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Laptop Radar

Updated Nov 10, 2026

Apple MacBook Air 15″ Apple M5 or MSI Thin 15.6″ Core i5-12450H RTX 2050?

Thin 15.6″ Core i5-12450H RTX 2050 costs $310 less today; MacBook Air 15″ Apple M5 has score 2.5 higher (8.3 vs. 5.8).

Apple MacBook Air 15″ Apple M5

8.3score · higher

MSI Thin 15.6″ Core i5-12450H RTX 2050

5.8score

Apple wins 3by componentMSI wins 0

  • 9.5Performance5.7
  • 7.3Memory and storage7.3
  • 8.0Screen7.4
  • 7.9Portability·
  • 7.2Ports and how current it is0.0

MSI Thin 15.6″ Core i5-12450H RTX 2050 is $310 the cheaper

$1,299

Buy on Amazon

$989

Buy on Amazon

The best for each use

By the spec rule for each use, the same one the lists on this site use.

The comparison in detail

Score by component, side by side

MacBook Air 15″ Apple M5 wins on performance and ports and how current it is.

MacBook Air 15″ Apple M5ComponentThin 15.6″ Core i5-12450H RTX 2050
  • 9.5 (wins)Performance5.7
  • 7.3Memory and storage7.3
  • 8.0Screen7.4
  • 7.9PortabilityN/A
  • 7.2 (wins)Ports and how current it is0.0

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Both prices over the last 30 days

MacBook Air 15″ Apple M5Thin 15.6″ Core i5-12450H RTX 2050

First data point for one of the two: the chart appears as the days go by.

Still only a few days of data for both to read the trend; the chart fills in as the days go by.

Where is each one cheapest today?

Updated 10/11/2026

MacBook Air 15″ Apple M5
Thin 15.6″ Core i5-12450H RTX 2050

Spec sheet side by side

ItemMacBook Air 15″ Apple M5Thin 15.6″ Core i5-12450H RTX 2050
Performance
Processor changesApple M5Core i5
Processor model changesM512450H
Dedicated graphics card changesnot listedRTX 2050
RAM16 GB16 GB
Storage512 GB512 GB
Storage typeSSDSSD
Screen
Size changes15 polegadas15.6 polegadas
Resolution changes3KFull HD
Screen type changesIPSnot listed
Refresh rate changesnot listed144Hz
Portability
Weight changes1.5 kgnot listed
Battery changes66.5 Whnot listed
Connections
USB-C changesYesnot listed
Thunderbolt changesYesnot listed
Wi-Fi generation changesWi-Fi 7not listed
Bluetooth changesYesnot listed
General
System changesmacOSWindows
Model code changes12MP12450H

Other comparisons

See more 7 comparisons
How we choose

Source: Amazon.com catalog, checked on 10/11/2026.

Lowest price seen for the product on Amazon.com, shipped to New York 10001, on the day it was read, before sales tax. The model is the brand plus the name of the laptop; the versions go in the table. The price range, the median and the position use only models with a score; the price comparison looks at models whose score is within 0.5 points.

The spec score doesn’t measure real-world performance or durability, and the strong or weak point reading is just a comparison of numbers, not a buying recommendation.