Apple’s MacBooks are pretty powerful and performance-oriented laptops that many working professionals and even students prefer over Windows laptops.
However, there are many people who do not want to get into Apple’s infamous ecosystem, known as the “walled garden.” So, if you are one of those people who is looking to buy a new high-end laptop in 2022 and do not want it to be a MacBook, this article is for you.
In this short buying guide, we have provided three alternatives each for Apple’s latest MacBook lines – the MacBook Air line and the MacBook Pro line.
The current MacBook Air line includes the Apple MacBook Air M1, which starts at $999, and the newer MacBook Air with Apple’s latest M2 chip, which starts at $1,199.
On the Pro side, there are three MacBook Pros in Apple’s current lineup – the 13-inch MacBook Pro that comes with Apple’s M1 chip, and the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models that can be configured with either the M1 Pro chip or the M1 Max chipset.
The smaller 13-inch MacBook Pro starts at $1,299, the middle one with the 14-inch display starts at $1,999, and the highest-end 16-inch MacBook Pro starts at a whopping $2,499.
So, if you do not want to invest in a MacBook right now and are in the market for an alternative, check out our list of the best MacBook alternatives of 2022 right below.
Best MacBook Alternatives to get in 2022
Below, you can find three alternatives for the MacBook Air line and three for the MacBook Pro line that falls more or less in the same price range.
They all run Windows 11 out of the box and offer high-end performance in terms of benchmarks, demanding creative projects, and gaming. So, let’s start with the MacBook Pro alternatives.
Best MacBook Pro Alternatives of 2022
So below, we have listed a few Windows laptops that we think are strong MacBook Pro alternatives to consider in 2022. They are priced similarly to the current MacBook Pro laptops.
1) Lenovo Thinkpad X1 Carbon Gen 10
Coming in at the numero uno position, the Lenovo Thinkpad X1 Carbon is a robust laptop and can be a pretty good alternative to a 13-inch MacBook Pro with Apple’s M1 chipset that starts at $1,299.
Although the Thinkpad X1 Carbon Gen 10 comes in at a higher price than the base model of the 13-inch MacBook Pro, it is still cheaper than the higher-end 14-inch and 15-inch MacBook Pro models that start at $1,999 and $2,499 respectively.
For its price, the Lenovo Thinkpad X1 Carbon offers decent specs and features. It comes with a 14-inch WUXGA IPS display with 100% sRGB support, narrow bezels, and a peak brightness of 400 nits.
Under the hood, the device packs the 12th-Gen Intel Core i5-1250 vPro processor along with integrated Intel Xe Graphics. As for memory, it comes with 16GB of soldered LPDDR5 RAM and 1TB of M.2 SSD.
Other than these, the Thinkpad X1 Carbon Gen 10 also comes with a 1080p webcam with a privacy shutter and integrated mic. The device also has a backlit keyboard, a fingerprint reader, and support for Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.1 technologies to deliver fast wireless connections. The laptop runs Windows 11 Pro out of the box.
2) ASUS Zephyrus G15 (2022)
ASUS has been dominating the Windows laptop space with its various offerings and the ASUS ROG Zephyrus G15 (2022) is one of the best laptops that the Taiwanese giant has to offer. It is an all-in-one machine that you can use in your professional space as well as in your home, as part of your gaming setup.
I have been using the Zephyrus G15 (2021) edition with Ryzen 9 5900HS and I can guarantee that the 2022 version can easily be a MacBook Pro alternative, and that too at a cheaper price point than the M1 Pro or M1 Max MacBook Pro models.
The ROG Zephyrus G15 2022, model number GA503, comes with a beautiful 15.6-inch WQHD (2560 x 1440p) anti-glare display with support for 240Hz refresh rate, 100% DCI-P3 color gamut, and 3ms response time.
Unfortunately, ASUS did not change the aspect ratio of the screen to the recently popular 16:10 ratio and has kept it at 16:9 for this one.
However, under the hood, the ROG Zephyrus G15 packs the latest AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS CPU and up to Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 Ti GPU to deliver high-end performance for demanding projects and the latest and upcoming AAA games.
As for memory and storage, the laptop comes with 16GB of DDR5 RAM and 1TB of 4th-Gen NVMe M.2 SSD.
Other than these, ASUS has finally listened to users and added a 720p webcam with Windows Hello support to the Zephyrus G15 2022 edition.
Additionally, the device has a 1-zone RGB-backlit keyboard, Dolby Atmos support for immersive audio, and support for Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2 technologies. It runs Windows 11 Home out of the box.
3) ASUS ProArt StudioBook 16 OLED
Now, the highest-end and the most expensive MacBook Pro alternative from the lot is ASUS’ ProArt StudioBook 16 OLED laptop.
It is the world’s first laptop with a 16-inch 4K OLED display and has been purposefully designed for hardcore creators and professional movie makers who want the best out of their laptops.
The ASUS ProArt StudioBook 16 OLED features a 16-inch 4K (3840 x 2400p) OLED display with support for 100% DCI-P3 color gamut to deliver optimal viewing experience while editing and viewing 4K content and/ or playing immersive games.
To deliver the necessary power, the laptop packs up to Ryzen 9 5900HX CPU and up to Nvidia RTX A2000 GPU, though there are options for RTX 3060 and 3070.
The device can feature up to 4TB of PCIe SSD in RAID 0 mode to deliver up to 6800 MBPS speed and can pack up to 64GB of 3200MHz DDR4 RAM for seamless multitasking.
Other than these, the ProArt StudioBook 16 OLED comes with a ton of I/O ports, a backlit keyboard with a multi-purpose dial, Harman Kardon-tuned speakers, and many other creator-focused features. The device runs Windows 11 Home out of the box and comes with MS Office 2021 pre-installed.
Now that we are done with the MacBook Pro alternatives, let’s take a look at the best MacBook Air alternatives of 2022.
Best MacBook Air Alternatives of 2022
Now, coming to the MacBook Air alternatives in 2022, there are many options available for you in the market.
Although Apple’s MacBook Air come models now come with the company’s in-house chipset such as the M1 or the M2 to deliver high-end performance while being compact, other companies have caught up with the Cupertino giant and the competition in the thin-and-light laptop sector has increased drastically.
So below, we have listed a few compact and portable Windows laptops that we think are strong MacBook Air alternatives to consider in 2022. They are priced similarly to the current MacBook Air laptops, including the M1 model (starting at $999) and the M2 version (starting at $1,199).
1) HP Spectre x360
First up is the HP Spectre x360 13, which is a 2-in-1 laptop that comes with a compact form factor. The device comes with a 13.5-inch WUXGA+ display with support for multi-touch to help users easily operate the device in tablet mode.
The panel can go up to 400 nits of brightness and also comes with low blue light emission technology for long hours of usage.
Under the hood, the HP Spectre x360 packs the Intel Core i5-1235U along with Intel Iris Xe Graphics. For storage and memory, the device packs 8GB of onboard RAM and 512GB of SSD.
Additionally, it comes with an array of I/O ports, a 5MP IR webcam with a camera shutter for privacy, supports Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3 technologies, and runs Windows 11 Home out of the box.
The laptop starts at $1,249, which is close to the starting price of the M2 MacBook Air.
2) ASUS ZenBook Flip S13 OLED
The ASUS ZenBook Flip S13 OLED is another great option when it comes to 2-in-1 laptops and MacBook Air alternatives.
The device is similar to Apple’s current budget laptop offerings and even offers some extra features like support for Thunderbolt 4, ASUS’ AI Noise-Cancelation technology for clearer audio during video calls, and others.
The ZenBook Flip S13 OLED comes with a 360-degree hinge upon which sits a beautiful 13.3-inch 4K OLED display with multi-touch support.
Under the hood, the device packs an Intel Core i7-1165G7 CPU coupled with Intel Iris Plus Graphics. As for memory and storage, it comes with 16GB of RAM and a 1TB M.2 SSD.
Other than these, the ZenBook Flip S13 has a backlit keyboard, support for Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0 technologies, and also supports certain smart pens, considering they are compatible with the device.
The device runs Windows 11 Home Pro out of the box., though it also comes with a cheaper model running Windows 10 Pro out of the box that starts at just $989.
3) Dell XPS 13
Last but not the least, the Dell XPS 13 is one of the most popular thin-and-light laptops in the market that can also be a really great MacBook Air alternative. Coming in at a slightly more expensive price than the entry-level M2 MacBook Air, the Dell XPS 13 has a lot to offer.
This Windows laptop comes with a 13.4-inch touch-enabled Full HD (1920 x 1080p) display with a peak brightness level of 500 nits.
Inside, there is Intel’s Core i7-1185G7 CPU coupled with integrated Intel Iris XE Graphics and an AMD Radeon Vega 3 GPU. It also comes with 16GB of LPDDR4 RAM and 512GB of SSD for onboard storage.
Other than these, the Dell XPS 13 supports Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.1 technologies. Additionally, the laptop has a USB-C port with support for Thunderbolt 4 with Power Delivery and DisplayPort along with many other I/O ports and a 3.5mm audio combo jack.
It runs Windows 10 Pro out of the box, though there is a higher-end model of the laptop that runs Windows 11 Home out of the box, coming in at $1,699.
Endnote
So, these are some of the best MacBook alternatives in 2022 if you are looking to get one soon. Although there are many other options available for you in the market if you really look for them, the above laptops match the price of the current MacBook lines and are pretty similar to Apple’s offerings in terms of specs, features, and performance. Some of the above devices even exceed the performance of the MacBook models in some cases.
We hope this short buying guide, highlighting a few MacBook Air and Pro alternatives help you choose the perfect one if you are in the market for it. Do let us know in the comments if you end up choosing a laptop from our list right here. See you soon.