Head to head

MacBook Air 15" (M3) vs HP Spectre x360 16 (2024)

HP Spectre x360 16 (2024) leads 5 to 4 on the 9 rankable specs, but MacBook Air 15" (M3) costs $400 less.

Catalog as of September 1, 2026

Why, in numbers

Panel: MacBook Air 15" (M3) lists Liquid Retina IPS LED (Apple sheet, 2026-09-02); HP Spectre x360 16 lists 2.8K OLED Touchscreen with Corning Gorilla Glass (HP sheet, 2026-09-02).
Processor: MacBook Air 15" (M3) lists Apple M3 (8-core CPU) (Apple sheet, 2026-09-02); HP Spectre x360 16 lists Intel Core Ultra 7 155H (HP sheet, 2026-09-02).
Memory: MacBook Air 15" (M3) lists 16GB unified (Apple sheet, 2026-09-02); HP Spectre x360 16 lists 32GB LPDDR5x (HP sheet, 2026-09-02).
Claimed battery life: MacBook Air 15" (M3) lists Up to 18 hours Apple TV app movie playback (other published figure, not on maker sheet); HP Spectre x360 16 lists ~10–12 hours mixed productivity (other published figure, not on maker sheet).
Size: MacBook Air 15" (M3) lists 15.3 inches (Apple sheet, 2026-09-02); HP Spectre x360 16 lists 16.0 inches (HP sheet, 2026-09-02).

Manufacturer list price, not a live offer. Confirm current pricing before you buy.

MacBook Air 15" (M3)

$1,2994 spec wins

Swap

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Microsoft Surface Pro 11th Edition$999 MacBook Air 13" (M3)$1,099 Dell XPS 13 (2024)$1,299 Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 (15")$1,499 ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 (2024)$1,599 MacBook Pro 14" (M4)$1,599 Dell XPS 14 (2024)$1,699 Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i 16$1,799 Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 12$1,849 Framework Laptop 16$1,999 MacBook Pro 14" (M4 Pro)$1,999 Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13 Aura Edition$1,999 Dell XPS 16 (2024)$2,199 ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 (2024)$2,299 MacBook Pro 16" (2024)$2,499 Razer Blade 16 (2024)$2,999 MacBook Pro 16" (M4 Max)$3,499

HP Spectre x360 16 (2024)

$1,6995 spec wins

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Buying for

Every rankable spec counts once. Pick a lens to score only what matters for your laptop.

Your devices

Select your ecosystem to flag non-functional features or platform lock-in.

Straight answer

Overall: 4 to 5

Buy the HP Spectre x360 16.

Leads 5 of 9 rankable overall specs; MacBook Air 15" (M3) takes 4.
Memory: 32GB LPDDR5x vs 16GB unified
Size: 16.0 inches vs 15.3 inches
MacBook Air 15" (M3) is $400 cheaper. Pay the difference only if memory matters to you.

Check first: the HP Spectre x360 16 weighs over 4 lb (1.8 kg). Tick them under deal-breakers if that rules it out.

4 MacBook Air 15" (M3)9 rankable of 29 specsHP Spectre x360 16 5

Deal-breakers

tick what would make you walk away

No touchscreenrow
No pen or touch input for marking up PDFs or sketching.
Trips:MacBook Air 15" (M3) · NoClear:HP Spectre x360 16 · Yes (Pen & Touch enabled)
RAM cannot be upgradedrow
The memory you buy today is the memory you keep.
Trips:MacBook Air 15" (M3) · No (soldered)Trips:HP Spectre x360 16 · No (soldered)
No HDMI portrow
Projectors and meeting-room TVs need a dongle.
Trips:MacBook Air 15" (M3) · No (USB-C display output)Clear:HP Spectre x360 16 · HDMI 2.1
macOS, not Windowsrow
Windows-only software such as some CAD, games and corporate VPN clients needs a workaround.
Trips:MacBook Air 15" (M3) · macOS SonomaClear:HP Spectre x360 16 · Windows 11 Home
Over 4 lb (1.8 kg)row
Heavy in a backpack on a daily commute.
Clear:MacBook Air 15" (M3) · 3.3 lbTrips:HP Spectre x360 16 · 4.30 lb
60 Hz displayrow
Scrolling and games look less smooth than on a 120 Hz panel.
Trips:MacBook Air 15" (M3) · 60 HzClear:HP Spectre x360 16 · 120 Hz VRR

At a glance

The handful of numbers that decide most purchases in this category.

4 of 4 differ

Panel≠

Apple

Liquid Retina IPS LED

2.8K OLED Touchscreen with Corning Gorilla Glass

Processor≠

Apple

Apple M3 (8-core CPU)

Intel Core Ultra 7 155H

Memory

Apple

16GB unified

32GB LPDDR5x

Claimed battery life

Apple

Up to 18 hours Apple TV app movie playback

~10–12 hours mixed productivity

The 90-Day Owner Regret Check

Documented ergonomic quirks, hardware annoyances, and maintenance realities reported by real owners.

Post-Purchase Truths

Apple: What to watch for

Maintenance
Requires ongoing care to maintain peak out-of-box performance.
Regular cleaning, firmware updates, and standard care are recommended to preserve longevity.

HP: What to watch for

Maintenance
Requires ongoing care to maintain peak out-of-box performance.
Regular cleaning, firmware updates, and standard care are recommended to preserve longevity.

MacBook Air 15" (M3)$1,2994 wins

HP Spectre x360 16$1,6995 wins

Display Performance Build & input Ports Battery Software

27 of 29 attributes differ. Identical rows are dimmed.

Display

leads 3-1

Display specifications. Middle column is MacBook Air 15" (M3), right column is HP Spectre x360 16 (2024).
Size	15.3 inches	16.0 inches (wins this row: higher)
Panel	Liquid Retina IPS LED	2.8K OLED Touchscreen with Corning Gorilla Glass
Resolution	2880 × 1864	2880 × 1800
Refresh rate	60 Hz	120 Hz VRR (wins this row: higher)
BrightnessNot on the official sheet	500 nits (wins this row: higher)	400 nits SDR / 500 nits HDR
Color	P3 wide color, True Tone	100% DCI-P3, Low Blue Light
Touchscreen	No	Yes (Pen & Touch enabled) (wins this row: has it)

Performance

leads 2-0

Performance specifications. Middle column is MacBook Air 15" (M3), right column is HP Spectre x360 16 (2024).
Processor	Apple M3 (8-core CPU)	Intel Core Ultra 7 155H
Graphics	10-core Apple GPU	Intel Arc Graphics + optional NVIDIA RTX 4050
Memory	16GB unified	32GB LPDDR5x (wins this row: higher)
RAM upgradable	No (soldered)	No (soldered)
Storage	512GB SSD	1TB PCIe Gen4 NVMe M.2 SSD
Storage upgradable	No (soldered)	Yes (1× M.2 slot) (wins this row: has it)

Build & input

leads 2-0

Build & input specifications. Middle column is MacBook Air 15" (M3), right column is HP Spectre x360 16 (2024).
Weight	3.3 lb (1.51 kg) (wins this row: lower)	4.30 lb (1.95 kg)
Thickness	11.5 mm (wins this row: lower)	19.8 mm
Materials	100% recycled aluminum enclosure	Sandblasted CNC Aluminum
Keyboard	Magic Keyboard with Touch ID	Full-size backlit nightfall black keyboard
Trackpad	Force Touch trackpad	Haptic glass trackpad
Webcam	1080p FaceTime HD camera	HP Wide Vision 9MP IR camera with temporal noise reduction
Speakers	Six-speaker sound system with force-cancelling woofers	Quad speakers tuned by Poly Studio with Audio Boost

Ports

5 differences

Ports specifications. Middle column is MacBook Air 15" (M3), right column is HP Spectre x360 16 (2024).
Thunderbolt / USB-C	2× Thunderbolt / USB 4 ports	2× Thunderbolt 4 with USB Type-C + 1× USB-A
HDMI	No (USB-C display output)	HDMI 2.1
SD card	No	No
MagSafe	MagSafe 3	No
Headphone jack	Yes (3.5 mm with high-impedance support)	Yes (3.5 mm combo)
Charger	35W Dual USB-C Port Compact Adapter + MagSafe 3	100W USB Type-C power adapter

Battery

leads 1-0

Battery specifications. Middle column is MacBook Air 15" (M3), right column is HP Spectre x360 16 (2024).
Claimed battery lifeNot on the official sheet	Up to 18 hours Apple TV app movie playback (wins this row: higher)	~10–12 hours mixed productivity

Software

2 differences

Software specifications. Middle column is MacBook Air 15" (M3), right column is HP Spectre x360 16 (2024).
Operating system	macOS Sonoma	Windows 11 Home
Repairability	Low (soldered RAM and SSD)	Medium (accessible SSD and Wi-Fi card)

Most rows are from the official spec sheet. Marked rows are other published figures or our summary, not lab tests we ran.

MacBook Air 15" (M3) source HP Spectre x360 16 (2024) source

Which one should you buy

Pick this one if

MacBook Air 15" (M3)

Fanless 15-inch ultrabook powered by Apple M3 chip, offering silent operation and extreme battery efficiency.

Completely fanless silent operation
Slim 11.5mm aluminum design with massive battery life
Vibrant Liquid Retina display with dual external monitor support

What you give up

Display limited to 60Hz without ProMotion
Base model memory and storage are soldered and non-upgradable

Full MacBook Air 15" (M3) specs →

Pick this one if

HP Spectre x360 16 (2024)

Versatile 2-in-1 convertible laptop with 2.8K OLED touchscreen and 360-degree geared hinge.

Stunning 2.8K 120Hz OLED 360° convertible touch display
Included rechargeable tilt pen with magnetic attachment
9MP AI camera with night vision and auto-framing

What you give up

Heavy for one-handed tablet use
Battery life decreases in high-refresh OLED mode

Full HP Spectre x360 16 (2024) specs →

Best for each use

Travel

In a bag every day: weight, battery, a screen you can read on a train

For travel, buy the MacBook Air 15" (M3).

Leads 4 of 4 rankable travel specs.
Claimed battery life: Up to 18 hours Apple TV app movie playback vs ~10–12 hours mixed productivity
Weight: 3.3 lb vs 4.30 lb
It is also $400 cheaper.

Heavy work

Video, 3D, compiles or games: CPU, GPU, memory and panel quality

For heavy work, buy the HP Spectre x360 16.

Leads 2 of 2 rankable heavy work specs.
Memory: 32GB LPDDR5x vs 16GB unified
Refresh rate: 120 Hz VRR vs 60 Hz
MacBook Air 15" (M3) is $400 cheaper. Pay the difference only if memory matters to you.

Longevity

Keep it five years: upgradable parts, repairability, ports without dongles

Too close to call on longevity from the spec sheets. Only storage upgradable is rankable here.

Repairability: Low vs Medium
Thunderbolt / USB-C: 2× Thunderbolt / USB 4 ports vs 2× Thunderbolt 4 with USB Type-C + 1× USB-A

Every answer above is scored from published figures. A lens uses only the rows that matter for that use, including marked rows that are not on the official sheet. Switch lenses interactively in the panel above.

Done deciding?

Open the full standalone spec sheet for either device.

MacBook Air 15" (M3) spec sheet HP Spectre x360 16 (2024) spec sheet

Manufacturer pages: MacBook Air 15" (M3) ↗ · HP Spectre x360 16 (2024) ↗

Common questions

Which is cheaper, the MacBook Air 15" (M3) or the HP Spectre x360 16?

MacBook Air 15" (M3) costs $400 less at list price.

What is the biggest catch with the MacBook Air 15" (M3) or HP Spectre x360 16?

MacBook Air 15" (M3) has this deal-breaker: no touchscreen. No pen or touch input for marking up PDFs or sketching.

Which is better for travel, the MacBook Air 15" (M3) or the HP Spectre x360 16?

For travel, buy the MacBook Air 15" (M3). Leads 4 of 4 rankable travel specs. Claimed battery life: Up to 18 hours Apple TV app movie playback vs ~10–12 hours mixed productivity

What cannot be compared from spec sheets?

Of the 29 specs tracked here, 20 are descriptive and cannot be ranked on numbers alone. Spec sheets also cannot measure subjective factors like build quality, real-world performance, or comfort.

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