What is better MacBook Pro or Air?

Choosing between the Apple MacBook model can be difficult because the Air and Pro series are powerful laptops with unique characteristics and a range of diagonal sizes from 13 to 15 and 16 inches. 

There are now numerous excellent laptops in the MacBook Pro lineup produced with Apple M2 Pro and M2 Max chips that were presented in 2023. You can still find models with an M1 Pro chip, even though they were first released in 2020 and are a little outdated now. The MacBook Air differs from the Apple M2 chip but offers respectable performance and battery life.

Design

MacBook Air and MacBook Pro have similar basic designs, but they differ in a few small details. For instance, the rims on the MacBook Pro screen are noticeably thinner, but still, both Air and Pro have a cutout for the built-in webcam at the top of the screen. 

The MacBook Pro’s keys rest on a separate keyboard area of black color, while Air models have black keys placed on the area that matches the color of the chassis.

The signature colors of the MacBook Air lineup are Starlight and Midnight, which makes them look exclusive with one of these finishing touches. Both the Air and Pro laptops are offered in standard for MacBooks Silver and Space Gray hues.

The Air and Pro models also differ significantly in terms of dimensions. It’s important to note that Air laptops are presented as lightweight and compact devices, convenient to carry with you and take in the classroom. At the same time, Pro models are highly productive computers capable of dealing with complex tasks and consuming programs. So, no wonder the 14-inch MacBook Pro and the 13-inch Air differ significantly in terms of body diagonal, and the 16-inch Pro model is noticeably bigger and heavier than the 15-inch Air. Although the 14-inch Pro has a display larger by less than one inch than the 13.6-inch MacBook Air, it is noticeably less portable if you prefer to travel light due to increased thickness and extra 0.8 pounds of weight.

Nevertheless, the MacBook Pro maintains an excellent balance between mobility and efficiency. So, if you require increased productivity while staying on the go, the device’s weight and size shouldn’t be your biggest concern. Users whose size is a decisive factor should opt for the 13-inch MacBook Air, which provides an adequate balance of convenience, productivity, and screen area.

Overall, Pro models are much more adaptable in terms of connectivity and offer specialists useful features, for example, reading SDXC cards (photographic equipment, for example), connecting the outer monitor, or just using additional USB peripherals. MacBook Pro even features updated Bluetooth and Wi-Fi specifications, which is a great addition for all those who require a faster and more stable connection.

Screen Size

A standard MacBook Air display is 13.6 inches – slightly smaller than the 14.2-inch MacBook Pro and significantly smaller than the 16.2-inch model. This difference should be sufficient for some users as 13.6 inches is still larger than the greatest 12.9 inches iPad Pro model. Simply put, those customers who look for high-end features can opt for MacBook Pro models with a larger display of 14.2 inches.

The 15.3-inch MacBook Air and 16.2-inch Pro laptops may even be regarded as desktop replacements and offer notably more real screen space for various multitasking and professional software that is more convenient to use with larger displays.

Technology behind displays

Both machines employ diverse display technologies. The Air devices have an LCD panel installed, which hasn’t been updated in the past few years, but Apple specs refer to it as a Retina display because of its thinner bezels. Apple’s updated mini-LED Liquid Retina XDR innovative technology is installed in the 14- and 16-inch Pro models for deeper contrasts, a wider refresh range, and better color reproduction.

The XDR display becomes much brighter while displaying content in High Resolution, peaking at 1,600 nits of brightness. The ProMotion displays on the 14- and 16-inch Pro models allow them to have their refresh rate up to 120Hz. The variable refresh rate for display is not supported on the MacBook Air.

For viewing and modifying content in HD Resolution and enjoying high-framerate video, it is better to choose to purchase the top-tier MacBook Pro devices. The Air’s display is adequate for most users; some might be unaware of this difference and consider it insignificant.

Chips

The M2 chip is employed for all the MacBook Air models, while Pro customers may select between the M2 Pro and M2 Max chips. These are scaled-up editions of the M2 chip with more CPU and GPU cores. 

The M2 Pro and M2 Max offer up to 4 additional CPUs and 28 extra GPU cores. Speaking of single-core tasks, the M2 chip in the MacBook Air is just as effective as the M2 Pro and M2 Max, but the M2 Pro and M2 Max show much better results when it comes to the multi-core and graphics performance.

The M2 Pro and M2 Max are potent chips engineered specifically for pro-users with highly discerning workflows, which become possible thanks to more transistors and efficient CPU and GPU cores. On the other hand, the M2 chip is more geared toward average customers and focuses on providing fast performance, retaining productivity, reducing temperatures, and lengthening battery life.

MacBook Air is passively cooled and has no fans installed; it can slightly reduce peak performance compared to the Pro laptops because they feature sizable fans that continually cool the system down, which is no wonder as it is supposed to exert more pressure on the Pro and Pro Max chips.

Storage and Memory

With the opportunity to purchase a Custom-to-Order laptop from Apple, up to 24GB of shared RAM and 2TB of storage SSD can be included in the MacBook Air system. This upgrade should be more than enough for a broad range of consumers. Even more memory and storage can be installed into the Pro models; for example, the top-spec MacBook Pro may be defined with 72GB more memory and 6TB more storage.

Additionally, the M2 Pro and M2 Max chips featured in the Pro versions only offer 200GB/s and 400GB/s memory bandwidth, respectively. This is a big improvement over the M2 chip in the MacBook Air, which has 100GB/s memory bandwidth.

Microphones and speakers

The four speakers’ sound system is surprisingly full and well-balanced for such a small and thin device as MacBook Air. The MacBook Pro’s six-speaker sound system provides noticeably bigger and deeper audio. Customers involved in professional sound production may find this feature priceless, as it eliminates the need to take professional equipment with you.

The MacBook Air has a three-mic system with directional beamforming for tasks like voice and video calls. According to Apple, Pro models have studio-quality three-mics with a high ratio of signal to noise and directional voice beamforming for a perfect sound without background noise. The MacBook Pro’s microphones are appropriate for sound production like podcasting; even though they are not as good as a specifically devoted microphone, they can still be a decent replacement while staying mobile.

Final Words

The MacBook Air is an unbeatable combination of functionality and efficiency, remaining extremely portable, which seems to be the best option for most average users, businesspeople, students, and others. Compared to the MacBook Pro, the Air’s starting price of 1,250 Euro is considerably less expensive. I probably won’t find an extra 300 Euro for the starting Pro models worth it. Instead, the MacBook Air’s slimmer, lighter body and still efficient productivity for the average range of tasks seem to be valued much more.

The 14- and 16-inch Pro devices should be only considered by professionals whose tasks can be performed only with more precise screens, additional memory and storage, extra ports, and extremely high performance. The starting prices of 2400 Euro and 2,900 Euro are worth paying if you urgently need to upgrade your professional workflow to perform faster and with higher quality. These expensive Pro devices were developed with creators and professionals in mind, who rely strongly on equipment rather than general consumers.