MacBook Air vs. MacBook Professional 2025: Which Mac do you have to purchase?
You’ve got determined you desire a MacBook, however the query of “MacBook Air vs. MacBook Professional?” stays. I am not a licensed Apple Genius, however I’ve spent a whole bunch of hours utilizing and reviewing each present MacBook Air and MacBook Professional for Laptop computer Magazine, so I am prepared that will help you discover the greatest MacBook to your wants.
Let’s begin with the fundamentals: In 2025, the MacBook Air and Professional lineups consist of 4 choices: 13.6-inch and 15.3-inch MacBook Airs and 14.2-inch and 16.2-inch MacBook Professionals.
The MacBook Air fashions are restricted to Apple’s M4 chip, whereas the MacBook Professional options the M4, M4 Professional, or M4 Max. Solely the Professional fashions supply the extra highly effective “Professional” or “Max” chipsets, one of the crucial obvious variations between the Air and Professional MacBooks. The bottom MacBook Professional 14-inch blurs these traces with its commonplace M4 chip.
Folks usually ask me, “Is the MacBook Air or MacBook Professional higher?” There isn’t any common reply to that query; there may be solely which is best for you. So, let’s discover out.
I’ll examine value, options, efficiency, battery life, and extra to find out whether or not you must put money into the MacBook Air or MacBook Professional in 2025.
And as soon as we have decided whether or not the MacBook Air or Professional is best for you, our greatest MacBook offers might help you safe the perfect value.
MacBook Air vs. MacBook Professional: Specs in contrast
| Row 0 – Cell 0 |
Greatest for many |
Massive display screen worth |
Moveable energy |
Peak efficiency |
| Row 1 – Cell 0 |
MacBook Air 13 (M4) |
MacBook Air 15 (M4) |
MacBook Professional 14-inch |
MacBook Professional 16-inch |
|
Value |
||||
|
CPU |
M4 |
M4 |
M4, M4 Professional or M4 Max |
M4 Professional or M4 Max |
|
RAM |
As much as 32GB |
As much as 32GB |
As much as 128GB |
as much as 128GB |
|
Show |
13.6 inches (2560 x 1600) |
15.3 inches (2880 x 1864) |
14.2 inches (3024 x 1964), 120Hz |
16.2 inches (3456 x 2234), 120Hz |
|
Ports |
2 Thunderbolt 3/USB 4, MagSafe, headphone |
2 Thunderbolt 3/USB4, MagSafe, headphone |
3 Thunderbolt 4, HDMI, SDXC card, MagSafe, headphone |
3 Thunderbolt 5, HDMI, SDXC card, MagSafe, headphone |
|
Graphics |
M4 |
M4 |
M4, M4 Professional or M4 Max |
M4 Professional or M4 Max |
|
Storage |
as much as 2TB |
As much as 2TB |
As much as 8TB |
as much as 8TB |
|
Battery Life (hrs) |
15:42 (examined) |
15:14 (examined) |
18:32 (examined) |
20:46 (examined) |
|
Safety |
Contact ID |
Contact ID |
Contact ID |
Contact ID |
|
Measurement |
11.97 x 8.46 x 0.44 inches |
13.40 x 9.53 x 0.45 inches |
12.3 x 8.7 x 0.6 inches |
14 x 9.8 x 0.66 inches |
|
Weight |
2.7 kilos |
3.3 kilos |
3.4 kilos |
4.7 kilos |
The Fast Record
1. Macbook Air 13-inch M4
The MacBook most individuals can buy
The MacBook Air M4 is the MacBook most individuals can buy proper now. The M4 chip presents loads of efficiency for many customers. Mix that with virtually 16 hours of battery life and a brilliant Retina show, and it is a straightforward decide.
2. MacBook Air 15-inch M4
The very best reasonably priced big-screen MacBook
The MacBook Air 15 stuffed a niche in Apple’s laptop computer lineup: a giant display screen that does not price $2,500+. Positive, it is simply an M4 Air with a much bigger show, however that is an ideal laptop computer for many individuals.
Greatest MacBook for moveable efficiency
Whether or not you’re enhancing pictures or movies, creating music, or engaged on an enormous spreadsheet, the MacBook Professional 14 is the best way to go. The M4’s energy and endurance took one other leap.
4. MacBook Professional 16 (M4 Professional)
Greatest MacBook for peak efficiency
The MacBook Professional 16 with M4 Professional can deal with any job. Whether or not it is the bigger show, larger peak efficiency, or 4 further hours of battery life, the Professional 16 earns its premium value.
Sean Riley
Sean Riley has coated all kinds of tech over his 15 years as a journalist and has reviewed over 75 laptops, tablets, and extra at Laptop computer Magazine since 2020. Now, because the managing editor, he participates in each laptop computer evaluation revealed on Laptop computer Magazine, whether or not as a reviewer or editor. Sean has used MacBooks for the reason that unibody plastic days and has reviewed each present MacBook Air and MacBook Professional, so he has a large breadth of expertise with Apple laptops to assist information you to the correct selection.
MacBook Air (13-inch, M4): Greatest for most individuals
Picture 1 of 5
Professionals: Whereas the 13-inch MacBook Air M4 seems to be no completely different from its predecessor outwardly, a number of adjustments make it the perfect MacBook for most individuals proper now. The $100 value reduce helps, returning the bottom MacBook Air to a $999 beginning value.
Mixed with the bump to 16GB of RAM on the bottom mannequin, previously a $200 improve, our beneficial configuration for the 13-inch MacBook Air is $300 cheaper than final yr’s, even with out scouting for one of many greatest MacBook offers.
The MacBook Air’s 13.6-inch show is among the brightest laptops round, and True Tone additionally ensures wonderful colour accuracy, however the vibrancy falls in need of among the OLED competitors. Rumors of Apple shifting to OLED sooner or later abound, however not but.
Like its predecessors, the MacBook Air M4 is among the thinnest laptops at solely 0.4 inches. Nonetheless, in contrast to many ultraportable laptops, it may sustain with a powerful workload, due to the M4 chip. Whether or not it was our benchmarks or real-world utilization, the Air M4 was up for any job.
Trying on the benchmarks, the MacBook Air M4 scored 14,489 on Geekbench 6, simply surpassing the competitors. Our Handbrake video transcoding take a look at took 5 minutes and 40 seconds to transcode a 4K video to 1080p. This blows previous the mainstream common, however nonetheless cannot maintain as much as the MacBook Professional fashions in related exams. SSD speeds are among the many greatest we have seen, with 3,456.2 MBps and three,018.4 MBps in BlackMagic Write and Learn exams, respectively.
All that efficiency prowess would not harm its battery life, both. If discovering an outlet could be a problem throughout your day, by no means worry: The Air M4 powered by means of virtually 16 hours of battery life testing in our lab.
Rounding out the additions and upgrades from this yr, the brand new Apple Heart webcam is among the greatest I’ve ever examined, the 12MP digital camera makes you look your greatest in any lighting.
Cons: So what are the downsides? When you have lots of peripherals, the pair of Thunderbolt/USB-C ports could also be difficult, however no less than you may have MagSafe 3 to maintain each ports free whereas charging.
Whereas the bottom $999 value for the MacBook Air 13-inch M4 is cheap given what you might be getting, if it’s essential improve RAM or storage, every leap is one other $200, however neither is user-upgradeable, so do not go away your self quick.
Want extra display screen actual property? Look no additional than the 15-inch MacBook Air M4. It mirrors all the strengths of its smaller sibling however with a bigger 15.3-inch show.
See our full 13-inch MacBook Air M4 evaluation.
See our full 15-inch MacBook Air M4 evaluation.
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| Header Cell – Column 0 |
Apple MacBook Air 13-inch M4 |
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x |
MacBook Air 13-inch M3 |
Asus Zenbook 14 OLED (Q425) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Geekbench 6 (Increased is best) |
14,849 |
13,750 |
12,087 |
12,908 |
|
Handbrake conversion (Decrease is best) |
5.40 |
5.16 |
7.40 |
6.17 |
|
SSD Switch price (Increased is best, MBps) |
Row 2 – Cell 1 |
1416 |
Row 2 – Cell 3 |
1279.88 |
|
BlackMagic Write (SSD pace) |
3,456.2 |
3,253.3 |
3,058.8 |
Row 3 – Cell 4 |
|
BlackMagic Learn (SSD pace) |
3,018.4 |
3,652.6 |
3,030.7 |
Row 4 – Cell 4 |
|
Warmth (Levels Fahrenheit) |
85.2 |
86.0 |
83.5 |
111.9 |
|
Battery life (Increased is best) |
Row 6 – Cell 1 |
14.14 |
15.13 |
12.21 |
|
Show brightness (Increased is best) |
463 |
464 |
476 |
354 |
|
sRGB colour gamut (Increased is best) |
112% |
219% |
110% |
115% |
|
DCI-P3 colour gamut (Increased is best) |
79.6% |
155.4% |
77.8% |
81.7% |
|
Coloration accuracy (Decrease is best) |
0.2 |
0.37 |
0.21 |
0.21 |
|
Sid Meier’s Civ VI: Gathering Storm (1080p) |
40.65 |
20.87 |
41.39 |
32.5 |
|
Borderlands 3 (1080p) |
20.85 |
Row 12 – Cell 2 |
17.08 |
Row 12 – Cell 4 |
|
Shadow of the Tomb Raider |
31 |
Row 13 – Cell 2 |
25 |
Row 13 – Cell 4 |
MacBook Air (15-inch, M4): Greatest reasonably priced huge display screen
Picture 1 of 5
Professionals: Getting that huge 15.3-inch show on a MacBook for as little as $1,199 is difficult to go up, contemplating that for years, a big display screen MacBook was no less than $2,499. Whereas it lacks the 120Hz refresh price of the Professional fashions, Apple did not skimp on the show, because it presents a wonderful 476 nits of brightness in our testing.
At 3.3 kilos and simply 0.45 inches thick, it is a sturdy contender for the greatest enterprise laptops or greatest pupil laptops for anybody who values a bigger laptop computer that will not crush their laptop computer bag. Thanks to fifteen hours and 14 minutes of battery life in our testing, it additionally will not name it quits on you early.
It options the identical M4 chip because the 13-inch Air M4. It delivers practically an identical efficiency outcomes on many duties, though sustained duties like video enhancing tip in favor of the 15-inch mannequin, presumably as a result of improved thermal efficiency.
Cons: Not many. I discover the port scenario barely extra irritating on the 15-inch Air because it options the identical pair of Thunderbolt 3/USB 4 ports, MagSafe charger, and headphone/mic jack because the a lot smaller MacBook Air 13-inch. Nonetheless, most of us who want extra ports have way back added a USB-C hub or laptop computer docking station to our assortment of drugs.
See our full MacBook Air 15-inch M4 evaluation.
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| Header Cell – Column 0 |
MacBook Air 15-inch M4 |
Asus Zenbook S 14 (UX5406) |
MacBook Air 15-inch M3 |
Lenovo Yoga 9i (Gen 9) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Geekbench 6 (Increased is best) |
14,921 |
11,157 |
12,052 |
12,455 |
|
Handbrake conversion (Decrease is best) |
4.57 |
8.28 |
6.30 |
5.10 |
|
SSD Switch price (Increased is best, MBps) |
Row 2 – Cell 1 |
1007.29 |
Row 2 – Cell 3 |
1016.42 |
|
BlackMagic Write (SSD pace) |
3,335.1 |
2,513.5 |
3,167.1 |
Row 3 – Cell 4 |
|
BlackMagic Learn (SSD pace) |
3,012.5 |
2,590.1 |
2,968.2 |
Row 4 – Cell 4 |
|
Warmth (Levels Fahrenheit) |
90.0 |
97.7 |
83.5 |
95.0 |
|
Battery life (Increased is best) |
15.14 |
13.51 |
15.03 |
7.24 |
|
Show brightness (Increased is best) |
476 |
342 |
482 |
357 |
|
sRGB colour gamut (Increased is best) |
118% |
116% |
109% |
192% |
|
DCI-P3 colour gamut (Increased is best) |
83.5% |
82.0% |
77.5% |
136.3% |
|
Coloration accuracy (Decrease is best) |
0.22 |
0.21 |
0.3 |
0.27 |
|
Sid Meier’s Civ VI: Gathering Storm (1080p) |
44.735 |
48 |
Row 11 – Cell 3 |
34.97 |
|
Borderlands 3 (1080p) |
19.38 |
23.66 |
17.3 |
Row 12 – Cell 4 |
|
Shadow of the Tomb Raider |
31 |
19 |
Row 13 – Cell 3 | Row 13 – Cell 4 |
MacBook Professional (14-inch): Greatest for inventive professionals on the go
Picture 1 of 6
Professionals: The bottom MacBook Professional 14 with its M4 chip is a wonderful worth for these in search of extra energy than the Air can supply with out spending upwards of $2,000. It is also necessary to notice when evaluating in opposition to the Air that you just begin at 512GB of storage, a $200 improve for Air patrons. For many customers, the bottom M4 will get the job carried out, but when time is cash for you, then the M4 Professional and M4 Max processors Apple are among the many quickest, most power-efficient chips ever constructed for moveable computing.
The bottom fashions at each the M4 and M4 Professional ranges are higher than ever, with the M4 Professional outperforming the M3 Max in lots of metrics, so think about that earlier than snapping up a deal on the older fashions. Whereas the bottom mannequin might be greater than sufficient for many customers, you possibly can configure the M4 Max as much as 128GB of RAM and an 8TB SSD. Battery life was examined at 18 hours and 32 minutes for the usual M4 configuration, and we’d anticipate pretty related outcomes from the M4 Professional and M4 Max.
That redesign from 2021 nonetheless feels recent with the 14.2-inch, 3024 x 1964-pixel Liquid Retina XDR mini-LED show with a 120Hz refresh price. At 556 nits, this panel is among the brightest laptop computer screens ever and each colour correct and vivid sufficient for inventive work.
At 12.3 inches x 8.7 x 0.6 inches and three.4 kilos, the 14-inch MacBook Professional stays moveable regardless of the facility it packs beneath the hood.
The 12MP Heart Stage digital camera is one other notable improve for the M4 MacBook Professionals, it is the perfect webcam we have ever seen on a laptop computer with excellent colour accuracy whereas holding up properly in differing lighting situations. Add in Contact ID, a six-speaker setup, and a snug keyboard and the 14-inch MacBook Professional has quite a bit going for it.
Cons: So, what’s unsuitable with the laptop computer? I will be trustworthy, not a lot. It could be nice to get Face ID help for facial recognition login since that is been obtainable on Home windows laptops for years. Whereas your mileage could range, I discover the vent placement makes the MacBook Professional uncomfortable to carry in sure orientations, which is not a serious challenge, but it surely’s one thing I have not encountered on a MacBook beforehand.
See our full MacBook Professional 14 M4 evaluation.
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| Header Cell – Column 0 |
Apple MacBook Professional 14-inch (M4, 2024) |
Apple MacBook Professional 14-inch (M3, 2023) |
HP Spectre x360 (14-inch, 2024) |
Asus Zenbook S14 UX5406S |
Premium laptops common |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Geekbench 6 (Increased is best) |
15,114 |
11,968 |
12,358 |
11,157 |
10,492 |
|
Handbrake conversion (Decrease is best, MM.SS) |
04:28 |
05:38 |
07:30 |
08:28 |
06:18 |
|
Battery life (HH.MM) |
18:32 |
17:16 |
11:01 |
13:51 |
13:23 |
|
DCI-P3 Coloration Gamut (Increased is best) |
80.2 |
81.3 |
85.8 |
82 |
84.7 |
|
Show Brightness (Nits) |
556.6 |
558 |
366 |
555 |
434 |
MacBook Professional 16-inch: Greatest for peak efficiency
Picture 1 of 5
Professionals: This MacBook Professional has every thing we love concerning the 14-inch MacBook Professional however with a big 16-inch show. It has the identical M4 Professional and M4 Max chip choices together with as much as a ridiculous 128GB of reminiscence and as much as an 8TB SSD. Battery life is even higher, at 20 hours and 46 minutes in our testing, our second-longest outcome ever and the longest ever for a MacBook. Given the sky-high efficiency benchmarks, that battery life is sort of unbelievable, I’ve speculated earlier than that Apple has a secret pocket dimension within the MacBook Professional chassis, and I am nonetheless not counting that out as a risk.
When you plan to maintain your laptop computer for 5-7 years or extra and notably are doing inventive work or different work that requires knowledge transfers between your laptop computer and both an SSD or different {hardware}, then the 16-inch MacBook Professional presents one other benefit over its smaller Professional sibling, Thunderbolt 5 ports. Whereas there may be little to take full benefit of the brand new commonplace in the mean time, Thunderbolt 5 docks, exterior SSDs, and extra are beginning to arrive and can decide up over the following 12 months.
Cons: You will get most of what’s obtainable within the 16-inch MacBook Professional within the 14-inch mannequin for $500 much less. When you want the bigger panel or Thunderbolt 5 help, then get the 16-inch MacBook Professional, but when that is not essential, there may be little purpose to pay up for the bigger laptop computer.
Additionally, at 14 x 9.8 x 0.66 inches and 4.7 kilos, the 16-inch MacBook Professional is significantly bigger than the 14-inch mannequin, so when you commonly tote your laptop computer round, that is value contemplating as properly.
Just like the 14-inch mannequin, I want Face ID was obtainable, and I am not a fan of the vent configuration, however these are minor considerations general.
See our full MacBook Professional 16-inch M4 Professional evaluation.
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| Header Cell – Column 0 |
Apple MacBook Professional 16-inch (M4 Professional, 2024) |
Apple MacBook Professional 16-inch (M3 Max, 2023) |
Lenovo Yoga Professional 9i 16 Gen 9 |
Asus ProArt PX16 2024 |
Premium laptops common |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Geekbench 6 (Increased is best) |
22,822 |
21,182 |
12,141 |
15,286 |
10,492 |
|
Handbrake conversion (Decrease is best, MM.SS) |
02:38 |
02:36 |
03:53 |
03:15 |
06:18 |
|
Battery life (HH.MM) |
20:46 |
18:05 |
09:51 |
09:32 |
13:23 |
|
DCI-P3 Coloration Gamut (Increased is best) |
81.4 |
81.8 |
105.7 |
85.5 |
84.7 |
|
Show Brightness (Nits) |
565 |
558 |
373 |
356 |
434 |
How We Check MacBooks
Picture 1 of 3
We put MacBooks by means of in depth benchmark testing—each artificial and real-world—earlier than they’re handed to our reviewers. We consider every thing from pace and battery life to show brightness, speaker quantity, and system warmth.
We use a Klein K10 colorimeter to detect a laptop computer show’s brightness and sRGB colour gamut. For efficiency benchmarking, we run the laptop computer by means of a gauntlet of benchmarks, together with Geekbench 6, BlackMagic Disk Velocity Check, and PugetBench for Adobe CC.
We job the laptop computer to transform a 4K video to 1080p decision to find out real-world efficiency. Our real-world graphics exams on MacBooks embody Borderlands 3, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Sid Meier’s Civilization VI: Gathering Storm, and Complete Battle: Warhammer III in 1080p and native decision settings.
We additionally run warmth exams by enjoying a 15-minute full-screen video, and our proprietary Laptop computer Magazine Battery Check consists of steady net browsing over wifi at 150 nits of brightness. Something over 10 hours is taken into account sturdy battery life, a regular each present Macbook simply surpasses.
Following these exams, the laptop computer is given to our knowledgeable reviewers for in depth hands-on testing. Our reviewers will spend days utilizing the laptop computer as a part of their typical workflow to get a way of the real-world efficiency and dwell with the laptop computer to return away with an intensive understanding of the {hardware} and software program expertise. This blended lab testing and hands-on strategy permits us to give you a transparent and complete view of each laptop computer that comes by means of Laptop computer Magazine.
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