Apple MacBook Air 15 (M3) vs Lenovo Legion Pro 5i Gen 9 (16IRX9)
41.4Performance59.9
29.8Display55.5
55.3Battery73.3
79.6Portability29.1
3 spec wins — Apple MacBook Air 15 (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 48.4, pulling ahead mainly in display (+26) and performance (+19). Apple MacBook Air 15 (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 15 (M3)
- Stronger portability score: 80 vs 29
- 57% lower thickness: 11.5 mm vs 27 mm
- 40% lower weight: 1.51 kg vs 2.5 kg
- Lower launch price: $1,299 vs $1,499
Reasons to pick the Lenovo Legion Pro 5i Gen 9 (16IRX9)
- Stronger performance score: 60 vs 41
- Stronger display score: 56 vs 30
- Stronger battery score: 73 vs 55
- 757% higher charging: 300 W vs 35 W
- 300% higher Refresh rate: 240 Hz vs 60 Hz
Display
| Spec | Apple MacBook Air 15 (M3) | Lenovo Legion Pro 5i Gen 9 (16IRX9) |
|---|---|---|
| Screen size | 15.3 ″ | 16 ″+5% |
| Panel type | IPS (Liquid Retina) | IPS (PureSight) |
| Resolution | 2880x1864 | 2560x1600 |
| Refresh rate | 60 Hz | 240 Hz+300% |
| Peak brightness | 500 nits | 500 nits |
Performance
| Spec | Apple MacBook Air 15 (M3) | Lenovo Legion Pro 5i Gen 9 (16IRX9) |
|---|---|---|
| Processor | Apple M3 (8-core) | Intel Core i9-14900HX |
| Graphics | Apple M3 10-core GPU | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop |
| RAM | 8 GB | 32 GB+300% |
| RAM type | LPDDR5 (unified) | DDR5-5600 (2x SO-DIMM) |
| Storage | 256 GB | 1,024 GB+300% |
| Storage type | SSD | PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD (2 slots) |
Benchmarks
| Spec | Apple MacBook Air 15 (M3) | Lenovo Legion Pro 5i Gen 9 (16IRX9) |
|---|---|---|
| Geekbench 6 (single) | 3,130+8%Top 26% | 2,889Top 48% |
| Geekbench 6 (multi) | 12,066Bottom 19% | 18,126+50%Top 29% |
Battery
| Spec | Apple MacBook Air 15 (M3) | Lenovo Legion Pro 5i Gen 9 (16IRX9) |
|---|---|---|
| Capacity | 67 Wh | 80 Wh+20% |
| Charging | 35 W | 300 W+757% |
Design
| Spec | Apple MacBook Air 15 (M3) | Lenovo Legion Pro 5i Gen 9 (16IRX9) |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | 1.51 kg+40% | 2.5 kg |
| Thickness | 11.5 mm+57% | 27 mm |
| Material | Recycled Aluminum | Aluminum lid, plastic (PC-ABS) base |
Connectivity
| Spec | Apple MacBook Air 15 (M3) | Lenovo Legion Pro 5i Gen 9 (16IRX9) |
|---|---|---|
| Ports | 2x Thunderbolt / USB 4, MagSafe 3, 3.5mm | 2x 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-Fi | Wi-Fi 6E | Wi-Fi 6E |
| Bluetooth | 5.3 | 5.2 |
| Webcam | 1080p FaceTime HD | 1080p with e-shutter |
| Biometrics | Touch ID | None |
Software
| Spec | Apple MacBook Air 15 (M3) | Lenovo Legion Pro 5i Gen 9 (16IRX9) |
|---|---|---|
| Operating system | macOS Sonoma | Windows 11 Home |
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