Between the MacBook Air 13 M4 and Omen Transcend 16, the MacBook Air 13 M4 comes out ahead in claimed battery life and thunderbolt ports, while the Omen Transcend 16 wins on storage and refresh rate. Overall, the MacBook Air 13 M4 scores 52.8 and the Omen Transcend 16 scores 79.8 on our Mars Score.
Which should you buy?
The Omen Transcend 16 is the clear pick on raw spec strength, leading by 27.0 points on the Mars Score. The margin is wide enough that the underdog only makes sense if its individual strengths line up with what you specifically need.
Pick the MacBook Air 13 M4 if your top frustration with your current device is running out of charge before the day ends — endurance is the lead spec here. The biggest gaps in its favor are claimed battery life, thunderbolt ports, weight.
Pick the Omen Transcend 16 if the display is what you stare at all day — refresh rate, brightness, or sharpness is where the difference will be most visible. Its strongest claims are storage, refresh rate, ram, among others.
Both ship with comparable backlit keyboard, so those specs don't separate the two — focus on the differences below.
Bottom line: the Omen Transcend 16 is the safer default. The other model is the right choice only when its specific advantages line up with your priorities.
Why Apple - MacBook Air 13 M4 wins
- ▲Claimed battery life — 80.00% more. 18 h vs 10 h.
- ▲Thunderbolt ports — 1.00 more. 2 vs 1.
- ▲Weight — 0.92 kg less. 1.24 vs 2.16.
Why HP - Omen Transcend 16 wins
- ▲Storage — 300.00% more. 1024 GB vs 256 GB.
- ▲Refresh rate — 300.00% more. 240 Hz vs 60 Hz.
- ▲RAM — 100.00% more. 32 GB vs 16 GB.
- ▲Battery — 83.02% more. 97 Wh vs 53 Wh.
- ▲CPU cores — 60.00% more. 16 vs 10.
- ▲Screen size — 17.65% more. 16 " vs 13.6 ".
- ▲Panel type: OLED (vs IPS).
Spec comparison
Design
| Spec | Apple - MacBook Air 13 M4 | HP - Omen Transcend 16 |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | 1.24 kglead | 2.16 kg |
| Thickness | 11.3 mmlead | 19.9 mm |
| Build material | aluminum | aluminum |
| Backlit keyboard | true | true |
| Fingerprint reader | true | true |
Display
| Spec | Apple - MacBook Air 13 M4 | HP - Omen Transcend 16 |
|---|---|---|
| Screen sizeⓘ | 13.6 " | 16 "lead |
| Refresh rateⓘ | 60 Hz | 240 Hzlead |
| Panel typeⓘ | IPS | OLEDlead |
Performance
| Spec | Apple - MacBook Air 13 M4 | HP - Omen Transcend 16 |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Apple M4 | Intel Core Ultra 9 185H |
| CPU cores | 10 | 16lead |
| GPUⓘ | Apple M4 10-core GPU | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop |
| RAMⓘ | 16 GB | 32 GBlead |
| Storageⓘ | 256 GB | 1024 GBlead |
| Storage typeⓘ | SSD | SSD |
Battery & Ports
| Spec | Apple - MacBook Air 13 M4 | HP - Omen Transcend 16 |
|---|---|---|
| Batteryⓘ | 53 Wh | 97 Whlead |
| Claimed battery life | 18 hlead | 10 h |
| USB-C ports | 2 | 2 |
| Thunderbolt portsⓘ | 2lead | 1 |
| HDMI | false | truelead |
Frequently asked
Which has better battery life, MacBook Air 13 M4 or Omen Transcend 16?+
MacBook Air 13 M4 claims up to 18 hours — 18h vs 10h.
Which is lighter, MacBook Air 13 M4 or Omen Transcend 16?+
MacBook Air 13 M4 is lighter at 1.24 kg vs 2.16 kg.
Which has more RAM, MacBook Air 13 M4 or Omen Transcend 16?+
Omen Transcend 16 offers 32GB of RAM.
Which has an OLED display, MacBook Air 13 M4 or Omen Transcend 16?+
Omen Transcend 16 has an OLED display; MacBook Air 13 M4 uses IPS.
Spec-level deep dives
More from the same brands
vsMars is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission at no extra cost to you. Learn more.