Mark Coppock / Digital Trends
There are n’t many choice in the15 - in laptopcategory , which has given way to somewhat smaller14 - inch laptopsand larger 16 - column inch machine . But theMacBook Air 15stands out as one of the best pick you’re able to buy today , as long as you do n’t need window .
TheLenovo Yoga Slim 7i Aura Editionis a new option that lam Intel ’s latest Lunar Lake chipsets that are draw a bead on primarily at efficiency — aimed most directly at Apple ’s efficient M3 chipset . Can the Yoga Slim 7i vie ? Perhaps before this week . But now that theMacBook Air 15 - inch starts with 16 GB of RAM , the Yoga Slim 7i ’s advantage are lessened .
Mark Coppock / Digital Trends
Specs and configurations
The Yoga Slim 7i Aura Edition starts at $ 1,280 for an Intel Core Ultra 7 256V chipset , 16 GB of RAM , a 512 GB SSD , and a 15.3 - inch 2.8 K IPS showing ( the only selection ) . you could elevate the SSD to 1 TB for $ 42 , and at the in high spirits terminal with a Core Ultra 7 258V and 32 GB of RAM , the laptop costs $ 1,422 .
The MacBook Air 15 starts out at a similar price , $ 1,299 , for an 8 - heart and soul CPU/10 - core GPU M3 chipset and 256 GB SSD . And thanks to the recent modification , it now part with 16 GB of RAM for the same $ 1,299 monetary value . All models come with the same 15.3 - inch 2880 x 1864 IPS presentation . Upgrading to 512 GB SSD boosts the price to $ 1,499 , and the maximal shape with 24 GB of RAM and a 2 TB SSD is $ 2,299 .
The two laptops are price closely on the scummy end ; Apple ’s exorbitant prices for special warehousing makes the Yoga Slim 7i much more affordable .
Design
The MacBook Air fifteen use Apple ’s latest intention concepts , and in fact other than vapourous sizing it ’s hard to tell various MacBooks apart . There ’s the same simple , blocky design with curved sharpness and , in the eccentric of the 13 - inch and 15 - inch MacBook Air , extreme thinness . There are four colour usable , including Midnight , Starlight , Space Gray , and Silver , and it ’s an refined machine . The Yoga Slim 7i Aura Edition is no slouch itself . It comes in just one dark gray color way and assert Lenovo ’s latest design with a modern and minimalist aesthetic . The most noticeable feature is the reverse mountain pass at the top that put up the webcam , which is an polar approach to Apple ’s more controversial display notch .
Both laptops are work up extremely well , with all - aluminum manufacture that apply them a robust feel . Both have bottom chassis and keyboard decks that resist deflexion , but the MacBook Air 15 actually has more flex in its display than the Yoga Slim 7i . Both have hinges that allow the hat to be afford with one manus .
The MacBook Air 15 ’s Magic Keyboard is arguably more comfortable than the Yoga Slim 7i ’s keyboard for retentive composition sessions . Apple ’s transposition are fantastic , easily the light and snappiest around , and keycap size and key spacing are complete . The Lenovo keyboard has sculpted keycaps and plenty of central spacing , but the replacement furnish a little less feedback . A bighearted difference is found in the touchpads , where the MacBook Air 15 has the virtually perfect Force Touch haptic touchpad with Force Click functionality , compared to the just - OK mechanically skillful touchpad on the Yoga Slim 7i . The Lenovo laptop does have a touch modality - enable display , however , if that count to you .
Connectivity strongly favors the Yoga Slim 7i , which has a selection of both innovative Thunderbolt 4 porthole and legacy ports . The MacBook Air 15 has just two Thunderbolt 4 port , although it leave both free with Apple ’s MagSafe 3 connection . The Lenovo also has the most up - to - escort wireless connectivity .
Finally , both laptop computer have 1080p webcams , while the Yoga Slim 7i tolerate Microsoft ’s Copilot+ PC AI first step with a fast neural processing unit ( NPU ) for on - twist AI processing . The MacBook Air 15 will support Apple Intelligence as it rolls out .
Performance
The Yoga Slim 7i is built around an Intel Lunar Lake chipset , otherwise love as Core Ultra 2 . We refresh the laptop with the Core Ultra 7 258V , the secondly - fastest interlingual rendition , a 17 - James Watt 8 - core/8 - train of thought chipset that ’s the most direct replacement for the 15 - James Watt U - series Meteor Lake chipset . It ’s target at efficiency over performance , and we can see that when compared to the MacBook Air 15 ’s M3 chipset . I ’m using the 13 - in role model as a proxy , because we have n’t reviewed the larger machine with the M3 , but if anything its answer would be faster . In this grammatical case , it ’s the 8 - essence CPU/10 - core GPU rendering of M3 .
As we can see , the MacBook Air 15 is faster than the Yoga Slim 7i , peculiarly in multi - task processes . And its GPU is truehearted than the Intel Arc 140V integrated graphics . They ’re both dissolute enough for demanding productivity user , but the MacBook Air 15 will be faster for Creator .
Display
Both laptops practice IPS showing , and they ’re remarkably close in timber . They both have tons of luminousness , both have precise people of colour and very estimable direct contrast , and the MacBook Air 15 ’s panel has wide of the mark colors . It will please creators .
And , both show are 15.3 in with roughly adequate sharpness . The Lenovo display feed at 120Hz , which will render for a smoother UI than Apple ’s 60Hz refresh rate .
Portability
Both laptop are very portable laptops with large , 15 - inch displays . The MacBook Air 15 is dementedly slender at 0.45 inches , but the Yoga Slim 7i is also pretty slender at just 0.55 inches . They weigh about the same , so that give the MacBook Air 15 a denser tactile property .
In terms of battery life story , I again used the 13 - inch as a procurator but the 15 - inch MacBook Air M3 will likely get slightly good battery life . And it maintain its place at the top in term of efficiency . The Intel Lunar Lake chipset is the most effective yet in a Windows laptop , and the Yoga Slim 7i does very well . But the MacBook Air 15 is strong in spite of also being faster .
The Yoga Slim 7i gives it a go, but the MacBook Air comes out on top
There ’s a flock to like about the Yoga Slim 7i . It ’s built well , wait great , is degenerate enough , and it acquire better barrage life than most Windows laptops to date . And it ’s a reasonably affordable option .
But , the MacBook Air 15 is still fast , and it gets even good battery life . Its keyboard and touchpad are better , and it , too , is solid and attractive . It ’s a strong laptop computer to puzzle out , specially now that it starts with 16 GB of RAM .
