Apple MacBook Air 15 (M5) vs MSI Sword 16 HX B14V
65.5Performance50.5
29.8Display35.7
55.3Battery53.3
79.6Portability35
6 spec wins — Apple MacBook Air 15 (M5)4 spec wins — MSI Sword 16 HX B14V
InnoReviews verdict
Apple MacBook Air 15 (M5) wins this laptop face-off, 56.9 to 44.6, pulling ahead mainly in portability (+45) and performance (+15). MSI Sword 16 HX B14V 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 (M5)
- Stronger performance score: 66 vs 51
- Stronger portability score: 80 vs 35
- 60% higher Peak brightness: 500 nits vs 312 nits
- 58% lower thickness: 11.5 mm vs 27.7 mm
- 48% higher Geekbench 6 (single): 4,195 vs 2,837
Reasons to pick the MSI Sword 16 HX B14V
- Stronger display score: 36 vs 30
- 233% higher charging: 200 W vs 60 W
- 140% higher Refresh rate: 144 Hz vs 60 Hz
- 100% higher storage: 1,024 GB vs 512 GB
Display
| Spec | Apple MacBook Air 15 (M5) | MSI Sword 16 HX B14V |
|---|---|---|
| Screen size | 15.3 ″ | 16 ″+5% |
| Panel type | IPS (Liquid Retina) | IPS |
| Resolution | 2880x1864 | 1920x1200 |
| Refresh rate | 60 Hz | 144 Hz+140% |
| Peak brightness | 500 nits+60% | 312 nits |
Performance
| Spec | Apple MacBook Air 15 (M5) | MSI Sword 16 HX B14V |
|---|---|---|
| Processor | Apple M5 (10-core) | Intel Core i7-14700HX |
| Graphics | Apple M5 10-core GPU | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop |
| RAM | 16 GB | 16 GB |
| RAM type | LPDDR5X (unified) | DDR5-5600 (2x SO-DIMM) |
| Storage | 512 GB | 1,024 GB+100% |
| Storage type | SSD | PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD |
Benchmarks
| Spec | Apple MacBook Air 15 (M5) | MSI Sword 16 HX B14V |
|---|---|---|
| Geekbench 6 (single) | 4,195+48%Top 6% | 2,837Top 41% |
| Geekbench 6 (multi) | 16,995+12%Top 27% | 15,107Top 33% |
Battery
| Spec | Apple MacBook Air 15 (M5) | MSI Sword 16 HX B14V |
|---|---|---|
| Capacity | 67 Wh+2% | 65 Wh |
| Charging | 60 W | 200 W+233% |
Design
| Spec | Apple MacBook Air 15 (M5) | MSI Sword 16 HX B14V |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | 1.51 kg+34% | 2.3 kg |
| Thickness | 11.5 mm+58% | 27.7 mm |
| Material | Recycled Aluminum | Plastic |
Connectivity
| Spec | Apple MacBook Air 15 (M5) | MSI Sword 16 HX B14V |
|---|---|---|
| Ports | 2x Thunderbolt 4, MagSafe 3, 3.5mm | 3x USB-A 3.2 Gen 1, 1x USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 (DisplayPort, PD 3.0), HDMI 2.1, RJ-45 Gigabit Ethernet, 3.5mm combo jack |
| Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi 7 | Wi-Fi 6E |
| Bluetooth | 6 | 5.4 |
| Webcam | 12MP Center Stage | 720p HD with privacy shutter |
| Biometrics | Touch ID | — |
Software
| Spec | Apple MacBook Air 15 (M5) | MSI Sword 16 HX B14V |
|---|---|---|
| Operating system | macOS Tahoe | Windows 11 Home |
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