Luke Larsen / Digital Trends
There are plenty of reasonsto purchase a MacBook Air alternatively of a MacBook Pro . If you want a MacBook on a budget , you do n’t necessarilyneedthe delicacy that come with upgrading to the MacBook Pro .
That being said , I ’m going to reason for spending a little more . In my experience , the MacBook Pro offer several trenchant advantages that facilitate warrant a higher price , especially with the founding of the more affordableMacBook Pro 14with the home M3 . If you may stretch along your budget a bit , here ’s why I cogitate you should buy a MacBook Pro alternatively of a MacBook Air .
Luke Larsen / Digital Trends
Setting the stage: pricing
If you ’re looking for the least expensive MacBook , theM2 MacBook Airstarts at $ 999 , which nets an 8 - marrow CPU/8 - core GPU M2 , 8 GB of RAM , and a 256 GB SSD . I suggest the most budget - conscious buyer stop here and head up to the Apple Store . That ’s a expectant laptop for the money .
With that out of the way , we ’re really compare theM3 MacBook Airagainst the M3 ( non - Pro and non - Max ) MacBook Pro 14 . The former starts at $ 1,099 with an 8 - core CPU/8 - gist GPU M3 , 8 GB of RAM , and a 256 GB SSD . The latter starts at $ 1,599 for an 8 - pith CPU/10 - core GPU M3 , 8 GB of RAM , and a 512 GB SSD .
The MacBook Air cost $ 1,299 with the same M3 chipset , RAM , and storage as the base MacBook Pro 14 . Both laptops storm up from there with the same $ 300 MacBook Pro premium . The high - remnant M3 MacBook Air costs $ 2,299 with 24 GB of RAM and a 2 TB SSD . The MacBook Pro 14 costs $ 2,599 with the same configuration .
I ’m specifically take the 13 - column inch MacBook Air rather than the 15 - column inch role model , because the smaller fashion model is close in dimension to the MacBook Pro 14 . Both MacBook Airs are thin and lighter , but in terms of desktop actual landed estate , the 15 - inch MacBook Air is the largest of the three . It ’s also just $ 100 less than the tantamount MacBook Pro 14 .
Apple Silicon laptops sufferworse carrying into action with just 8 GB of unified memory . So , for our purpose , I ’m going to consider each laptop computer with 16 GB of RAM . That ’s $ 1,499 for the MacBook Air and $ 1,799 for the MacBook Pro 14 , putting each firmly in premium laptop computer territory .
So , what does that supererogatory $ 300 get you ? As it turns out , quite a lot .
Similar performance, but the MacBook Pro has more headroom
Apple ’s M3 processor provide solid productivity public presentation . In our review of the MacBook Air , the M3 chipset significantly improved over the M2 and put the MacBook Air in arguing with Windows laptops prevail the democratic Intel Core Ultra 7 155H chipset . Suffice it to say that the M3 MacBook Air is enough information processing system for many people , and while we have n’t quiz the substructure M3 MacBook Air 14 , I distrust it would show similar performance in our cortege of benchmark .
However , there ’s one significant difference between theMacBook Air and the MacBook Pro 14 . The former is insanely sparse at just 0.44 inches and is also fanless , while the latter is just really thin at 0.61 inches and sports a more advanced thermal system of rules , including fans .
Afanless laptopis undoubtedly a boon for working in restrained environment . However , because the MacBook Air is so thin and has no sports fan to keep it coolheaded , it ’s naturally more prone to thermal throttling , where the M3 chipset ’s performance is circumscribe to keep temperature under ascendence . The MacBook Pro 14 does n’t have the same limitation , with more way to move melodic line around and fans to whirl up and keep the chipset running closer to full speed .
So , the MacBook Pro 14 will supply quicker sustained performance for the great unwashed running creative workflow and gaming . Many people wo n’t run into that limitation , or at least not as often , but some will . And those mass might get the excess money deserving spending just for that .
Oh, man, that display!
Perhaps the most significant difference of opinion between the MacBook Air and the MacBook Pro is in their several displays . The MacBook Air has a 13.6 - inch information processing showing go at 2560 x 1664 and with a 60Hz refresh charge per unit . The MacBook Pro 14 has a 14.2 - inch mini - lead display draw at 3024 x 1964 and up to 120Hz .
To begin with , the MacBook Pro ’s display is sharper at 254 pixels per inch ( ppi ) versus the MacBook Air ’s 224 principal investigator . Both are very piercing , but the MacBook Pro ’s display is largerand sharper . So , anyone who wants a more expansive display gets it with the MacBook Pro 14 without giving up edge . That will matter to some multitude . And the MacBook Pro ’s quicker refresh pace makes for a smoother macOS experience , which intemperately depends on animations to provide its fluid appearance .
Even OLED ca n’t keep up in this regard .
At the same time , the MacBook Pro 14 ’s showing uses mini - LED technology with 8,040 LEDs covering 2,010 local slur zones . The MacBook Air expend stock IPS technology that apply far fewer LEDs . expert detail aside , this means the MacBook Pro 14 ’s exhibit is much brighter while also providing OLED - like direct contrast degree and inky blacks . That ’s with both received dynamic compass ( SDR ) and high dynamical kitchen stove ( HDR ) substance .
In our examination , the MacBook Pro 14 hit 562 nits of brightness level in SDR mode compared to the MacBook Air ’s 495 nit . More impressive is the line ratio , with the MacBook Pro 14 hitting 562,480:1 and the MacBook Air arrive in at 1,480:1 . Effectively , the MacBook Pro ’s video display has perfect mordant levels , which provides clear images and telecasting and fuse with up to 1,600 nits of cleverness to make for the best HDR carrying into action in a laptop computer today . Even OLED ca n’t keep up in this attentiveness .
Both display have all-encompassing and exact colors . The MacBook Pro 14 ’s display handle 100 % of sRGB , 92 % of AdobeRGB , and 93 % of DCI - P3 , with accuracy at a DeltaE of 1.2 . The MacBook Air hit 100 % of sRGB , 87 % of AdobeRGB , and 99 % of DCI - P3 , with a DeltaE of 1.24 . That makes the MacBook Pro 14 the good overall option for creator , although both are very skilful display .
It sounds better, t00
Both laptop have some of the best audio timbre in laptop today . But once again , the MacBook Pro 14 come out forwards .
The MacBook Air has four speakers that support Spatial Audio and Dolby Atmos . Its audio system back Spatial Audio with dynamic head chase after when using Apple ’s a la mode AirPods , along with high - impedance headphone support via the 3.5 millimeter audio squat . The MacBook Pro , on the other hand , supports all the same features , but has a in high spirits - faithfulness six - utterer sound system with force - canceling woofer .
If you liken the two side by side , you ’ll find that the MacBook Pro 14 has gaudy and clearer auditory sensation with considerably more basso . The only laptop that ’s better is the MacBook Pro 16 . The bottom line is that the MacBook Pro 14 cater a meaningful gibbousness in audio quality that ’s worth drop a little more money .
More ports for the win
Finally , the MacBook Pro 14 has better connectivity . The MacBook Air is limited to two Thunderbolt 4 port wine , a 3.5 mm audio diddly-squat , and a MagSafe 3 connexion . The MacBook Pro 14 has one more Thunderbolt 4 port , an HDMI connection , and a full - size SD card reader . That appropriate for connecting more devices without needing docks or adapters .
Interestingly , the M3 MacBook Air presently has one advantage over the MacBook Pro 14 . Namely , the MacBook Air supports two external displays with the lid closed , while the MacBook Pro 14 with the nucleotide M3 supports just one international presentation in addition to the internal display . Apple has corroborate that the M3 MacBook Pro 14 will be updated to offer the same functionality , but as of macOS Sonoma 14.4 , it ’s not yet a feature .
So, is it $300 well-spent?
The MacBook Pro 14 offers potentially high performance , a significantly better show , superscript audio recording , and more connectivity . That ’s at the price of a thicker chassis and slightly gamey weightiness ( 3.4 pounds versus 2.7 pound ) and a cost that ’s $ 300 higher .
I bow that the MacBook Pro 14 offer more economic value for the money for anyone on the fencing about the two . And if you have even more money , the MacBook Pro 14 scales up into a spectacularly powerful 14 - inch laptop that ’s unrivaled in its execution and efficiency . But that ’s another discussion entirely .
