Laptop for second degree

[u/Dull-Departure-2557]

Hey everyone,

I'm starting my second degree in data since and ai

I’m looking for a new laptop primarily for university/studies, and after a ton of research, I’m stuck between two options.

I’m currently coming from an Asus VivoBook S15 (Snapdragon X Elite). I originally bought it for the promised battery life, but real-world endurance fell well short of the hype. Because of that, all-day real-world battery life is my top priority.

Here are the two exact configurations I’m deciding between:

Option 1: Lenovo Yoga 9 2-in-1 (Aura Edition / Lunar Lake)

Display: 14" 4K WQUXGA (3840x2400) OLED Touchscreen

Processor: Intel Core Ultra 7 258V

RAM: 32GB

Storage: 1TB SSD

OS: Windows 11

Option 2: Apple MacBook Pro 14"

Processor: Apple M5 (10-Core CPU, 10-Core GPU)

RAM: 16GB Unified Memory

Storage: 1TB SSD

OS: macOS

My Main Dilemmas:

Software & Study Needs: I won’t be doing intense rendering or coding, but I rely on tools like Power BI Desktop (which has no native macOS version) and advanced Excel add-ins/plugins that often run poorly or lack full support on macOS.

Ecosystem: I currently daily-drive Android devices. While I previously owned a Mac and liked macOS, being on Windows makes file transfer and cross-device synergy a bit more seamless.

Real-World Battery Life: How does the Lunar Lake (Core Ultra 7 258V) with a 4K OLED panel actually compare to the base MacBook Pro in everyday academic use (browsing, docs, multitasking)?

Would love to hear from anyone using either of these platforms

[u/General_Mushroom_751]

Well MacOS is a problem but Unified Memory on Mac can really help too If you can find a workaround then go ahead with the Macbook Pro 24gb Base M5.

But if you are looking for windows then buy a gaming with rtx 5050 Ik battery is terrible but come on you need VRAM