Lenovo ThinkPad X230 vs. Apple MacBook Air with Retina display

Laptop Comparison, Reviews and Tests
Lenovo ThinkPad X230
Apple MacBook Air with Retina display

In depth comparison and review of Lenovo ThinkPad X230 and Apple MacBook Air with Retina display. Compare sizes, performance, storage capacities, batteries and other important specifications and features to easily choose the right laptop for you. Our goal is to help you uncover differences between the products and find the laptop that will best fit your needs.

Laptop Specifications Comparison

Lenovo ThinkPad X230 vs. Apple MacBook Air with Retina display Comparison Chart
DESIGN AND DIMENSIONS Lenovo ThinkPad X230 Apple MacBook Air with Retina display
Product Type Notebook Notebook
Dimensions (WxDxH) 30.5 cm x 20.65 cm x 2.66 cm 30.41 cm x 21.24 cm x 1.56 cm
Weight 1.34 kg 1.25 kg
Case Material Polycarbonate ABS, magnesium alloy Aluminum
Colour - Space grey | Gold | Silver
DISPLAY Lenovo ThinkPad X230 Apple MacBook Air with Retina display
Screen Size (Type) 12.5" - IPS 13.3" - IPS
LCD Backlight Technology LED backlight LED backlight
Screen Resolution 1366 x 768 (HD) 2560 x 1600 (WQXGA)
Pixel Density (ppi) - 227
Widescreen Yes Yes
Image Aspect Ratio 16:9 16:10
Features Premium BFR/PVC-free, Mercury free, beryllium free, arsenic free, Retina display
PROCESSOR Lenovo ThinkPad X230 Apple MacBook Air with Retina display
CPU Intel Core i5 (3rd Gen) 3320M / 2.6 GHz Intel Core i5 (8th Gen) 1.6 GHz
Max Turbo Speed 3.3 GHz 3.6 GHz
Number of Cores Dual-Core Dual-Core
Cache 3 MB L3 - 4 MB
64-bit Computing Yes Yes
Chipset Mobile Intel QM77 Express -
Features Hyper-Threading Technology, integrated memory controller, Intel Turbo Boost Technology 2.0 Intel Turbo Boost Technology
MEMORY Lenovo ThinkPad X230 Apple MacBook Air with Retina display
RAM 2 GB (1 x 2 GB) 8 GB (provided memory is soldered)
Max RAM Supported 16 GB -
RAM Type DDR3 SDRAM LPDDR3 SDRAM
Speed 1600 MHz / PC3-12800 2133 MHz
Rated Speed 1600 MHz -
Form Factor SO-DIMM 204-pin -
Slots Qty 2 -
Empty Slots 1 -
STORAGE Lenovo ThinkPad X230 Apple MacBook Air with Retina display
Main Storage Size (HDD/SSD) 320 GB HDD SATA 3Gb/s / 5400 rpm 128 GB SSD soldered PCIe
AUDIO & VIDEO Lenovo ThinkPad X230 Apple MacBook Air with Retina display
Graphics Processor (GPU) Intel HD Graphics 4000 Intel UHD Graphics 617
Camera - Yes - 720p
Camera Features - FaceTime HD camera
Sound Stereo speakers, stereo microphone Stereo speakers, three microphones
Codec Realtek ALC3202 -
Compliant Standards High Definition Audio -
COMMUNICATIONS Lenovo ThinkPad X230 Apple MacBook Air with Retina display
Wireless 802.11a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.2
Wireless Controller Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6205 -
Network Interface Gigabit Ethernet -
Ethernet Controller Intel 82579LM -
BATTERY Lenovo ThinkPad X230 Apple MacBook Air with Retina display
Technology Lithium Ion Lithium polymer
Installed Qty 1 -
Max Supported Qty 2 -
Battery Capacity (Size) - 50.3 Wh
Battery Life - Up to 12 hours
Battery Run Time - Web browsing over Wi-Fi: up to 12 hours
Video playback: up to 13 hours
Standby time: up to 30 days
AC ADAPTER Lenovo ThinkPad X230 Apple MacBook Air with Retina display
Input AC 120/230 V (50/60 Hz) AC 100-240 V (50/60 Hz)
Output 65 Watt 30 Watt
INPUT Lenovo ThinkPad X230 Apple MacBook Air with Retina display
Type Keyboard, TrackPoint, UltraNav Keyboard, Force Touch trackpad
Keyboard Backlight - Yes
Features Volume control, spill-resistant, multi-touch touchpad, buttonless touchpad Pressure sensitivity, multi-touch touchpad, Multi-Touch Gesture Recognition, ambient light sensor, force click, Touch ID sensor
CONNECTIONS & EXPANSIONS Lenovo ThinkPad X230 Apple MacBook Air with Retina display
Slots 1 x ExpressCard/54 (1 free) -
Interfaces Dock
Headphone/microphone combo jack
LAN
Mini DisplayPort
PoweredUSB 2.0
VGA
2 x USB 3.0
2 x USB-C 3.1 Gen 2 (supports Thunderbolt 3, DisplayPort Alt Mode) (Power Delivery)
Headphone output
Memory Card Reader 4 in 1 (SD Card, MultiMediaCard, SDHC Card, SDXC Card) -
SOFTWARE Lenovo ThinkPad X230 Apple MacBook Air with Retina display
Operating System (OS) Microsoft Windows 7 Professional 64-bit Edition - English Apple macOS Big Sur 11.0
Software Included - iTunes, Apple iMovie, Apple Safari, Apple GarageBand, Photo Booth, Apple Time Machine, Apple FaceTime, Apple Preview, Mail, Maps, Photos, Reminders, App Store, Contacts, Stocks, Notes, Calendar, Siri, Messages, Apple iBooks, Apple Keynote, Apple Pages, Apple Numbers, News, Voice Memos, Home
MISCELLANEOUS Lenovo ThinkPad X230 Apple MacBook Air with Retina display
Dockable Yes -
Included Accessories Power adapter USB-C power adapter
Cables Included - USB-C charge cable
Integrated Options ThinkLight -
Security Trusted Platform Module (TPM 1.2) Security Chip Apple T2 Security Chip, fingerprint reader
Features Security lock slot (cable lock sold separately), administrator password, hard drive password, power-on password, ThinkVantage Active Protection System T2 Security Chip
Compliant Standards RoHS, GREENGUARD, Nordic Ecolabel -
SAR Value - 0.71 W/kg (body)
Repairability Index - 6.1 (out of 10)
ENERGY STAR Certified Yes Yes
EPEAT Compliant EPEAT Gold EPEAT Gold
Max Operating Temperature - 35 °C
Min Operating Temperature - 10 °C
Humidity Range Operating - 0 - 90% (non-condensing)
Manufacturer Warranty Limited warranty - 3 years - on-site
Limited warranty - battery - 1 year
Limited warranty - 1 year
Technical support - phone consulting - 90 days
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