Apple MacBook Air 13" M3 vs ASUS ROG Strix G16 (2024)
Apple's MacBook Air M3 excels as an ultraportable productivity machine with its feather-light 1.24kg chassis, exceptional 18-hour battery life, and elegant Liquid Retina display. ASUS ROG Strix G16 targets gaming and content creation with a larger 16-inch 240Hz display, significantly more powerful Intel Core i9-14900HX processor, 16GB RAM, and 1TB storage—though it weighs 2.4kg and manages only 6 hours of battery. The M3 prioritizes everyday efficiency and portability at $1099, while the ROG delivers raw performance for demanding workloads at $1599. Choose the MacBook Air for seamless all-day computing and travel; select the ASUS if you need gaming capability, professional video editing, or heavy multitasking requiring desktop-class performance.
Full Specifications
| Spec | Apple MacBook Air 13" M3 | ASUS ROG Strix G16 (2024) |
|---|---|---|
| Software | macOS Sequoia | Windows 11 Home |
| Body | ||
| Weight | 1.24 kg | 5.29 lbs (2.4 kg) |
| Material | Aluminum unibody | Aluminum and plastic |
| Dimensions | 304.1 x 215.0 x 11.3 mm | 13.94 x 10.35 x 0.92 inches |
| Ports | ||
| MagSafe | — | |
| Thunderbolt ports | 2 | — |
| HDMI | — | |
| USB-A ports | — | 2 |
| USB-C ports | — | 2 |
| SD card | — | |
| Battery | ||
| Battery life | Up to 18 hours wireless web | Up to 6 hours |
| Capacity | 52.6 Wh | 90 Wh |
| Display | ||
| Size | 13.6 inches | 16 inches |
| Type | Liquid Retina IPS LED | IPS |
| Resolution | 2560 x 1664 | 2560 x 1600 |
| Refresh rate | 60Hz | 240Hz |
| Brightness (nits) | 500 | 500 |
| Storage | ||
| SSD | 256 GB | 1 TB PCIe Gen 4 NVMe |
| Expandable storage | ||
| Keyboard | ||
| Backlit | ||
| Touch Bar | — | |
| Processor | ||
| RAM | 8 GB unified | 16 GB DDR5 |
| Cores | 8-core CPU, 8-core GPU | 24 cores (8P + 16E) |
| Chipset | Apple M3 | Intel Core i9-14900HX |
Category Scores
Pros & Cons
Apple MacBook Air 13" M3
Pros
- Light and portable at 1.24 kg
- Excellent fanless M3 efficiency
- Bright 500-nit Liquid Retina display
- Up to 18 hours of battery life
- Supports two external displays with lid closed
Cons
- 8 GB base RAM increasingly limiting
- Only two Thunderbolt ports
- 256 GB SSD uses single NAND chip with slower speeds
- No high-refresh display
- Limited port selection
ASUS ROG Strix G16 (2024)
Pros
- RTX 4070 Laptop GPU handles 1440p gaming at high settings
- 240Hz 2.5K display is incredibly smooth for competitive gaming
- 90 Wh battery is large for a gaming laptop
- Excellent thermal design with liquid metal compound
- 1 TB SSD with a second expandable slot
Cons
- Heavy and thick — not a portable daily driver
- No webcam — requires an external camera
- Fan noise under load is significant
- Battery life is short under gaming loads
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Explore more in laptops, see all Apple products or all ASUS products. View full details for the Apple MacBook Air 13" M3 or the ASUS ROG Strix G16 (2024).