Apple MacBook Air 15" M3 vs ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 (2024, GU605)
The Verdict
MacBook Air 15" M3 excels as an ultraportable workstation with exceptional battery life (18 hours), lightweight aluminum chassis (1.51kg), and efficient M3 processing for everyday tasks. ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 targets performance-hungry users with a stunning 240Hz OLED display, significantly more RAM (32GB vs 8GB), 1TB storage, and Intel Core Ultra 9 185H delivering superior multi-core performance. MacBook's Liquid Retina display is crisp at 2880x1864, but ROG's OLED panel offers superior contrast and refresh rates for gaming/content creation. The ASUS weighs 340g more and manages only 10 hours battery life. Budget matters considerably here,at $700 less, MacBook Air represents outstanding value for content consumers and productivity users. However, creators, developers, and gamers requiring robust specifications will find ROG's hardware substantially more capable. Choose MacBook for portability and efficiency; select ASUS for raw performance and professional workloads.
Who Should Buy
Buy the Apple MacBook Air 15" M3 if…
- →Large 15-inch display in a thin, light chassis
- →Silent fanless design
- →Strong M3 performance for everyday workloads
Buy the ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 (2024, GU605) if…
- →Gorgeous 240Hz OLED display with deep blacks
- →Sleek, thin chassis for a 16-inch gaming laptop
- →Powerful RTX 40-series GPU options
Category Scores
Pros & Cons
Apple MacBook Air 15" M3
Pros
- Large 15-inch display in a thin, light chassis
- Silent fanless design
- Strong M3 performance for everyday workloads
- All-day 18-hour battery life
- Six-speaker sound system with Spatial Audio
Cons
- Only two Thunderbolt ports
- 8 GB base RAM is tight for power users
- No ProMotion or HDR display
- 256 GB base SSD has slower single-chip speeds
- No HDMI or SD card slot
ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 (2024, GU605)
Pros
- Gorgeous 240Hz OLED display with deep blacks
- Sleek, thin chassis for a 16-inch gaming laptop
- Powerful RTX 40-series GPU options
- Premium CNC aluminum build quality
- MUX Switch and Advanced Optimus support
Cons
- Expensive base configuration
- Battery life modest under load
- Soldered RAM limits future upgrades
- Runs warm under sustained gaming loads
Full Specifications
| Spec | Apple MacBook Air 15" M3 | ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 (2024, GU605) |
|---|---|---|
| Software | macOS Sequoia | Windows 11 Home |
| Body | ||
| Weight | 1.51 kg | 1.85 kg |
| Material | Aluminum unibody | CNC aluminum |
| Dimensions | 340.4 x 237.6 x 11.5 mm | 354 x 246 x 16.4 mm |
| Ports | ||
| MagSafe | — | |
| Thunderbolt ports | 2 | 1 |
| HDMI | — | 1 |
| USB-A ports | — | 2 |
| USB-C ports | — | 1 |
| SD card | — | |
| Battery | ||
| Battery life | Up to 18 hours wireless web | Up to 10 hours |
| Capacity | 66.5 Wh | 90 Wh |
| Display | ||
| Size | 15.3 inches | 16 inches |
| Type | Liquid Retina IPS LED | OLED ROG Nebula, 16:10 |
| Resolution | 2880 x 1864 | 2560 x 1600 |
| Refresh rate | 60Hz | 240Hz |
| Brightness (nits) | 500 | 500 |
| Storage | ||
| SSD | 256 GB | 1 TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe |
| Expandable storage | ||
| Keyboard | ||
| Backlit | ||
| Touch Bar | — | |
| Processor | ||
| RAM | 8 GB unified | 32 GB LPDDR5X |
| Cores | 8-core CPU, 10-core GPU | 16 cores (6P+8E+2LPE) |
| Chipset | Apple M3 | Intel Core Ultra 9 185H |
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This comparison is based on verified manufacturer specifications covering display, performance, camera, battery, and build quality. Scores are generated by analyzing specs across weighted categories on a 10-point scale. Learn more about our methodology.
Explore more in laptops, see all Apple products or all ASUS products. View full details for the Apple MacBook Air 15" M3 or the ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 (2024, GU605).