MacBook Air M2 vs Surface Pro 8

Umar

The Microsoft Surface Pro 8 and the Apple MacBook Air (M2 2022) are two laptops with different features and specifications.

The Surface Pro 8 has a higher screen refresh rate of 120 Hz compared to the MacBook Air’s 60 Hz making it better for gaming.

It also has thinner bezels and a 3% higher screen-to-body ratio as well as support for touch input.

The MacBook Air is lighter and thinner than the Surface Pro 8 weighing 360 grams less and has a sharper display with 266 pixels per inch (PPI) compared to 225 PPI on the Surface Pro 8.

The Surface Pro 8 has better performance in popular 3D games as well as 11% higher maximum screen brightness at 500 nits compared to 450 nits on the MacBook Air.

It also provides 18% better single-core performance in Geekbench 5 tests and 78% better multi-core performance in Cinebench R23 tests than the MacBook Air.

In terms of battery life the MacBook Air has a bigger battery at 58.2 watt-hours compared to 51.5 watt-hours on the Surface Pro 8 making it more suitable for light and average use.

However users have reported that both laptops can last up to 10 hours on a single charge depending on usage.

Overall both laptops have their own advantages depending on user needs.

The Surface Pro 8 is better for gaming due to its higher refresh rate and improved performance while the MacBook Air is lighter and offers longer battery life.

Which Is Better For Playing Games?

The Microsoft Surface Pro 8 (2021) is better for playing games than the Apple MacBook Air 13 (M2 2022).

The Surface Pro 8 has a larger 16 GB RAM compared to the MacBook Air’s 8 GB RAM making it more suitable for gaming.

Additionally the Surface Pro 8 offers a cheaper package in terms of quality and features.

However the MacBook Air has thinner screen bezels and may be better suited for other tasks such as on-the-go productivity use. 

Which Is Better For Video Editing?

The Apple MacBook Air (M2 2022) offers 11% higher max.

screen brightness than the Microsoft Surface Pro 8 13″ Intel Core i7-1185G7 3GHz / 32GB RAM / 1TB SSD and around 70% better multi-core CPU performance in the Cinebench R23 test.

The MacBook Pro 13 (M2 2022) also provides 11% higher max.

screen brightness and around 78% better multi-core CPU performance in the Cinebench R23 test.

The MacBook Pros come in a few different sizes ranging between 11.6 and 16 inches with the 13.3-inch screen being ideal for most users.

In terms of video editing both laptops can handle 8K RAW footage transcoded to ProRes 4444 with external SSDs so it comes down to personal preference.

Which Is Better For Students?

The M2 MacBook Air (2022) offers better performance for gaming with 62-85% higher FPS and a 70% better multi-core CPU performance in the Cinebench R23 test.

It also has a bigger battery at 58.2 watt-hours compared to the Surface Pro 8’s 51.5 watt-hours.

The MacBook Air also has a higher max screen brightness of 500 nits compared to 450 nits on the Surface Pro 8.

Additionally the MacBook Air has an improved 1080p webcam and better low-light performance than the 720p webcam found on the M2 MacBook Pro and all previous M1 processor devices.

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Hi, Umar here! I love touching laptops, unboxing them, and even smelling them! Maybe if I had enough money I would have bought every laptop in existence! ;)