The choice is now more complicated thanks to the multiple models available in the lineup. There’s the MacBook Air M1 and the entry-level MacBook Pro M1, which were released in 2020 but still deliver excellent performance thanks to the M1 chip. There’s also 2021’s $1,999 MacBook Pro 14-inch, which offers M1 Pro/M1 Max chips that are more powerful than the M1 in the 13-inch MacBook Pro, a larger mini-LED display, more ports and a sharper 1080p webcam. The 16-inch MacBook Pro offers all of the same upgrades plus a larger, sharper display and longer battery life. And of course, there’s the new M2-powered MacBook Pro 13-inch and MacBook Air 2022. Apple’s reaping the rewards of ditching Intel’s processors for its own Apple silicon and the results are staggering, ensuring all of these laptops have a spot on our best laptop list. As we’ve seen in our MacBook Air with M1 review and MacBook Pro with M1 review, upgrading these MacBooks with Apple silicon has given them surprising speed and crazy battery life. And as we’ve seen in our Apple M2 benchmark tests, the latest processor is even more powerful than the regular M1. Here’s everything you need to know to find the best MacBook for you when choosing between the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro. Also, be sure to check out our Black Friday MacBook deals hub to stay up to date on the latest sales for Apple’s notebooks. Devices like those mentioned in this article are selling for hundreds of dollars off, so it’s best to act fast before inventory runs out.
MacBook Air vs Pro: Specs
MacBook Air vs Pro: Design
The M1 MacBook Air and Pro share machined aluminum shells, come in silver and Space Gray, and all have the little lip at the front of the base, for easily opening the screen. The Air has a tapered-wedge design, as it always has. The new MacBook Pros deliver slim bezels and ditch the Touch Bar in favor of a dedicated function row (we say good riddance). There’s a notch at the top for the 1080p webcam, but it’s not too distracting. The M2 MacBook Air 2022 has a design that’s more akin to the 2021 MacBook Pros, ditching the tapered design. It also has thinner bezels and a notch for the camera. The M2 MacBook Pro has the exact same design as its M1-powered predecessor. While the M1 MacBook Air’s tear-drop (it’s more like a wedge than a rectangle) design is iconic, my favorite distinct feature about the Air is its gold color option, which just looks so much more attractive than the light and dark silver options. When it comes to portability, the 2.7-pound MacBook Air 2022 is the lightest followed by the 3-pound 13-inch MacBook Pro. But the 14-inch MacBook Pro is still fairly portable at 3.5 pounds. The 16-inch goes to 4.7 pounds. Unfortunately, the new MacBook Pros are limited to Silver and Space Gray. Winner: MacBook Air for portability, MacBook Pros for slimmer bezels
MacBook Air vs MacBook Pro: Ports
If you want plenty of ports, the MacBook Air is not the best choice. It offers only two Thunderbolt 3 ports. The M1-powered 13-inch MacBook Pro also has only two Thunderbolt 3/USB-C ports. The M2-powered machines share the same number of ports. The new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros deliver the most ports, including three Thunderbolt 4 ports, an HDMI port and SD Card slot. Plus, there’s MagSafe charging. Winner: New MacBook Pros
MacBook Air vs MacBook Pro: Display
The Retina displays in the MacBook Air and 13-inch MacBook Pro are both sharp and colorful, and while it’s close, there’s a reason to go Pro: brightness. Based on our lab test results, the MacBook Air (M1) maxes out at 365.8 nits of brightness, while the M1 MacBook Pro (13-inch: 434.8 nits) got even brighter. The M2 MacBook Pro achieved 474.6 nits of standard brightness while the MacBook Air 2022 achieved 489 nits, per our testing. On color output, though, the M1 laptops are more similar. The Air (M1) netted a 114.3% sRGB rating from our colorimeter, which slightly beats the 110.6% rating we got from the M1 13-inch Pro. The 2021 MacBook Pros take display quality to the next level with their Liquid Retina XDR displays. They’re rated for 1,000 nits of brightness and offer mini-LED technology for superior colors and contrast. Plus, you get a 120Hz ProMotion display for smoother performance. Winner: 2021 MacBook Pros
MacBook Air vs MacBook Pro: Keyboard and Touch Bar
All of the MacBooks you can buy offer Apple’s Magic Keyboard, which delivers strong tactile performance and comfort. The MacBook Air doesn’t feature a Touch Bar, while the 13-inch MacBook Pro does, and this OLED bar frankly doesn’t offer a lot of value. It’s perhaps telling that the 14-inch MacBook Pro and 16-inch MacBook Pro ditch the Touch Bar for a dedicated function row of physical keys. Winners: It’s a draw
MacBook Air vs Pro: Performance
Apple’s claims of amazingly improved performance in the M1-based MacBook Air and Pro have been proven out in testing. On the Geekbench 5 benchmarks, the new MacBook Air (M1, 16GB RAM) scored a 5,962 and the new Pro (M1, 16GB RAM) netted a pretty similar 5,925. They were both demolished by the new MacBook Pros, however. On the same Geekbench 5 benchmark test, the 14-inch M1 Pro-powered MacBook Pro scored 12,477 while its 16-inch counterpart scored 12,683. Though not as powerful as the M1 Pro and Max chips, the M2 processor is still a beast. On Geekbench 5.4, the MacBook Pro 2022 scored 8,911 on the multicore portion of the test, while the MacBook Air 2022 scored 8,919. On the Handbrake video transcoding test converting a 4K video to 1080p, the M1 MacBook Pro had a time of 7:44, beating the Air’s 9:15 time. The 2021 MacBook Pros won over both, with the MacBook Pro 14-inch having a time of 4:51 and the 16-inch laptop transcoding in 4:48. The M2 MacBook Pro delivered impressive results by transcoding a video in 6:51. The MacBook Air 2022 was just slightly behind the latter, delivering a time of 7:52. The SSDs on the M1 Pro (13-inch) are impressive, with BlackMagic Disk Speed Test read rates of 2,824.9 MBps, beating the 2,692 MBps from the M1 Air and the 16-inch Pro’s 2,540 MBps speed. However (and it should be no surprise at this point), the new MacBook Pros trounced them all with 14-inch and 16-inch models scoring 5,321 and 5,314, respectively. The M2-powered MacBook Pro scored 2,794, which puts it between the old and new M1 chips. While testing Sid Meier’s Civilization VI: Gathering Storm test, the M1 MacBook Air notched 36.9 fps, slightly behind the M1 Pro’s 38.2 fps. Rise of the Tomb Raider (at Very High settings at 1440 x 900 resolution) ran at 29 fps on both M1 laptops. The 14-inch MacBook Pro with M1 Pro achieved 46 fps on Civilization VI while the 16-inch M1 Max-powered MacBook Pro got as high as 47 fps. The new MacBook Pros have an obvious edge here due to their beefier chips. Unfortunately, the M2 MacBook Pro isn’t much better than its M1 predecessor when it comes to gaming. Winner: MacBook Air for value, new MacBook Pros for sheer speed
MacBook Air vs Pro: Battery life
Battery life is the other place where Apple’s move to its own M1 processors has delivered serious wins. The M1 MacBook Air lasted for 14 hours and 41 minutes on our battery test (web surfing at 150 nits), while the M1 Pro (16:32) lasted even longer. Both times leave the 16-inch MacBook Pro (10:55) in the dust. The 2021 MacBook Pros trounce these numbers. During our testing, the MacBook Pro 14-inch lasted for 14:08 while the MacBook Pro 16-inch endured for 15:31. However, the new 13-inch MacBook Pro with M2 destroys them all as it lasted for an astonishing 18 hours and 20 minutes during our testing. That makes it the longest-lasting laptop we’ve reviewed at Tom’s Guide. Winner: The new MacBook Pros.
MacBook Air vs Pro: Audio
While the MacBook Air and the 13-inch MacBook Pro offer great stereo sound (the latter has more dynamic range) — the new MacBook Pros are on another level. That’s because the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro offer a six-speaker setup. And you now get more bass along with an octave lower sound for even more robust audio profile. Plus, the new MacBook Pros support Dolby Atmos in speaker as opposed to just headphones. Winner: New MacBook Pros
MacBook Air vs Pro: Value and price
The MacBook Air with M1 is still the value leader with its $999 starting price and it arguably gives you more bang for your buck in terms of performance than the 13-inch MacBook Pro. Both the old and new 13-inch Pros give you longer battery life, but it may not be enough to justify the $1,299 price. The MacBook Pro 14-inch represents a big jump in price over the 13-inch, but you get a lot for your $1,999. This includes a much faster M1 Pro chip, larger and superior 14-inch mini-LED display with 120Hz refresh rate, a shaper 1080p webcam and more ports. But you’ll likely need to have a demanding workload to appreciate all of these benefits. The 16-inch MacBook Pro is the ultimate Apple laptop for people who need the biggest display, and it’s priced accordingly at $2,499. And you’ll get a longer-lasting battery. Winner: MacBook Air
MacBook Air vs Pro: What should you buy?
This is somewhat tricky since different users have different needs. At the risk of sounding cliche, there are MacBooks for everyone. The MacBook Air is the best MacBook for most people, delivering awesome M1 performance and longer battery life in a fairly portable design. If you can spare the extra cash, the new MacBook Air is also worth considering due to its versatility and improved performance. The 2020 13-inch MacBook Pro is still good, but it’s outshined by the more premium 14-inch MacBook Pro and all of its upgrades. But we’re guessing at least some shoppers will think twice about jumping from $1,299 to $1,999. Because of that, the new M2 MacBook Pro looks more than enticing for budget-conscious folks. But if you need power above all, the 16-inch MacBook Pro is the ultimate splurge machine for power users for those who want the most screen real estate they can have at home and on the go. If you want pure horsepower or simply want the latest models available, the new 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pros might be best for you. Of course, you’ll need to decide (or justify) if their respective $1,999 and $2,499 starting prices are within your budget. But if money is not an object, these are the MacBooks to get.
