Apple recently launched a new MacBook Air with an M2 chip, a 15.3 Liquid Retina display, and a larger battery than its predecessor, the 13-inch M2 MacBook Air (2022).
Due to the premium $1,299 starting price and specs, the new M2 MacBook Air has been widely compared to the 14-inch MacBook Pro (2023) with an M2 Pro chip to see which laptop performs better.
However, we believe the worthy comparison of the 2023 MacBook Air (15-inch) is with the 2022 MacBook Pro (13-inch) because the M2 chip powers both laptops.
If you looking to buy upgrade your older computer or buy a new one and want to know if you should opt for the 15-inch M2 MacBook Air or the 13-inch M2 MacBook Pro, we have a comprehensive performance comparison of both machines for you to make an informed decision.
M2 MacBook Air and M2 MacBook Pro – Comparison
Similarities
| Specs | 15-inch MacBook Air | 13-inch MacBook Air |
| Processor | M2 chip built on 5nm process 8-core CPU (4 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores) 10-core GPU 16-core Neural Engine 100GB/s memory bandwidth | M2 chip built on 5nm process 8-core CPU (4 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores) 10-core GPU 16-core Neural Engine 100GB/s memory bandwidth |
| RAM | 8GB 16GB 24GB | 8GB 16GB 24GB |
| Storage | 256GB SSD 512GB SSD 1TB SSD 2TB SSD | 256GB SSD 512GB SSD 1TB SSD 2TB SSD |
| Price | $1,299 | $1,299 |
Design differences
| Specs | 15-inch MacBook Air | 13-inch MacBook Pro |
| Design | Fanless 1.15 cm height 34.04cm width 1.51 kg weight | Thermal system with cooling fans 1.56 cm height 30.41 cm width 1.4 kg weight |
| Display | 15.3-inch (diagonal) screen Liquid Retina display 2880 by 1864 pixels | 13.3-inch (diagonal) screen LED-backlit display with IPS tech 2560 by 1600 pixels |
| Camera | 1080p FaceTime HD camera | 720p FaceTime HD camera |
| Biometric authentication | Touch ID | Touch Bar Touch ID |
| Sound system | Six-speakers with force-cancelling woofers Three-mic array with directional beamforming | Stereo speakers with high dynamic range Wide stereo sound three-mic array with high signal-to-noise ratio and directional beamforming |
| Wireless connectivity | Bluetooth 5.3 | Bluetooth 5.0 |
| Battery | 66.5-watt-hour lithium-polymer battery | 58.2-watt-hour lithium-polymer battery |
| Battery life | Up to 15 hours web surfing Up to 18 hours video streaming | Up to 17 hours web surfing Up to 20 hours video streaming |
Performance comparison
| Tests | 15-inch MacBook Air | 13-inch MacBook Pro |
| Geekbench 5 | Single-core: 1824 Multi-core: 8537 | Single-core: 1861 Multi-core: 8671 |
| Cinebench R23 | Single-core: 1504 Multi-core: 8134 | Single-core: 1533 Multi-core: 8306 |
| HandBrake 1.4 (Lower is better) | Render time: 7 minutes 29 seconds | Render time: 6 minutes 52 seconds |
| 3DMark (Higher is better) | 6,856 | 6,800 |
Verdict: M2 MacBook Air (2023) is a better choice than M2 MacBook Pro (2022)
If you are comparing a MacBook Pro with a MacBook Air that means you do not mind the heavier machine.
In that case, you should opt for the new 15-inch M2 MacBook Air (2023) over the 13-inch MacBook Pro (2022) because you will get a larger screen and almost the same performance as the Pro machine for the same price.
Read More:
- Best games to play on 15-inch MacBook Air with M2
- 15-inch MacBook Air vs. 13-inch MacBook Air: Which one should you buy?
- 15-inch MacBook Air vs. 14-inch MacBook Pro: Which one should you buy?
- Download 15-inch MacBook Air wallpapers for macOS, Windows, iOS and Android
- Apple’s 15-inch MacBook Air does not offer support for multiple external displays
