MacBook Air is a great choice for anyone looking for a compact, light, and powerful laptop with a long battery life. This Apple product could be an ideal device for students, business travelers, and anyone who needs a laptop for everyday tasks. So, the MacBook Air is certainly one of the top contenders in the laptop market, but it's not the only option available.
Whether you're looking for a more value-for-money device, prefer a different operating system, or need specific functionalities, there are several excellent options to consider.
We have curated a list of the five best alternatives to MacBook Air, each offering unique advantages that cater to various needs and preferences.
Top alternatives to MacBook Air in 2024
1) MSI Prestige 14 Evo
The MSI Prestige 14 Evo is one of a few laptops that are quite portable and packs great power for tasks beyond simple productivity. The display is good, the port selection is decent, and the battery life is superb. All these make it a strong contender among the best alternatives to the MacBook Air. The Prestige 14 Evo looks clean and sturdy and has military-grade durability.
The standout reason to consider purchasing the MSI Prestige 14 Evo is its powerful 45W Intel Core i7-13700H series CPU. You could find a similar chip only in bigger and heavier devices that are primarily aimed at power users like seasoned gamers. Coming to battery life, you can expect around seven-and-a-half hours of running time on a single charge.
Pros:
- Display is glossy.
- Delivers best-in-class performance.
Cons:
- Keyboard isn't quite as responsive.
- Battery life could be better for the price.
2) Dell XPS 13
The XPS 13 is among the finest alternatives to MacBook Air. It has outstanding build quality, a thin and light design, and offers a premium user experience.
Interestingly, this laptop is also available with a Snapdragon X Elite processor alongside other configuration options. Having the desktop processor from Qualcomm means that it holds an edge in single-core performance, which is beneficial for basic tasks like web browsing or productivity applications.
For light tasks such as note-taking or conducting research, the battery effortlessly powers through the entire school day on a single charge, ensuring you stay unplugged and productive from the first bell to the last. The invisible touchpad adds a touch of elegance to its overall design.
Pros:
- Is available with various configuration options.
- Battery life is superb.
Cons:
- Base model is expensive (comparatively).
- Lacks a dedicated GPU.
3) Lenovo Slim 7i
The Lenovo Slim 7i is a decently built machine with premium features at a very competitive price. It comes with an OLED display, an Intel Core Ultra H-series CPU, and an all-metal design.
What makes it stand out from other best alternatives to MacBook Air is its keyboard. While it doesn’t look that important, you will enjoy the crisp actuation and 1.5mm key travel in your daily usage of this laptop. If you spend a lot of time typing on your laptop, it's worth considering.
This laptop doesn’t have any design elements. However, Lenovo has focused on different areas; for instance, you get rounded edges, making it very comfortable to carry and to rest your palms on its front edge. The fan exhaust is hidden away between the hinge and the body. All these small details add to user satisfaction.
The Lenovo Slim 7i's battery life is also great. You can expect around 10 to 11 hours of runtime with a single charge for daily web use.
Pros:
- Build quality is solid and highly durable.
- OLED display offers rich colors and stellar contrast.
- Speakers are loud and clear.
Cons:
- Display resolution is merely adequate.
4) ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED
The Zenbook 14X OLED is an ultraportable device crafted for general productivity. One of its biggest attractions is its 14.5-inch OLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate, which offers brilliant colors and vibrancy. Its touch capability is the icing on the cake.
The port selection is the other advantage of this machine. You get a USB Type-A port, two Thunderbolt 4 connections, an HDMI port, and a headphone jack. All these advantages make it one of the best MacBook Air alternatives.
When it comes to battery life, this device from ASUS can run for around 12 hours on a charge, which is quite good but less than what you get with the Air laptops. Overall, even without a dedicated GPU, the performance is fantastic. With that said, the design looks cool and premium.
Pros:
- Features a powerful processor, ensuring smooth performance.
- Design is compact, feather-light, and premium.
- Device includes an OLED touchscreen that operates at a 120Hz refresh rate.
Cons:
- Lacks a dedicated graphics card.
- Storage is limited to 512GB.
5) Acer Aspire 5
The Acer Aspire 5 is a solid all-rounder. While it is slightly heavier and thicker compared to the Macbook Air, its wide range of configuration options places it among the best alternatives to the Apple offering. Acer provides a wide array of options, from keyboard backlighting to screen size, allowing you to configure the laptop according to your specific requirements.
The Acer Aspire 5 series starts at just $399. Of course, you can’t compete with an Apple laptop with that model, but the top-end variants are also available at a very affordable price (based on the specifications).
The only tradeoff is the battery life. It will last for around four hours on a single charge. So, if battery life is your priority, you might want to explore other laptops from our list of the best alternatives to MacBook Air.
Pros:
- Available at a very competitive price.
- Available with various configuration options.
Cons:
- Mediocre battery life.
- Display is a bit dim.
That concludes our list of the best alternatives to MacBook Air. While there may be more options available, the aforementioned devices will meet the needs of most individuals.