The Apple 2025 MacBook Air is the better choice for users prioritizing performance, battery life, and a premium macOS experience in a thin and light design. The HP Pavilion is a more versatile and budget-friendly option, offering a wider range of configurations and operating systems, though it may compromise on performance and battery life.
| Attribute | Apple 2025 MacBook Air | HP Pavilion |
|---|---|---|
| Processor (CPU) | Apple M4 chip with a 10-core CPU (4 performance cores and 6 efficiency cores). Up to 2x faster than the M1 and 23x faster than the fastest Intel-based MacBook Air. | Intel Core i3, i5, i7, or AMD Ryzen processors |
| RAM (Memory) | 16GB unified memory standard. Configurable to 24GB or 32GB. | 8GB or 16GB DDR4 SDRAM (expandable up to 32GB on some models) |
| Storage Capacity (SSD) | 256GB SSD standard. Configurable to 512GB, 1TB, or 2TB. | 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB NVMe SSDs |
| Display Size and Resolution | 13.6-inch Liquid Retina display with 2560x1664 resolution at 224 pixels per inch, or 15.3-inch Liquid Retina display. 500 nits brightness. | 14", 15.6", and 17.3" with resolutions from HD+ (1600 x 900) to Full HD (1920 x 1080), 2.2K (2240 x 1400) or 2.8K OLED |
| Graphics Card (GPU) | 8-core GPU in the base model, configurable to a 10-core GPU. Hardware-accelerated ray tracing. | Integrated graphics (Intel Iris Xe Graphics or AMD Radeon Graphics) or dedicated NVIDIA GeForce MX series GPUs (e.g., GeForce RTX 2050, GeForce GTX 1650) |
| Battery Life (in hours) | Up to 18 hours of video streaming, up to 15 hours of wireless web use. | 4 to 8 hours of real-world use |
| Operating System | macOS Sequoia, featuring Apple Intelligence. | Windows 11 Home or Pro, FreeDOS or Linux |
| Weight (in pounds) | 2.7 pounds (1.24 kg) for the 13-inch model. The 15-inch model weighs 3.3 pounds. | 3 to 5 pounds |
| Ports (USB-C, USB-A, HDMI, etc.) | MagSafe 3 charging port, 3.5 mm headphone jack, Two Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C) ports with support for Charging, DisplayPort, Thunderbolt 4 (up to 40Gb/s), USB 4 (up to 40Gb/s) | USB-C (sometimes with Thunderbolt support), USB-A, HDMI, headphone/microphone combo jack, SD card reader |
| Keyboard Quality and Key Travel | Backlit Magic Keyboard. Key travel is approximately 1mm. | Comfortable for typing, some models have backlit keyboards, decent key travel |
| Trackpad Size and Responsiveness | Force Touch trackpad. | Responsive and accurate, multi-finger gesture support |
| Price | Starting at $999. A new record low price of $899 has been seen at B&H. | Varies depending on the configuration and retailer, ranging from budget-friendly to mid-range. |
| Ratings | Not available | Not available |