When Apple announces a new MacBook Air, the marketing claims are always bold. The latest assertion? That the MacBook Air is faster than 98% of PC laptops sold. But is the MacBook Air faster than a PC in reality? The answer is far more nuanced than Apple’s marketing would have you believe, and the truth reveals a story about selective comparisons, misleading statistics, and the real-world performance differences between these competing platforms.
Apple’s statement that their MacBook Air outperforms 98% of PC laptops sounds impressive on paper. However, this comparison is fundamentally flawed because it measures the MacBook Air (a premium laptop starting at $1700) – against the entire PC laptop market, which includes budget Chromebooks, basic office machines, and entry-level devices costing as little as $200-$300 (an example of the affordable range can be found in our Laptop Review Dell Inspiron). So when people ask “is the MacBook Air faster than a PC?” the question itself reveals the problem: there isn’t just one type of “PC.”
The reality is that Apple is comparing a premium product against the average of an entire market segment that includes vastly inferior hardware. It’s like comparing a BMW 5 Seires to a Toyota, including. When you compare similarly-priced devices with comparable specifications, the performance gap narrows significantly or disappears entirely.
To properly answer whether the MacBook Air is faster than a PC, we need to examine what you’re actually getting with Apple’s latest offering. The 2025 MacBook Air M3 comes with the following base specifications:
The M4 chip represents Apple’s fourth-generation silicon, offering integrated graphics and a unified memory architecture that provides efficiency advantages. However, the base model’s 16GB of RAM is increasingly insufficient for demanding workflows in 2025, and the 256GB storage is minimal by modern standards.
When considering whether the MacBook Air is faster than a PC, we need to look at comparable PC laptops in the same price range. The average mid-range to premium PC laptop ($800-$1,500) typically features:
The Dell XPS 14 and Acer Swift Go 14, both popular Windows ultraportables in the MacBook Air’s price range, come with Intel Meteor Lake processors and often include more RAM and storage in their base configurations. These aren’t budget machines – they’re direct competitors to the MacBook Air.
Real-world testing provides concrete answers to the question: is the MacBook Air faster than a PC? According to comprehensive benchmark testing, the results are mixed and depend heavily on the specific task.
In Geekbench 6 single-core tests, the MacBook Air M3 scores approximately 3,082-3,102 points. This represents strong single-threaded performance, beating many Intel-based Windows laptops like the Acer Swift Go 14 (2,358 points) and Dell XPS 14 (2,398 points) in this specific metric.
However, single-core performance tells only part of the story. Many modern applications are optimized for multi-core processing, making multi-core benchmarks equally or more relevant for real-world performance.
When examining multi-core performance (crucial for tasks like video editing, 3D rendering, and running multiple applications) the answer to “is the MacBook Air faster than a PC?” becomes more complicated. The M3 MacBook Air scores around 12,087 points in Geekbench 6 multi-core tests.
Competitive Windows laptops often match or exceed this performance: the Acer Swift Go 14 achieves 12,434 points, while the Dell XPS 14 reaches 12,939 points. These Windows machines actually outperform the MacBook Air in multi-threaded workloads, despite Apple’s marketing claims.
Video transcoding provides an excellent real-world test. In Handbrake tests converting 4K video to 1080p, the MacBook Air M3 completes the task in approximately 6 minutes and 32 seconds. However, Windows competitors like the Acer Swift Go 14 finish in 5 minutes and 41 seconds (nearly a full minute faster).
For creative professionals and content creators wondering if the MacBook Air is faster than a PC for their workflows, these results suggest that comparably-priced Windows laptops can actually complete demanding tasks more quickly.
For anyone interested in gaming, the question “is the MacBook Air faster than a PC?” has a clear answer: no. The MacBook Air M3 achieves approximately 41 fps in Sid Meier’s Civilization VI and 25 fps in Shadow of the Tomb Raider at native resolution.
By comparison, the Dell XPS 14 reaches 75.4 fps in Civilization VI and 41 fps in Tomb Raider, while dedicated gaming laptops in similar price ranges can achieve 100+ fps in these titles. The MacBook Air simply isn’t designed for gaming, whereas PC laptops offer gaming-capable options at every price point.
Windows also has access to vastly more games, better driver support, and technologies like NVIDIA DLSS and AMD FSR that dramatically improve gaming performance. If gaming matters to you, the MacBook Air isn’t remotely competitive with PC alternatives and certainly not “faster” if we are talking gaming.
When evaluating whether the MacBook Air is faster than a PC, price-to-performance ratio matters significantly:
Apple’s upgrade pricing is expensive: adding 8GB of RAM costs $200, and upgrading storage from 256GB to 512GB costs another $300. To get a MacBook Air with specifications comparable to what many mid-range PCs offer as standard, you’re looking at $1,500-$1,700.
Comparable Windows ultraportables typically cost:
Many PC laptops in the $1,000-$1,200 range come standard with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage – configurations that would cost $1699 in a MacBook Air. The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon, HP Spectre x360, and Dell XPS 13 all offer competitive or superior specifications at similar or lower prices.
When considering total cost of ownership, the question “is the MacBook Air faster than a PC?” must include value analysis. For many users, PC laptops deliver comparable or better performance at lower prices.
One area where the MacBook Air truly excels when people ask “is the MacBook Air faster than a PC?” is battery efficiency. Real-world testing shows the MacBook Air M3 achieving approximately 15 hours of continuous web browsing, significantly longer than most Windows competitors.
The Acer Swift Go 14 manages about 9 hours and 50 minutes, while the Dell XPS 14 with OLED achieves only 6 hours and 26 minutes. Apple’s ARM-based architecture provides genuine efficiency advantages that translate to all-day battery life, especially for light to moderate workloads.
For students, travelers, and professionals who work away from outlets, this represents a meaningful advantage. Battery life is one area where the MacBook Air’s design philosophy genuinely outperforms most PC alternatives.
When answering “Is the MacBook Air Faster than a PC?”, we must consider the broader benefits PC laptops offer:
Many PC laptops allow RAM and storage upgrades after purchase, while MacBooks have soldered components. This extends the useful life of PC laptops and allows users to start with lower specifications and upgrade later.
Most PC laptops offer diverse connectivity: USB-A ports, HDMI, SD card readers, and Ethernet in addition to USB-C. The MacBook Air has only two Thunderbolt/USB-C ports and a headphone jack, requiring expensive adapters for common peripherals. Realistically this also skews the price debate in favor of the PC because you may need Bluetooth AirPods ($450), wireless mouse ($50-100), Macbook docking station (Apple sells one for $499.95) etc.
PCs run Windows, which has vastly better software compatibility for business applications, games, specialized engineering software, and legacy programs. Many industries rely on Windows-exclusive software that won’t run on macOS.
PC laptops are generally more repairable, with readily available parts and third-party repair options. Apple’s ecosystem locks users into expensive official repairs, and component failures often require replacing entire logic boards.
The PC market offers hundreds of models at every price point, screen size, and specification level. Want a 17-inch laptop? A touchscreen? A 2-in-1 convertible? A gaming machine? A business ultraportable? PCs offer endless options, while Apple offers exactly two MacBook Air sizes with limited configuration options.
Hilarious when Apple currently have 2 options for the MacBook Air (6 if you include more RAM as another option) and the slogan of “Think Different” – hard to argue your stance of individuality when your users have 2 options to choose from. PC’s have thousands of devices your can customize to be very YOU.
Many PC laptops in the MacBook Air’s price range offer dedicated NVIDIA or AMD graphics cards, dramatically outperforming integrated graphics for creative work, gaming, and GPU-accelerated applications.
Despite the misleading “98% faster” claim, the MacBook Air does offer genuine advantages when considering whether the MacBook Air is faster than a PC:
The MacBook Air features exceptional build quality with an aluminum unibody design, excellent trackpad, and thin, light form factor. While premium PCs match this quality, the consistency across Apple’s lineup is very good.
macOS offers tight integration with iPhones, iPads, and other Apple devices through features like Handoff, AirDrop, and Universal Clipboard. For users invested in Apple’s ecosystem, this seamless integration provides real productivity benefits.
The MacBook Air’s Liquid Retina display offers excellent color accuracy (Delta-E of 0.21-0.3), brightness (476-482 nits), and covers over 109% of the sRGB color gamut. While not the brightest or most color-accurate laptop display available, it’s consistently high-quality.
MacBooks generally receive software updates for 7+ years and tend to maintain their performance and value over time. While premium PCs can match this longevity, Apple’s track record is strong.
Applications designed for Apple Silicon are highly optimized and efficient. Programs like Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro, and many creative applications run exceptionally well on MacBooks due to this optimization.
The MacBook Air has no fan, running completely silently while maintaining good performance. Most comparable PCs require active cooling, which means fan noise during intensive tasks.
So, is the MacBook Air faster than a PC? The answer depends entirely on which PC you’re comparing it to. Apple’s 98% claim is technically true but practically meaningless. It compares a $1699+ premium laptop against the entire PC market, including:
When you compare the MacBook Air to similarly-priced PC laptops from reputable manufacturers like Dell, HP, Lenovo, and ASUS, the performance gap disappears or reverses. In multi-core performance and many real-world tasks, competitive Windows ultraportables actually outperform the MacBook Air.
The claim is marketing sleight-of-hand: true in the narrowest technical sense but designed to mislead consumers about the MacBook Air’s competitive position against actual alternatives in its price range.
After examining specifications, benchmarks, pricing, and real-world performance, we can definitively answer: is the MacBook Air faster than a PC? Not categorically. It offers competitive single-core performance and excellent battery efficiency, but falls behind comparable Windows laptops in multi-core performance, gaming, and often in real-world task completion.
The MacBook Air M3 is an excellent laptop that serves many users well. It’s fast, efficient, well-built, and integrated beautifully with Apple’s ecosystem. However, it’s not faster than 98% of “PC laptops” in any meaningful, honest comparison. It’s faster than 98% of all laptops sold, including budget machines that cost one-third as much—a comparison that reveals nothing useful about its competitiveness against actual alternatives.
For consumers trying to decide between a MacBook Air and a Windows ultraportable in the same price range, the decision should be based on ecosystem preference, specific software needs, and which platform better serves your workflow—not on misleading performance claims.
Understanding whether the MacBook Air is faster than a PC requires examining actual workflows:
Both platforms handle these tasks effortlessly. The MacBook Air edges ahead slightly in battery efficiency during extended sessions, but performance differences are imperceptible. Opening Microsoft Office documents, browsing multiple Chrome tabs, and managing email all perform essentially identically on comparable machines.
Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop perform similarly on both platforms with comparable specifications. However, PCs with 16GB of RAM (standard at this price point) handle large files and multiple adjustment layers more smoothly than the base 8GB MacBook Air. The M3’s unified memory architecture helps, but 8GB remains limiting for serious photo work.
For 1080p video editing in Adobe Premiere Pro or DaVinci Resolve, both platforms perform adequately. However, the MacBook Air’s thermal limitations can cause performance throttling during extended rendering sessions. Final Cut Pro on Mac offers superior performance due to optimization for Apple Silicon, while Windows machines with dedicated graphics cards excel at Premiere Pro’s GPU-accelerated effects.
Compilation times and development environments perform similarly on both platforms. Windows offers better compatibility with enterprise development tools, while macOS provides a Unix-based terminal environment preferred by many developers. Neither platform has a decisive speed advantage for most programming tasks.
Running multiple applications simultaneously favors Windows laptops with 16GB+ of RAM. The MacBook Air’s 8GB base configuration struggles with numerous browser tabs, multiple applications, and background processes running simultaneously. Upgrading to 16GB ($200 additional) equalizes performance.
When asking if the MacBook Air is faster than a PC, we should also consider performance longevity:
MacBooks typically receive macOS updates for 7-8 years, maintaining software support longer than most Windows laptops receive manufacturer updates. However, the base 8GB RAM configuration may become a bottleneck as software demands increase, potentially shortening the practical useful life.
PC laptops with 16GB+ of RAM and upgradable storage offer more flexibility for adapting to future needs. The ability to upgrade RAM or replace an SSD extends useful life in ways impossible with MacBooks’ soldered components.
Is the MacBook Air faster than a PC? In some specific scenarios, single-core CPU tasks, battery efficiency, and optimized software – yes. In others, multi-core performance, gaming, GPU-intensive work, and often in real-world task completion – no, comparable or even cheaper Windows laptops match or exceed its performance.
The “98% faster” claim is marketing hyperbole that compares apples to oranges (or perhaps, Apples to budget PCs). When you compare devices in the same price tier with similar build quality and specifications, the MacBook Air is a competitive option with specific strengths, but it’s not categorically faster than PC alternatives.
Your decision should be based on your specific needs, budget, ecosystem preference, and which platform’s advantages align with your priorities. Both the MacBook Air and premium Windows ultraportables are excellent machines that serve their users well—just don’t let misleading marketing claims drive your decision.
The truth is that modern laptops, whether Mac or PC, are more powerful than most users need for typical tasks. The question isn’t really “is the MacBook Air faster than a PC?” but rather “which platform better serves my specific needs, budget, and workflow?” And that answer varies for every user.
Apple’s claim that the MacBook Air is faster than 98% of PC laptops is technically accurate in very specific cases but functionally misleading. It’s a premium laptop that performs exceptionally in specific areas (particularly single-core performance and battery life) but falls behind comparably-priced Windows alternatives in multi-core benchmarks, gaming, and many real-world tasks.
But in my opinion, the biggest problem is the statement itself. You can’t help but think it’s like 2 children at school. Their grades are more or less the same, Tommy has strengths in mathematics and Arthur is more creative. Then all of a sudden Arthur feels the need to start spreading the rumor he can run faster than Tommy – you can’t help but feel that poor Arthur is panicking slightly and is getting his claws out. So my question is: Apple, why are you panicking?
So, is the MacBook Air faster than a PC? Sometimes yes, often no, and always “it depends on the PC you’re comparing it to.” Make your decision based on honest comparisons, real specifications, and which platform genuinely serves your needs better – not on selective statistics that compare premium products to the entire market average.
Howdy folks, my name is Ben, a veteran in the ICT space with over 15 years of comprehensive experience. I have worked in the health sector, many private companies, managed service providers and in Defense. I am now passing on my years of experience and education to my readers.
