air 13 (M3) versus Lenovo Legion Pro 5i Gen 9 (16IRX9)
SpecApple MacBook Air 13 (M3)Lenovo Legion Pro 5i Gen 9 (16IRX9)
Geekbench 6 (single)3,050+6%Top 33%2,889Top 48%
Geekbench 6 (multi)12,000Bottom 17%18,126+51%Top 29%

Battery

Battery comparison: Apple MacBook Air 13 (M3) versus Lenovo Legion Pro 5i Gen 9 (16IRX9)
SpecApple MacBook Air 13 (M3)Lenovo Legion Pro 5i Gen 9 (16IRX9)
Capacity53 Wh80 Wh+52%
Web browsing endurance15 h—
Charging35 W300 W+757%

Design

Design comparison: Apple MacBook Air 13 (M3) versus Lenovo Legion Pro 5i Gen 9 (16IRX9)
SpecApple MacBook Air 13 (M3)Lenovo Legion Pro 5i Gen 9 (16IRX9)
Weight1.24 kg+50%2.5 kg
Thickness11.3 mm+58%27 mm
MaterialAluminumAluminum lid, plastic (PC-ABS) base

Connectivity

Connectivity comparison: Apple MacBook Air 13 (M3) versus Lenovo Legion Pro 5i Gen 9 (16IRX9)
SpecApple MacBook Air 13 (M3)Lenovo Legion Pro 5i Gen 9 (16IRX9)
Ports2x Thunderbolt 3 / USB 4, MagSafe 3, 3.5mm2x USB-C 10Gbps (one with 140W PD, both with DisplayPort 1.4), 4x USB-A 5Gbps, HDMI 2.1, RJ-45 Gigabit Ethernet, 3.5mm combo jack
Wi-FiWi-Fi 6EWi-Fi 6E
Bluetooth5.35.2
Webcam1080p FaceTime HD1080p with e-shutter
BiometricsTouch IDNone

Software

Software comparison: Apple MacBook Air 13 (M3) versus Lenovo Legion Pro 5i Gen 9 (16IRX9)
SpecApple MacBook Air 13 (M3)Lenovo Legion Pro 5i Gen 9 (16IRX9)
Operating systemmacOS SonomaWindows 11 Home

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