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- Table of Contents
- Top
- Main Differences
- Design
- Display
- Interface
- Connectivity
- Configuration
- Performance
- Additional Features And Software
- Comments
Framework Laptop 13 (2022) vs Apple MacBook Air 13 (2022)
Side-by-Side Comparison
Products
Framework Laptop 13 (2022)
Apple MacBook Air 13 (2022)
Tested using Methodology v0.8.2
Updated Feb 01, 2024 07:25 PM
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Size13.5"
Operating SystemWindows 11
Size13.6"
Operating SystemmacOS
Variants
- Laptop 13 (Base) (Silver - i5/8GB/256GB)
- Laptop 13 (Performance) (Silver - i7-1260P/16GB/512GB)
- Laptop 13 (Professional) (Silver - i7-1280P/32GB/1TB)
- MacBook Air 13 (MLY43LL/A) (Midnight - M2/8-core CPU/10-core GPU/8GB/512GB)
- MacBook Air 13 (MC7X4LL/A) (Midnight - M2/8-core CPU/8-core GPU/16GB/256GB)
- MacBook Air 13 (MLY33LL/A) (Midnight - M2/8-core CPU/8-core GPU/8GB/256GB)
- MacBook Air 13 (MLY03LL/A) (Silver - M2/8-core CPU/10-core GPU/8GB/512GB)
- MacBook Air 13 (MC7V4LL/A) (Silver - M2/8-core CPU/8-core GPU/16GB/256GB)
- MacBook Air 13 (MLXY3LL/A) (Silver - M2/8-core CPU/8-core GPU/8GB/256GB)
- MacBook Air 13 (MLXX3LL/A) (Space Gray - M2/8-core CPU/10-core GPU/8GB/512GB)
- MacBook Air 13 (MC7U4LL/A) (Space Gray - M2/8-core CPU/8-core GPU/16GB/256GB)
- MacBook Air 13 (MLXW3LL/A) (Space Gray - M2/8-core CPU/8-core GPU/8GB/256GB)
- MacBook Air 13 (MLY23LL/A) (Starlight - M2/8-core CPU/10-core GPU/8GB/512GB)
- MacBook Air 13 (MC7W4LL/A) (Starlight - M2/8-core CPU/8-core GPU/16GB/256GB)
- MacBook Air 13 (MLY13LL/A) (Starlight - M2/8-core CPU/8-core GPU/8GB/256GB)
Our Verdict
Framework Laptop 13 (2022)
Apple MacBook Air 13 (2022)
The Framework Laptop 13 (2022) and the Apple MacBook Air 13 (2022) are both premium ultraportable laptops. In terms of user experience, the MacBook Air is a little better. It has a keyboard that provides a better typing experience, a larger and more responsive touchpad, and better-sounding speakers. It also has a sturdier build and longer battery life. The most notable difference between these two laptops is their serviceability. The MacBook Air is difficult to repair and isn't upgradeable in any way, as nearly all of its components are soldered onto the motherboard. In contrast, Framework makes it easy to replace nearly every component in the laptop, provides manuals to do so, and uses standard parts that you can get from most PC component retailers. The Framework Laptop also has a modular port system that lets you swap out the ports on the fly, while the MacBook Air only has two USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 ports.
Main Differences for
Threshold
School
7.8
8.5
Battery
5.8
8.4
Ports
8.5
5.0
Touchpad
8.0
9.2
Full Comparison
Design
Style
Style Photo
Form Factor
Traditional (Clamshell)
Traditional (Clamshell)
Build Quality
8.5
9.5
Build Quality Photo
Hinge
9.4
9.1
Hinge Photo
Range
180°
135°
Stability
Good
Good
One Finger Lift
Yes
Yes
Portability
8.8
9.1
Dimensions Photo
Size
13.5"
13.6"
Thickness
0.7" (1.7 cm)
0.5" (1.3 cm)
Width
11.7" (29.8 cm)
12.2" (31.0 cm)
Depth
9.0" (22.9 cm)
8.5" (21.5 cm)
Volume
71.1 in³ (1,165.2 cm³)
52.9 in³ (866.5 cm³)
Weight
2.9 lbs (1.3 kg)
2.7 lbs (1.2 kg)
Charger Size
5.9 in³ (97.2 cm³)
5.0 in³ (81.7 cm³)
Charger Weight
0.7 lbs (0.3 kg)
0.3 lbs (0.2 kg)
Serviceability
8.9
3.5
Internals Photo
Ease Of Access
9.5
6.0
RAM Slots
2
0
Storage Slots
1
0
Replaceable Battery
Yes
Yes
Replaceable Wireless Adapter
Yes
No
In The Box
In The Box Photo
Display
Screen Specs
Display Photo
Resolution
2256 x 1504
2560 x 1664
Aspect Ratio
3:2
16:10
Pixel Density
200 PPI
225 PPI
Panel Type
IPS
IPS
Touch Screen
No
No
Screen-To-Body Ratio
84%
84%
Refresh Rate
5.9
5.9
Motion Blur
Refresh Rate
60 Hz
60 Hz
Variable Refresh Rate
No
No
Contrast
7.8
7.6
Contrast Photo
Native Contrast
1,621 : 1
1,490 : 1
Brightness
8.2
8.5
Maximum Brightness
422 cd/m²
468 cd/m²
Minimum Brightness
9 cd/m²
2 cd/m²
Reflections
7.0
8.9
Reflections Photo Off
Reflections Photo Max
Screen Finish
Glossy
Glossy
Total Reflections
4.64%
1.73%
Indirect Reflections
0.44%
0.39%
Calculated Direct Reflections
4.2%
1.34%
Black Uniformity
7.1
8.2
Black Uniformity Photo
Uniformity (Std. Dev.)
1.206%
0.814%
Horizontal Viewing Angle
7.2
6.5
Horizontal Viewing Angle Video
Horizontal Chroma Picture
Color Washout From Left
31°
27°
Color Washout From Right
29°
27°
Horizontal Hue Picture
Color Shift From Left
50°
31°
Color Shift From Right
57°
34°
Horizontal Lightness Picture
Brightness Loss From Left
32°
30°
Brightness Loss From Right
30°
30°
Black Level Raise From Left
60°
60°
Black Level Raise From Right
60°
60°
Gamma Shift From Left
36°
27°
Gamma Shift From Right
33°
27°
Vertical Viewing Angle
7.1
6.6
Vertical Viewing Angle Video
Vertical Chroma Picture
Color Washout From Below
25°
25°
Color Washout From Above
25°
27°
Vertical Hue Picture
Color Shift From Below
45°
28°
Color Shift From Above
45°
36°
Vertical Lightness Picture
Brightness Loss From Below
30°
27°
Brightness Loss From Above
29°
30°
Black Level Raise From Below
45°
45°
Black Level Raise From Above
45°
45°
Gamma Shift From Below
29°
29°
Gamma Shift From Above
28°
31°
Out-Of-The-Box Color Accuracy
8.3
9.3
White Balance Screencap
Gamma Curve Screencap
Color Screencap
Avg. White Balance dE
2.86
2.02
Avg. Gamma
2.16
2.31
Avg. Color dE
2.15
1.66
Avg. Color Temperature
6,172.9 K
6,695.9 K
Color Gamut
8.6
9.4
Gamut SDR
sRGB xy
99.99%
99.95%
sRGB uv
99.97%
99.81%
Adobe RGB xy
77.63%
88.14%
Adobe RGB uv
87.46%
92.92%
Gamut HDR
DCI P3 xy
79.23%
99.68%
DCI P3 uv
84.67%
99.15%
Rec. 2020 xy
56.84%
72.43%
Rec. 2020 uv
62.7%
73.13%
Flicker
10
10
Flicker Graph
Flicker-Free
Yes
Yes
Flicker Frequency
No Flicker
No Flicker
Flicker Active Below
0%
0%
Interface
Keyboard
7.8
8.0
Keyboard Photo
Typing Quality
7.5
8.0
Numpad
No
No
Backlighting
Adjustable
Adjustable
Key Switch Actuation Graph
Operating Force
64 gf
63 gf
Actuation Force
33 gf
39 gf
Pre-Travel
1.09 mm
0.78 mm
Total Travel
1.68 mm
0.92 mm
Touchpad
8.0
9.2
Touchpad Photo
Tracking Quality
8.0
9.5
Size
13.5 in² (87.0 cm²)
16.0 in² (103.2 cm²)
Material
Glass
Glass
Dedicated Buttons
No
No
Speakers
7.1
8.1
Frequency Response Plot
Max Volume
72 dB SPL
76 dB SPL
Standard Error @ Normal Vol. (65 dB)
5.4 dB
5.5 dB
Slope @ Normal Vol. (65 dB)
-3.5
2.5
Bass Extension (Low-Frequency Ext.)
344 Hz
145 Hz
Treble Extension (High-Frequency Ext.)
7 kHz
17 kHz
Dynamic Range Compression @ Max Vol.
1.2 dB
1.5 dB
Webcam & Microphone
8.7
8.7
Webcam Video Sample
Video Quality
8.5
9.0
Resolution
1080p
1080p
Position
Top Center
Top Center
Privacy Cover
Yes
No
Face Unlock
No
No
Connectivity
Ports
8.5
5.0
Ports Photo
USB-A Ports
1
0
USB-C Ports
1
2
Thunderbolt
Thunderbolt 4
Thunderbolt 3
USB-C Charging
Yes
Yes
USB-C Display Out
Yes
Yes
HDMI
2.0
No
DisplayPort
No
No
3.5mm Jack
Combo mic/headphone
Combo mic/headphone
Card Reader
MicroSD UHS 1
No
Ethernet
No
No
Proprietary Port
No
Apple MagSafe 3
Security Lock
No
No
Wireless Communication
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax)
Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax)
Bluetooth
5.3
5.0
Configuration
CPU
Brand
Intel
Apple
Model
Core i7-1260P
M2
Core Count
12
8
Thread Count
16
8
GPU
Brand
Intel
Apple
Model
Iris Xe Graphics G7
M2
Dedicated/Integrated
Integrated
Integrated
VRAM Size
N/A
N/A
RAM
Capacity
16 GB
8 GB
Modules
2
Unknown
Type
DDR4
LP-DDR5
Speed
3,200 MHz
6,400 MHz
Storage
Advertised Capacity
512 GB
256 GB
Usable Capacity
460 GB
214 GB
Drive 1
Western Digital PC SN730
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
Performance
Geekbench 5 (Synthetics)
9.0
9.1
Geekbench Image
CPU Single-Thread
1,721 points
1,928 points
CPU Multi-Thread
9,356 points
8,954 points
GPU Compute
18,295 points
26,155 points
Cinebench R23 (CPU Rendering)
9.7
9.4
Cinebench R23 Photo
Single-Thread
1,742 points
1,581 points
Multi-Thread
10,448 points
8,003 points
Blender (3D Rendering)
8.0
8.5
Blender Image
CPU Render Time
4.1 min
4.2 min
GPU Render Time
N/A
2.2 min
GPU Render Time (Optix)
N/A
N/A
Basemark GPU (Game Scene)
5.2
6.7
Basemark Image
Overall Score
17,353
34,329
Storage Drive Performance
9.3
8.9
Storage Performance Image
Sequential Write Speed
1,460.2 MB/s
2,469.6 MB/s
Sequential Read Speed
2,720.1 MB/s
1,091.6 MB/s
Random Write Speed
120.2 MB/s
45.0 MB/s
Random Read Speed
49.0 MB/s
60.1 MB/s
Battery
5.8
8.4
Capacity
55 Wh
53 Wh
Battery Life (Web Browsing)
6.8 hrs
10.9 hrs
Battery Life (Video Playback)
5.3 hrs
7.0 hrs
Battery Life (Gaming)
1.6 hrs
2.7 hrs
Charge Time
2.9 hrs
3.0 hrs
Borderlands 3
2.2
4.1
Borderlands 3 Graph
Avg. FPS
14 fps
28 fps
1% Low
10 fps
11 fps
0.1% Low
6 fps
5 fps
1% Low Delta
33 ms
59 ms
0.1% Low Delta
102 ms
173 ms
Avg. FPS On Very Low
33 fps
36 fps
Civilization VI
4.8
5.7
Civilization VI Graph
Avg. FPS
24 fps
45 fps
1% Low
16 fps
27 fps
0.1% Low
15 fps
21 fps
1% Low Delta
20 ms
15 ms
0.1% Low Delta
26 ms
25 ms
Avg. FPS On Minimum
94 fps
76 fps
Avg. Turn Time
7.56 s
10.11 s
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
6.1
8.9
CS:GO graph
Avg. FPS
82 fps
114 fps
1% Low
31 fps
N/A
0.1% Low
25 fps
N/A
1% Low Delta
20 ms
N/A
0.1% Low Delta
28 ms
N/A
Avg. FPS On Low
111 fps
175 fps
Counter-Strike 2
CS2 Graph
Avg. FPS
1% Low
0.1% Low
1% Low Delta
0.1% Low Delta
Avg. FPS On Low
Shadow Of The Tomb Raider
3.4
4.0
Avg. FPS
19 fps
25 fps
1% Low
14 fps
16 fps
0.1% Low
8 fps
10 fps
1% Low Delta
20 ms
22 ms
0.1% Low Delta
77 ms
65 ms
Avg. FPS On Lowest
34 fps
42 fps
Thermals And Noise
6.6
8.1
Keyboard Temps Picture
Keyboard Temp While Idle
28 °C (82 °F)
30 °C (86 °F)
Keyboard Temp Under Load
51 °C (123 °F)
49 °C (120 °F)
Fan Noise While Idle
25.0 dBA
N/A
Fan Noise Under Load
48.5 dBA
N/A
Power & Fan Control App
No
No
Performance Over Time
8.5
6.7
Performance Over Time Graph
CPU Temp (Cinebench)
87 °C
N/A
CPU Perf. Loss (Cinebench)
7% loss
4% loss
GPU Temp (Heaven)
85 °C
N/A
GPU Perf. Loss (Heaven)
2% loss
18% loss
Additional Features And Software
Software
Operating System
Windows 11
macOS
Additional Software
None
None
Extra Features
RGB Illumination
No
No
Touch Pen
No
No
Secondary Display
No
No
Biometrics
Fingerprint Sensor
Fingerprint Sensor
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Framework Laptop 13 (2022)
Apple MacBook Air 13 (2022)
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