Apple MacBook Air 13" M3 vs ASUS VivoBook S 15 (S5507, Snapdragon X Elite)
Both laptops deliver excellent value at their respective price points, but they cater to different needs. Apple's M3 MacBook Air excels with its ultra-portable 13.6-inch form factor, weighing just 1.24 kg, and offers stellar performance for everyday tasks with 8-core unified architecture. ASUS VivoBook S counters with a larger 15.6-inch OLED display (120Hz, 600 nits brightness), superior specs including 16GB RAM and 1TB storage versus the MacBook's 8GB/256GB baseline, plus traditional USB-A ports. Performance-wise, Snapdragon X Elite handles multitasking admirably with 12 cores. Battery life matches at ~18 hours both claim. MacBook Air wins for portability and macOS ecosystem, while VivoBook S offers better specifications, expandable connectivity, and real-estate for $200 more. Choose MacBook Air for mobility and efficiency; select ASUS if you need larger display, more RAM, and Windows ecosystem with superior port variety.
Full Specifications
| Spec | Apple MacBook Air 13" M3 | ASUS VivoBook S 15 (S5507, Snapdragon X Elite) |
|---|---|---|
| Software | macOS Sequoia | Windows 11 Home (ARM) |
| Body | ||
| Weight | 1.24 kg | 1.42 kg |
| Material | Aluminum unibody | Aluminum |
| Dimensions | 304.1 x 215.0 x 11.3 mm | 352.6 x 225.9 x 14.7 mm |
| Ports | ||
| MagSafe | — | |
| Thunderbolt ports | 2 | 0 |
| HDMI | — | 1 |
| USB-A ports | — | 2 |
| USB-C ports | — | 2 |
| SD card | — | |
| Battery | ||
| Battery life | Up to 18 hours wireless web | Up to 18 hours |
| Capacity | 52.6 Wh | 70 Wh |
| Display | ||
| Size | 13.6 inches | 15.6 inches |
| Type | Liquid Retina IPS LED | OLED, 16:9 |
| Resolution | 2560 x 1664 | 2880 x 1620 |
| Refresh rate | 60Hz | 120Hz |
| Brightness (nits) | 500 | 600 |
| Storage | ||
| SSD | 256 GB | 1 TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe |
| Expandable storage | ||
| Keyboard | ||
| Backlit | ||
| Touch Bar | — | |
| Processor | ||
| RAM | 8 GB unified | 16 GB LPDDR5X |
| Cores | 8-core CPU, 8-core GPU | 12 cores |
| Chipset | Apple M3 | Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite X1E-78-100 |
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 VivoBook S 15 (S5507, Snapdragon X Elite)
Pros
- Excellent 3K 120Hz OLED display
- All-day battery life thanks to ARM efficiency
- Powerful 45 TOPS NPU for Copilot+ AI features
- Lightweight for a 15.6-inch laptop
- Fanless-quiet operation under typical loads
Cons
- ARM compatibility issues with some x86 apps
- No Thunderbolt support
- Soldered RAM not upgradeable
- No SD card reader
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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 VivoBook S 15 (S5507, Snapdragon X Elite).
