If you're having trouble deciding between the cheaper and lighter MacBook Air or spending more for the more powerful MacBook Pro, you've come to the right place. The MacBook Air and Pro don't look all that different from one another, but there are key differences -- from cost and components to performance and battery life -- that you need to know to pick the right one.
The 15-inch M4 MacBook Air is the best laptop for most people, but there are some good reasons to spend more for a M4 MacBook Pro or less on the 13-inch Air. Let's break down the MacBook Air against the MacBook Pro to see where and how these two laptop lines differ and which one is the best MacBook for you.
Watch this: M4 MacBook Air Review: Still Fantastic Even if Not Much Has Changed 04:44
MacBook Air vs. Pro: Refresh cycle
No one wants to buy a laptop only to see it get updated a week or a month after you pull the trigger on a purchase. So, it's important to know which MacBook is newer. The MacBook Air was most recently updated, getting an M4 upgrade in March to bringing it up to date with the MacBook Pro, which was first to offer the M4 chip at the end of last year. It's a good time to buy either MacBook, but the Pro model is a good bet to be first with an M5 chip at some point near the end of 2025.
Read more: Best MacBook for 2025
Now that you know where each line stands in its refresh schedule, let's take a look at the current pricing of the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro.
The current MacBook Air features Apple's M4 processor and is available in 13- and 15-inch sizes. Josh Goldman/CNET
MacBook Air vs. Pro: Cost and components
The MacBook Air is available with a 13.6- or 15.3-inch display. The 13-inch Air starts at $999, and the 15-inch Air starts at $1,199. Both entry-level models feature Apple's latest M4 processor along with 16GB of RAM and a 256GB solid-state drive. There is a slight difference in GPU cores between these two starting models -- the 13-inch Air's M4 chip has eight GPU cores, and the 15-inch Air's M4 chip has 10 GPU cores.
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