MacBook Air vs MacBook Pro 16-inch (M5 Pro)

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

30 of 30 specs differ across these 2.

SpecMacBook AirAPL-MBA15-M5-16-256from $1,274MacBook Pro 16-inch (M5 Pro)SCAN-LN169207from $4,049
Chip & memory
ChipApple M5Apple M5 Pro
CPU cores1018Best
GPU cores10-
Neural Engine cores16-
Unified memory16 GB24 GBBest
Memory bandwidth120 GB/s-
Storage
Storage256 GB1 TBBest
Storage typeNVMe SSD-
Display
Screen size15.3"16"
PanelLiquid Retina IPS-
Resolution2880 × 1864-
Refresh rate60 Hz-
Peak brightness500 nits-
Ports & wireless
Thunderbolt ports2-
Thunderbolt version4-
HDMI No-
SDXC card slot No-
Headphone jack Yes-
Wi-FiWi-Fi 7-
Bluetooth6.0-
Camera & sound
Camera12 MP Center Stage-
SpeakersSix-speaker, Spatial Audio-
Power & body
Battery66.5 Wh-
Battery life18 h-
Weight1.51 kg-
Dimensions (mm)340.4 × 237.6 × 11.5-
Software & options
Operating systemmacOS 27-
Finish-Silver
FinishesMidnight, Starlight, Silver, Sky Blue-
Extended warranty available Yes-

Questions

What is the difference between the MacBook Air and the MacBook Pro 16-inch (M5 Pro)?

30 of the 30 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, $2,775 less than the MacBook Pro 16-inch (M5 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.