What’s the Difference Between a MacBook Air and Pro?

So you want to buy a MacBook, but you’re not sure whether to go Air or Pro. The line between Apple’s notebooks is less defined than ever before, but the answer largely depends on what you use your Mac for, how much you’ve got to spend, and how important portability is to you.

The MacBook Pro Is (Generally) More Powerful

If you need more power for more demanding tasks like video editing, 3D rendering, and data analysis, consider the MacBook Pro. Though both ranges offer a “base” Apple Silicon M2 or M3 chip as a starting point, only the MacBook Pro has an active cooling solution which means it performs better under load for longer before thermal throttling sets in and reduces the MacBook Air’s performance.

If you want more CPU and GPU cores, for better multi-tasking and performance in multi-threaded apps, the more expensive MacBook Pro models are what you’re looking for. These feature upgraded Pro and Max chips which offer higher core counts on the CPU and GPU, higher RAM capacities, and optional storage upgrades.

Take the M3 seen in the 15-inch MacBook Air and compare it with an M3 Max found in a 16-inch MacBook Pro. The Max chip has up to 16 CPU cores (up from 8 on the M3), and up to 40 GPU cores (compared to 10 on the M3), with RAM and storage caps of 128GB and 8TB respectively (compared to 24GB and 2TB on the M3). There’s also higher potential memory bandwidth (400GB/sec compared to 100GB/sec), and double the video encode and ProRes encode engines on the M3 Max.

MacBook Pro models also feature more ports, including HDMI output and an SD card reader on all models. Entry-level (M3) MacBook Pros have the same two Thunderbolt 4 ports as their MacBook Air equivalents, but Pro and Max models increase this to three and four respectively. This makes them a better choice for connecting lots of peripherals.

This performance comes at a cost both in terms of your wallet and power consumption. The M3 MacBook Air (with a 10-core GPU comparable to the MacBook Pro) starts at $1,299 but a MacBook Pro with the same chip will run you $1,599. This increases to a starting price of $1,999 for an M3 Pro chip and only gets higher from there as you add RAM and storage.

Power consumption can also be far higher on the MacBook Pro, with the Air shipping with a 30w charger (despite it being fast charge capable with an optional 70w charger). The M3 Max comes with a 96W charger in the box. Ultimately, which chip you have inside your MacBook will decide battery life, but expect to get more life out of an entry-level M3 compared with a higher-end M3 Pro or M3 Max.

The MacBook Air Is Smaller and More Portable

The clue’s in the name: the MacBook Air is lighter and more portable than its MacBook Pro counterpart. Apple ditched the iconic wedge shape when it moved away from the M1 MacBook Air, so the new M2 and M3 Air models now look a lot like the MacBook Pro.

But the difference in size is noticeable. The MacBook Air comes in 13-inch and 15-inch models, compared to 14-inch and 16-inch models of MacBook Air. Comparing the smallest two models (with the same M3 chip) reveals that the Air weighs 2.7lb (1.24kg) compared to the 3.4lb (1.55kg) MacBook Pro. It’s two-thirds of the thickness of the MacBook Pro when sitting on a desk, and marginally smaller in terms of width and depth.

The story is the same when you compare the larger models with one another. The MacBook Pro puts this additional weight to use with its active cooling system and additional ports, whereas the MacBook Air relies on passive cooling and will have you reaching for dongles if you want to connect HDMI monitors, memory cards, or other peripherals.

A slightly larger chassis on the MacBook Pro means that the keyboard is a bit roomier, but with two models of MacBook Air now available, we don’t think that this should be a deciding factor anymore. If you like the cheaper and lighter MacBook Air you no longer need to spend more money on a MacBook Pro just to get a more comfortable typing experience.

The MacBook Pro Is More Expensive

Since the MacBook Pro is a more powerful machine, it will cost you more than a MacBook Air even when equipped with the same chip. There’s more aluminum used in the construction, a brighter mini-LED display with proper HDR support, and an active cooling solution to push the price up on the MacBook Pro side of things.

To break it down, the cheapest 13-inch MacBook Pro (M3) is $1,599 while the MacBook Air (M2) starts at $999. There’s not a huge difference between the performance seen in these base-level chips (the M3’s standout feature is hardware-accelerated ray-tracing), but the MacBook Air uses passive cooling. The MacBook Pro comes with 512B of storage in its base configuration, while the Air has half the capacity at 256GB. Both models start with 8GB of RAM.

If you max out a 13-inch M3 MacBook Air you’ll pay $2,299 for 2TB of storage and 24GB of RAM, while a 14-inch M3 Max MacBook Pro with all the trimmings will set you back $6,899 for 8TB of storage and a whopping 128GB of RAM. This should give you some idea of which section of the market the MacBook Pro is aimed at since it can be a complete mobile desktop replacement for those who need that sort of power.

Whether you need all that grunt is up to you to decide. A more cost-effective solution for those who need a powerful Mac could mean opting for a Mac Studio instead. You can then pick up an entry-level MacBook Air for when you’re away from your desk (or even an iPad, if you can get away with it).

This sort of setup might suit you if you already have a multiple monitor setup at home and a set of peripherals you can use, particularly if you get most of your work done at the same desk. It also unlocks the potentially much more powerful M2 Ultra chip as an option, if you have the cash to splash.

A Few Other Things to Note

The 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models come with some of the best displays that have ever graced a laptop, with an HDR peak brightness of around 1600 nits. The laptop operates at around 600 nits under standard desktop conditions, which is more than enough for most conditions. It also has full-array local dimming, on account of its mini-LED backlighting solution.

Both Air and Pro models feature one of Apple’s more divisive design decisions: the notch. There’s a small rectangle in the top middle of the screen that has been cut out to house the webcam and ambient light sensor, though you can hide it with the right software hacks.

Both models feature a decent 1080p webcam and both use the next generation of Apple’s much-loved MagSafe power adapter. A braided color-matched power cable attaches to the laptop with a magnet so that tripping over your power cord won’t result in your laptop crashing to the floor.

You don’t have to use MagSafe on either model and can charge over USB-C if you’d rather (which is great for connecting to a USB-C or Thunderbolt monitor). While there are only two of these ports on the MacBook Air, there are at least three on the 14-inch MacBook Pro and four on the 16-inch model, plus the SDXC reader and an HDMI output that you won’t find on the Air.

Perhaps the least significant difference of all is the fact that the Air also comes in Midnight (black) and Starlight (gold), while the Pro is limited to Apple’s staples of Space Grey and Silver.

Upgrades Are Always on the Horizon

Apple made huge leaps when moving from Intel to its own ARM-based Apple Silicon chips, but the pace of improvement has slowed since then. These days, even an M1 model still feels performant (as evidenced by the fact that M1 models are compatible with Apple’s upcoming Apple Intelligence).

The best time to buy a new Mac is when you decide that you need one. If you prefer to keep an eye on update cycles, there is arguably a “right time” to buy a new Mac.