MacBook Air M4 vs MacBook Pro M4 — I'll help you pick the best MacBook for your needs

I review the best MacBooks for a living, so it’s my job to help readers find an Apple laptop that suits their needs.

This can be a bit tricky now that the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro both pack an Apple M4 processor and have the same basic design. While you can’t go wrong with either, MacBooks have some notable differences.

As its “Air” moniker suggests, the MacBook Air is Apple’s thinnest and lightest laptop that’s tailor-made for travel. Then we have the MacBook Pro, which offers superior performance and battery life. Generally, the MacBook Air is for everyday work while the MacBook Pro is for more demanding workloads. That said, there is some crossover between the two.

So, which laptop suits you better, the MacBook Air M4 or the MacBook Pro M4? I’ll break down the key differences to help you decide.

MacBook Air M4 vs MacBook Pro M4: Specs

MacBook Air M4 vs MacBook Pro M4: Price

Let’s start with what could be the determining factor for many of you — price.

The MacBook Air 13-inch M4 starts at $999, which is $100 less than the previous Air M3. This configuration features an M4 chip with a 10-core CPU and an 8-core GPU, 16GB of unified memory (RAM) and 256GB of SSD storage. This laptop has four color options: Silver, Starlight, Midnight, and the new Sky Blue.

Then there’s the MacBook Pro, which starts at $1,599 for the entry-level 14-inch model. It has an M4 chip with 10 CPU cores and 10 GPU cores, 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. Color options include Space Black and Silver.

There are higher-end configurations that can bump the price up for each. That said, the MacBook Air M4 is still generally the more affordable option.

If budget is a concern, you’ll want the base $999 MacBook Air.

MacBook Air M4 vs MacBook Pro M4: Display

The MacBook Air offers 13- and 15-inch options while the MacBook Pro has 14- and 16-inch models. You get sharp and colorful Liquid Retina displays with both laptops. However, the Pro has several advantages over the Air.

If you want a smaller and more affordable laptop and don’t mind having a smaller display, the 13-inch MacBook Air is the best choice. Conversely, if you want the most screen real-estate possible on a MacBook, then a 16-inch MacBook Pro is for you. But there’s more to consider than just screen size.

Based on our lab tests and my own experience, the MacBook Pro has a brighter display than the Air. With HDR content, the MacBook Pros can hit at least 1,000 nits of brightness thanks to their mini-LED displays. This is effectively double the 500 nits the Air’s LED-backlit displays can deliver.

In addition, the MacBook Pro has a 120Hz refresh rate compared to the MacBook Air’s 60Hz. Sure, the latter looks smooth enough, but 120Hz gives you smoother scrolling and better performance when gaming.

Lastly, the MacBook Pro has a nano-texture display option that can reduce glares and reflections. Choosing nano-texture glass bumps the price by $150 at checkout, but it’s an option that’s not available for the MacBook Air.

When it comes to the best display possible on a MacBook, the MacBook Pro is the clear winner. But if you just want a laptop for surfing the web and getting work done, then the MacBook Air’s display won’t let you down.

MacBook Air M4 vs MacBook Pro M4: Audio

You won’t get a bad audio experience with either MacBook, which says a lot considering I’m often disappointed by the audio quality of most laptop speakers. However, the MacBook Pro has an edge in this department.

Both Pro models have a six-speaker system featuring two tweeters and four force-cancelling woofers. This provides deeper bass and an overall richer sound profile. The Pro laptops also support Dolby Atmos through their speakers instead of just headphones.

In short, the MacBook Pro delivers a superior audio experience over the MacBook Air.

MacBook Air M4 vs MacBook Pro M4: Performance

Both the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro offer stellar M4-driven performance. But if you need to do more than simple web browsing or light photo editing, you’ll want the additional power the MacBook Pro provides.

MacBook Pros have active cooling (fans) and are configurable with more powerful M4 chips and more RAM and storage. This gives them greater performance than the MacBook Air, as you can see from our performance benchmark results.

Naturally, this means more expensive machines — especially if you opt for a kitted-out 16-inch MacBook Pro with an M4 Max chip. But the higher price is justified if you need top performance for things like serious video editing or playing Apple silicon-optimized games like Baldur's Gate 3 and Resident Evil 4.

MacBook Air M4 vs MacBook Pro M4: Design

The MacBook Airs used to look different from the MacBook Pros but now both laptop lines have the same machined aluminum chassis design. In fact, it might be hard to distinguish between the Air and Pro at a glance. However, there are differences.

MacBook Air laptops sport a thinner profile than their Pro counterparts. Conversely, MacBook Pros have speakers flanking their respective keyboard decks.

The Pros also have more ports, including three Thunderbolt/USB-C ports, an HDMI port, an SDXC card slot and a 3.5mm headphone jack. The MacBook Air has two Thunderbolt/USB-C ports and a headphone jack.

Both laptops have a MagSafe charging port and a camera cutout along the top bezel in the form of a notch that extends down over a small portion of the screen. The notch is more pronounced on a MacBook Air with a 13.6-inch screen but less on a 16-inch MacBook Pro.

While MacBook Pros have more ports, MacBook Airs have more color options. Where MacBook Pros are only available in Silver and Space Gray, the MacBook Airs come in Silver, Midnight, Starlight and Sky Blue.

MacBook Air M4 vs MacBook Pro M4: Keyboard

Apple's Magic Keyboard is now standard on all MacBooks. It offers excellent tactile response and is very comfortable. With the M2 generation, Apple standardized the keyboard layout across all MacBook sizes, eliminating the need to choose between a Touch Bar and a traditional keyboard.

If you value typing comfort over everything, the 15-inch MacBook Air or 16-inch MacBook Pro are you best bets since their larger keyboards give your hands more space to move around. These laptops also have larger keys. That said, even the smaller 13-inch MacBook Air delivers a comfortable typing experience even if you have big hands like I do.

MacBook Air M4 vs MacBook Pro M4: Battery life

Except for the best Windows laptops packing a Snapdragon X Elite chip, MacBooks have unrivaled laptop battery life. As you can see from our battery test results, you should expect at least 14+ hours of battery life regardless of which MacBook you choose.

However, if you want a laptop that keeps going and going, a 16-inch MacBook Pro with an M4 Pro or M4 Max chip is the best choice.

The 16-inch MacBook Pro M4 Pro I tested lasted over 20 hours in our test, which involves continuous web surfing over Wi-Fi with the display set to 150 nits of brightness. By far, the 16-inch MacBook Pro is one of the best laptops for battery life I’ve reviewed.

MacBook Air M4 vs MacBook Pro M4: Webcam

The MacBook Air M4 and MacBook Pro M4 both have good 12MP webcams, so camera quality shouldn't be a deciding factor between the two. You’ll look good during video calls no matter which laptop you’re using.

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Both the MacBook Air and Pro M4 have great webcams that will help you look your best.

Both MacBooks support Center Stage and Desk View. While Desk View can be useful, its angle can be too narrow or awkward. Center Stage is great since it intelligently adjusts your camera to keep you centered on-screen as you move around.

MacBook Air M4 vs MacBook Pro M4: Which one to buy?

I hope I’ve given you an idea of which MacBook is for you. But if you’re still unsure, here’s a quick breakdown.

The MacBook Air is arguably the best MacBook for most people. Not only are these relatively affordable MacBooks, but they’re also the most portable. These laptops are also excellent for basic tasks web surfing and watching videos. The 13-inch MacBook Air is good for just about everyone but the 15-inch Air is great if you want a larger display and roomier keyboard.

If you need the best possible performance, screen and sound, and budget isn't an issue, the MacBook Pro is the way to go. They are expensive, but they're also the most powerful and longest-lasting laptops that Apple makes.

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