Apple updated its popular 13-inch MacBook lineup in November 2020 with its first Apple Silicon chip for the Mac, M1 chip. Both MacBook Air 13-inch and MacBook Pro 13-inch received M1 chip updates.
Due to a common processor, form factor, and keyboard, M1 MacBook Air and M1 Pro seem to be very similar. Do you want to save money from the cheaper MacBook Air starting at $999 or do you require MacBook Pro’s higher-end which costs a minimum of $300 extra? Well, we have done a comparison between the new 2020 MacBook Air and Pro which will definitely help you to make a decision of buying.
Going to the comparison between the M1 MacBook Pro and the M1 MacBook Air, there are lots of similarities and differences in design, performance, battery life, display, and more. So let’s have a look at the similarities first.
Similarities between 2020 M1 MacBook Pro and MacBook Air
- 13.3-inch LED-backlit display with IPS technology
- True Tone technology
- Eight-core M1 chip with up to eight-core GPU
- Storage Up to 2TB
- Memory 16GB
- Wide stereo sound and support for Dolby Atmos playback
- Bluetooth 5.0
- 802.11ax Wi-Fi 6
- Touch ID
- Two Thunderbolt/USB 4 ports
- Magic Keyboard
- Color option Silver and Space Gray
Differences between MacBook Air and MacBook Pro (M1)
MacBook Air (M1)Weighs 2.8 pounds (1.29 kg) |
M1 MacBook Pro (M1)Weighs 3.0 pounds (1.4 kg) |
| Up to 18 hours of battery life | Up to 20 hours of battery life |
| Three-mic array with directional beamforming | Touch Bar |
| Stereo speakers | Thicker, slab-like design |
| Slim, wedge-style design | Studio-quality three-mic array with directional beamforming |
| Passive cooling (fanless) | Stereo speakers with high dynamic range |
| Configurable with up to eight-core GPU | Eight-core GPU as standard |
| Available in Silver, Space Gray, and Gold | Available in Silver and Space Gray |
| 400 nits brightness | Active cooling |
| 500 nits brightness |
Design
Both the M1 MacBook Air and MacBook Pro share the same designs that they used to be Intel. This means that the MacBook Air retains its iconic coil design, while the MacBook Pro is still more homogenous, slab-style. Although MacBook Air is actually thickened by its thickest point, it looks much thinner overall with its wedge shape of MacBook Air. The MacBook Air is €0.2 lighter and available in gold than the MacBook Pro.
If you travel often and portability is a priority, then the most suitable device is the MacBook Air. But it is noteworthy that the MacBook Pro is only lighter than its MacBook Air so that the portability of both models is very similar.
Performance
The two machines share the same Apple Silicon M1 processor, but the cooling systems are a key difference. As Apple did not make any particular comparison benchmarks between the two models, it’s hard to speculate exactly how well both machines will perform until a comparison of benchmarks is made. However, a number of hypotheses may be made.
Display
The same 13.3-inch LED-lit display with IPS, True Tone and P3 Wide Colour are available for MacBook Pro and MacBook Air. On both devices, the content and colors are exactly the same.
Battery Life
According to Apple estimates, the M1 MacBook Pro has a 2 hour lifetime better than the MacBook Air. This is probably because of the slimmer, wedge-shaped profile of the smaller batteries in the MacBook air.
Up to 18 hours of battery life. That’s 6 more hours, free of charge.
With a power-efficient M1 Chip, both machines have excellent battery life on the MacBook Pro for up to 20 hours and in the MacBook Air for 18 hours. Although the battery life for both machines is exceptional, MacBook Pro is clearly the better option if you prioritize battery life for long periods from a power source.
So after the little comparison between MacBook Air and Pro, the MacBook Pro is the best option if you want the best performance, battery life, brightness, speech, and microphone quality. Therefore, The MacBook Pro is the best available option if you want your Apple Silicon laptop to do the best.
Price
Today on apple.com and in the apple store, you can order the new MacBook Air, 13-inch MacBook Pro, and Mac Mini with M1. You will start reaching your customers and start next week at selected Apple Store and Apple licensed resellers. The new MacBook Air begins at US$ 999 and educational at US$ 899; the new 13-inch MacBook Pro begins at US$ 1299 and educational starting at US$ 1199 respectively.
