Apple went all out on updating its Mac ranges during its WWDC event, with the release of the thinnest 15-inch MacBook Air ever made.
Apple created what looks to be the most powerful MacBook Air on the market with the MacBook Air 15-inch (2023). Apple claims that it is the thinnest 15-inch laptop in the world at 11.5mm, and thanks to the inclusion of an M2 chipset it should be more than powerful enough for both work and play.
But with another Mac on the market, we wanted to see how it stacks up against one of the most iconic models from the company, the MacBook Pro 14-inch (2023). Keep reading to find out all the key differences and similarities between these laptops so you can decide which Mac is best for you.
Price and Release Date
- MacBook Air is available to order with shipping starting in the middle of June
- MacBook Pro available to buy in the UK, USA and Europe
- MacBook Air has a starting price of £1399/$1299
- MacBook Pro has a starting price of £2149/$1999/€2399
Specs and Performance
- The MacBook Air comes with the M2 chipset and comes in 15 and 13-inch models
- MacBook Pro runs on M2 Max or M2 Pro chips
- MacBook Air has a larger screen
- MacBook Pro comes with more unified memory
One of the biggest sticking points for the MacBook Air was the claim of it being the thinnest 15-inch laptop in the world, at just 11.5mm, with a relatively hefty 1.51kg weight. Apple claims that it can display up to 500 nits of brightness, with support for 1 billion colours.
It runs on the M2 chipset, which boasts an 8-core CPU, 10-core GPU, up to 24GB of memory and 2TB of storage. This makes it more than capable of running intensive creative apps, with Apple claiming that it is 12 times faster than the fastest Intel-based MacBook Air. It can be found in four colours, including Silver, Starlight, Space Grey and Midnight.
512GB Apple Mac Mini with M2 chip
Amazon is offering more than £70 off the uber-compact, uber-powerful 2023 Mac Mini with a very reasonable 512GB storage.
- Amazon
- Was £849
- Now £776
The MacBook Pro, on the other hand, can be configured with the M2 Pro or M2 Max chipsets. The former comes with a 10-core CPU and 16-core GPU, while the latter boasts a 12-core CPU and 38-core GPU. This puts the MacBook Pro worlds away in terms of performance power and is better suited to those looking to engage in intensive creative workloads like 3D rendering or modelling. It comes with up to 8TB of storage and 64GB of unified memory, but this will depend on which chip you go for.
The MacBook Pro is larger than the Air, but not by a lot, with a 1.55mm height and up to a 1.63kg weight, with the M2 Pro model weighing in at 1.6kg. It can be found in Silver and Space Grey.
Overall, both of these laptops pack an immense amount of power. The MacBook Pro 14-inch is better suited for those after raw performance, while the MacBook Air 15-inch is mode ideal for those that want to experience the M2 chip without breaking the bank.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
