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  1. Table of Contents
  2. Top
  3. Main Differences
  4. Design
    1. Style
    2. Build Quality
    3. Hinge
    4. Portability
    5. Serviceability
    6. In The Box
  5. Display
    1. Screen Specs
    2. Refresh Rate
    3. Contrast
    4. Brightness
    5. Reflections
    6. Black Uniformity
    7. Out-Of-The-Box Color Accuracy
    8. Color Gamut
    9. Flicker
  6. Interface
    1. Keyboard
    2. Touchpad
    3. Speakers
    4. Webcam & Microphone
  7. Connectivity
    1. Ports
    2. Wireless Communication
  8. Configuration
    1. CPU
    2. GPU
    3. RAM
    4. Storage
  9. Performance
    1. Geekbench 5 (Synthetics)
    2. Cinebench R23 (CPU Rendering)
    3. Blender (3D Rendering)
    4. Basemark GPU (Game Scene)
    5. Storage Drive Performance
    6. Battery
    7. Borderlands 3
    8. Civilization VI
    9. Counter-Strike 2
    10. Shadow Of The Tomb Raider
    11. Thermals And Noise
    12. Performance Over Time
  10. Additional Features And Software
    1. Software
    2. Extra Features
  11. Comments

ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 (2024) GU605 vs Apple MacBook Air 15 (2024)

Side-by-Side Comparison

Products

ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 (2024) GU605
Apple MacBook Air 15 (2024)

Tested using Methodology v0.8.3

Updated May 02, 2025 02:47 PM

SEE PRICE
BestBuy.com

Tested using Methodology v0.8.3

Updated May 02, 2025 02:58 PM

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Amazon.com
ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 (2024) GU605 Picture
Apple MacBook Air 15 (2024) Picture
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Variants

  • ROG Zephyrus G16 (GU605MI-G16.U94070) (Eclipse Gray - Ultra 9 185H/RTX 4070/16GB/1TB)
  • ROG Zephyrus G16 (GU605MZ-G16.U94080) (Eclipse Gray - Ultra 9/RTX 4080/32GB/1TB)
  • ROG Zephyrus G16 (GU605MY-G16.U94090) (Eclipse Gray - Ultra 9/RTX 4090/32GB/2TB)
  • MacBook Air 15 (MXD43LL/A) (Midnight - M3/16GB/512GB)
  • MacBook Air 15 (MRYU3LL/A) (Midnight - M3/8GB/256GB)
  • MacBook Air 15 (MRYV3LL/A) (Midnight - M3/8GB/512GB)
  • MacBook Air 15 (MXD23LL/A) (Silver - M3/16GB/512GB)
  • MacBook Air 15 (MRYP3LL/A) (Silver - M3/8GB/256GB)
  • MacBook Air 15 (MRYQ3LL/A) (Silver - M3/8GB/512GB)
  • MacBook Air 15 (MXD13LL/A) (Space Gray - M3/16GB/512GB)
  • MacBook Air 15 (MRYM3LL/A) (Space Gray - M3/8GB/256GB)
  • MacBook Air 15 (MRYN3LL/A) (Space Gray - M3/8GB/512GB)
  • MacBook Air 15 (MXD33LL/A) (Starlight - M3/16GB/512GB)
  • MacBook Air 15 (MRYR3LL/A) (Starlight - M3/8GB/256GB)
  • MacBook Air 15 (MRYT3LL/A) (Starlight - M3/8GB/512GB)

Our Verdict

ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 (2024) GU605

Apple MacBook Air 15 (2024)

The ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 (2024) GU605 and the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2024) are very different. The ASUS is a 16-inch Windows gaming laptop, while the MacBook is a 15-inch ultraportable running macOS. Both laptops provide a good user experience overall. However, there are some major differences between them, like the size of the device, the port selection, and the display's size, technology, and refresh rate. You can get significantly more processing power on the ASUS; however, this comes at the cost of battery life, as the ASUS struggles to last through a typical 8-hour workday, while the MacBook lasts nearly 13 hours in light uses.

0 

Main Differences for
School

Threshold 

0.10

School 

7.8
8.8

Battery 
 

6.2
9.1

Portability 
 

7.3
8.7

Ports 
 

9.0
5.0

Full Comparison

Design

Style 
 

Style Photo  

ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 (2024) GU605 Style Photo
Apple MacBook Air 15 (2024) Style Photo

Form Factor 
 

Traditional (Clamshell)
Traditional (Clamshell)
Show Text 

Build Quality 
 

9.5
9.5

Build Quality Photo  

ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 (2024) GU605 Build Quality Photo
Apple MacBook Air 15 (2024) Build Quality Photo
Show Text 

Hinge 
 

9.1
9.1

Hinge Photo  

ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 (2024) GU605 Hinge Photo
Apple MacBook Air 15 (2024) Hinge Photo

Range 
 

135°
135°

Stability 
 

Good
Good

One Finger Lift 
 

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

Portability 
 

7.3
8.7

Dimensions Photo  

ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 (2024) GU605 Dimensions Photo
Apple MacBook Air 15 (2024) Dimensions Photo

Size 
 

16"
15.3"

Thickness 
 

0.8" (2.0 cm)
0.6" (1.4 cm)

Width 
 

14.1" (35.7 cm)
13.4" (34.0 cm)

Depth 
 

9.8" (24.8 cm)
9.3" (23.7 cm)

Volume 
 

108.1 in³ (1,770.7 cm³)
68.8 in³ (1,128.1 cm³)

Weight 
 

4.0 lbs (1.8 kg)
3.3 lbs (1.5 kg)

Charger Size 
 

16.6 in³ (271.7 cm³)
4.2 in³ (68.6 cm³)

Charger Weight 
 

1.2 lbs (0.6 kg)
0.4 lbs (0.2 kg)

Serviceability 
 

6.8
3.5

Internals Photo  

ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 (2024) GU605 Internals Photo
Apple MacBook Air 15 (2024) Internals Photo

Ease Of Access 
 

7.5
6.0

RAM Slots 
 

0
0

Storage Slots 
 

2
0

Replaceable Battery 
 

Yes
Yes

Replaceable Wireless Adapter 
 

Yes
No
Show Text 

In The Box 
 

In The Box Photo  

ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 (2024) GU605 In The Box Photo
Apple MacBook Air 15 (2024) In The Box Photo
Show Text 
Display

Screen Specs 
 

Display Photo  

ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 (2024) GU605 Display Photo
Apple MacBook Air 15 (2024) Display Photo

Resolution 
 

2560 x 1600
2880 x 1864

Aspect Ratio 
 

16:10
16:10

Pixel Density 
 

188 PPI
226 PPI

Panel Type 
 

OLED
IPS

Touch Screen 
 

No
No

Screen-To-Body Ratio 
 

85%
87%
Show Text 

Refresh Rate 
 

9.6
5.9

Motion Blur  

ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 (2024) GU605 Motion Blur
Apple MacBook Air 15 (2024) Motion Blur

Refresh Rate 
 

240 Hz
60 Hz

Variable Refresh Rate 
 

G-SYNC
No
Show Text 

Contrast 
 

10
7.5

Contrast Photo  

ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 (2024) GU605 Contrast Photo
Apple MacBook Air 15 (2024) Contrast Photo

Native Contrast 
 

99,750 : 1
1,412 : 1
Show Text 

Brightness 
 

7.7
8.7

Maximum Brightness 
 

368 cd/m²
494 cd/m²

Minimum Brightness 
 

18 cd/m²
2 cd/m²
Show Text 

Reflections 
 

9.1
9.1

Reflections Photo Off  

ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 (2024) GU605 Reflections Photo Off
Apple MacBook Air 15 (2024) Reflections Photo Off

Reflections Photo Max  

ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 (2024) GU605 Reflections Photo Max
Apple MacBook Air 15 (2024) Reflections Photo Max

Screen Finish 
 

Glossy
Glossy

Total Reflections 
 

1.73%
1.47%

Indirect Reflections 
 

1.5%
0.38%

Calculated Direct Reflections 
 

0.23%
1.09%
Show Text 

Black Uniformity 
 

10
7.3

Black Uniformity Photo  

ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 (2024) GU605 Black Uniformity Photo
Apple MacBook Air 15 (2024) Black Uniformity Photo

Uniformity (Std. Dev.) 
 

0.023%
1.103%
Show Text 

Out-Of-The-Box Color Accuracy 
 

7.8
9.9

White Balance Screencap  

ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 (2024) GU605 White Balance Screencap
Apple MacBook Air 15 (2024) White Balance Screencap

Gamma Curve Screencap  

ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 (2024) GU605 Gamma Curve Screencap
Apple MacBook Air 15 (2024) Gamma Curve Screencap

Color Screencap  

ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 (2024) GU605 Color Screencap
Apple MacBook Air 15 (2024) Color Screencap

Avg. White Balance dE 
 

1.05
1.47

Avg. Gamma 
 

2.14
2.24

Avg. Color dE 
 

4.43
0.98

Avg. Color Temperature 
 

6,481 K
6,742.3 K
Show Text 

Color Gamut 
 

9.7
9.4

Gamut SDR  

ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 (2024) GU605 Gamut SDR
Apple MacBook Air 15 (2024) Gamut SDR

sRGB xy 
 

152.82%
99.93%

sRGB uv 
 

141.35%
99.72%

Adobe RGB xy 
 

96.88%
87.43%

Adobe RGB uv 
 

99.07%
92.34%

Gamut HDR  

ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 (2024) GU605 Gamut HDR
Apple MacBook Air 15 (2024) Gamut HDR

DCI P3 xy 
 

99.99%
99.05%

DCI P3 uv 
 

99.99%
98.72%

Rec. 2020 xy 
 

80.78%
71.83%

Rec. 2020 uv 
 

81.96%
73.49%
Show Text 

Flicker 
 

9.0
9.0

Flicker Graph  

ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 (2024) GU605 Flicker Graph
Apple MacBook Air 15 (2024) Flicker Graph

Flicker-Free 
 

No
No

Flicker Frequency 
 

960 Hz
> 1000Hz

Flicker Active Below 
 

100%
100%
Show Text 
Interface

Keyboard 
 

8.6
8.0

Keyboard Photo  

ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 (2024) GU605 Keyboard Photo
Apple MacBook Air 15 (2024) Keyboard Photo

Typing Quality 
 

8.5
8.0

Numpad 
 

No
No

Backlighting 
 

RGB Zones
Adjustable

Key Switch Actuation Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Operating Force 
 

63 gf
62 gf

Actuation Force 
 

41 gf
40 gf

Pre-Travel 
 

1.15 mm
0.80 mm

Total Travel 
 

1.43 mm
0.91 mm
Show Text 

Touchpad 
 

8.9
9.6

Touchpad Photo  

ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 (2024) GU605 Touchpad Photo
Apple MacBook Air 15 (2024) Touchpad Photo

Tracking Quality 
 

8.5
9.5

Size 
 

23.3 in² (150.0 cm²)
21.4 in² (138.0 cm²)

Material 
 

Glass
Glass

Dedicated Buttons 
 

No
No
Show Text 

Speakers 
 

8.8
8.9

Frequency Response Plot  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Max Volume 
 

84 dB SPL
81 dB SPL

Standard Error @ Normal Vol. (65 dB) 
 

3.5 dB
5.9 dB

Slope @ Normal Vol. (65 dB) 
 

0.3
2.2

Bass Extension (Low-Frequency Ext.) 
 

141 Hz
155 Hz

Treble Extension (High-Frequency Ext.) 
 

20 kHz
20 kHz

Dynamic Range Compression @ Max Vol. 
 

4.7 dB
2.3 dB
Show Text 

Webcam & Microphone 
 

7.4
8.7

Webcam Video Sample  

Video Quality 
 

7.5
9.0

Resolution 
 

1080p
1080p

Position 
 

Top Center
Top Center

Privacy Cover 
 

No
No

Face Unlock 
 

Yes
No
Show Text 
Connectivity

Ports 
 

9.0
5.0

Ports Photo  

ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 (2024) GU605 Ports Photo
Apple MacBook Air 15 (2024) Ports Photo

USB-A Ports 
 

2
0

USB-C Ports 
 

2
2

Thunderbolt 
 

Thunderbolt 4
Thunderbolt 3

USB-C Charging 
 

Yes
Yes

USB-C Display Out 
 

Yes
Yes

HDMI 
 

2.1
No

DisplayPort 
 

No
No

3.5mm Jack 
 

Combo mic/headphone
Combo mic/headphone

Card Reader 
 

SD UHS 2
No

Ethernet 
 

No
No

Proprietary Port 
 

Asus DC Power Input Port
Apple MagSafe 3

Security Lock 
 

No
No
Show Text 

Wireless Communication 
 

Wi-Fi 
 

Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax)
Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax)

Bluetooth 
 

5.3
5.3
Show Text 
Configuration

CPU 
 

Brand 
 

Intel
Apple

Model 
 

Core Ultra 9 185H
M3

Core Count 
 

16
8

Thread Count 
 

22
8
Show Text 

GPU 
 

Brand 
 

NVIDIA
Apple

Model 
 

Geforce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU
M3

Dedicated/Integrated 
 

Dedicated
Integrated

VRAM Size 
 

8 GB
N/A

GPU Total Graphics Power (TGP) 
 

105W
N/A
Show Text 

RAM 
 

Capacity 
 

16 GB
8 GB

Modules 
 

8 (Soldered)
Unknown

Type 
 

LP-DDR5x
LP-DDR5

Speed 
 

7,467 MHz
6,400 MHz
Show Text 

Storage 
 

Advertised Capacity 
 

1,000 GB
256 GB

Usable Capacity 
 

909 GB
214 GB

Drive 1 
 

Western Digital PC SN560 SDDPNQE-1T00-1102
Apple SSD AP0256Z

Drive 1 Type  

SSD
SSD

Drive 2 
 

No 2nd Drive
No 2nd Drive

Drive 2 Type  

No 2nd Drive
No 2nd Drive
Show Text 
Performance

Geekbench 5 (Synthetics) 
 

9.9
9.4

Geekbench Image  

ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 (2024) GU605 Geekbench Image
Apple MacBook Air 15 (2024) Geekbench Image

CPU Single-Thread 
 

1,834 points
2,322 points

CPU Multi-Thread 
 

12,824 points
10,501 points

GPU Compute 
 

126,773 points
33,403 points
Show Text 

Cinebench R23 (CPU Rendering) 
 

10
9.7

Cinebench R23 Photo  

ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 (2024) GU605 Cinebench R23 Photo
Apple MacBook Air 15 (2024) Cinebench R23 Photo

Single-Thread 
 

1,803 points
1,892 points

Multi-Thread 
 

17,452 points
9,179 points
Show Text 

Blender (3D Rendering) 
 

9.4
8.7

Blender Image  

ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 (2024) GU605 Blender Image
Apple MacBook Air 15 (2024) Blender Image

CPU Render Time 
 

2.4 min
4.0 min

GPU Render Time 
 

0.3 min
1.6 min

GPU Render Time (Optix) 
 

9 s
N/A
Show Text 

Basemark GPU (Game Scene) 
 

9.8
7.4

Basemark Image  

ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 (2024) GU605 Basemark Image
Apple MacBook Air 15 (2024) Basemark Image

Overall Score 
 

125,055
44,950
Show Text 

Storage Drive Performance 
 

9.3
9.2

Storage Performance Image  

ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 (2024) GU605 Storage Performance Image
Apple MacBook Air 15 (2024) Storage Performance Image

Sequential Write Speed 
 

1,521.1 MB/s
2,738.0 MB/s

Sequential Read Speed 
 

3,550.5 MB/s
2,834.7 MB/s

Random Write Speed 
 

88.5 MB/s
41.1 MB/s

Random Read Speed 
 

48.5 MB/s
62.5 MB/s
Show Text 

Battery 
 

6.2
9.1

Capacity 
 

90 Wh
67 Wh

Battery Life (Web Browsing) 
 

6.5 hrs
12.7 hrs

Battery Life (Video Playback) 
 

6.4 hrs
12.0 hrs

Battery Life (Gaming) 
 

1.6 hrs
3.5 hrs

Charge Time 
 

1.9 hrs
2.8 hrs
Show Text 

Borderlands 3 
 

7.0
3.1

Borderlands 3 Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Avg. FPS 
 

95 fps
20 fps

1% Low 
 

46 fps
7 fps

0.1% Low 
 

24 fps
4 fps

1% Low Delta 
 

11 ms
89 ms

0.1% Low Delta 
 

31 ms
230 ms

Avg. FPS On Very Low 
 

118 fps
37 fps
Show Text 

Civilization VI 
 

8.9
5.6

Civilization VI Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Avg. FPS 
 

170 fps
41 fps

1% Low 
 

106 fps
26 fps

0.1% Low 
 

97 fps
17 fps

1% Low Delta 
 

4 ms
14 ms

0.1% Low Delta 
 

4 ms
33 ms

Avg. FPS On Minimum 
 

298 fps
93 fps

Avg. Turn Time 
 

6.3 s
10.24 s
Show Text 

Counter-Strike 2 
 

8.2
0.0

CS2 Graph  

See details on graph tool
Apple MacBook Air 15 (2024) CS2 Graph

Avg. FPS 
 

157fps
N/A

1% Low 
 

61fps
N/A

0.1% Low 
 

45fps
N/A

1% Low Delta 
 

10 ms
N/A

0.1% Low Delta 
 

16 ms
N/A

Avg. FPS On Low 
 

231fps
N/A
Show Text 

Shadow Of The Tomb Raider 
 

7.9
4.3

SOTTR Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Avg. FPS 
 

110 fps
32 fps

1% Low 
 

66 fps
15 fps

0.1% Low 
 

35 fps
8 fps

1% Low Delta 
 

6 ms
36 ms

0.1% Low Delta 
 

19 ms
90 ms

Avg. FPS On Lowest 
 

117 fps
44 fps
Show Text 

Thermals And Noise 
 

6.5
8.1

Keyboard Temps Picture  

ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 (2024) GU605 Keyboard Temps Picture
Apple MacBook Air 15 (2024) Keyboard Temps Picture

Keyboard Temp While Idle 
 

31 °C (88 °F)
27 °C (81 °F)

Keyboard Temp Under Load 
 

53 °C (128 °F)
50 °C (121 °F)

Fan Noise While Idle 
 

25.0 dBA
N/A

Fan Noise Under Load 
 

45.5 dBA
N/A

Power & Fan Control App 
 

Yes
No
Show Text 

Performance Over Time 
 

8.8
7.1

Performance Over Time Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

CPU Temp (Cinebench) 
 

89 °C
90 °C

CPU Perf. Loss (Cinebench) 
 

7% loss
6% loss

GPU Temp (Heaven) 
 

79 °C
90 °C

GPU Perf. Loss (Heaven) 
 

0% loss
12% loss
Additional Features And Software

Software 
 

Operating System 
 

Windows 11
macOS

Additional Software 
 

Yes
None
Show Text 

Extra Features 
 

Biometrics 
 

Face Recognition
Fingerprint Sensor

RGB Illumination 
 

Yes
No

Touch Pen Support 
 

No Stylus Support
No Stylus Support

Secondary Display 
 

No
No
Show Text 

ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 (2024) GU605

Apple MacBook Air 15 (2024)

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