MacBook Air vs MacBook Pro

Specs side by side at each model's entry configuration, with the cheapest crypto price for each.

MacBook Air

3 configurations

from $1,274

MacBook Pro

4 configurations

from $2,249

20 of 29 specs differ across these 2.

Spec	MacBook AirAPL-MBA15-M5-16-256from $1,274	MacBook ProAPL-MBP14-M5PRO-24-512from $2,249
Chip & memory
Chip	Apple M5	Apple M5 Pro
CPU cores	10	12Best
GPU cores	10	20Best
Neural Engine cores	16	16
Unified memory	16 GB	24 GBBest
Memory bandwidth	120 GB/s	300 GB/sBest
Storage
Storage	256 GB	512 GBBest
Storage type	NVMe SSD	NVMe SSD
Display
Screen size	15.3"	14.2"
Panel	Liquid Retina IPS	Liquid Retina XDR mini-LED
Resolution	2880 × 1864	3024 × 1964
Refresh rate	60 Hz	120 HzBest
Peak brightness	500 nits	1600 nitsBest
Ports & wireless
Thunderbolt ports	2	3Best
Thunderbolt version	4	5Best
HDMI	No	Yes
SDXC card slot	No	Yes
Headphone jack	Yes	Yes
Wi-Fi	Wi-Fi 7	Wi-Fi 7
Bluetooth	6.0	6.0
Camera & sound
Camera	12 MP Center Stage	12 MP Center Stage
Speakers	Six-speaker, Spatial Audio	Six-speaker, Spatial Audio
Power & body
Battery	66.5 Wh	72.4 WhBest
Battery life	18 h	22 hBest
Weight	1.51 kgBest	1.55 kg
Dimensions (mm)	340.4 × 237.6 × 11.5	312.6 × 221.2 × 15.5
Software & options
Operating system	macOS 27	macOS 27
Finishes	Midnight, Starlight, Silver, Sky Blue	Space Black, Silver
Extended warranty available	Yes	Yes

Questions

What is the difference between the MacBook Air and the MacBook Pro?

20 of the 29 specs we track differ at their base configurations. The table above marks every one, and flags the better value wherever a spec has a better direction.

Which is cheaper?

MacBook Air from $1,274 — $975 less than the MacBook Pro. Both are the cheapest total, shipping included, for the entry configuration.

Are you comparing the same configurations?

Each model is shown at its entry configuration, which is the only fair basis for a like-for-like table. Open either product to switch memory, storage or chip and see how its price moves.