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A Macbook Air vs Macbook Pro comparison makes a lot of sense, as the two devices are among the highest-selling Apple laptops. The Cupertino-based tech giant has built these machines with impressive chipsets, phenomenal designs, and superb battery life to cater to all kinds of professionals and even gamers.
However, since there is a significant price gap between these two laptops, you might be confused about whether spending the extra cash on the MacBook Pro is worth it.
This guide offers a detailed MacBook Air vs MacBook Pro comparison. We will also try to pick a winner between the two based on your requirements and budget.
Note: Some aspects of this article are subjective and solely reflect the writer’s opinions.
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MacBook Air vs MacBook Pro: Specs comparison
Here are the detailed MacBook Air vs MacBook Pro specifications:
MacBook Air vs MacBook Pro: Performance
Apple's older M2-based MacBook Air is still pretty powerful for normal day-to-day tasks and especially professional work. The M2 chipset is battery-efficient and can be used for video editing or other 3D work tasks. It’s faster and more powerful than the previous Apple M1 chipset and is ideal for anyone looking for a lightweight laptop with respectable performance.
However, the Apple Macbook Pro 2023 model with the M3 chipset shoots ahead in the performance department over the MacBook Air. It can even be used for editing or rendering raw 4K video footage and performing most intensive tasks, including gaming, without breaking a sweat. The M3 Pro GPU also supports ray tracing.
MacBook Air vs MacBook Pro: Display
The Liquid Retina XDR displays in the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro M3 are both sharp and colorful, and there's absolutely zero pixelation, even while watching HDR videos. However, the M3 Pro has a much brighter display with a peak brightness of up to 1000, which is double the peak brightness of the MacBook Air.
The main highlight of the MacBook Pro M3 is the support for 120Hz ProMotion display, which is also present in the higher-priced MacBook Pro 16-inch and Macbook Pro M3 Max. The MacBook Pro also has a four percent higher sRGB rating.
MacBook Air vs MacBook Pro: Battery life
The 2021 MacBook Air M2 can last for more than 14 hours of video playback in peak brightness. This means you can expect up to two days of battery life easily with the laptop.
However, the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro with their M3 and M3 Max chipset are the true winners, as they can last for more than 19 hours of video playback and up to six days of standby time. It is still a shorter time than Apple's 22-hour claim but is quite impressive. The device also supports 70W charging, in comparison to 65W charging on the M2 Air.
Also, check out our M3 MacBook Pro vs M1 MacBook Pro comparison
MacBook Air vs MacBook Pro: Pricing
The first MacBook Air with Apple's own M1 chipset had a starting price of $999 for the 256GB variant. However, over the past four years, Apple has gradually increased the price of Apple MacBook laptops. The M2 Air 8GB RAM variant now has a starting price of $1099. It goes all the way up to $1699 for the 24GB RAM, 512GB storage variant.
In contrast, the M3 Pro MacBook with 8GB RAM and 512GB storage has a starting price of $1599. There are different RAM, storage, and screen size options available, with the 16-inch MacBook Pro M3 Max available for a price of $3999 (with 48GB unified RAM and 1TB of storage).
MacBook Air vs MacBook Pro: Verdict
If you are buying a new MacBook, and performance is your top priority, along with better battery life and display calibration, the M3 Pro MacBook makes much more sense for you.
However, if you want a more affordable MacBook with decent battery life and don't have performance or gaming as your top priority, the M2 Macbook Air is the laptop for you. You will also save some cash as it is available for less than $999 during sales and is a better bang-for-the-buck device for most users.
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