There are many nice 13-inch and 14-inch laptops on the market, however none that may defeat the M3 MacBook Air head-to-head. That pocket book is the entire package deal relating to ultra-portable laptops.
The Lenovo Yoga 9i Gen 9, nonetheless, places up a formidable struggle. The truth is, it beats the MacBook Air in almost each class apart from battery life. It’s not fairly as skinny, both, however as you’ll see, the Yoga 9i Gen 9 is without doubt one of the greatest MacBook Air alternate options you should buy.
Specs and configurations
Apple MacBook Air M3 | Lenovo Yoga 9i Gen 9 | |
Dimensions | 11.97 inches x 8.46 inches x 0.44 inches | 12.40 inches x 8.58 inches x 0.6-0.64 inches |
Weight | 2.7 kilos | 2.98 kilos |
Processor | Apple M3 (8-core) | Intel Core Extremely 7 155H |
Graphics | 8 GPU cores 10 GPU cores |
Intel Arc graphics |
RAM | 8GB 16GB 24GB |
16GB 32GB |
Show | 13.6-inch 16:10 Liquid Retina IPS 2560 x 1664 | 14.0-inch 16:10 2.8K (2880 x 1800) OLED contact, 120Hz 14.0-inch 16:10 4K+ (3840 x 2400) OLED contact, 60Hz |
Storage | 256GB SSD 512GB SSD 1TB SSD 2TB SSD |
512GB SSD 1TB SSD |
Contact | No | Non-obligatory |
Ports | 2 x USB-C with Thunderbolt 4 1 x 3.5mm audio jack |
2 x USB-C with Thunderbolt 4 1 x USB-C 4 1 x USB-A 3.2 Gen 2 1 x 3.5mm audio jack |
Wi-fi | Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3 | Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.1 |
Webcam | 1080p | 5MP 2.5K with infrared digicam for Home windows 11 Howdy |
Working system | macOS Sonoma | Home windows 11 |
Battery | 52.6 watt-hours | 75 watt-hours |
Value | $1,099+ | $1,329+ |
Ranking | 4 out of 5 stars | 4 out of 5 stars |
Lenovo’s pricing and configurations are extremely topic to vary, typically making it troublesome to know if you’re getting the very best deal. Proper now, the Yoga 9i Gen 9 begins at $1,330 for a Core Extremely 7 155H chipset, 16GB of RAM, a 512GB SSD, and a 14.0-inch 2.8K OLED show. With a 1TB SSD and a 4K+ OLED panel, the Yoga prices $1,430.
Apple’s pricing is usually constant and its full array of configurations stays continually out there. The bottom MacBook Air M3 prices $1,299 with an M3 8/10 chipset, 8GB of RAM, a 512GB SSD, and a 13.6-inch IPS show. With 16GB, which might make it similar to the Yoga’s base mannequin, the MacBook Air M3 is $1,499, or about $170 extra. The MacBook may also be configured with 24GB of RAM and a 2TB SSD for $2,299.
The MacBook Air M3 is subsequently the costlier laptop computer except you select its base mannequin. Nevertheless, 8GB of RAM isn’t the very best efficiency alternative for laptops, apart from these with the very easiest workflows.
Design
The Yoga 9i Gen 9 is a wonderful instance of the trendy 360-degree convertible 2-in-1. It has rounded edges and a beautiful chassis that’s cohesively designed and enjoys a 360-degree hinge that’s easy, however safe in clamshell, tent, and media modes. It’s an all-aluminum laptop computer that’s extraordinarily effectively constructed and has no bending or flexing in its lid, keyboard deck, or chassis. And it’s drop-dead beautiful, with slim show bezels and a reverse notch holding the webcam.
That MacBook Air M3 can be one of many best-built laptops out there immediately, with just a few slight flexing in its show and an extremely stable chassis that’s CNC machined out of a block of aluminum. It’s additionally very enticing, with a barely extra angular look and slim show bezels that, in Apple’s case, require a show notch to accommodate the webcam. It sports activities one of many smoothest hinges round and sports activities Apple’s typical class.
Merely put, whether or not you purchase the Lenovo or the Apple laptop computer, you’ll be getting among the finest in its class.
The Yoga 9i Gen 9’s keyboard is superb, with giant, sculpted keycaps and loads of key spacing. Its switches are mild and snappy and have loads of journey. Apple’s Magic Keyboard stays among the finest, with much less journey ,however equally as giant and spacious keys with even snappier switches. Both keyboard will hold you typing at full velocity.
The MacBook Air M3’s Power Contact haptic touchpad is healthier than the Yoga 9i Gen 9’s mechanical model, and it provides the Power Click on perform that provides further performance with a “firmer” digital click on. The Yoga 9i Gen 9, however, has touch- and pen-enabled shows that help Lenovo’s lively pen for writing and drawing on the display screen.
Connectivity is a transparent win for the Yoga, which provides as many USB-C with Thunderbolt 4 ports because the MacBook Air M3 whereas including one other USB-C port and a legacy USB-A port. Each have the identical trendy degree of wi-fi connectivity.
Lastly, the Yoga 9i Gen 9 has a better decision 5-megapixel webcam and builds in an infrared digicam for Home windows 11 Howdy help. The MacBook Air M3 has a Contact ID fingerprint reader constructed into the ability button. Each webcams provide excellent photographs, with the Lenovo’s being barely higher, and each login strategies are quick and efficient.
Lenovo builds in user-presence sensing know-how that manages the laptop computer when a consumer leaves and returns, logging off and again on and going to sleep and waking up accordingly.
Efficiency
The Yoga 9i Gen 9 makes use of the 28-watt Intel Core Extremely 7 155H, a 16-core (six Efficiency, eight Environment friendly, and two Low Energy Environment friendly), 22-thread chipset. It packs in Intel Arc built-in graphics and has been a stable performer throughout a variety of laptops, assembly the wants of demanding productiveness customers. The MacBook Air M3 makes use of Apple’s M3 chipset, which has eight CPU cores and both eight or 10 GPU cores. It’s additionally a stable performer for demanding productiveness workflows, however its built-in GPU is quicker than Intel Arc.
Taking a look at our suite of benchmarks, the MacBook Air M3 is quicker in all however our Handbrake take a look at and the Cinebench R24 multi-core CPU take a look at. The MacBook Air M3 also can full the Cinebench R24 GPU take a look at, which Intel Arc gained’t run, and its efficiency within the real-world PugetBench Premiere Professional benchmark is about 56% quicker.
All in all, the MacBook Air M3 is a quicker laptop computer for just about all customers. Neither laptop computer makes for an ideal gaming machine.
Geekbench 6 (single/multi) |
Handbrake (seconds) |
Cinebench R24 (single/multi/GPU) |
Pugetbench Premiere Professional |
|
Apple MacBook Air M3 (M3 ) |
3,102 / 12,078 | 109 | 141 / 601 / 3,049 | 3,633 |
Lenovo Yoga 9i Gen 9 (Core Extremely 7 155H / Intel Arc) |
Bal: 2,264 / 11,647 Perf: N/A |
Bal: 98 Perf: 81 |
Bal: 101 / 594 / N/A Perf: 102 / 670 / N/A |
Bal: 2,015 Perf: 2,329 |
Show and audio
Lenovo provides two show choices with the Yoga 9i Gen 9, a 14.0-inch 2.8K 2880 x 1800 (242 PPI) OLED show working at 120Hz and a 14.0-inch 4K+ 3840 x 2400 (322 PPI) OLED panel at 60Hz. The MacBook Air M3 makes use of a 13.6-inch 2560 x 1664 (224 PPI) IPS show at 60Hz. That makes the 2 Lenovo shows sharper, with the two.8K panel providing the best refresh charge.
We examined the Yoga 9i Gen 9’s 2.8K OLED show and it had wider and extra correct colours and far deeper distinction than the MacBook Air M3’s show. The MacBook’s panel was brighter. Total, the Lenovo scores a big win.
Apple MacBook Air M3 (IPS) |
Lenovo Yoga 9i Gen 9 (OLED) |
|
Brightness (nits) |
495 | 400 |
AdobeRGB gamut | 87% | 97% |
sRGB gamut | 100% | 100% |
DCI-P3 gamut | 99% | 100% |
Accuracy (DeltaE, decrease is healthier) |
1.24 | 0.59 |
Distinction ratio | 1,480:1 | 27,790:1 |
The Yoga 9i Gen 9 has Lenovo’s Soundbar that homes two tweeters, and there are two side-firing woofers. The MacBook Air M3 has a four-speaker sound system. Whereas each have excellent audio high quality, the Yoga’s implementation has extra quantity, with clearer highs and mids and extra bass.
Portability
The MacBook Air M3 is the thinnest laptop computer out there immediately at simply 0.44 inches and it’s moderately mild at 2.7 kilos. The Yoga 9i Gen 9 is thicker at as much as 0.64 inches and barely heavier at 2.98 kilos. The MacBook is subsequently the extra transportable laptop computer, however neither laptop computer is a load to hold round.
Nevertheless, relating to battery life, the MacBook Air’s M3 chipset is way extra environment friendly. Although it has a a lot smaller battery at 52.6 watt-hours versus 75 watt-hours, the MacBook lasts 19.5 hours when internet searching versus the Yoga 9i Gen 9’s roughly six hours. The MacBook Air M3 will final you greater than a full day’s work, whereas the Yoga 9i Gen 9 isn’t prone to make it a lot previous lunch.
The Yoga 9i Gen 9 places up a spectacular struggle
When you’re searching for a 14-inch convertible 2-in-1, the Yoga 9i Gen 9 must be in your quick listing. It’s quick, well-built, and has spectacular shows. It’s additionally moderately inexpensive even whereas being a premium laptop computer. When you’re contemplating a MacBook Air, however need one thing within the Home windows ecosystem, it will get a hearty suggestion.
Nevertheless, the MacBook Air M3’s thinness and battery life are nonetheless unbeatable, and in any such system, these are each paramount points. That makes it the higher general laptop computer on this class, even when the Yoga 9i Gen 9 places up a spectacular struggle.
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