We compare the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro with the M1: which is the best?
From the outside they are very similar. With Retina displays, M1 processors, and even similar prices, it's easy to think that MacBook Air and MacBook Pro are pretty much the same device. But are they really? Examining its specifications and features, we found the differences to be greater (there is even a 16-inch MacBook Pro for those who need a larger screen, although this still comes with previous Intel processors ).
So which one should you buy? In this comparison we will put the MacBook Air and the 13-inch MacBook Pro side by side, both with an M1 processor .
Design
The two MacBook's look very similar at first glance: they have aluminum finishes and the same colors (the MacBook Air has a gold version) and the biggest difference is in the Touch Bar , which we will talk about later.
The screen of the two computers is Retina, with a resolution of 2560 x 1600 pixels and 227 ppi (pixels per inch). Apple has made some of the best laptop screens, so whichever model you choose, it will be of very good quality, even though there are some differences in color gamut and brightness.
In our tests , we found that the MacBook Pro reaches 485 nits of brightness, while the MacBook Air only reaches 389. The MacBook Pro is also better at color accuracy: 91 percent on Adobe RGB, compared to 79 percent. cent of the MacBook Air. This means that those who need to work on something where color accuracy is important, the best option is the MacBook Pro. For others, the MacBook Air is sufficient.
The screen of the two models is a little different, but not the keyboard. Now you no longer have to worry about sticky or open keys, as both have Magic Keyboard, leaving behind the controversial butterfly keyboard. The Magic Keyboard has proven to be more comfortable and with very consistent operation, in the style of old Apple keyboards.
In addition, both computers include a trackpad large , which has enough space for macOS gestures. This is the best trackpad you will find in a laptop, both from Apple and from any other brand.
As mentioned before, there is one key difference between the MacBook Air and the MacBook Pro 13 that is immediately noticeable: the touch bar called the Touch Bar. The MacBook Air has never included it in any of its models and that continues in the most recent. , thus maintaining the classic row of keys for various functions plus the button Touch ID on the right. The MacBook Pro, on the other hand, does have a Touch Bar , although that could change in the medium term, as there are rumors that they will be replaced by the Air's row of physical keys.
MacBook Air and MacBook Pro have USB-C compliant Thunderbolt 3 ports that also work with USB-4. These ports are used for a wide variety of connections, both charging and data transfer. On the MacBook Air there are only two of them left, which means a may have to be purchased hub USB if necessary; the same goes for the MacBook Pro 13 with the M1 chip. Apple still sells MacBook Pro 13 models with Intel processors that have four USB-C ports, but it is more convenient to choose the higher performance that M1 processor computers offer and purchase a hub USB if necessary. As we'll discuss later, the M1's power makes up for cutbacks in other respects.
In addition, the two computers have 720p resolution webcams, stereo speakers and a 3.5mm headphone jack. For Those Who Concerned: The audio from the MacBook Pro's speakers is superior and far better than most other notebooks out there.
Performance
This is where things get interesting. The newer MacBook Air and MacBook Pro 13 went from Intel processors to M1 chips produced by Apple itself. These are based on the ARM architecture, which means that they use energy more efficiently, and we are not talking about marginal savings, but about processors that generate so little heat that they do not even need a fan.
The M1, however, is not a chip that serves only for simple or mundane tasks, since it has a very high performance, even with its reduced power use. The processor is eight-core: four high-performance and four more efficient. And the video card has seven or eight cores (depending on the model) that are capable of everything. Bottom line: what Apple has achieved with the M1 is very remarkable.
Now let's talk about numbers. In Geek bench 5 software, the MacBook Air scores 1,727 points in the single-core tests and 7,585 in multi-core tests, while the MacBook Pro scores 1,707 and 7,337 respectively. The MacBook Air also achieves these numbers without a fan (the Pro does) and despite that, the chassis hardly feels a bit warm to the touch. The Pro and Air scores with M1s, otherwise, higher than Intel's best Tiger Lake processors - the i7-1185G7 scores 1,593 and 5,904 in the same Geek bench tests.
But the above is about synthetic tests; tests in the real world may tell otherwise. The good thing, in this case, is that the M1 chip also performs very well in tasks such as video decoding: in Handbrake 1.4.0 (a version of the program optimized for M1 processors), the MacBook Air decodes a 420 megabyte file in H.265 codec in just two minutes and 48 seconds; a computer with an Intel Core i5 processor does it in four minutes and 30 seconds. And the MacBook Pro? The numbers are similar to those of the Air: two minutes and 36 seconds.
Neither of these laptops are of much use with video games, but something can be done with the M1 and its integrated graphics. On the MacBook Air, Fortinet reaches 33 quads per second with high quality graphics and 1680 x 1050 pixel resolution, while Civilization VI reaches 51 frames per second at the same resolution and medium quality graphics. For its part, the MacBook Pro does reach 60 frames per second in Fortinet with medium-quality graphics; Neither model has significant temperature increases with these games, which means that they can be used for casual play without major inconvenience.
Still, the performance of a computer is more than just the processor or video card; memory is also important. And here, the new Apple laptops do very well thanks to the architecture on which they are based, since both CPU and GPU and memory are unified within a single chip (hence the name of system-on-a-chip of these processors). This means that, being so close to each other, they can take advantage of what is called Unified Memory Architecture ; Instead of sending separate instructions to each component's memory banks, they use a single bank for all of them. Over time, this allows applications to run faster and more efficiently.
As both computers have the same chip, the performance differences between the two are minimal. In some cases, the Air outperforms the Pro (something we never thought would happen), while in other cases the reverse is true. And if we take into account that the MacBook Air is cheaper, perhaps that model is more convenient from a pure performance point of view.
Portability
The MacBook Pro is 0.61 inches thick and 11.97 wide, while the Air ranges from 0.16 to 0.63 inches thick, and 11.97 wide. This makes the MacBook Air slightly thicker than the Pro, but at the same time it is lighter at 1.27 kilograms versus the 1.36 kilograms of the MacBook Pro. And most likely, nobody will notice the difference unless you put the equipment on a weight . Visually, the most noticeable difference is in the extra color option (gold) on the MacBook Air and the lack of a Touch Bar on it.
The other key component in the portability of a laptop like these is battery life. Apple promised that the M1 chip would be very efficient and that is true: previous MacBook Pro models with Intel processors deliver up to 6 hours of battery life, while in the MacBook Air that number could go up to 9 or 10 hours with moderate use.
And what about the new models? In our tests we concluded that the MacBook Pro with M1 can give up to 16 hours of moderate use and up to 21 hours of video playback. The MacBook Air, meanwhile, stayed at 15.5 hours of moderate use and 18.5 of video playback, numbers that from now on will be the new standard for equipment in this segment.
In addition, it must be taken into account that all this is achieved with a high resolution screen that consumes a lot of energy and a very powerful processor in general. Neither the MacBook Pro nor the MacBook Air are underperforming laptops or anything like that, which gives us insight into how good battery efficiency is.
Best option: MacBook Air
Since both the MacBook Air and the MacBook Pro have the same processor, choosing between one of the two is more complicated than before and everything can even be decided on somewhat secondary aspects. Because whatever model you choose, the performance will be the highest that can be found in a computer of this style, as well as the life of the batteries. After years of stagnation, Apple finally took the lead in the world of laptops.
Thus, the key differences are related to the use that the equipment will have. A designer, photographer or anyone who places great importance on the quality of the colors on the screen would have to choose the MacBook Pro, since the brightness of the Retina is higher and the same happens with the representation of the colors. Yes, the display on the MacBook Air is also very good, but it falls short of the level of the Pro.
The Touch Bar is more a matter of taste. Because let's put it like this: the Touch Bar has never lived up to its potential, even though it has some cool implementations, such as apps displayed on top of it. But if you are concerned about what might happen to the small panel with accidental bumps or because you simply prefer the physical keys, the MacBook Air is better.
In some respects, the Air is the winner. The finless design makes it completely silent in any instance, something those who hate that their computers make even the slightest noise will appreciate. And despite the lack of fans, the performance does not suffer from that of the MacBook Pro and even manages to surpass it in some cases, which is an advantage in the long run.
And finally, the price. The MacBook Pro with M1 starts at $ 1,299, while the MacBook Air starts at $ 999. And if we talk about laptops with such a powerful processor, $ 300 less than its big brother but without a performance reduction, we can say that the Air is the most convenient MacBook of today.
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