The new MacBook Air 2022 has a lot going for it, including the powerful new M2 chip, a sleeker and more colorful design, brighter and bigger display and upgraded webcam. But Apple is keeping the entry-level MacBook Pro 2022 13-inch around for a reason, and it packs the same chip while offering some notable advantages over the Air. Both of these machines are good enough to be on our best laptop and best MacBook lists. But which is right for you? Here’s how the new Air and Pro stack up.
MacBook Air 2022 vs MacBook Pro 2022: Specs compared
MacBook Air 2022 vs MacBook Pro 2022: Price
The MacBook Air 2022 represents a significant price increase over the MacBook Air M1, starting at $1,199. The previous M1 Air stays in the lineup at $999. Meanwhile, the MacBook Pro 2022 retains its $1,299 price. So these are both premium laptops, but the Pro attempts to justify its premium with a beefier 10-core GPU and longer battery life, plus stronger sustained performance, which we’ll get into below. We’ve seen MacBook deals for both of these systems that bring the prices down by as much as $150, so it’s worth keeping an eye out for sales.
MacBook Air 2022 vs MacBook Pro 2022: Design
The MacBook Air 2022 wins on portability vs the MacBook Pro 2022, and that’s because Apple managed to deliver a laptop that’s 20% smaller in volume than the previous Air while delivering a solid aluminum design. The Air measures 11.97 x 8.46 x 0.44 inches and weighs 2.7 pounds, compared to 11.97 x 8.36 x 0.6 inches and 3 pounds for the MacBook Pro. So the Air is thinner and lighter while offering a larger display with narrower bezels. Plus, the MacBook Air gives you more color options with Midnight, Starlight, Silver and Space Gray. With the chunkier Pro you’re limited to Silver and Space Gray. The MacBook Pro is the only one of these two systems to offer a Touch Bar, but I’d rather have the dedicated function row on the Air.
MacBook Air 2022 vs MacBook Pro 2022: Display
The new MacBook Air and MacBook Pro are pretty evenly matched when it comes to their displays. In fact, the Air’s panel is slightly larger at 13.6 inches compared to 13.3 inches for the Pro. And the Air gives you a few more pixels to play with at 2560 x 1664 vs 2560 x 1660 for the Pro. The new MacBook Pro achieved an average of 474.6 nits of standard brightness and 490 nits of HDR brightness in our tests. The MacBook Air 2022 averaged 489 nits of brightness and peaked at 495 nits with HDR content. Both laptops offer wide color (P3) support and True Tone technology. But considering how the Air has a larger screen, it has a small edge here.
MacBook Air 2022 vs MacBook Pro 2022: Ports
There’s not much to this category for either laptop. Both the new Air and new Pro pack just two Thunderbolt/USB 4 ports for plugging in peripherals, plus a headphone jack for wired headphones. The only notable difference is that the new Air offers MagSafe charging while the Pro charges via USB-C, so you could make the case that the Air gives you more ports. And that’s because the two USB-C ports can remain free while you juice up the system.
MacBook Air 2022 vs MacBook Pro 2022: Specs and performance
This is where the MacBook Pro 2022 pulls ahead. While both the new Air and Pro come with Apple’s new M2 chip for faster performance, the Pro offers a 10-core GPU as standard. To get that on the Air you have to pay extra. In addition, the MacBook Pro offers active cooling while the Air has a fanless design. This difference enables the Pro to reach higher levels of performance, such as faster video edits for larger projects. On Geekbench 5.4, which measures overall performance, the MacBook Pro 2022 scored 8,911 on the multicore portion of the test. The MacBook Air M2 hit 8,919 on multi-core. This puts both machines on par in terms of performance, which is interesting considering how the Pro is touted as being a more performant machine than the Air. The MacBook Air M2 and MacBook Pro M2 were evenly matched in the PugetBench for Adobe CC Photoshop test. The new Air scored 821 to the Pro’s 817. But the Pro widened its lead on the Premiere Pro video editing test, notching 552 compared to 452 for the new Air. The new MacBook Air and MacBook Pro both share one flaw, unfortunately. Both systems are capable of supporting only one external display. So you can connect to multiple monitors at once.
MacBook Air 2022 vs MacBook Pro 2022: Webcam and speakers
The MacBook Air hits back in this category, as it includes a sharper 1080p camera, compared to a 720p webcam for the MacBook Pro. However, Apple says that the image quality should be improved on the new Pro thanks in part to the M2 chip. The MacBook Air M2’s four-speaker sound system is pretty good, delivering clear audio. These speakers are positioned between the keyboard and the display, complete with Spatial audio and Dolby Atmos support. The stereo speakers on the MacBook Pro offer the same capabilities, and they’re located to the right and left of the keyboard.
MacBook Air 2022 vs MacBook Pro 2022: Battery life and charging
The MacBook Pro 2022, with its 58.2 watt-hour battery, lasted 18 hours and 20 minutes in our testing. That makes it the longest-lasting consumer laptop we’ve ever reviewed. Meanwhile, the new MacBook Air’s 52.6 watt-hour battery lasted for 14 hours and 6 minutes during our testing. When it comes to charging, the MacBook Air ships with a 30W power adapter, and it costs $20 to upgrade to a dual USB-C charger for juicing two devices at once. Or you can opt for a $20 67W charger that promises to get the Air to 50% in 30 minutes. Alternatively, if you spec the MacBook Air with a more powerful GPU and extra storage, you can choose between the dual charger and the fast charger for free. The MacBook Pro ships with a 67W charger as standard, but Apple doesn’t make any fast charging claims with that system.
MacBook Air 2022 vs MacBook Pro 2022: Bottom line
The MacBook Air 2022 delivers strong M2 performance, a bigger display than the Pro and a sharper webcam in a slimmer and lighter design. And you can get it for $100 less than the MacBook Pro 2022. Sounds like a no-brainer, right? Well, the MacBook Pro 2022 has some things going for it, too, including a longer-lasting battery, active cooling for faster sustained performance and a 10-core GPU standard. For my money, I’d rather get the MacBook Air since it gives you Pro-like performance in a more portable chassis. But I could see some splurging for the Pro to get a little extra oomph and more time away from the outlet. Be sure to read our MacBook Air M2 review and MacBook Pro 13-inch M2 review before you decide.
