If you’re looking to buy a new MacBook laptop, you’ve probably heard that the MacBook Air and the MacBook Pro are excellent options.
But which one is best for you?
In this article, we’ll discuss all the differences between these models so that you can decide which one to buy.
So keep reading on!
- Design
The MacBook Pro comes in three sizes: 13-inch, 15-inch and 17-inch. The 13-inch model weighs 3 pounds and measures 0.7 inches thick, while the 15-inch weighs 4 pounds and measures 0.71 inches thick (the 15-inch model is also available with a Touch Bar).
The 17-inch model is considerably heavier at 5 pounds, but it’s still just 0.9 inches thick (the 17-inch version does not feature a Touch Bar).
The MacBook Air starts at $999 for a 1.6GHz dual-core i5 processor with 8GB of RAM, which isn’t too bad considering it has an 11″ screen that can be extended to 12″.
However, if you want to max out its specs, you’ll pay over $1,500 for an i7 processor with 16GB of memory and 512GB of SSD storage! Overall though, we think these are both pretty good laptops!
- Build Quality
The Macbook Air has a solid build quality. When you touch it, you can feel the sturdiness of its body.
It feels like there’s nothing to worry about when you carry it around in your bag or backpack.
In contrast, the Macbook Pro is not as well built. You can tell that it’s made out of plastic just by holding it in your hands for a few seconds—the same feeling with using an iPad Pro or any other iPad model.
The outer shell makes the device feel plasticky rather than premium, which I don’t like about this computer. We think Apple should address this issue in future updates and releases of their laptops (as well as their iPhones).
- Monitoring
The Macbook Air and Pro have two Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) ports. The difference is that the Pro has four, while the Air only has two.
It is a huge advantage for those who need to connect devices such as monitors, external hard drives and more at the same time.
It’s always better to have more than not enough options to choose from for connectivity options!
- Touch Bar
The MacBook Pro has a Touch Bar feature that lets you interact with your laptop via touch screen; this makes things like typing or navigating through menus easier than ever before! If you want this feature too, then go for it.
If not, don’t worry because both models come with regular function keys instead. There’s no need to worry about losing out on anything important while using either model of MacBook laptop.
- Processor, Battery Life and Charging
The Macbook Air is better than the Macbook Pro for battery life. It has a longer-lasting battery and takes less time to charge.
The charging time of the Macbook Air is 1 hour and 10 minutes, while it takes 2 hours and 20 minutes for the Macbook Pro to get charged up.
Also, both these laptops have fast-charging technology, but since they have different processors, we can say that one has a better processor than another.
- Keyboard and Trackpad
MacBook Air comes with a Magic Keyboard, a delight to use. The new Magic Keyboard on the MacBook Pro is also excellent with its quieter keys and now features a fingerprint sensor.
It’s a total game-changer, the best keyboard Apple has ever made. If you like touchpads that click down when you press them, you should get yourself one of these.
The Force Touch trackpad on both machines has four sensitivity levels for different gestures, such as pinch-to-zoom or three-finger swiping between pages in Safari or Chrome.
- Storage
If you need a computer with a lot of storage, the Macbook Pro is your best bet. It has an SSD storage that can be upgraded to 2TB.
The Macbook Air also has an SSD but with a faster speed than that of the Pro. It also has a 1.5TB limit which is not much compared to the upgrade option available for the Pro’s SSD.
- Software, Security and Support
The software and security of Macbooks are a major concern for most people. This section will review the software support that Apple offers and how well your Macbook will hold up to potential threats to its security.
First, let’s look at the available software options for each device. Let’s say you want to use Microsoft Office or Photoshop.
In that case, the best option is the MacBook Pro with Retina Display because it has more powerful hardware than other MacBook models (upgraded processors and RAM).
Alternatively, if you only need basic tools like word processing or spreadsheets, any of these laptops will suit your needs; most people won’t need much more than that anyway, so choosing between these two laptops shouldn’t be too important.
Macbook Air VS Macbook Pro: So Which One You Should Buy?
Now you know the differences between the two products and their similarities. It’s time to choose the product that is right for you:
- The Macbook Pro is a great laptop with a powerful processor and graphics card that will last for years to come. You’ll be able to run resource-heavy programs like Photoshop or Final Cut Pro without skipping a beat.
- Although the MacBook Air has a smaller screen than the Macbook Pro, it still gets the job done in most situations. If you’re not interested in playing games or editing videos on your laptop, this may be enough power for what you need it for—and at half the price!
So, make the decision wisely!
