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InnoReviews

Apple MacBook Air 13 (M3) vs ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14 Aura Edition

Apple MacBook Air 13 (M3)
53.5Inno Score
VS
WINNER
ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14 Aura Edition
57.4Inno Score
44.5Performance62.7
29.8Display38.4
66.7Battery42.7
88Portability91.8
1 spec wins — Apple MacBook Air 13 (M3)7 spec wins — ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14 Aura Edition

InnoReviews verdict

ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14 Aura Edition wins this laptop face-off, 57.4 to 53.5, pulling ahead mainly in performance (+18) and display (+9). 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 battery score: 67 vs 43
  • 21% lower thickness: 11.3 mm vs 14.3 mm
  • Lower launch price: $1,099 vs $1,999

Reasons to pick the ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14 Aura Edition

  • Stronger performance score: 63 vs 45
  • Stronger display score: 38 vs 30
  • Stronger portability score: 92 vs 88
  • 300% higher storage: 1,024 GB vs 256 GB
  • 100% higher Refresh rate: 120 Hz vs 60 Hz

Display

Display comparison: Apple MacBook Air 13 (M3) versus ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14 Aura Edition
SpecApple MacBook Air 13 (M3)ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14 Aura Edition
Screen size13.6 ″14 ″+3%
Panel typeIPS (Liquid Retina)OLED
Resolution2560x16642880 x 1800
Refresh rate60 Hz120 Hz+100%
Peak brightness500 nits500 nits

Performance

Performance comparison: Apple MacBook Air 13 (M3) versus ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14 Aura Edition
SpecApple MacBook Air 13 (M3)ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14 Aura Edition
ProcessorApple M3 (8-core)Intel Core Ultra 7
GraphicsApple M3 8-core GPUIntel Arc Graphics
RAM16 GB32 GB+100%
RAM typeLPDDR5 (unified)LPDDR5x
Storage256 GB1,024 GB+300%
Storage typeNVMe SSDPCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD

Benchmarks

Benchmarks comparison: Apple MacBook Air 13 (M3) versus ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14 Aura Edition
SpecApple MacBook Air 13 (M3)ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14 Aura Edition
Geekbench 6 (single)3,050Top 20%
Geekbench 6 (multi)12,000Top 80%

Battery

Battery comparison: Apple MacBook Air 13 (M3) versus ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14 Aura Edition
SpecApple MacBook Air 13 (M3)ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14 Aura Edition
Capacity53 Wh57 Wh+8%
Web browsing endurance15 h
Charging35 W65 W+86%

Design

Design comparison: Apple MacBook Air 13 (M3) versus ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14 Aura Edition
SpecApple MacBook Air 13 (M3)ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14 Aura Edition
Weight1.24 kg0.98 kg+21%
Thickness11.3 mm+21%14.3 mm
MaterialAluminumCarbon fiber and magnesium alloy

Connectivity

Connectivity comparison: Apple MacBook Air 13 (M3) versus ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14 Aura Edition
SpecApple MacBook Air 13 (M3)ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14 Aura Edition
Ports2x Thunderbolt 3 / USB 4, MagSafe 3, 3.5mm2x Thunderbolt 4 / USB-C, 2x USB-A 3.2 Gen 1, 1x HDMI 2.1, 3.5mm combo audio jack
Wi-FiWi-Fi 6EWi-Fi 7
Bluetooth5.35.4
Webcam1080p FaceTime HD1080p FHD IR camera with privacy shutter
BiometricsTouch IDFingerprint reader, Windows Hello facial recognition

Software

Software comparison: Apple MacBook Air 13 (M3) versus ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14 Aura Edition
SpecApple MacBook Air 13 (M3)ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14 Aura Edition
Operating systemmacOS SonomaWindows 11 Pro

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