Today, Apple unveiled its M5 chip and updated a trio of Pro devices with the new silicon: the MacBook Pro, iPad Pro and Vision Pro headset. Other than a new strap for the Vision Pro, the announcements amount to internal upgrades only, swapping out last year's M4 chip for this year's M5.
Given the lack of added features or changes in design, I'm in no hurry to pick up a new MacBook Pro, despite Apple's claims of the M5's improved performance.
The 15-inch MacBook Air with the M4 chip will remain my go-to, everyday laptop. I still think it's the best MacBook for most people, offering an ideal mix of screen size and portability with more than enough performance for a great price.
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15-inch Air vs. 14-inch Pro
The 15-inch MacBook Air and 14-inch MacBook Pro are in the middle of Apple's MacBook lineup, bookended by the 13-inch Air on one end and the 16-inch Pro on the other. Students and budget shoppers will find lots to like about the smaller, cheaper 13-inch MacBook Air. Power users who demand the best performance and biggest display will pay a princely sum for the 16-inch MacBook Pro.
If you aren't shopping at either end of the MacBook line, then which is the better pick: the 14-inch MacBook Pro with the newest M5 or the 15-inch MacBook Air with the M4 chip?
Unless you have a need for the extra performance punch, I recommend you go with the 15-inch Air. Here's why:
Lower price
The 14-inch MacBook Pro M5 starts at $1,599, the same starting price as last year. The 15-inch MacBook Air M4 starts at $1,199, $100 less than the previous version. If you double the 15-inch Air's storage to a 512GB SSD to match that of the baseline MacBook Pro, it's still $200 cheaper.
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