The difference between Apple's MacBook Air and Pro laptop
If you think the difference between the Mac Mac Pro and the MacBook Air from Apple laptops is between the lesser weight of 100 grams and the lowest price of $300 and the cooling fan, then let me disappoint you! The difference is quite vast, and each has its own specific uses designed specifically to meet it. While most of the comparisons focus on reducing the distance between the Pro and Air, here we will highlight the vast differences between both versions! Knowing that this comparison is not the first for us, but an updated version of previous comparisons we had started years ago under the title Comparison between MacBook, MacBook Pro, and MacBook Air, here we keep pace with the new changes taking place in both versions.
Since 2020, Apple has abandoned the use of Intel chips in its MacBook mobile devices, to be replaced by a SOC-type chip made by the company under the name Apple Silicon, which was adopted in the same year for both MacBook Air and MacBook Pro devices, as the basic version (MacBook Air) 13 and MacBook Pro 13) works with the Apple M1 chip, but this does not mean that they are equal in terms of use efficiency, and it does not negate the superiority of one over the other such as strong performance and multiple options for the MacBook Pro or the agility, smoothness of use and long battery life for the MacBook Air As we shall see in the next paragraphs.
MacBook Pro | Optimized for heavy-duty
For “Apple” products, it is enough for you to read the name to make your choice even without looking at the technical specifications, and while most major companies use the term Pro to promote, Apple uses it as a sign of the environment for which the device is directed, especially since it is the most powerful and most expensive ever, as well as it can perform Difficult tasks in any circumstance without panting, its only problem is the gluttony of energy consumption, besides its relatively high price. However, these shortcomings may become a thing of the past when the M2 version of the MacBook Pro series is launched in the coming days, which promises less power consumption in exchange for higher performance.
Although the MacBook Air version (M1 version) can do all the tasks assigned to it, such as 8K video processing and 3D viewing, it may need much more time compared to the MacBook Pro (the 13-inch version), which also depends on the M1 chip and the reason for that This is due to the lack of a cooling fan in the MacBook Air, which forces the processor to reduce performance to maintain its temperatures within the limits, unlike the MacBook Pro, which will maintain its work within a single frequency.
MacBook Pro | Lots of options for all uses
The previous comparison was limited to clarifying the performance difference in general between the two versions of MacBook Air and MacBook Pro, specifically the 13-inch version of the MacBook Pro, as both of them depend on the same internal processing chip, whether Apple M1 or Apple M2, there is a slight difference in performance. But if we compare the Air with its bigger siblings in the MacBook Pro series, we find a huge difference.
Apart from the 13-inch version, the MacBook Pro series includes the 14-inch and 16-inch versions, and although the numbers here express the size of the display screen, at the same time, a larger screen means more space to include more powerful internal hardware, and this is what actually happens. In the 14-inch version, the M1 Pro chip that literally doubles everything found in the Apple M1 with 10-core CPUs, 16-core graphics, and 200Gbps of bandwidth powers the MacBook.
The M1 Max chip used in the 16-inch MacBook Pro doubles everything found in the M1 Pro, with a 32-core graphics processor and 400GB/s bandwidth. Not to mention that the M1 Pro and M1 Max chips contain special technologies that are not available in the M1 or M2 chip currently used in the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro 13-inch.
The MacBook Pro offers you a storage capacity of up to 8TB and up to 64GB for RAM versus 2TB for storage and 16GB for MacBook Air. Not to mention the number of Thunderbolt ports, which will become more with the MacBook Pro 14/16-inch versions, so the Pro outperforms its Air counterpart to be your ideal choice for professional work, whether designing or editing high-definition videos. Of course, this is if the money is available, especially since the MacBook Pro is famous for its large consumption of energy and money together!
MacBook Air | Economical in every way
We agreed, then, that the MacBook Pro is superior in terms of performance in almost everything compared to the MacBook Air, but this superiority comes at the expense of energy, especially with the M1 Pro/Max chipset, which requires high electrical power provided by chargers with a capacity of 140/96 or 67 watts compared to 30 watts Only for MacBook Air charger. Although the MacBook Pro charge can charge the battery faster than the MacBook Air, this is not an advantage at all if we take the battery consumption rate into account, as we find that MacBook Air devices last up to 18 hours at best, while the MacBook battery lasts Pro version 16 inch about 8 hours.
Of course, energy savings is not everything for the MacBook Air, there is also “money savings”, especially since its prices start from $999 and reach $2050 for the final version (the highest specifications), compared to $1300 for the cheapest types of MacBook Pro, the 13-inch version And up to $6,100 for the final version.
This price difference certainly makes you rethink between the economical MacBook Air and the more powerful MacBook Pro in terms of performance and consumption. However, despite all the above, Apple may make up for these differences in the upcoming Mac Pro versions, both in terms of power consumption, which will be much lower with the M2 chip, according to Apple’s claim, or in terms of price, which Apple promised to reduce starting with its new releases. Which will realize next month. Savings alone is not what distinguishes the MacBook Air from its Pro counterpart, there are other advantages such as smoothness and lightness.
The most stylish MacBook Air too
Another thing that distinguishes the MacBook Air from the Pro is the weight besides the streamlined design, especially since the MacBook Air comes with slender edges from the front, which helps with the level of use, unlike the MacBook Pro with the classic design. Add to that the lightness of the MacBook Air; Approximately 1.29 kg compared to 1.4 kg for the MacBook Pro version (the 13-inch version), and it becomes 1.6 kg for the 14-inch version and 2.1 kg for the 16-inch version, so the MacBook Air is superior as well, but makes it the best portable device in terms of " Convenience of Use" ever made by Apple.
However, despite the classic MacBook Pro design, it features more USB-C Thunderbolt ports, not to mention the HDMI output and SD card support that the 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro versions offer. Of course, that's not all. There is also what distinguishes the MacBook Pro from the MacBook Air, which is the screen.
The talk here is not about resolution and color, but rather about the intensity of brightness, which reaches 1,600 units (Nits) for MacBook Pro versions compared to 500 nits (Nits) for MacBook Air. The display panel itself is also different, as the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models use a Liquid Retina XDR panel, which has better pixels per inch, while the 13-inch MacBook Air and MacBook Pro versions still use the older Liquid Retina and Retina display panels.
