Apple MacBook Air 13" M3 vs ASUS TUF Gaming A15 (2024)
Apple's MacBook Air M3 excels in portability and efficiency, weighing just 1.24kg with an impressive 18-hour battery life and sharp 2560x1664 Liquid Retina display. ASUS TUF Gaming A15 counters with raw performance specs: 16GB RAM, 512GB storage, 144Hz gaming display, and traditional ports including HDMI and USB-A. M3's unified architecture delivers snappier everyday performance for productivity, while the Ryzen 7 8845HS provides more raw CPU cores for demanding applications and gaming. Display quality favors MacBook's 500-nit brightness versus 300 nits, though ASUS's 144Hz refresh suits gamers. Battery longevity strongly favors Apple. At identical pricing, choose MacBook Air for ultraportable creativity work and all-day battery; select ASUS for gaming, expandable storage, and traditional connectivity needs.
Full Specifications
| Spec | Apple MacBook Air 13" M3 | ASUS TUF Gaming A15 (2024) |
|---|---|---|
| Software | macOS Sequoia | Windows 11 Home |
| Body | ||
| Weight | 1.24 kg | 2.20 kg |
| Material | Aluminum unibody | Plastic with metal reinforcement |
| Dimensions | 304.1 x 215.0 x 11.3 mm | 354.9 x 251.9 x 22.9 mm |
| Ports | ||
| MagSafe | — | |
| Thunderbolt ports | 2 | 0 |
| HDMI | — | 1 |
| USB-A ports | — | 3 |
| USB-C ports | — | 1 |
| SD card | — | |
| Battery | ||
| Battery life | Up to 18 hours wireless web | Up to 10 hours light use |
| Capacity | 52.6 Wh | 90 Wh |
| Display | ||
| Size | 13.6 inches | 15.6 inches |
| Type | Liquid Retina IPS LED | FHD IPS 144Hz |
| Resolution | 2560 x 1664 | 1920 x 1080 |
| Refresh rate | 60Hz | 144Hz |
| Brightness (nits) | 500 | 300 |
| Storage | ||
| SSD | 256 GB | 512 GB NVMe |
| Expandable storage | ||
| Keyboard | ||
| Backlit | ||
| Touch Bar | ||
| Processor | ||
| RAM | 8 GB unified | 16 GB DDR5 |
| Cores | 8-core CPU, 8-core GPU | 8-core / 16-thread |
| Chipset | Apple M3 | AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS |
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 TUF Gaming A15 (2024)
Pros
- RTX 4060 with Ryzen 7 8845HS is great value for 1080p gaming
- 90 Wh battery surprisingly good for a gaming laptop
- MIL-STD-810H certified for durability
- Upgradeable RAM and dual SSD slots
- Quiet under light workloads
Cons
- 1080p FHD display looks soft on a 15.6-inch screen
- 300-nit brightness is poor for well-lit rooms
- Plastic chassis lacks a premium feel
- No Thunderbolt support
- Fan noise escalates quickly under load
Related Comparisons
- ASUS TUF Gaming A15 (2024) vs Apple MacBook Pro 14" M4 Pro
- ASUS TUF Gaming A15 (2024) vs Dell XPS 16 (9640)
- ASUS TUF Gaming A15 (2024) vs Dell XPS 14 (9440)
- ASUS TUF Gaming A15 (2024) vs Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 16 (2024)
- ASUS TUF Gaming A15 (2024) vs HP Spectre x360 16 (2024)
- ASUS TUF Gaming A15 (2024) vs HP Envy 16 (2024)
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 TUF Gaming A15 (2024).