The 2020 Apple M1 MacBook Air vs Macbook Pro: Which One Should You Get?

We compared these two latest Apple models with the M1 chip.

Apple announced its newest M1 chip devices, MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, and Mac Mini, in late November 2020 at a digital event. The company has decided to move from Intel chips to build its own Apple Silicon chips, which are Arm-based and very similar to the A series used in the iPhone 12 lineup.

MacBook Air vs MacBook Pro Late 2020: Design

These two new Apple models, the MacBook Air and the MacBook Pro, share the same design as earlier versions and feature the M1 processor. They both share Apple-designed aluminum shells and are available in the same colors, such as Silver and Space Grey. The only exception is the MacBook Air 2020, which comes in another color: gold.

Moreover, they both measure the same, 8.36 inches x 11.97 inches, and both are lightweight devices. For instance, the MacBook Pro 13 weighs 3 pounds, and the MacBook Air weighs 2.8 pounds, making the MacBook Air lighter than the Pro model.

The Battle of Displays

There is not much difference in the display. Both MacBook Air 13-inch and MacBook Air feature a 13.3-inch Retina display, which is colorful and highly saturated, except for its brightness. The Pro version can reach 500 nits, while the Air model can reach 400 nits. In addition, these two models have a similar resolution of 277 PPI.

MacBook Air vs MacBook Pro Late 2020: Keyboard and Ports

MacBook Pro features a Touch Bar above the keyboard.

As we stated earlier, the main design of the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro remains the same. However, Apple removed the sticky keys from the butterfly keyboard and improved the new keyboard launched last year. We are talking about the Magic Keyboard, which is included with the Apple 2020 MacBook Air and Pro models. Both feature backlighting with a light sensor and a pair of vertical speakers.

On the one hand, the MacBook Pro has a Touch ID sensor centered below the keyboard, enabling authentication and device unlocking, for example. The Touch Bar is also very useful for apps like Adobe Creative Suite and Final Cut, allowing you to use touch gestures to switch tool selections.

On the other hand, the main difference between these two models’ keyboards is the function keys. The MacBook Pro features the Touch Bar, an OLED screen above the row of function keys, while the MacBook Air has the standard function key set, which now includes special keys such as Dictation (F5), Do Not Disturb (F6), and Spotlight (F4).

Regarding ports, both models come with a pair of USB-C and Thunderbolt 3 ports, plus a headphone jack. They also both support the new USB 4, which speeds up data transfer between devices. However, the base model of the 13-inch MacBook Pro with M1 has only two USB-C ports, while its pricier version, which costs $1,799 and has an Intel processor, has four ports.

Processor, Graphics, and Storage

The latest lineup sports Apple’s M1 chip, which the manufacturer states outperforms Intel Core CPUs. The M1 processor uses a 5-nanometer production process like the A14 Bionic chip from the iPhone 12 Pro Max, which has eight CPU cores.

Also, the M1 graphics can power an external monitor with a 6K resolution. It has a powerful storage controller for traffic data. However, the MacBook Pro also has an Intel version, which is less expensive than the model with an M1 processor.

The storage sizes for both the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro are 256GB/512GB, respectively, with upgrades to 1TB and 2TB. For the memory, the Pro version comes with 8GB unified memory, which can be configured to 16GB, and the Air 2020 version has 8GB unified PDDR4X-4266 MHz SDRAM.

Battery Life

The battery life of the Air model can last up to 15 hours for browsing the Internet and up to 18 hours for watching a series or movie. The Pro model, however, performs better, with 17 hours for browsing the Internet and 20 hours for watching a movie.

MacBook Air vs MacBook Pro Late 2020: Pricing

The prices for MacBook Air 2020 start at $999 for the base model, which features an M1 chip, an 8-core CPU, a 7-core GPU, 8GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage. The higher-priced model, which features an M1 chip, an 8-core CPU, an 8-core GPU, 8GB of RAM, and 512GB of storage, is $1,249.

The MacBook Pro’s base model, which features an M1 System on a Chip (SoC), 8GB of RAM, and 256 GB of storage, starts at $1,299. A MacBook Pro 512GB costs $1,499. Duly note that you can upgrade to 16GB of RAM for $200, and to 16 GB of storage for $400 with Apple.

Do you already know which new Apple laptop model to purchase?

Apple’s new M1 chip appears to significantly improve Mac performance. Going back to the MacBook Air vs MacBook Pro debate, should you buy a MacBook Air or a MacBook Pro 13? That will depend on what you are looking for in a laptop.

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