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Apple offers users the 13-inch MacBook Pro and 13-inch MacBook Air as entry-level options in its laptop lineup, but is there a significant difference between these two lines for everyday users? This is what it means for those who are new to Mac to choose between Air or Pro within the price range.
Apple’s MacBook lineup includes four models, three of which are sold as “Pro” models. The fourth, the MacBook Air, is different not just in name.
For years, the MacBook Air was marketed as a lightweight laptop. It is an ideal entry-level choice for those new to Mac. Especially if you want a compact and affordable portable Mac, it provides all the essential elements you might need.
During the Intel era, the “essential” elements were particularly true, as the design’s high spatial constraints made it difficult for Apple to cool the device, resulting in throttled speeds. This made it easy to use low-clock-speed chips, which by default ran slowly to avoid any heat issues.
Additionally, the MacBook Pro series is considered the mainstay for those needing more powerful processors and better graphics performance, making it easy to see the distinction between the Air and Pro series.
With the introduction of Apple Silicon, Apple found it did not have to deal with the same thermal issues as in the Intel era, as it could run quickly without generating heat. In fact, it allowed the MacBook Air to reach performance levels similar to the 13-inch MacBook Pro.
Apple has launched the 14-inch MacBook Pro and 16-inch MacBook Pro, providing consumers with more performance and size options.
Today, there is not much difference between the 13-inch MacBook Pro and MacBook Air. New users may look at the models and be puzzled by the actual differences, as they appear quite similar overall.
It turns out that there are still enough differences between Apple’s models to provide consumers with both Pro and Air options.
In this article, we will mainly focus on the 13-inch models with similar sizes and specifications.
MacBook Pro vs. MacBook Air: Physical Differences
The MacBook Air’s iconic feature at launch was that it was an ultra-thin laptop, which lost a large print outlet in the family magazine stack when they reviewed it. Times have moved on, and compared to other products on the market, it may not seem as thin as before, but it still retains its appearance.
It achieves this by gradually reducing the thickness of the body, making it thicker at the hinge and thinner at the opposite lip. Its widest point is 0.63 inches, tapering to 0.16 inches at the edge.
The MacBook Pro has always had a more practical and flat design. It is slightly thinner than the thickest point of the MacBook Air, measuring 0.61 inches, but lacks the taper and only has flatness.
The Air’s slimness does not affect its other dimensions, as it measures 11.97 inches x 8.36 inches, the same as the Pro. Due to the narrowing of the body, the Air becomes thinner on average.
For the 13-inch MacBook Pro, the tapering does help reduce the weight to 2.8 pounds, compared to 3 pounds for the Air. In the long run, this doesn’t mean much, but it is still enough for people to notice.
As the name suggests, the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models are larger, with the 14-inch model measuring 12.31 x 8.71 inches and the 16-inch model measuring 14.01 x 9.77 inches. The 14-inch model is as thick as the 13-inch MacBook Pro, while the 16-inch model measures 0.66 inches thick.
The larger models are also heavier, weighing 3.5 pounds and 4.7 pounds, respectively.
MacBook Pro vs. MacBook Air: Display and Video
Since they are the same size, the 13-inch MacBook Pro and 13-inch MacBook Air have the same display. Both feature a 13.3-inch LED-backlit IPS display, which Apple has used many times for laptops of this size in the past.
They also have a higher pixel density Retina display, with the same resolution of 2,560 pixels x 1,600 pixels, and support for a wide color gamut (P3) and True Tone. The latter is Apple’s technology that automatically adjusts the display’s color, so when used in different environments or lighting conditions, the red apple looks the same to users.
The only difference between the screens of the two 13-inch laptops is brightness, with the MacBook Pro at 500 nits and the MacBook Air at 400 nits.
The 13-inch MacBook Air and MacBook Pro have the same display, but without miniLED backlighting.
The 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models feature wider displays of 14.2 inches and 16.2 inches, respectively, with higher resolutions of 3,024 x 1,964 and 3,456 x 2,234 pixels. Although the size isn’t much larger, both have the same pixel density of 254ppi, which is higher than the 227ppi of the 13-inch models.
They also use mini LED backlighting, achieving brighter 1,000 nits sustained images, or 1,600 nits peak brightness and a contrast ratio of 1,000,000:1, far exceeding the smaller screens.
The larger models can also handle more displays, with the M1 Pro model supporting two 6K resolution screens or the M1 Max model supporting three 6K screens and one 4K screen. These two 13-inch models can only handle one external 6K display besides their built-in display.
MacBook Pro vs. MacBook Air: Performance
As the first Apple Silicon product, these two models have a lot in common when using the M1 chip. They are not identical, but very similar.
The original M1 chip consists of 8 CPU cores, with 4 efficient cores and 4 high-performance cores combined. In practice, the chip can use high-performance cores when needed and efficiency cores during lighter workloads to extend battery life.
There is no difference in the CPU components of the two models, as their functions are the same since they are both M1 chips. However, the GPU elements of the system-on-chip are slightly different.
Both the 13-inch MacBook Air and Pro can be purchased with Apple’s own 8-core GPU in the M1. In the case of the MacBook Air, there is also a version with a 7-core GPU, which is one core less than the maximum, along with the 8-core variant.
This actually means that there are graphic differences on paper between the 7-core and 8-core GPUs, simply because the 8-core version has more cores to work with.
Arguably, the more significant difference that may affect performance is thermal management, or how the laptop cools heat-generating components like the processor. If you give the computer an intensive task to handle, it may push the CPU and GPU to run as fast as possible, generating heat.
The problem is that excess heat can damage the chip. To address this, the computer can reduce the heat generated by the processor by lowering clock speeds and thus slowing down the chip.
Thermal management, a term used to manage computer heat through the use of heat sinks and fans, is a big issue for laptops. In small laptops with limited free space, manufacturers may be forced to use passive cooling or use heat sinks like the laptop’s casing to dissipate heat from the chip.
Larger laptops typically have more internal space, allowing their manufacturers to build in fans and ducts to push air through internal heat sinks. This active cooling can more directly limit the heat generated by the chip compared to passive cooling.
The design of the MacBook Air is so thin that Apple opted not to include any active thermal management systems in the device. There are no fans or vents to help quickly reduce temperatures, only passive cooling through the MacBook Air’s casing.
Therefore, if you give it enough work, the MacBook Air can get hot enough that it will thermal throttle—meaning the chip runs slower to generate less heat. In turn, the compute-intensive tasks you are working on may become slower.
M1 MacBook Pro 13-inch
The size of the MacBook Pro gives it some advantages in this regard. Its overall thicker design means there is more metal casing to passively draw heat away from more sensitive components.
This thickness also allows Apple to introduce active thermal management in the form of fans and vents. This active cooling does a better job of combating high temperatures, allowing it to run at full speed longer before the chip starts to throttle.
On the 13-inch Pro and Air, you have the same amount of unified memory to choose from, with options of 8GB and 16GB available.
While memory typically refers to the RAM used by the CPU, unified memory is a shared pool of memory used by all parts of the processor, including the graphics processor. This means that all computations can use the same data without needing to be copied to separate storage, simplifying the overall way memory is used.
As with regular RAM, the more unified memory you have, the better.
The 14-inch and 16-inch models start from the status of the 13-inch MacBook Pro but naturally go further.
The M1 chip has been succeeded by the M1 Pro and M1 Max, which have 8-core CPUs in the base versions but typically have 10 cores. The 10-core versions are naturally faster, but that is to be expected when you have more cores to work with.
Then there is the GPU, which starts with 14 graphics cores in the M1 Pro, with a 16-core option, or up to 32 cores in the M1 Max. The memory range has also increased, starting at 16GB in the M1 Pro with a 32GB option, while the M1 Max starts at 32GB and goes up to 64GB.
The M1 Pro and M1 Max also feature media engines, hardware-accelerated components for encoding and decoding video. This is not available on the M1 chip, making the M1 Pro and M1 Max better choices for content creators like YouTube users.
This brings performance advantages to the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros, not just because of the better cooling systems. They not only stay cooler but also run faster.
MacBook Pro vs. MacBook Air: Storage and Connectivity
As entry-level consumer models, the 13-inch MacBook Pro and MacBook Air have quite moderate storage capacities. They both start with 256GB of SSD storage, with capacity options of 512GB, 1TB, and 2TB.
Other models launched since the first wave offer larger options, including up to 8TB, but the first wave still provides enough usage for regular users without feeling too constricted.
You get the same relatively limited port set in the 13-inch models.
The connectivity of these models has notable similarities, as both come with a pair of Thunderbolt/USB 4 ports that can provide up to 40Gbps device transfer speeds. There is also a standard 3.5mm headphone jack for audio.
Compared to the significantly more numerous ports and types on the 14-inch MacBook Pro and 16-inch MacBook Pro, these two models seem quite limited. However, they are suitable for consumers who are less likely to have a lot of connectivity needs, unlike advanced users who may want to connect multiple items at once.
Wi-Fi is also no different, as both use Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0. Apple has not made further advancements on its larger MacBook Pro models, as the larger models also use Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0, rather than the newer standards.
On the larger models, connectivity options increase significantly. In addition to three Thunderbolt 4 ports, it also has MagSafe 3, an HDMI port for video output to a monitor or TV, an SDXC card slot, and a headphone jack.
MagSafe 3 is one of the better additions to the lineup, as it purely serves as the user’s charging option. It avoids wasting a Thunderbolt 4 port purely for charging, although that option is always available.
MacBook Pro vs. MacBook Air: Power, Audio, and Other Details
The 13-inch MacBook Air and 13-inch MacBook Pro have similar audio capabilities, with stereo speakers featuring wide stereo sound, Dolby Atmos support, a headphone jack, and a three-microphone array with directional beamforming.
The 14-inch and 16-inch models have a six-speaker sound system with force-canceling woofers for a richer, deeper sound. Spatial Audio also joins the wide stereo sound and Dolby Atmos support when using compatible AirPods, with head tracking features.
The larger models also use a three-microphone array and headphone jack.
Regarding battery life, the MacBook Air can manage up to 15 hours of web browsing and 18 hours of video playback on the Apple TV app with its 49.9Whr battery.
The 13-inch MacBook Pro offers more usage time, with 17 hours of surfing and 20 hours of video playback. This is because it has more internal space, allowing Apple to fit in a larger 58.2Whr battery.
You can get a full day’s usability from the MacBook Air’s battery, but on the Pro, you can get more.
The 14-inch MacBook Pro uses a larger 70Whr battery to manage 11 hours of surfing and 17 hours of playback, as it is a larger laptop. The 16-inch model has a battery capacity of 100Whr, providing 14 hours of surfing and 21 hours of video.
Different models come with different chargers, starting with the low 30W USB-C power adapter for the MacBook Air, up to 61W for the 13-inch Pro. The 14-inch defaults to 67W, with higher configurations providing 96W, and the 16-inch has a 140W adapter.
Generally, the higher the wattage of the charger, the faster it charges the device connected to it. This may not lead to the 13-inch MacBook Pro charging in half the time of the MacBook Air, but there will definitely be a time difference between the laptops.
All models include Touch ID, although the 13-inch has a Touch Bar, which is a traditional design element removed from its redesigned stabilizers. The Touch Bar provided various controls on a thin display strip on the keyboard but has been replaced by a full row of function keys in newer keyboard iterations.
The 13-inch models come with a 720p FaceTime HD camera, with enhanced image signal processing and computational video as part of the M1 chip’s capabilities, making the image as ideal as possible. The 14-inch and 16-inch models have upgraded 1080p versions, again with enhanced image signal processing and computational video improvements.
