There are two different Apple - made laptops that you’re able to buy : the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro .
Both laptop computer reach are unbelievably popular and highly rated by critics , but they also differ greatly to one another , and so aim unlike hearing .
If you ’re not trusted which laptop computer is good for you , then you ’re in the right position . We ’ve created this compare conduct to play up the key difference between the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro rate .
This is a templet for the MacBook Pro and MacBook Air roam as a whole rather than individual models , although we will put a exceptional focal point on the belated models since those are the most potential candidates for a leverage . So without further ado , here are the main differences between the MacBook Pro and MacBook Air laptops .
Price
The price is one of the most significant circumstance when take the ripe MacBook , as there ’s a Brobdingnagian difference between the Air and Pro .
The MacBook Air is the ingress - spirit level laptop from Apple , and so is the most affordable choice . The newfangled M3 - powered MacBook Air has a starting price of $ 1099/£1099 , while the 15 - inch theoretical account is slightly more expensive at $ 1299/£1299 .
Apple is also still sell the slightly older M2 conformation of the MacBook Air , with the 13 - column inch starting at just $ 999/£999 .
move onto the MacBook Pro , and the cheapest selection available is the 14 - inch M3 exemplar at $ 1599/£1699 . And if you desire to upgrade the performance to theM3 Prochip , that ’s priced as mellow as $ 1999/£2099 .
And if you picture the larger 16 - inch screen for the MacBook Pro , then you ’ll need to pay as much as $ 2299/£2,599 for the infrastructure shape .
With the MacBook Pro priced so high , it ’s only really recommend to those who need a laptop for heavy workload , especially for content conception where lots of graphics firepower is require .
Design and display
The moniker ‘ Air ’ is used to cite the lightweight design of the MacBook Air laptop . The latest 13 - column inch model hits the scales at just 1.24 kilogram with a sylphlike 11.3 mm shell .
The current small MacBook Pro comes with a 14 - inch screen or else , while consider a noticeably brawny 1.55 kg for the M3 configuration , and as weighty as 1.62 kg if you raise all the elbow room up to theM3 Maxedition . It ’s a chummy laptop too , at 15.5 mm . That ’s not to say the MacBook Pro is n’t supremely portable , but it ’s just not as well-off to carry as the Air .
If you like to have the option of a colourful design , you ’ll be pleased to listen that the MacBook Air is available in Silver , Starlight , Space Grey and Midnight . Meanwhile , the MacBook Pro is throttle to just Space Grey and Silver .
Arguably the most of import factor of the blueprint – aside from portability – is the port selection , especially if you ask something specific for your study . The MacBook Air is limited in this arena , featuring justMagSafe , 2xThunderbolt 4and a 3.5 mm earpiece jack .
The MacBook Pro is far more various in this esteem , featuring MagSafe , 3x Thunderbolt 4 , an SDXC scorecard slot , HDMI and a earphone jack . It ’s still a disgrace that neither sport has a USB - A port , making a dongle important if you ’re using an old USB pin or peripheral .
The MacBook Air is also usable with a 15 - inch screen , while the MacBook Pro can be bought with a 16 - in panel , giving you plenty of options whichever laptop computer serial you go for . Both laptop have a high-pitched resolution , but the Pro is more pixel - packed for discriminating imaging .
Mini LEDrepresents the biggest screen upgrade for the MacBook Pro , resulting in a superior screen contrast that the MacBook Air for more vivid and colourful pictures . Apple has also bestowed the Pro with theProMotiontechnology , elevating the maximal refresh rate to 120Hz for smoother movement and scrolling , while the Air is stuck at the stock 60Hz .
Performance
The carrying out is the most important difference between the MacBook Air and Pro laptop computer . The MacBook Air is undoubtedly speedy , but is design for productivity work load , whether you ’re cultivate in an power or dabbling with entry - level creation .
Apple uses the foundation M chip to power the MacBook Air , with theM1 , M2 andM3processors now all useable . A higher telephone number signifies a more recent genesis , and therefore boast a greater public presentation . Apple claims the M3 is 1.6x faster than the M1 .
All of these chips prioritize productivity workloads . The graphics performance is telling on these chips too , but not quite powerful enough to manage with the likes of 4 K video recording editing and complex invigoration at high speed .
This is where the MacBook Pro differ , as it ’s got enough power to nail through whatever task you throw at it . The latest model has multiple shape available , include the M3 , M3 Pro and M3 Max , allowing you to scale up the big businessman to beseem your pauperism . The M3 Max is so herculean that we ’d only really commend it for professional creators . It ’s an overkill option for the likes of students , authority actor and entertainment .
We ’ve benchmarked both the MacBook Air and the MacBook Pro to spotlight the performance disparity between the two laptop computer . We have n’t test the base M3 chip just yet , but will include the benchmarks as soon as we do .
Apple also allow for the Pro with a higher ceiling of spec shape . The MacBook Pro can be match with up to 96 GB RAM , while the Air peaks at just 24 GB . It ’s a like story for entrepot , with the MacBook Pro able to be stuffed with a massive 8 TB SSD , while the Air can only be customised with up to 2 TB .
The MacBook Air specification are still excellent for the immense majority of people , so do n’t experience pressured to upgrade to the MacBook Pro unless you have a specialist persona or hobby that ask unbelievable firepower .
Battery life
Apple ’s laptops are incredible when it comes to battery liveliness , on a regular basis baffle the Windows challenger by a considerable gross profit margin . But how do the MacBook Air and Pro differ in this respect ?
This is obviously going to come up down to which form you choose , but we can at least show the results from our own tests . Apple claim the MacBook Air can last up to 18 hours for Apple TV flick playback , and up to 15 hours when surfing the WWW . In our own exam , the M2 - powered MacBook Air lasted for nearly 14 hours when looping 1080p video which is n’t too far away from Apple ’s claims .
We ’re yet to test the M3 - powered MacBook Air , but Apple articulate you should gestate like results from the introduce M2 version .
As for the MacBook Pro , the superfluous firepower has no doubt had an impact on shelling sprightliness , but Apple has fit in a large battery to make up for this . As a result , the M3 Pro and M3 Max configurations can last up to 18 time of day for video playback and 12 hours for web browsing concord to Apple . We ’ve test the M3 Max version of the MacBook Pro , and found it to well last the working day with battery to part with , which is atypical for a laptop with this much baron .
With both laptop offer such farseeing battery aliveness , it should n’t really be a deciding factor when choosing between the MacBook Air and Pro .
Verdict
The big enquiry you need to ask yourself , when choose between the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro , is what layer of carrying out do you require ? If you just require a laptop for productiveness work , such as typewrite essay , read emails , fill up spreadsheets and wanton video - editing , then the MacBook Air will do a absolutely good job .
You only really ask the firepower of the MacBook Pro if you want to tackle more complex job , especially for tasks that benefit from slews of art power such as 4 atomic number 19 video recording editing , living and the similar . Other key upgrades for the MacBook Pro let in a Mini LED screen , greater storage pick and a greater selection of ports .
But for the vast legal age of multitude , we recommend you select the MacBook Air since it ’s still powerful in its own rightfulness , while also being more affordable and portable .
