Apple MacBook Pro with Retina display vs. Apple MacBook Air

Laptop Comparison, Reviews and Tests
Apple MacBook Pro with Retina display
Apple MacBook Air

In depth comparison and review of Apple MacBook Pro with Retina display and Apple MacBook Air. Compare sizes, performance, storage capacities, batteries and other important specifications and features to easily choose the right laptop for you. Our goal is to help you uncover differences between the products and find the laptop that will best fit your needs.

Laptop Specifications Comparison

Apple MacBook Pro with Retina display vs. Apple MacBook Air Comparison Chart
DESIGN AND DIMENSIONS Apple MacBook Pro with Retina display Apple MacBook Air
Product Type Notebook Notebook
Dimensions (WxDxH) 31.4 cm x 21.9 cm x 1.8 cm 29.95 cm x 19.2 cm x 1.7 cm
Weight 1.57 kg 1.06 kg
Case Material Aluminum -
DISPLAY Apple MacBook Pro with Retina display Apple MacBook Air
Screen Size (Type) 13.3" - IPS 11.6"
LCD Backlight Technology LED backlight LED backlight
Screen Resolution 2560 x 1600 (WQXGA) 1366 x 768 (HD)
Widescreen Yes Yes
Features - Glossy
PROCESSOR Apple MacBook Pro with Retina display Apple MacBook Air
CPU Intel Core i5 (4th Gen) 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo 1.4 GHz
Max Turbo Speed 2.9 GHz -
Number of Cores Dual-Core Dual-Core
Cache L3 - 3 MB L2 - 3 MB
Front Side Bus - 800 MHz
64-bit Computing Yes Yes
Features Integrated memory controller, Intel Turbo Boost Technology 2.0 -
MEMORY Apple MacBook Pro with Retina display Apple MacBook Air
RAM 4 GB (provided memory is soldered) 2 GB (provided memory is soldered)
RAM Type DDR3L SDRAM DDR3 SDRAM
Speed 1600 MHz 1066 MHz
STORAGE Apple MacBook Pro with Retina display Apple MacBook Air
Main Storage Size (HDD/SSD) 128 GB SSD 64 GB SSD
AUDIO & VIDEO Apple MacBook Pro with Retina display Apple MacBook Air
Graphics Processor (GPU) Intel Iris Graphics NVIDIA GeForce GT 320M
Memory Allocation Technology - Shared Video Memory (UMA)
Max Allocated RAM Size - 256 MB
Camera Yes Yes
Video Resolutions 1280 x 720 -
Sound Stereo speakers, two microphones Stereo speakers, microphone
COMMUNICATIONS Apple MacBook Pro with Retina display Apple MacBook Air
Wireless Bluetooth 4.0, 802.11a/b/g/n/ac 802.11a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1 EDR
BATTERY Apple MacBook Pro with Retina display Apple MacBook Air
Technology Lithium polymer Lithium polymer
Battery Capacity (Size) 71.8 Wh 35 Wh
Battery Life Up to 9 hours Up to 5 hours
AC ADAPTER Apple MacBook Pro with Retina display Apple MacBook Air
Input AC 100-240 V (50/60 Hz) AC 100-240 V (50/60 Hz)
Output 60 Watt -
INPUT Apple MacBook Pro with Retina display Apple MacBook Air
Type Keyboard, trackpad Keyboard, trackpad
Keyboard Backlight Yes -
Features Multi-touch touchpad, ambient light sensor Multi-touch touchpad
CONNECTIONS & EXPANSIONS Apple MacBook Pro with Retina display Apple MacBook Air
Interfaces 2 x USB 3.0
2 x Thunderbolt 2
HDMI
Headphone output
2 x USB 2.0
Headphone output
Mini DisplayPort
Memory Card Reader Yes (SDXC Card) -
SOFTWARE Apple MacBook Pro with Retina display Apple MacBook Air
Operating System (OS) Apple macOS Catalina 10.15 Apple MacOS X 10.6
Software Included Drivers & Utilities, Apple QuickTime, Apple iTunes, Apple Mac OS X Mail, Apple Mac OS X Chess, Apple iMovie, Apple DVD Player, Apple Safari, Apple GarageBand, Apple Dashboard, Photo Booth, Apple Time Machine, Apple Mac App Store, Apple FaceTime, Apple Automator, Apple Launchpad, Apple Mission Control, Apple Preview, Apple Calculator, Apple Dictionary, Apple Image Capture, Apple Stickies, Apple TextEdit, Apple System Preferences, Maps, Reminders, Contacts, Notes, Calendar, Apple AirDrop, Notification Center, Messages, Dictation, iCloud, Game Center, Apple AirPlay, Apple Font Book, Apple iBooks, Apple Keynote, Apple Pages, Apple Numbers Drivers & Utilities, Apple QuickTime, Apple iTunes, Apple Mac OS X Mail, Apple iChat, Apple iCal, Apple DVD Player, Apple Address Book, Apple Safari, Apple Dashboard, Apple Spotlight, Apple XCode Developer Tools, Front Row, Photo Booth, Apple Spaces, Apple Quick Look, Apple Time Machine, Apple iLife '11
MISCELLANEOUS Apple MacBook Pro with Retina display Apple MacBook Air
Included Accessories Power adapter -
Features - Aluminum enclosure
ENERGY STAR Certified Yes Yes
EPEAT Compliant EPEAT Gold EPEAT Gold
Max Operating Temperature 35 °C 35 °C
Min Operating Temperature 10 °C 10 °C
Humidity Range Operating 0 - 90% (non-condensing) 0 - 90% (non-condensing)
Manufacturer Warranty Limited warranty - 1 year
Technical support - phone consulting - 90 days
Limited warranty - 1 year
Technical support - phone consulting - 90 days
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