Head-to-head · Best Laptops Under 2000

Apple MacBook Air 15-inch M3 vs LG Gram 16 Ultra-Lightweight Laptop

Which is the better buy? Side-by-side on rating, price, strengths, and watch-outs — with the published ratings we averaged to get there.

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The short answer

Apple MacBook Air 15-inch M3 comes out ahead by a clear margin (4.5 vs 3.8). The gap is mostly about productivity-focused users seeking a premium laptop — read the strengths below before deciding.

Higher ratedRanked #1 in Best Laptops Under 2000

Apple MacBook Air 15-inch M3

4.5

5 sources3 derived$1,499as of Aug 30

The Apple MacBook Air 15-inch M3 delivers a near-perfect blend of performance, design, and battery life. Thurrott.com praised its elegant, minimalist design and exceptional user experience, noting how it impressed more over time. YouTube reviewer MTG highlighted the M3 chip's consistent performance across various tasks including video editing and browser work, with no overheating or lag issues. While the display notch and bezels are minor drawbacks, the device's overall reliability and silent operation make it ideal for productivity-focused users seeking a premium laptop experience.

Strengths

— Elegant and stunning design with a flat MacBook Pro-inspired aesthetic
— Exceptional battery life that outperforms most competitors
— Silent operation with no fan required, even under heavy load

Watch-outs

— Display features a notch that doesn't support Face ID facial recognition
— Display bezels are not particularly small by premium PC standards

$1,499 · Buy at apple.com Full review →

Ranked #6 in Best Laptops Under 2000

LG Gram 16 Ultra-Lightweight Laptop

3.8

8 sources

The LG Gram 16 offers incredible battery life and a large super-high-res display, but the performance could be stronger. Laptop Mag called it a compelling choice for users needing a portable jack-of-all-trades notebook with a big screen. The design is understated and lightweight at just 2.6 pounds, though reviewers noted some gripes with the display and audio quality. It's best suited for students and productivity users who value portability over raw performance.

Strengths

— Extremely long battery life
— Attractive, lightweight design
— Good port selection including Thunderbolt 4 and HDMI

Watch-outs

— Weak audio quality
— Dim display brightness

Check Price on Amazon Full review →

Derived means the reviewer published no score, so one was inferred from their written verdict. Everything else is a number the publisher printed. How we rank.

How they stack up

Apple MacBook Air 15-inch M3

The Apple MacBook Air 15-inch M3 stands out with its silent operation and exceptional battery life, features that the Dell XPS 14 9440 and Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen 5 AMD lack. While the Razer Blade 14 offers superior gaming performance, the Air's focus on productivity and design makes it a better choice for users seeking a premium, fanless laptop experience.

LG Gram 16 Ultra-Lightweight Laptop

The LG Gram 16 offers the longest battery life among the group, outperforming the Apple MacBook Air 15-inch M3 and Microsoft Surface Laptop 7, but it lacks the display quality of the Samsung Galaxy Book4 Pro 14 and the port selection of the Dell XPS 14 9440. It's less powerful than the Razer Blade 14 for gaming.

Specs side-by-side

Spec	Apple MacBook Air 15-inch M3	LG Gram 16 Ultra-Lightweight Laptop
Processor	Apple M3	Intel 11th Gen Core i7-1165G7
Memory	8 GB unified memory	16GB
Storage	256GB, 512GB, 1TB, 2TB	1TB NVMe M.2 2280 SSD
Display	15.3-inch IPS panel	16-inch WQXGA (2560x1600) IPS LCD
Battery	66.5Wh lithium-polymer (15-inch)	—
GPU	10-core GPU	—
Operating System	macOS	Windows 11
Weight	3.3 pounds (1.51 kg)	2.6 pounds
Dimensions	9.35 x 0.45 x 13.4 inches	—

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