Apple's MacBook lineup was overhauled, with the new MacBook Pro arriving in 2023 with M3, M3 Pro, and M3 Max chips and the 15-inch MacBook Air arriving at WWDC 2023. Join us for an in-depth comparison of the MacBook Pro vs Air, as well as a buyer's guide to help you make the best decision.
In 2022, the MacBook Air received a significant upgrade, including an M2 chip, an all-new design, a larger 13.6-inch display, a flat-edged chassis, a new midnight colour, an upgraded webcam, and other features.
Apple unveiled the much-anticipated 15-inch MacBook Air at WWDC 2023.
The MacBook Pro laptops were most recently refreshed in Q4 2023 with M3, M3 Pro, and M3 Max chips, a new space black finish, and more.
Comparing the MacBook Pro and Air:
CPU, GPU, Memory, Neural engine
Up to 24GB of RAM, 8 CPU cores, 10 GPU cores, and 2TB of storage can all be supported by the M2 chip.
On the other hand, the MacBook Pro and M3, M3 Pro, or M3 Max chip allow you to choose between up to 16 CPU cores, 40 GPU cores, and 128GB of memory.
|
Hardware |
MacBook Air |
MacBook Pro |
|
CPU |
M2 – 8-core |
M3, M3 Pro, or M3 Max – up to 16-core |
|
GPU |
Up to 10-core |
Up to 40-core |
|
Memory |
8GB, 16GB, or 24GB |
8GB to 128GB |
|
Neural engine |
16-core |
16-core |
|
Storage |
Up to 2TB |
Up to 8TB |
|
FaceTime Camera |
1080p |
1080p |
|
Speakers |
Wide sound from 4 speakers, 6-speaker with 15-inch |
6 high-fidelity speakers |
|
Mics |
3-mic array |
Studio-quality 3-mic array |
|
Thermal management |
Fanless |
Active cooling with fans |
According to Apple, the M3 chip efficiency cores outperform the M2 family by up to 30% and the M1 family by up to 50%.
The M3 family outperforms the M2 and M1 families by 15 and 30%, respectively, in terms of performance cores.
Furthermore, M3 rendering is up to 2.5 times faster than M1 and up to 1.8 times faster than M2, according to Apple.
Additionally, according to Apple, the M3 chips' hardware-accelerated mesh shading, hardware-accelerated ray tracing, and dynamic caching constitute the "Largest leap forward in graphics architecture."
Transistor quantity
For the M3, there are 25 billion transistors total; for the M3 Pro, there are 37 billion, and for the M3 Max, there are 92 billion.
CPU benchmark results
When we first examined the M3 iMac benchmarks, the multicore and single-core results were almost exactly as good as Apple claims.
- The M3 Mac benchmark results show if the performance matches what Apple claims.
In addition, the M3 Max is performing 10% better on single-core tasks and 44% faster on multicore tasks than the M2 Max.
- Performance tests on Geekbench show that the MacBook Pro with M3 Max chip is comparable to that of the M2 Ultra.
M2 Pro benchmarks are still missing from the scene.
GPU benchmark results and updated features
The M3 Max received a metal score of 158466 in one of the first GPU benchmarks to appear on Geekbench, which is 15% higher than the M2 Max's metal score of 137525.
Display
There are two sizes of the MacBook Air: 13.6 and 15.2 inches. Furthermore, there are still slightly larger MacBook Pro options available in 14.2 and 16.2-inch models.
The MacBook Air has a screen brightness of up to 500 nits. That is 100 nits less than the MacBook Pro's 600 nits (for SDR content).
However, the Pro laptop screens can display HDR content at up to 1,000 continuous nits (1,600 peak) of brightness. Additional improvements to the display over the Air include mini-LED backlighting, 120Hz refresh rates with ProMotion, and a higher pixel density with the Pro.
|
|
MacBook Air 13’’ |
MacBook Air 15’’ |
MacBook Pro 14’’ |
MacBook Pro 16’’ |
|
Actual Screen Size |
13.6’’ |
15.3’’ |
14.2’’ |
16.2’’ |
|
Resolution |
2560 x 1664 |
2880 x 1864 |
3024 x 1964 |
3456 x 2234 |
|
PPI |
224 |
224 |
254 |
254 |
|
Aspect Ratio |
16:10 + notch |
16:10 + notch |
16:10 + notch |
16:10 + notch |
|
Nits (Brightness) |
500 |
500 |
600 for SDR, 1000 sustained, up to 1600 peak for HDR |
600 for SDR, 1000 sustained, up to 1600 peak for HDR |
|
Liquid Retina Display |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes + XDR |
Yes + XDR |
|
Mini-LED backlit |
No |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
|
ProMotion (up to 120Hz) |
No |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
|
P3 wide colour |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
True Tone |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
A notch for the 1080p FaceTime camera is located in the upper centre of the display on both the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro. However, unlike the iPhone, even in the most recent MacBook Pro and Air models, the notch lacks Face ID hardware and support.
Compared to previous models, all of the current MacBooks have significantly thinner bezels.
I/O MacBook Air Vs Pro
Similar to the 2022 MacBook Pro, the 2023 15-inch MacBook Air also received MagSafe charging. But Apple has limited the 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro's access to features like HDMI, an SDXC slot, and support for up to four external monitors.
Only one external display up to 6K at 60Hz can be supported by the 13- and 15-inch MacBook Air thanks to the M2 chip. Additionally bear in mind that the M3 can still only support a single external display. It could be a deal-breaker for some people.
- The best Thunderbolt and USB-C displays for MacBooks
Additional improvements with the M3, M3 Pro, and M3 Max MacBook Pro are support for 8K video output via an HDMI 2.1 port and Wi-Fi 6E.
|
|
MacBook Air |
MacBook Pro |
|
Magic Keyboard |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Touch ID |
Yes |
Yes |
|
USB – C/Thunderbolt ports |
2 |
3 |
|
HDMI |
No |
Yes 2.1 |
|
Headphone jack |
Yes |
Yes |
|
SDXC card reader |
No |
Yes |
|
MagSafe charging |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Wi-Fi |
Wi-Fi 6 (802.11.ax) |
Wi-Fi 6E (802.11.ax) |
|
Bluetooth |
5.3 |
5.3 |
|
External display support |
1 external display up to 6K/60Hz |
M3: 1 external display up to 6K/60Hz
M3 Pro: Up to 2 external displays at 6K/60Hz over Thunderbolt, or 1 at 6K/60Hz over Thunderbolt and 1 at 4K/144Hz over HDMI, or 1 at 8K/60Hz or 1 at 4K/240Hz over HDMI
|
Size, weight and Finish
The MacBook Air continues to be the lightest device, as one might anticipate, with the two MacBook Pro models weighing more. Also extremely thin, at 11.3 mm (0.44 in), is the MacBook Air.
Space grey, silver, and space black (available only on M3 Pro/Max models) are the available colours for the new MacBook Pro laptops. Notably, space black is not really black; rather, it's more like a dark space grey.
There are four options for the Air, one of which is midnight, which has a blueish tint.
|
|
MacBook Air 13’’ |
MacBook Air 15’’ |
MacBook Pro 14’’ |
MacBook Pro 16’’ |
|
Weight |
2.7 pounds (1.24 kg) |
3.3 pounds (1.29 kg) |
3.4, 3.5, 3.6 pounds (1.55, 1.61, or 1.62 kg) |
4.8 or 4.8 pounds (2.14 or 2.16 kg) |
|
Width |
11.97 in. (30.41 cm) |
13.40 in. (34.04 cm) |
12.31 in. (31.26 cm) |
14.01 in. (35.57 cm) |
|
Depth |
8.46 in. (21.5 cm) |
9.35 in. (23.76 cm) |
8.71 in. (22.12 cm |
9.77 in. (24.81 cm |
|
Thickness |
0.44 in. (1.13 cm) |
0.45 in. (1.15 cm) |
0.61 in. (1.55 cm) |
0.66 in. (1.68 cm) |
|
Display size |
13.6 in. |
15.3 in. |
14.2 in. |
16.2 in. |
|
Finishes |
Silver, Space gray, Starlight, Midnight |
Silver, Space gray, Starlight, Midnight |
Silver, Space gray, Space black |
Silver, Space gray, Space black |
The 2022 MacBook Air and subsequent models all feature a flat-edged chassis, replacing the wedge design that was used for many years.
Battery life
When comparing the actual battery life of Apple Silicon MacBooks to the previous Intel models, the results have been remarkable and generally align with the company's claims. However, that may vary based on your method, screen brightness, and other factors.
With Apple's improved M3 MacBook Pro battery life, the 16-inch MacBook Pro can now play videos for up to 22 hours.
With up to 18 hours of battery life, the 13- and 15-inch MacBook Air models are similar in terms of power. On the other hand, both Air models have a 15-hour wireless web usage time.
The machines' comparisons are as follows:
|
|
MacBook Air 13’’ |
MacBook Air 15’’ |
MacBook Pro 14’’ |
MacBook Pro 16’’ |
|
Wireless web battery |
15 hours |
15 hours |
12 hours |
15 hours |
|
Video playback |
18 hours |
18 hours |
18 hours |
22 hours |
|
Fast charging |
Yes with 70W |
Yes with 70W |
Yes with 96W |
Yes with 140W |
|
Battery capacity |
52.6Wh |
66.5Wh |
70Wh |
100Wh |
|
Included power adapter |
30W, 35W, or 67W USB-C + MagSafe |
35W, or 70W USB-C + MagSafe |
70W, or 96W USB-C + MagSafe |
140W USB-C + MagSafe |
Today's MacBooks are all capable of fast charging, reaching a 50% battery level in just thirty minutes. Please note, however, that you will require the larger power adapters mentioned above.
You can find your Magical MacBook on At Quicktech.in