The MacBook Pro and MacBook Air are two expensive laptops from Apple. Both are known for their impressive hardware, luxurious design, and outstanding performance. But of these two MacBooks, the MacBook Pro is more expensive than Macbook Air. I know many people can’t figure out why. Let me clear it up.
The MacBook Pro is expensive for many different reasons. The foremost reasons are the faster processing speeds on the laptop, the premium-quality components, and the battery life.
From my perspective, there are indeed more underlying reasons for the high price of the MacBook Pro. Together, let’s take a closer look at all of them. So, let’s start.
Reasons Why MacBook Pro Is More Expensive Than MacBook Air
The Macbook Pro outperforms the Macbook Air in terms of performance, battery life, specs, and design, justifying its higher price.
Let’s discuss these few terms in a more detailed way that will help you understand them better.
Overall Difference In Specs
There is a noticeable difference in the overall specs of the MacBook Pro and MacBook Air.
Let’s examine their specs to make an informed decision about which one is more powerful.
Here we have a table:
| Specs | Macbook Air M2 15-inch | Macbook Pro M2 14-inch |
| Processor | Apple M2 (8-core CPU, 16-core Neural Engine) | Apple M2 Max (10-Core CPU + 16-Core Neural Engine) |
| Graphics | 10-Core GPU | 16-core GPU |
| Memory | 8GB16GB24GB | 16GB32GB64GB96GB |
| Storage | 256GB512GB1TB2TB | 512GB1TB2TB4TB8TB |
| Display | 15.3-inch Liquid Retina, | 14.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR, |
| Resolution | 2880×1864 | 3024×1964 |
| Webcam | 1080p FaceTime HD camera | 1080p FaceTime HD camera |
| Battery | Up to 18 hours | Up to 18 hours |
| Ports | Two Thunderbolt/USB 4 ports MagSafe 3 portHeadphone jack | Three Thunderbolt/USB 4 ports)SDXC card slotHDMI portMagSafe 3 portHeadphone jack |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 6 (802.11a/b/g/n/ac compatible)Bluetooth 5.3 | Wi-Fi 6E (802.11a/b/g/n/ac compatible)Bluetooth 5.3 |
| Weight | Starts at 3.3 pounds (15-inch model) | Starts at 3.5 pounds (14-inch model) |
| Price | $1499 | $1999 |
Everything in this table is justified. This table might have helped me understand things more clearly. Now let’s talk about some more differences.
Design
On both MacBooks, there’s no big, noticeable change in the design. It looks almost identical in its overall appearance.
But if you place them side by side then at first, you’re going to look like the MacBook Pro has a thicker shape than the MacBook Air, which enables better cooling and allows for the integration of more powerful hardware components.
The MacBook Air, on the other hand, is designed to be compact and slim for enhanced portability. The cooling system isn’t as good as on the MacBook Pro, and the hardware is as well.
The MacBook Pro includes additional ports, a high-resolution Retina display, and, in some models, a Touch Bar for context-sensitive controls.
The MacBook Air has a larger trackpad than the MacBook Pro. I personally think that the Macbook Pro should also add a larger trackpad to its layout.
Meanwhile, the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models have a notch in their screens, enabling users to have a larger display area and an improved FaceTime camera.
For color options, Apple offers limited color options on the MacBook Pro, offering only two colors. I wish there were more, but the MacBook Air provides a variety of choices with four color options.
Display
Let’s talk about display size. It’s one of the big reasons for its high price. The Macbook Pro has slimmer bezels as compared to the Macbook Air.
I think! it doesn’t really matter that the 14-inch Macbook Pro variant display is slightly smaller than the display size in the Air top variant, but it has a high resolution of 3024 x 1964 pixels. while the Macbook Air has 2880×1864, which is far less than the Macbook Pro.
In terms of resolution scaling, I really thought that the 14-inch Macbook Pro would scale better because of its better resolution, however, I was wrong. Macbook Air has better resolution scaling on Macbook Air 15-inch/
Another big display difference is the refresh rate. The Macbook Pro has a 120Hz pro motion display meaning it can also adjust the refresh rate based on what you’re doing on the macbook, whereas the Macbook Air is stuck at 60Hz. Ouch!
Now, what’s really cool about the 14-inch MacBook Pro? It’s got mini-LED technology instead of the standard LCD found on Air models. This means it has multiple dimming zones, just like OLED displays, which give you those deep, rich black levels and vibrant colors.
Because of this advanced technology, we get much higher brightness on the MacBook Pro, at 1600 nits peak, as opposed to just 500 nits on the MacBook Air.
Performance
Let’s check its specs and performance, I personally tested the Macbook Air and MacBook Pro on different tasks like Graphic design, animation, and video editing, and there was a massive difference between them.
Like if I start talking about exporting the project from the Macbook Pro then it was 50% faster from the Macbook Air.
In the AJA Disk Speed Test, the Air has pretty much half the speed of the Macbook Pro. That means the Macbook Pro’s disk is faster than the Air’s one. But in transferring data tests, the Macbook Air SSD is pretty fast compared to the Macbook Pro One.
After SSD, I thought about checking it with some games, so I download some games on both of these laptops. First, I start high-end games like The Shadow of Tomb Rider. The result states that the Macbook Air gives 14 FPS during gameplay, while the Macbook Pro gives 33 FPS. That’s a huge difference, right?
I quickly closed the game on my Macbook Air because I couldn’t handle that much lag. Then I start with light games like World of Warcraft, Minecraft. On high settings, the Macbook Air gave better FPS than before (36 FPS), but on the Macbook Pro, it gave 71 FPS.
For cooling all hardware that we have on Macbook Pro, Apple has installed a dual-fan cooling system. These features are really helpful, preventing the laptop from overheating and damaging the hardware. But as on the Macbook Air, Apple just forgot to put fans and a passive cooling system.
Battery
Let’s talk about the built-in battery. The Macbook Air has a 66.6-watt-hour lithium polymer battery. while the Macbook Pro has a 70-watt-hour lithium polymer battery.
Next, let’s check the mentioned battery life. Both the Macbook Air and Pro claim 18 hours of watching movies via Apple TV. It means that you can watch 12 episodes of Game of Thrones in a single session.
However, in web surfing, the Macbook Pro performs slightly less. Its battery can last up to 12 hours, while the Macbook Air can last up to 15 hours, which is impressive.
Although if you are doing professional tasks like rendering or exporting projects, the Macbook Pro consumes less power. Guess why? Because it performs tasks faster. As a result, it takes a few minutes and does not increase the burden on the battery.
So, you can see how many reasons are there for Macbook Pro being expensive. I’m sure that you understand most of them by now.
Are Apple Macbook Pro Overpriced?
Yes, it’s true that the Macbook Pro costs a higher price tag compared to Macbook Air.
The higher price of the MacBook Pro compared to the MacBook Air is justified by a unique combination of factors.
The MacBook Pro offers superior performance, battery, display, and design which appeals to many users. Its better performance is a significant reason for the premium price.
Additionally, Macbook Pros are known for their long-lasting, which can provide value over the long term.
If you look at this table, there will be easy for you to understand.
| Laptops | Graphic design | Animation | Gaming | Lifespan | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Macbook Pro(M2 Pro) | Best | Best | Average | 7-8Year | $1999 |
| MacBook Air (M2) | Average | Average | No | 5-6 Years | $1499 |
Related: Is 512GB Enough For MacBooks
The tables elaborate all how many tasks Macbook Pro is capable to perform.
Despite being awesome, it is still overpriced for some people! Like a student who buys it for casual use or a person who wants a laptop for regular tasks.
I would say these laptops are a great choice for those who want supreme performance, professional-grade features, and top-tier customer service, the MacBooks are worth the investment.
Final Thoughts
The price difference between the MacBook Pro and MacBook Air is justified by the significant improvements in performance, battery life, display quality, and overall design of the MacBook Pro.
It’s because both MacBook models have their target audiences.
The MacBook Pro’s faster processing speeds, higher memory options, and advanced cooling system make it more suitable for demanding tasks like graphic design, animation, and video editing.
On the other hand, the MacBook Air is designed for enhanced portability with a slimmer profile and a more compact form factor. It is suitable for regular tasks.
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Ernests is the founder and chief editor at WolfofLaptop, with extensive experience as an editor and writer for numerous other tech blogs. His journey into the world of tech blogging evolved from a background in marketing, eventually leading him to become a full-time tech enthusiast. Ernests has successfully merged his marketing expertise with his passion for technology. He has a deep affection for computers, iPads, and smartphones, and his writing style is geared toward offering helpful insights to a global audience. Ernests specializes in crafting comprehensive guides, buyer's guides, and news articles.
In his spare time, Ernests enjoys staying active with activities like running and sports. He's also an avid movie enthusiast and finds relaxation in gaming, particularly on his trusty PS5.