In a bumper week of launches, Apple has just unveiled its latest MacBook Air series.
As the MacBook Air now sports the same M5 chip as the MacBook Pro, what really separates the laptops? Do you really need to spend more on the MacBook Pro?
To help you decide which laptop to should go for, we’ve compared the specs of the MacBook Air M5 and Pro M5 below.
We should disclaim that we’ll be looking solely at the MacBook Pro M5 specs, and not the recently announced M5 Pro or M5 Max. However, if you’re interested to learn more about the new chips in the MacBook Pro, then visit MacBook Pro M5 Pro vs M5 Max instead.
Keep reading to see which MacBook will likely suit your needs best. Otherwise, make sure you visit our MacBook Neo vs MacBook Air M5 guide to see whether Apple’s affordable option is a better fit for you.
Not sold on a MacBook? Our list of the best laptops from the past year has you covered.
Price and Availability
At the time of writing, you can pre-order the MacBook Air M5 ahead of its official launch from March 11th. Available in four colours (Sky Blue, Silver, Midnight and Starlight), the MacBook Air M5 has a starting price of £1099/$1099.
The MacBook Pro M5 is available in just two colours (Silver and Space Black) and has a starting price of £1699/$1699.
MacBook Air has a choice between two sizes
The MacBook Air M5 comes as either a 13- or 15-inch model, while the MacBook Pro M5 sits firmly between the two at 14-inches. Although the MacBook Air 15-inch is the largest, the heaviest of the lot is actually the MacBook Pro which weighs 1.55kg.
With this in mind, if one of the most important factors in choosing a laptop is its portability, then the MacBook Air series will likely suit you best. In fact, the 13-inch MacBook Air isn’t just the smallest of the lot, but at just 1.23kg it’s impressively lightweight too – making it easy to slip into a bag.
Both run on Apple’s M5 chip
As their titles suggest, Apple’s current flagship MacBook Air and MacBook Pro run on the M5 chip. While we’re yet to review the chip, Apple promises that the chip delivers “incredible performance for everything users want to tackle, from everyday productivity to creative workflows.”
Do keep in mind that the default 13-inch MacBook Air comes with an 8-core GPU whereas the 15-inch model and MacBook Pro have a 10-core GPU by default. You can upgrade the 13-inch to a 10-core, but this will cost an additional £100/$100.
Otherwise, the M5 chip enables the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro to run the entire Apple Intelligence toolkit too.
MacBook Pro promises a longer battery life
The MacBook Pro not only claims a longer battery life between charges than the MacBook Air series, but it also promises faster charging too. That’s a pretty noteworthy claim, as Apple has never been a brand known for its speedy charging ability.
So, while the MacBook Air promises up to 15 hours of wireless web and up to 18 hours of video streaming, the MacBook Pro should see up to 16 hours of web and up to a whopping 24 hours of streaming too. We’re yet to put these claims to the test, but they undoubtedly sound impressive.
In addition, the MacBook Pro is fast-charge capable when paired with a 96W or higher power source. The MacBook Air, on the other hand, supports 70W instead.
Again, we’re yet to see how long the laptops really take the charge, but it’s certainly a promising upgrade.
MacBook Pro has more ports
Apple has taken a “less is more” approach when it comes to supplying the MacBook Air series with ports, which is undoubtedly a shame. That means both the 13- and 15-inch laptops are equipped with just two Thunderbolt 4 USB-C ports, a 3.5mm headphone jack and a MagSafe charger. This is more or less the same as the MacBook Neo, although the affordable laptop’s USB-Cs aren’t Thunderbolt 4.
Instead, the MacBook Pro is equipped with everything found on the MacBook Air plus an additional Thunderbolt 4 USB-C, a HDMI and an SDXC card slot too. It might not be as well equipped as the likes of Asus ProArt P16 or Samsung Galaxy Book 6 Pro, but it’s certainly an improvement over the MacBook Air.
MacBook Pro has a Liquid Retina XDR display
Arguably one of the main reasons to opt for the MacBook Pro is its display. While the MacBook Air’s Liquid Retina display promises up to 500 nits brightness, supports the P3 wide colour gamut and True Tone technology, the MacBook Pro’s own panel has a few extra features up its sleeve.
Firstly, the MacBook Pro sports a Liquid Retina XDR display which also supports the P3 wide colour gamut and True Tone technology. However, the panel also benefits from 3024×1964 pixels, up to 1600 nits peak HDR brightness and ProMotion technology. Essentially, this means the MacBook Pro has an adaptive 1-120Hz refresh rate which means streaming, scrolling and games look and feel smoother. The MacBook Air instead caps out at just 60Hz.
Finally, you’ll also have the option to kit the MacBook Pro with a nano-texture coating which helps to reduce glare and reflections. Although it will cost an additional £150/$150, it’s something we would recommend investing in, as we found the coating in the MacBook Pro M4 was brilliant, and made looking at the screen for longer periods that bit easier.
Early Verdict
Judging by its specs, the MacBook Air M5 seems like a brilliant alternative to the MacBook Pro M5, for those who want a powerful laptop but for a cheaper price. However, you’ll have to keep in mind that you will miss out on the more generous port selection, a Liquid Retina XDR display and longer battery life.
We’ll update this versus once we review both the MacBook Air M5 and MacBook Pro M5.
