The first Mac laptops with Apple silicon changed the game. But now that the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models have almost identical M1 processors, choosing which model to buy is not as easy as it used to be. That is why we are here to break everything and eliminate the assumptions.
Project
Neither the 13-inch MacBook Pro nor the MacBook Air are different from the models they replace. Both measure the same 8.36 inches by 11.97 inches, and the Air still has a tapered edge that extends from 0.16 inches to 0.63 inches, while the Pro has a fixed height of 0.61 inches. And the Air is lighter, at 2.8 pounds versus just 3 pounds on the Pro.
IDG / Willis LaiThe design of the new MacBooks is identical to that of the old ones.
The interior is also the same. Both have a magic keyboard flanked by a pair of vertical speakers, along with familiar bezels around the screen. A large Force Touch trackpad is centered below the keyboard and they come in the same colors: silver and space gray for the Pro and silver, space gray and gold for the Air.
Our opinion: It is a bit annoying that the design is so similar to last year, especially since Apple obviously had to do a bit of reengineering to configure the old MacBook body for the new chip. But the design of both machines is very good and should not influence your decision in one way or another.
Exhibition
Although both laptops already had 13.3-inch screens, the Pro had a small advantage with support for the DCI-P3 range for greater color saturation. MacBook Air now also has this specification, so the screens are almost identical:
- 13.3 inch (diagonal) LED backlit IPS
- 2560 by 1600 pixels
- Wide color (P3)
- True tone
The only difference between them now is that most people are unlikely to notice. On the MacBook Pro, the maximum brightness is 500 nits while the Air reaches only 400 nits. But both are brighter than your eyes can withstand for a long period of time.
Our opinion: Both computers have fantastic screens, but we would still like to see some improvements with the next generation: mini-LED, end-to-end designs, rounded corners, anything to make it a little more modern. Like the design, the canvas should not be a factor in your decision.
Keyboard, ports and camera
The Air and Pro have the same magic keyboard launched last year, so you don’t have to worry about tall, sticky keys. Apple’s newest keyboard is a big improvement over the old one and will be great for typing. Both have backlight with an ambient light sensor, as well as a Touch ID sensor for unlocking, authenticating and purchasing Apple Pay.
Willis Lai / IDGThe keyboard on the new MacBooks is excellent.
The difference is in the function keys. As in recent generations, the MacBook Pro features the Touch Bar, which is a thin OLED screen above the number line, while the MacBook Air has a standard set of function keys, which include dedicated keys for Spotlight (f4), Dictation (F5 ) and Do not disturb (F6) for the first time.
When it comes to ports, both models have a pair of USB-C / Thunderbolt ports on the left side and a headphone connector on the right. And that’s it. Apple offers a more expensive 13-inch MacBook Pro with four ports, but it uses an Intel processor, so you’ll probably need to invest in a hub or at least a dongle or two.
And, unfortunately, the two new MacBooks use the same old FaceTime 720p camera, although Apple says the images should be improved with the new chip. Apple is using a custom image signal processor, as well as face detection on the Neural Engine on the M1, which says it will bring “clearer, sharper images” with more detail in shadows and highlights and “more natural-looking skin tones” .
Our opinion: If your choice between MacBook Air and MacBook Pro is about the keyboard, it’s a matter of preference. We still don’t see the meaning of the Touch Bar, but we don’t hate it as much as before. Touch ID is great on both models and we like the Touch Bar to have a dedicated Escape key to the right of the Touch Bar. However, we’re not at all excited about the doors – two just don’t work on a “professional” machine. And don’t tell us about the camera.
Processor and graphics
Now, at the moment, you were all waiting. Both new Apple laptops feature the new M1 processor, which Apple claims is “the world’s fastest CPU core when it comes to low-power silicon.”
AppleThe new M1 promises a tremendous increase in speed over the previous generation.
However, like the iPhone, Apple does not provide concrete data with these claims. But in our tests, both are incredibly fast, posting very similar Geekbench 5 and Cinebench R23 scores:
Geekbench 5 (Single / Multi)
MacBook Air: 1730/7454
MacBook Pro: 1724/7569
Cinebench R23 (Single / Multi)
MacBook Air: 1496/6838
MacBook Pro: 1513/7778
The slight difference in scores is due to the slightly low-powered GPU on the MacBook Air we tested. See how the models are divided:
MacBook Air (256 GB)
8-core CPU with 4 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores
7-core GPU
16-core Neural Motor
MacBook Air (512 GB)
8-core CPU with 4 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores
8-core GPU
16-core Neural Motor
MacBook Pro (256 GB / 512 GB)
8-core CPU with 4 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores
8-core GPU
16-core Neural Motor
The extra GPU core with the MacBook Pro and higher MacBook Air settings makes a little difference, but unless you are going to encode video for long periods, it won’t be noticeable. What can be noticed is the noise of the fan. The MacBook Air does not have one and the Pro does, so you can hear it trigger at higher speeds. However, it also means that the Pro can sustain high speeds for longer without strangling due to overheating.
Our opinion: If you need speed, upgrade to the MacBook Pro, but otherwise, the 512 GB MacBook Air is the sweet spot for performance, storage and price.
Drums
When it comes to battery life, you can’t go wrong with any of the models. Even if you just follow Apple’s reviews, battery life has improved a lot, with the M1 Air rated for 15 hours (11 hours) and the Pro estimated to last 17 hours, a huge jump from the previous 10 hours. And that with the same integrated 49.9 watt-hour battery in the Air and the 58.2 watt battery in the Pro. So the new chip from Apple is extremely efficient.
In our tests, the MacBook Pro lasted a little longer than the Air, but both were extremely efficient, with an increase of almost 40% over previous Intel models:
MacBook Pro: 17.9 hours
MacBook Air: 16.2 hours
Our opinion: You’re getting crazy good battery life, no matter what model you buy, but if you want the longest-lasting MacBook ever, the Pro is the best.
Storage and RAM
All four Macbook M1 models come with 8 GB of “unified” DDR4 memory that can be upgraded to 16 GB, as well as 256 GB of storage with 512 GB, 1 TB and 2 TB upgrade options. Apple says the new SSDs are twice as fast as before, but recent evidence suggests that they may have a shorter life span than expected.
When performing a routine SSD health check, some developers on Twitter noticed more wear than expected after just a few months of use. Apple didn’t respond, so we don’t know how or if it will affect the longevity of the new MacBooks, so we have two suggestions: Run the smartmontools health check every few months and buy as much RAM and storage as you can afford. On the one hand, a 512 GB disk will naturally outlast a 256 GB one, and on the other hand, the problem appears to be worse on machines with 8 GB of RAM versus 16 GB.
Our opinion: It can end up being a lot of noise for nothing, but until we’re sure, you might as well cover your bases and get a little more storage and RAM. Even if SSD fears are unjustified, you’ll be happy with the extra space and memory. After all, nobody ever said, “There also lots of storage space on this laptop. “
Price
Apple is selling two standard configurations of each model with prices similar to the previous ones:
MacBook Air (256 GB): $ 999
MacBook Air (512 GB): $ 1,249
MacBook Pro (256 GB): $ 1,299
MacBook Pro (512 GB): $ 1,499
You can upgrade to 16 GB of RAM for $ 200, and each level of storage (512 GB or 1 TB) also costs $ 200, with Apple charging $ 400 to go from 1 TB to 2 TB.
AppleOur opinion: As noted above, we recommend getting the best machine you can afford at the time of purchase, as it will not be possible to upgrade in the future. But if you need to choose, we update the RAM before storage.
Our buying advice
With a fast chip, long battery life, 13-inch screen and a pair of USB-C ports, the M1 MacBook Pro and MacBook Air have some similarities. So much so that we don’t think there is a reason for most people to deviate from the cheaper model and spend the savings on updates. We recommend the MacBook Air with a 7-core GPU and adding 16 GB of RAM and 512 GB of storage for a total of $ 1,399.