Apple has now equipped its latest 13-inch and 15-inch M5 MacBook Air family with the same silicon found in the 14-inch M5 MacBook Pro, but it retails for a significantly lower price. Does that make the more affordable portable Macs a significantly better value? On paper, absolutely, but in reality, it is far more complicated, which is why our comprehensive buying guide will help you decide between the two machines.
Display
All Macs sold by Apple sport a phenomenal build quality thanks to the unibody aluminum chassis, so whether it’s the 13-inch or 15-inch M5 MacBook Air, or the more expensive 14-inch M5 MacBook Pro, you’re always guaranteed a premium product. However, there’s a reason for the price difference, with the biggest contrast highlighted by the Liquid Retina XDR display on the ‘Pro’ model.
You not only get a superior mini-LED panel with better, brighter colors, but also deeper blacks, crisper image quality, and much higher brightness. On the 14-inch M5 MacBook Pro, you also get access to ProMotion technology, which takes the refresh rate to 120Hz, a feature sorely missing on both the 13-inch and 15-inch M5 MacBook Air.
| Display | 13-inch M5 MacBook Air | 15-inch M5 MacBook Air | 14-inch M5 MacBook Pro |
|---|---|---|---|
| Size | 13.6-inch | 15.3-inch | 14.2-inch |
| Resolution | 2,560 x 1,664 | 2,880 x 1,864 | 3,024 x 1,964 |
| Technology | IPS LCD | IPS LCD | mini-LED |
| Maximum brightness | 500 nits | 500 nits | 1,000 nits sustained 1,600 nits peak brightness Up to 1,000 nits brightness outdoors |
| ProMotion support for higher refresh rate | No | No | Yes (up to 120Hz) |
| Pixels Per Inch | 224 | 224 | 254 |
| Wide color gamut | P3 | P3 | P3 |
| True Tone | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Dimensions | |||
| Length | 11.97 inches (30.41cm) | 13.40 inches (34.04cm) | 12.31 inches (31.26cm) |
| Width | 8.46 inches (21.5cm) | 9.35 inches (23.76cm) | 8.71 inches (22.12cm) |
| Thickness | 0.44 inch (1.13cm) | 0.45 inch (1.15cm) | 0.61 inch (1.55cm) |
| Weight | 2.7 pounds (1.23kg) | 3.3 pounds (1.51kg) | 3.4 pounds (1.55kg) |
Performance differences, storage, and memory configurations
The M5 chipset is consistent between the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro, but here’s something you probably didn’t know. On the base 13-inch MacBook Air, you get a binned SoC with a 10-core CPU and an 8-core GPU, whereas the 15-inch M5 MacBook Air and M5 MacBook Pro are both treated to a 10-core CPU and a 10-core GPU.
It’s also important to note that while the maximum unified memory bandwidth and storage are locked at up to 32GB and 4TB for all three machines, respectively, the M5 MacBook Pro comes with double the base storage of the M5 MacBook Air, which is 1TB. The M5 will also perform better on the more expensive Mac, and the reason for this is explained below.
| Chipset, memory and storage differences | 13-inch M5 MacBook Air | 15-inch M5 MacBook Air | 14-inch M5 MacBook Pro |
|---|---|---|---|
| SoC | M5 | M5 | M5 |
| Lithography | TSMC 3nm N3P | TSMC 3nm N3P | TSMC 3nm N3P |
| Cores | 10-core (4 super, 6 efficiency), 8-core GPU (configurable up to a 10-core GPU) | 10-core (4 super, 6 efficiency), 8-core GPU (configurable up to a 10-core GPU) | 10-core (4 super, 6 efficiency), 10-core GPU |
| Neural Engine | 16-core | 16-core | 16-core |
| Neural Accelerators | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Memory bandwidth | 153GB/s | 153GB/s | 153GB/s |
| Unified memory configurations | 16GB base (up to 32GB) | 16GB base (up to 32GB) | 16GB base (up to 32GB) |
| Storage configurations | 512GB base (up to 4TB) | 512GB base (up to 4TB) | 1TB base (up to 4TB) |
Cooling
Having the same silicon won’t matter if the cooling capacity of the two Macs is different. The 13-inch and 15-inch M5 MacBook Air rely on a ‘fanless’ design where the internals are cooled by a single heatsink. The M5 MacBook Pro sports a single fan and a heatpipe solution to help keep thermals low.
In short, the chipset aided by an active fan will offer better sustained performance, reducing the likelihood of throttling. Even then, the M5 MacBook Pro faces difficulty in keeping the temperatures down, with the SoC reaching 99 degrees when pushed hard. If this is the case with the more expensive Mac, imagine how the M5 would fare without any active cooling?
Now, we’re not saying the 13-inch and 15-inch M5 MacBook Air lineup will continuously lose performance under stress, but if your workflow requires you to routinely run these machines for hours tackling intensive tasks, investing in a MacBook Pro is the better option.
| Cooling solution | 13-inch M5 MacBook Air | 15-inch M5 MacBook Air | 14-inch M5 MacBook Pro |
|---|---|---|---|
| Active fan | No | No | Yes (single unit on base model) |
| Heatpipes | No (passive heatsink) | No (passive heatsink) | Yes (single unit) |
Wired and wireless connectivity
In wireless connectivity, the M5 MacBook Pro is an entire generation behind the M5 MacBook Air as both models feature Bluetooth 6 and Wi-Fi 7, courtesy of Apple’s in-house N1 wireless networking chip. However, in wired connectivity, the MacBook Pro has the last laugh, offering a versatile assortment that includes Thunderbolt 4 ports, an HDMI input, and an SD card reader.
| Wired and wireless connectivity | 13-inch M5 MacBook Air | 15-inch M5 MacBook Air | 14-inch M5 MacBook Pro |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi 7 using Apple's N1 wireless networking chip | Wi-Fi 7 using Apple's N1 wireless networking chip | Wi-Fi 6E |
| Bluetooth | Bluetooth 6 | Bluetooth 6 | Bluetooth 5.3 |
| Wired connectivity | |||
| Ports | Two USB-C Thunderbolt 4 ports up to 40Gb/s | Two USB-C Thunderbolt 4 ports up to 40Gb/s | Three USB-C Thunderbolt 4 ports up to 40Gb/s |
| 3.5mm headphone jack | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| MagSafe charging port | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| HDMI | No | No | Yes (version 2.1, supports external display with an 8K resolution up to 60Hz, or 4K at 240Hz) |
| SD card | No | No | Yes (supports UHS-11 transfer speeds with maximum theoretical speeds of 312MB/s) |
Battery life, capacity, and charging
Apple Silicon Macs have gained popularity for their legendary runtimes, but if you really want to stretch that endurance for longer periods, the M5 MacBook Pro will be your best friend, lasting for up to 24 hours on a single charge, making it six hours longer than the 13-inch and 15-inch M5 MacBook Air. You can also top up the MacBook Pro’s battery much faster with the 70W USB-C power adapter.
| Battery life, capacity and charging | 13-inch M5 MacBook Air | 13-inch M5 MacBook Air | 14-inch M5 MacBook Pro |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capacity | 55.8WHr | 66.5WHr | 72.4WHr |
| Battery time in video streaming | Up to 18 hours | Up to 18 hours | Up to 24 hours |
| Battery time in web browsing | Up to 15 hours | Up to 15 hours | Up to 16 hours |
| Power adapter size | 40W Dynamic Power Adapter with up to 60W | 40W Dynamic Power Adapter with up to 60W | 70W USB-C Power Adapter |
| Fast-charging support | With 70W USB-C Power Adapter or higher | With 70W USB-C Power Adapter or higher | With 96W USB-C Power Adapter or higher |
| MagSafe charging support | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Camera, speakers, and microphones
For the best listening experience, the M5 MacBook Pro trumps the M5 MacBook Air with its six-speaker system, not to mention offering clear-cut audio during voice or video calls with its studio-quality triple-mic array. Compared to Windows laptops, the 13-inch and 15-inch M5 MacBook Air models are in a different league, but against a more expensive Mac, not at all.
| Camera, speakers, and microphones | 13-inch M5 MacBook Air | 15-inch M5 MacBook Air | 14-inch M5 MacBook Pro |
|---|---|---|---|
| Camera | 12MP Center Stage with Desk View support | 12MP Center Stage with Desk View support | 12MP Center Stage with Desk View support |
| Speakers | Four-spreaker system | Four-spreaker system | Six-speaker system with force-cancelling woofers Wide stereo sound HDMI port supports multi-channel audio |
| Spatial Audio | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Dynamic head tracking using supported AirPods | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Microphones | Triple array | Triple array | Studio quality triple array with high signal-to-noise ratio and directional beamforming |
| Voice Isolation | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Wide Spectrum | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Trackpad and keyboard
The trackpad and keyboard are probably the only areas where all three Macs have no differences. Apple has adopted chiclet-style keyboards across its machines, and all of them feature backlighting. The Force Touch trackpad is enormous in size on all Macs.
| Trackpad and keyboard | 13-inch M5 MacBook Air | 15-inch M5 MacBook Air | 14-inch M5 Macbook Pro |
|---|---|---|---|
| Touch ID | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Force Touch | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Gestures control | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Precise cursor control | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Pressure-sensing force clicks | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Multi-Touch gestures | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Pressure-sensative drawing | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Accelerators | Yes | Yes | Yes |
External display support
Even though the M5 MacBook Pro shares the same external monitor support as the M5 MacBook Air, you get versatility in the form of the HDMI port. Not every consumer will have the latest and greatest display in their possession since these aren’t upgraded often. The older monitors that feature HDMI won’t necessarily have a Thunderbolt 4 port. Then again, a simple dongle purchase will fix this problem, which you can get if you have your sights set on the MacBook Air.
| External display support | 13-inch M5 MacBook Air | 15-inch M5 MacBook Air | 14-inch M5 MacBook Pro |
|---|---|---|---|
| Two displays up to a 6K resolution at 60Hz, or 4K resolution at 144Hz | Two displays up to a 6K resolution at 60Hz, or 4K resolution at 144Hz | Two display up to a 6K resolution at 60Hz, or 4K resolution at 144Hz using a combination of any Thunderbolt 4 and HDMI port | |
| One display up to a 8K resolution at 60Hz, or 5K resolution at 120Hz, or 4K resolution at 240Hz | One display up to a 8K resolution at 60Hz, or 5K resolution at 120Hz, or 4K resolution at 240Hz | One display up to a 8K resolution at 60Hz, or 5K resolution at 120Hz, or 4K resolution at 240Hz |
Price
Each figure is subject to change as online and physical retailers have their attractive discounts, but we will compare the launch price introduced by Apple. To get to the base M5 MacBook Pro, you’ll have to spend an eye-watering $600 more, which grants you twice the storage at 1TB. At $1,099, the base 13-inch M5 MacBook Air sounds like a significantly better deal for the average person.
| Price | 13-inch M5 MacBook Air | 15-inch M5 MacBook Air | 14-inch M5 MacBook Pro |
|---|---|---|---|
| $1,099 (16GB unified RAM and 512GB SSD) | $1,299 (16GB unified RAM and 512GB SSD) | $1,699 (16GB unified RAM and 1TB SSD) | |
| $100 extra for 10-core CPU and 10-core GPU upgrade $200 extra for 1TB storage or 24GB unified RAM | $200 extra for 1TB storage or 24GB unified RAM | $200 extra for 24GB unified RAM $400 extra 2TB storage |
Which Mac is the best for you?
In a nutshell, the 13-inch and 15-inch M5 MacBook Air will be the first preference for the average buyer, whereas the 14-inch M5 MacBook Pro will cater to those who genuinely care about specifications like the mini-LED upgrade, high refresh rate, additional ports, an SD card reader, and better cooling. The majority of consumers aren’t going to bother with these extras, especially after finding out that there’s a $600 difference between the two classes of Macs.
As for battery life, the more affordable Macs already last longer than competing Windows notebooks, so those looking for double-digit endurance would have already selected the 13-inch or 15-inch M5 MacBook Air as their daily driver. If you’re dead set on running system-crippling workloads for hours without worrying about performance dropping, there’s no better choice than the M5 MacBook Pro.
Keep in mind that the M5 MacBook Air can also handle high-resolution video editing, programming, and more, so don’t assume the lack of a cooling fan will hinder its capabilities. The best part about both Macs is that they are all cheaper at this time, with Amazon discounting the M5 MacBook Air by $50, with the lineup now starting from $1,049.99 instead of $1,099.
As for the M5 MacBook Pro, the online retailer has an even bigger surprise, as the base model with 16GB unified RAM and a 512GB SSD is going for $1,399.99 after a $200 price cut. As for the 1TB SSD option, you can get the Space Black paint job for $1,499.99, down from $1,699.
About the author: Omar Sohail is a reporter and analyst for Wccftech's mobile section, specializing in the technology and business of the mobile industry. His expertise lies in the intricate hardware supply chain, covering developments in semiconductor manufacturing, chip lithography, and camera sensor technology.
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