Much is said about the excellence of the quality of Apple products, and with the notebook line it is no different. A consumer dream for many technology enthusiasts and professionals, they are also reputed to be expensive. But after all, what is the difference between the MacBook Air and Macbook Pro lines?
With similar designs and specs, the choice comes down to how much you can spend and how much processing power you need. The cheaper Air, but the Pro is a better choice for the more demanding user. Let's take a closer look at the differences between Macbook Air and Macbook Pro.
While the shape may be similar, there are still several decisions to make when considering a purchase. Do you prefer a lighter, more portable notebook? How much processing do you need? How much can you spend?
Let's break down the differences and similarities between the two notebooks, to help you decide which one is best for you.
Dimensions and weight
When it was released in 2008, the MacBook Air was the lightest notebook available. Over the years that followed, the MacBook Pro's weight has also decreased, so the gap is much smaller than it was. The 2019 MacBook Air still weighs less than the Pro; 1,25 kg compared to 1,37 kg.
As for size, the 2019 MacBook Air is 30,41cm x 21,24cm and 15,6mm thick, shrinking to 4,1mm at its narrowest point. The 13-inch MacBook Pro is 30,41cm x 21,24cm, so it has the same footprints, but is a little thicker overall at 14,9mm. For comparison, the MacBook Pro 16in is 35,79 cm x 24,59 cm, with a thickness of 16,2 mm and a weight of 2 kg.
- MacBook Air: 30,41 cm x 21,24 cm x 15,6 / 4,1 mm; 1.25kg
- MacBook Pro 13in: 30,41cm x 21,24cm x 14,9mm; 1,37kg
- MacBook Pro 16in: 35,79cm x 24,59cm x 16,2mm; 2kg
Both 2019 models come with Touch ID and Force Touch trackpad, but the touch bar on the Pro (Touch Bar) is really the main design difference between the two. If you're not familiar with it, the Touch Bar is a multi-touch strip that replaces the F keys, and can provide different contextual controls depending on the application you're open - although it still doesn't have universal support.
Processor and RAM
The main difference with the new 2019 models, other than the Touch Bar (more on that later), is that the Pro has a quad-core processor, while the Air runs a dual-core, although the Air has a faster base clock speed. high. The integrated graphics in the Pro are also better.
If you can spend a little more, there are plenty of custom crafting options to consider on both machines. Each can be customized with a higher spec processor, more memory, more storage, and so on.
Although the Air and Pro are powered by 5th Gen Intel Core i8 processors, they are different models. The Air can clock in at 1,6GHz, but it's only dual-core and Turbo Boosts to 3,6GHz.
The Pro is clocked at 1.4GHz quad-core, and the Turbo Boost reaches 3.9GHz. That means it's more powerful overall, while the chip in the Air serves to balance power and efficiency. On the more expensive Pro models, you get a 5GHz quad-core Intel Core i2,4, with Turbo Boost up to 4,1GHz.
It's worth noting that only the Pro can be configured to use two different Core i7 processors, so it's the best option if you need a lot of processing power. The Air has only one chip.
For those who really need a lot of power, the MacBook Pro 16in offers 9th Gen Intel processors with six or eight cores and AMD Radeon graphics.
All standard models come with 8GB of 2133MHz RAM, so there is no difference. But you can easily increase this RAM to 16 GB, regardless of the model (even older ones). The 16" MacBook Pro starts with 16GB of RAM as standard, but this can be configured up to 64GB.
Storage
When it comes to storage, the most entry-level MacBook Air and Pro have 128GB SSDs, and 256GB versions. The more expensive Pro has a 512GB SSD. Both support up to 1TB, including the Air, however, the Pro can support a 2TB SSD. The 16-inch model starts at 512GB and goes up to 1TB for the i9 variant, which supports up to 8TB.
battery life
Where processor speed is clearly in the MacBook Pro's favor, another potentially critical feature is battery life, and this time it's the MacBook Air that wins. The company claims the Air can support 12 hours of web browsing via Wi-Fi, and 13 hours of video playback - essentially a full day of use. That's compared to 10 hours each on the 13in Pro and 11 hours on the 16in Pro.
Fabric
When it comes to the display, the older MacBook Air models lose out to the Pro, but current models don't have that much of a discrepancy. This is due to an Air upgrade to Retina Display technology with True Tone.
Both have 13,3-inch LED-backlit screens and IPS technology, with a resolution of 2560x1600, which makes them 227 ppi. The only difference now is that the Pro has a brightness level of 500nit and a wide color (P3), which the new Air lacks.
The 16in Pro has the same technology as the 13in Pro, but the larger area means it can display resolutions from 3072x1920 with a PPI of 226 to 500nits. And unfortunately Apple still doesn't offer touchscreens.
graphics and games
Unlike the high-spec 16-inch models, the 13-inch MacBook Pro continues to use exclusively integrated Intel graphics - although they're not identical.
The first two Pro models use the Intel Iris Plus Graphics 645, and go up to 655 for the more expensive models. On the other hand, the MacBook Air uses the lower-level Intel UHD Graphics 617.
As this is all built into the processor, it's a similar story of more power with the Pro, and a more balanced solution on the Air. If you need an extra, you can connect an eGPU via Thunderbolt - or you can opt for the 16-inch MacBook Pro, which has both Intel UHD Graphics 630 and AMD Radeon Pro discrete graphics cards.
ports and peripherals
Laptops used to come with multiple ports, but Apple gradually moved to a very simple approach, using USB-C (which supports Thunderbolt 3 and DisplayPort) in MacBooks. Things like full-size USB (Type A) and even SD card slots are long gone.
The two cheaper MacBook Pro models have exactly the same setup on the 2019 Air, so you get two USB-C ports and a headphone jack. Keep in mind that one will be needed for loading.
The two more expensive 13-inch MacBook Pro models come with four USB-C ports instead of two, which can come in handy depending on what you need. This corresponds to all 16in Pro models.
It is worth remembering that there are many USB-C adapters and accessories on the market to expand the ports, allowing the use of HDMI, VGA, USB 3.0 and more.
Pricing
This is perhaps the biggest difference (at least the most significant) for most people, but we've saved it for last because when you read everything you've read until you get to this topic, you'll understand the difference in values.
As you may have noticed, the MacBook Pro has much higher settings than the MacBook Air, and that justifies the difference in values. A better processor, with more RAM, more internal space and a larger screen add values that explain the difference between the two lines of Apple notebooks.
Currently, you can find the 5 MacBook Air i2017 with a 13" screen, 8GB of RAM and 128GB SSD for less than R$5 at online retailers in Spain. A 2019 MacBook Air model can hardly be found for around R$ 9 thousand. The model in question is a Core i5 with a 256GB SSD with 8GB of RAM and a 13" screen.
The MacBook Pro does not go for less than R$ 10 thousand. The cheapest model we found is the 5 MacBook Pro i2019, with a 13" screen, with 128GB of SSD and 8GB of RAM.
A good example is the MacBook 2019 Intel Core i9 (9th Gen) eight-core 2,4GHz (Turbo Boost up to 5,0GHz), 16" display, 8TB SSD and 64GB RAM including an AMD card Radeon Pro 5500M with 8 GB of GDDR6 memory This machine, on Apple's website, costs R$ 50.999,00 at the Apple Store.
The most basic version of this machine, with 1TB SDD, 16GB RAM, 9GHz eight-core Intel Core i9 (2,3th generation) (Turbo Boost up to 4,8GHz) and 5500GB AMD Radeon Pro 4M graphics card of GDDR6 memory costs R$ 24.599,00.
So, as you may have noticed, a MacBook can cost from R$5 to R$50 in stores, depending on the type of machine and the processing power needed. And it makes a lot of difference to choose between the Air line or the Pro line.
Verdict
The latest MacBook Air models have a lot more range, and they come a lot closer to a Pro model than they used to, thanks to an updated display and new processors. Obviously, the Air is the better option if you're looking for the simplest MacBook, but if you have more money to spend, the decision is more complicated, especially since a current Air model is about the same price as a Pro.
If the Touch Bar doesn't influence your decision, we can broadly say that the Pro is best suited for those who need more processing power and graphics. The Air, meanwhile, is better if you're looking for a model with power, portability and battery life.
