Between the Laptop 16 and MacBook Air 15 M4, the Laptop 16 comes out ahead in refresh rate and battery, while the MacBook Air 15 M4 wins on claimed battery life and cpu cores. Overall, the Laptop 16 scores 67.9 and the MacBook Air 15 M4 scores 58.9 on our Mars Score.
Which should you buy?
The Laptop 16 is the clear pick on raw spec strength, leading by 9.0 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 Laptop 16 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 refresh rate, battery, screen size.
Pick the MacBook Air 15 M4 if your top frustration with your current device is running out of charge before the day ends — endurance is the lead spec here. Its strongest claims are claimed battery life, cpu cores, thunderbolt ports, among others.
Both ship with comparable ram, storage, panel type, so those specs don't separate the two — focus on the differences below.
Bottom line: the Laptop 16 is the safer default. The other model is the right choice only when its specific advantages line up with your priorities.
Why Framework - Laptop 16 wins
- ▲Refresh rate — 175.00% more. 165 Hz vs 60 Hz.
- ▲Battery — 28.79% more. 85 Wh vs 66 Wh.
- ▲Screen size — 4.58% more. 16 " vs 15.3 ".
Why Apple - MacBook Air 15 M4 wins
- ▲Claimed battery life — 125.00% more. 18 h vs 8 h.
- ▲CPU cores — 25.00% more. 10 vs 8.
- ▲Thunderbolt ports — 2.00 more. 2 vs 0.
- ▲Weight — 0.89 kg less. 1.51 vs 2.4.
Spec comparison
Design
| Spec | Framework - Laptop 16 | Apple - MacBook Air 15 M4 |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | 2.4 kg | 1.51 kglead |
| Thickness | 20.95 mm | 11.5 mmlead |
| Build material | aluminum | aluminum |
| Backlit keyboard | true | true |
| Fingerprint reader | true | true |
Display
| Spec | Framework - Laptop 16 | Apple - MacBook Air 15 M4 |
|---|---|---|
| Screen sizeⓘ | 16 "lead | 15.3 " |
| Refresh rateⓘ | 165 Hzlead | 60 Hz |
| Panel typeⓘ | IPS | IPS |
Performance
| Spec | Framework - Laptop 16 | Apple - MacBook Air 15 M4 |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | AMD Ryzen 9 7940HS | Apple M4 |
| CPU cores | 8 | 10lead |
| GPUⓘ | AMD Radeon RX 7700S | Apple M4 10-core GPU |
| RAMⓘ | 16 GB | 16 GB |
| Storageⓘ | 512 GB | 512 GB |
| Storage typeⓘ | SSD | SSD |
Battery & Ports
| Spec | Framework - Laptop 16 | Apple - MacBook Air 15 M4 |
|---|---|---|
| Batteryⓘ | 85 Whlead | 66 Wh |
| Claimed battery life | 8 h | 18 hlead |
| USB-C ports | 6lead | 2 |
| Thunderbolt portsⓘ | 0 | 2lead |
| HDMI | truelead | false |
Frequently asked
Which has better battery life, Laptop 16 or MacBook Air 15 M4?+
MacBook Air 15 M4 claims up to 18 hours — 8h vs 18h.
Which is lighter, Laptop 16 or MacBook Air 15 M4?+
MacBook Air 15 M4 is lighter at 1.51 kg vs 2.4 kg.
Which has an OLED display, Laptop 16 or MacBook Air 15 M4?+
Neither model has an OLED display.
Spec-level deep dives
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