Apple MacBook Air 15 M4 vs Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen 6
Apple MacBook Air 15 M4 wins 6 of the 12 categories we compared, against 4 for Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen 6 (2 tied) — including overall score (6.9/10 vs 5.6/10).
Apple MacBook Air 15 M4 vs Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen 6: our verdict
The ThinkPad T14s makes the most sense for professionals who care most about keyboard feel, robust connectivity, and the option to upgrade storage later. If sharp display quality, long battery life, and stronger performance for the money are higher on your list, this isn’t the one to buy.
If you want the best mix of speed, battery life, and display quality for less money, the MacBook Air is the one to look at. It gives you the faster performance, longer battery life, and that sharper 2880 x 1864 display at 15.3 in, but it’s not the best fit if you care more about storage flexibility, physical connectivity, or keyboard feel.
Summarised from our video comparison of these two laptops.
Watch the video comparison
Apple MacBook Air 15 M4 vs Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen 6: Overall Score
| Spec |
 Apple MacBook Air 15 M4
|
 Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen 6
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall score | 6.9/10 | 5.6/10 |
Apple MacBook Air 15 M4 vs Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen 6: Build & Design
| Spec |
Apple MacBook Air 15 M4
|
Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen 6
|
|---|---|---|
| Portability score | 8.1/10 | 8.9/10 |
| Weight | 1.51 kg | 1.24 kg |
| Thickness | 11.5 mm | 16.9 mm |
| Fingerprint reader | Yes | Yes |
| Vapor chamber cooling | No | No |
| Numeric keypad | No | No |
| Windows Precision touchpad | No | Yes |
| Facial recognition | No | Yes |
| Build material | Aluminum | Carbon fiber |
| Available colors | Black, Silver, Gold, Blue | Black |
| Keyboard | Backlit, Island | Backlit, Island |
| Key travel | 1 mm | 1.5 mm |
| Cooling system | Passive | Active |
| Dimensions | 340.4 x 237.6 x 11.5 mm | 313.6 x 219.4 x 16.9 mm |
| Footprint | 809 cm2 (125.3 inches2) | 688 cm2 (106.7 inches2) |
| Touchpad size | — | 11.5 x 7.4 cm |
| Touchpad surface | Glass | Plastic |
Apple MacBook Air 15 M4 vs Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen 6: Benchmarks
| Spec |
Apple MacBook Air 15 M4
|
Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen 6
|
|---|---|---|
| Performance score | 7.7/10 | 6.4/10 |
| Cinebench (multi-core) | 956 | 878 |
| Cinebench (single-core) | 167 | 102 |
| Geekbench (multi-core) | 14368 | 13498 |
| Geekbench (single-core) | 3700 | 2279 |
Apple MacBook Air 15 M4 vs Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen 6: CPU
| Spec |
Apple MacBook Air 15 M4
|
Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen 6
|
|---|---|---|
| CPU threads | 10 | 12 |
| CPU | Apple M4 (10-Core) | Snapdragon X Elite |
| CPU cores | 10 (4P + 6E) | 12 |
| CPU base frequency | 4.46 GHz | 3.4 GHz |
| CPU manufacturing process | 3 nm | 4 nm |
| CPU configurations available | Apple M4 (10-Core) | X1E-78-100 |
Apple MacBook Air 15 M4 vs Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen 6: GPU
| Spec |
Apple MacBook Air 15 M4
|
Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen 6
|
|---|---|---|
| GPU compute | 3.8 TFLOPS | 3.8 TFLOPS |
| GPU | Apple M4 GPU (10-Core) | Adreno X1-85 |
| GPU type | Integrated | Integrated |
| Integrated GPU | Apple M4 GPU (10-core) | Qualcomm Adreno X1-85 |
| GPU VRAM | System Shared | System Shared |
| GPU memory type | LPDDR5X | LPDDR5X |
| GPU memory bus | 128 bit | — |
| GPU base clock | 500 MHz | 300 MHz |
| GPU boost clock | 1470 MHz | 1250 MHz |
| GPU power (TGP) | 18 W | 80 W |
| GPU configurations available | Apple M4 GPU (10-Core) | Adreno X1-85 |
Apple MacBook Air 15 M4 vs Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen 6: Memory
| Spec |
Apple MacBook Air 15 M4
|
Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen 6
|
|---|---|---|
| RAM | 16 GB | 16 GB |
| RAM upgradable | No | No |
| RAM type | LPDDR5X | LPDDR5X |
| RAM clock speed | 7500 MHz | 8448 MHz |
| RAM slots | — | 1 |
| RAM channels | 2x8 GB | 2x8 GB |
| RAM configurations available | 16GB|24GB|32GB | 16GB|32GB|64GB |
Apple MacBook Air 15 M4 vs Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen 6: Storage
| Spec |
Apple MacBook Air 15 M4
|
Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen 6
|
|---|---|---|
| Storage | 256 GB | 256 GB |
| NVMe storage | Yes | Yes |
| Storage upgradable | No | Yes |
| Storage type | SSD (M2) | SSD (M2) |
| Storage interface | Custom | PCI-E Gen 4.0 (4x) |
| Storage configurations available | 256GB, 512GB, 1 TB, 2 TB | 256GB, 512GB, 1 TB |
Apple MacBook Air 15 M4 vs Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen 6: Display
| Spec |
Apple MacBook Air 15 M4
|
Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen 6
|
|---|---|---|
| Display score | 5.4/10 | 3.8/10 |
| Display size | 15.3 in | 14 in |
| Refresh rate | 60 Hz | 60 Hz |
| Brightness | 500 nits | 400 nits |
| Pixel density | 224 ppi | 162 ppi |
| Touchscreen | No | No |
| Display type | IPS LCD | IPS LCD |
| Resolution | 2880 x 1864 | 1920 x 1200 |
| Screen coating | Glossy | Matte |
| Aspect ratio | 16:10 | 16:10 |
| Contrast ratio | 1641:1 | 1000:1 |
| sRGB coverage | 100% | 100% |
| Response time | 24 ms | — |
| Screen-to-body ratio | ~83.9% | ~82.6% |
| Side bezels | 5.4 mm | 6.1 mm |
| Maximum opening angle | 130° | — |
Apple MacBook Air 15 M4 vs Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen 6: Battery
| Spec |
Apple MacBook Air 15 M4
|
Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen 6
|
|---|---|---|
| Battery score | 8.6/10 | 7.8/10 |
| Battery capacity | 66.5 Wh | 58 Wh |
| Charging speed | 35 W | 65 W |
| Wireless charging | No | No |
| Charging port | USB-C | USB-C |
| Proprietary charging | Yes | No |
| Battery type | Li-Po | Li-Po |
| Full charge time | 2:44 hr | — |
Apple MacBook Air 15 M4 vs Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen 6: Network & Connectivity
| Spec |
Apple MacBook Air 15 M4
|
Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen 6
|
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 7/10 | 7/10 |
| Wi-Fi generation | 6 | 7 |
| Bluetooth version | 5.3 | 5.3 |
| Ethernet port | No | No |
| HDMI port | No | Yes |
| DisplayPort | No | No |
| SD card reader | No | No |
| USB-A ports | No | 2x USB 3.2 |
| USB-C ports | 2x USB 4.0 | 2x USB 4.0 |
Apple MacBook Air 15 M4 vs Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen 6: Audio
| Spec |
Apple MacBook Air 15 M4
|
Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen 6
|
|---|---|---|
| Dolby Atmos | Yes | Yes |
| Speaker configuration | 2.4 (2 tweeters and 4 woofers) | 2.0 |
| Audio chip | — | Qualcomm WCD9385 |
| Speaker loudness | ~85.8 dB | — |
| Speaker power | — | 2x2W |
Apple MacBook Air 15 M4 vs Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen 6: OS & Software
| Spec |
Apple MacBook Air 15 M4
|
Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen 6
|
|---|---|---|
| Operating system | macOS | Windows 11 |
Apple MacBook Air 15 M4 vs Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen 6: Extras & Features
| Spec |
Apple MacBook Air 15 M4
|
Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen 6
|
|---|---|---|
| 2-in-1 convertible | No | No |
| Webcam | 1080p FHD | 1080p FHD |
| Webcam position | Above the display | Above the display |
Where each laptop wins
Apple MacBook Air 15 M4
- Overall score: 6.9/10 (vs 5.6/10)
- Performance score: 7.7/10 (vs 6.4/10)
- Battery score: 8.6/10 (vs 7.8/10)
- Display score: 5.4/10 (vs 3.8/10)
- Cinebench (multi-core): 956 (vs 878)
- Cinebench (single-core): 167 (vs 102)
- Geekbench (multi-core): 14368 (vs 13498)
- Geekbench (single-core): 3700 (vs 2279)
- Display size: 15.3 in (vs 14 in)
- Brightness: 500 nits (vs 400 nits)
- Pixel density: 224 ppi (vs 162 ppi)
- Battery capacity: 66.5 Wh (vs 58 Wh)
- Thickness: 11.5 mm (vs 16.9 mm)
Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen 6
- Portability score: 8.9/10 (vs 8.1/10)
- CPU threads: 12 (vs 10)
- Storage upgradable
- Charging speed: 65 W (vs 35 W)
- Weight: 1.24 kg (vs 1.51 kg)
- Windows Precision touchpad
- Facial recognition
- Wi-Fi generation: 7 (vs 6)
- HDMI port
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Frequently Asked Questions
Which is better, the Apple MacBook Air 15 M4 or the Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen 6?
Apple MacBook Air 15 M4 wins 6 of the 12 categories we compared, against 4 for Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen 6 (2 tied) — including overall score (6.9/10 vs 5.6/10).
Which is cheaper, the Apple MacBook Air 15 M4 or the Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen 6?
The Apple MacBook Air 15 M4 costs around $1299, $367 less than the Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen 6 at around $1666.
What are the main differences between the Apple MacBook Air 15 M4 and the Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen 6?
The biggest gaps are in overall score (6.9/10 on the Apple MacBook Air 15 M4 vs 5.6/10); performance score (7.7/10 on the Apple MacBook Air 15 M4 vs 6.4/10); portability score (8.9/10 on the Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen 6 vs 8.1/10).