Selecting out a brand new MacBook isn’t as straightforward because it was.
The toughest selection within the lineup may be between the 15-inch MacBook Air and the 14-inch MacBook Professional. Each at the moment are supplied with the identical M3 chip, regardless of there being a $300 distinction within the base fashions. However when equally configured, there’s really solely a $100 distinction between these two laptops.
Having reviewed and used each laptops extensively, I’m right here to put all of it out for you. Right here’s the distinction between the 2 machines and methods to simply decide which is best for you.
The straightforward strategy to know which to purchase
Now that the 15-inch MacBook Air and 14-inch MacBook Professional each include the bottom M3 as an possibility, it’s much more troublesome to know which to purchase. Clearly, in case you want a bunch of additional efficiency, the MacBook Professional is the best way to go, however it’s worthwhile to configure it as much as an M3 Professional or M3 Max. Even though the 15-inch MacBook Air is fanless (not like the MacBook Professional), you possibly can count on pretty comparable efficiency from the M3 in each laptops.
With that out of the best way, the most important cause to spend an additional $100 on the 14-inch MacBook Professional is its advantages as a multimedia gadget. The display screen is the next decision, mini-LED 120Hz show that’s able to some implausible HDR output. It’s an enormous improve for simply $100.
As talked about, there’s solely a $100 distinction between these two laptops when equally configured. Coming with 8GB of RAM, 512GB of storage, and an M3 chip, the 14-inch MacBook Professional prices $1,599 and the 15-inch MacBook Air prices $1,499. In fact, in case you’re searching for the most cost effective laptop computer attainable, it issues that Apple affords the 15-inch MacBook Air with 256GB for $1,299 to start out with. That’ll definitely be a gorgeous possibility for the worth alone.
If that doesn’t resolve the reply straightaway although, learn on to get a breakdown of how every facet of those two MacBooks differs.
Specs
| Apple MacBook Air 15 | Apple MacBook Professional 14 | |
| Dimensions | 13.40 inches x 9.35 inches by 0.45 inches | 12.31 inches x 8.71 inches x 0.60 inches |
| Weight | 3.3 kilos | 3.5 kilos |
| Processor | Apple M3 (8 cores) | Apple M3 (8-core) Apple M3 Professional (11-core, 12-core) Apple M2 Max (14-core, 16-core) |
| Graphics | 10-core GPU | M3: 10-core M3 Professional: 14-core, 18-core M3 Max: 30-core, 40-core |
| RAM | 8GB 16GB 24GB |
M3: 8GB to 24GB M3 Professional: 18GB to 128GB M3 Max: 36GB to 128GB |
| Show | 15.3-inch 16:10 Liquid Retina IPS 2880 x 1864 | 14.2-inch 16:10 Liquid Retina XDR 3024 x 1964 |
| Storage | 256GB SSD 512GB SSD 1TB SSD 2TB SSD |
512GB SSD 1TB SSD 2TB SSD 4TB SSD 8TB SSD |
| Contact | No | No |
| Ports | 2 x USB-C with Thunderbolt 4 1 x 3.5mm audio jack |
3 x USB-C with Thunderbolt 4 1 x HDMI 2.0 1 x 3.5mm audio jack SD card reader |
| Wi-fi | Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3 | Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3 |
| Webcam | 1080p | 1080p |
| Working system | MacOS Monterey | MacOS Monterey |
| Battery | 66.5 watt-hour | 70 watt-hour |
| Value | $1,299+ | $1,999+ |
Design
The MacBook Air 15-inch makes use of the identical design because the 13-inch MacBook Air. It’s not dissimilar to the 14-inch MacBook Professional, however the design deviates in just a few necessary methods. A very powerful distinction is in measurement. An inch distinction in display screen measurement doesn’t sound like so much, however the 15-inch MacBook Air additionally has barely thicker bezels, including much more to the general footprint of the gadget. Whenever you put these laptops aspect by aspect, the 15-inch MacBook Air takes up extra space on the desk. The width is probably the most dramatic dimension, supplying you with what looks like much more display screen actual property to work with. That basically is the first promoting level of the 15-inch MacBook Air, and ought to be the rationale you’re selecting it.
Thickness and weight are the opposite details of distinction by way of measurement. The MacBook Air 15-inch is simply 0.45 inches in comparison with the 0.6 inches of the MacBook Professional 14-inch. The MacBook Air actually is the thinnest 15-inch laptop computer you should purchase proper now — and it actually does look smooth subsequent to the MacBook Professional. The 2 laptops are nearer in weight, although the MacBook Air continues to be lighter at 3.3 kilos in comparison with the three.5 kilos of the MacBook Professional.
From a design perspective, the opposite variations embrace the keyboard, which doesn’t have the killer black backdrop just like the MacBook Professional. It additionally doesn’t have the on-deck speaker grille cutouts.
Lastly, you additionally get some extra shade choices with the MacBook Air, together with Starlight, Midnight, Silver, and Area Gray. The MacBook Professional is restricted to only Silver and Area Gray.
Ports
The MacBook Air 15 has much less connectivity than the MacBook Professional 14, with simply two Thunderbolt 4 ports and an audio jack (just like the MacBook Air 13-inch). The MacBook Professional 14 M3 comes with simply two Thunderbolt 4 ports as properly, but it surely provides in an HDMI port and a full-sized SD card reader. The M3 Professional and Max fashions include three Thunderbolt 4 ports.
That makes the MacBook Professional 14 much more expandable. Each make the most of MagSafe 3 chargers, although, saving a Thunderbolt 4 port for exterior use. Each laptops now help the most recent Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3 for wi-fi help.
Configured with the bottom M3 CPU, each laptops are restricted to only one exterior show with as much as 6K decision at 60Hz. That’s true of each the MacBook Professional and MacBook Air. It’s technically attainable to hook up with extra shows, but it surely requires a dock and a few further software program. As of lately, you possibly can have two exterior displays related (solely on the M3 configurations), but it surely requires having the laptop computer lid closed.
The MacBook Professional 14 with the M3 Professional and Max can deal with two exterior shows, one at 6K/60Hz over Thunderbolt 4 ports and one 6K/60Hz mixed with a 4K decision at 144Hz if the HDMI port is used for the second show.
The sooner fashions can deal with additionally as much as 4 exterior shows, three at 6K/60Hz through Thunderbolt 4 and one at 4K/144Hz over HDMI. Should you restrict it to 3 shows, the HDMI port can drive a monitor at as much as 4K/240Hz.
The MacBook Professional 14 Professional or Max is the laptop computer for you in case you want greater than only a single exterior show.
Efficiency
We now have examined the M3 chip in two computer systems to this point: the iMac and the 13-inch MacBook Air. However based mostly on that testing alone, it’s not arduous to think about how it will carry out in each of the laptops in query. Apple Silicon’s excessive effectivity and efficiency per watt means it has a rare means of performing equally whatever the gadget.
In different phrases, you possibly can count on the identical nice efficiency of the M3 in each the 14-inch MacBook Professional and the 15-inch MacBook Air. It ought to be famous that the 13-inch MacBook Air consists of an entry-level GPU configuration with simply an 8-core GPU. This isn’t supplied in both of those bigger laptops.
Each M3 laptops profit most from the enhancements in GPU, the place we’ve seen as much as 43% sooner speeds. That’s enormous, and it’s principally due to a characteristic referred to as Dynamic Caching. In my very own testing, that even makes some gaming attainable on these machines. However bear in mind, you received’t see an enormous distinction between these two laptops’ implementations of the M3.
Not like the MacBook Air, nonetheless, the 14-inch MacBook Professional might be configured as much as the M3 Max with 16 CPU cores and 40 GPU cores. As you possibly can see under, that offers an enormous enhance to video encoding and exporting. It ought to be famous, nonetheless, that the scores you’re seeing are for probably the most highly effective model of the 14-inch MacBook Professional. The $1,599 base configuration makes use of an 8-core CPU/10-core GPU M3 processor that offers you a lot much less to work with.
Each laptops have unbelievable battery life. It’s wonderful, however the further efficiency of the 14-inch MacBook Professional doesn’t imply you must surrender battery life. In response to our personal testing, the 2 machines are proper in line, offering as much as 18 hours of battery life.
However in case you’re new to Apple Silicon MacBooks, you’ll be shocked by how lengthy these laptops final.
Show and audio system
One other MacBook Professional 14 benefit is its 14.2-inch mini-LED Liquid Retina show working at 3024 x 1924 (254 PPI) decision, which supplies superior sharpness, brightness, shade, and distinction in comparison with the usual IPS Liquid Retina show on the MacBook Air line. This consists of the MacBook Air 15, which has a 15.3-inch IPS Liquid Retina show at 2880 x 1864 (228 PPI).
Each shows ought to supply comparable colours, by way of each gamut and accuracy. However the Mini-LED panel on the MacBook Professional 14 will get a lot brighter, particularly for prime dynamic vary (HDR) content material the place it could possibly strategy 1,600 nits. It additionally has extremely deep distinction offering inky blacks.
The MacBook Air 15’s show can also be wonderful, however the MacBook Professional 14 supplies a very premium expertise, particularly with the addition of the 120Hz dynamic refresh fee.
| MacBook Air 15 (IPS) |
MacBook Professional 14 (Mini-LED) |
|
| Brightness (nits) |
475 | 562 |
| AdobeRGB gamut | 100% | 100% |
| sRGB gamut | 90% | 92% |
| Accuracy (DeltaE, decrease is healthier) |
1.23 | 1.2 |
| Distinction ratio | 1,200:1 | 562,480:1 |
Each laptops have six-speaker sound techniques with force-canceling woofers. They help the identical applied sciences as properly, that means that you just’re more likely to get the identical wonderful sound from each that’s among the many greatest you will get in a contemporary laptop computer.
Whereas the 15-inch MacBook Air is surprisingly aggressive, the 14-inch MacBook Professional does supply extra bass, offering a extra strong sound profile. However actually, each sound wonderful.
Go away the MacBook Professional for the professionals
With these two laptops, you possibly can belief the branding distinction right here. Go away the MacBook Professional for the artistic professionals who depend upon the additional efficiency to get their work performed. Everybody else shall be delighted by the expertise of the 15-inch MacBook Air.
However in case you’re leaving this whole comparability nonetheless not sure about what course to move, let me supply yet another bit of recommendation.
Should you’re enticed concerning the further efficiency of the 14-inch MacBook Professional however are bummed concerning the value, I’d suggest looking at costs for last-gen machines. There are refurbished variations floating round which are as low-cost because the 15-inch MacBook Air however will present much better efficiency. These laptops are similar in virtually each strategy to the current-gen MacBook Professionals, minus the enhance you get from M1 to M3.
Except for that, I’d suggest attending to an Apple Retailer to see the 2 machines aspect by aspect. The distinction in display screen measurement and total dimensions would possibly assist you get a greater thought of which you’d be extra snug with.
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