Which is better for video editing?

The MacBook Pro. Its M5 chip, active cooling and 120Hz XDR display keep exports faster and show color and motion more accurately. The Air handles short clips fine but slows on long timelines.

Which has the better screen?

The Pro. It is brighter, has deeper contrast and refreshes at 120Hz. The Air's 15.3-inch panel is larger but capped at 60Hz and 500 nits.

Which lasts longer on a charge?

The Pro, rated up to 24 hours against up to 18 on the Air. The Pro also holds full performance on battery.

Is the Pro worth stepping up to over the Air?

Yes if you run sustained heavy work, need HDMI or an SD slot, or want the better display. For browsing, writing and streaming, the Air covers it.

Which is easier to carry?

The Air. It is thinner and slightly lighter, and the bigger screen makes it comfortable for long reading and writing sessions.

Do both run Apple Intelligence and macOS?

Yes. Both support Apple Intelligence and run the same macOS apps, so the choice comes down to performance, display and ports.

Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch (M5) vs Apple MacBook Air 15-Inch (M4)

Buy the 14-inch MacBook Pro if you need sustained performance, a 120Hz Liquid Retina XDR screen, or ports for a desk setup. Buy the 15-inch MacBook Air if you want the biggest screen for everyday work and value a thin, light body. The Pro has the stronger chip, the better display, more ports and longer battery life; the Air wins on screen size and portability. Reviewers rate the Air as Apple's best value big-screen laptop, while Pro owners praise its display and battery.

Choose the 14-inch MacBook Pro if you edit video, run heavy AI or 3D work, or want a 120Hz XDR display and an SD card slot and HDMI.
Choose the 15-inch MacBook Air if you mostly browse, write and stream, and want the largest screen in the lightest body.

Prices

Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch (M5): $1,679.95 at eBay (checked today)
Apple MacBook Air 15-Inch (M4): $1,050.00 at eBay (checked today)
Difference: the Apple MacBook Air 15-Inch (M4) is $629.95 cheaper than the Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch (M5) today

	Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch (M5)	Apple MacBook Air 15-Inch (M4)
Chip	M5, 10-core CPU and 10-core GPU with a Neural Accelerator in each GPU core	M4, Apple's previous generation
Display	14.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR, 3024 x 1964, 120Hz ProMotion	15.3-inch Liquid Retina, 2880 x 1864, 60Hz, 500 nits
Screen size	14.2 inches	15.3 inches
Weight	3.4 lb	About 3.3 lb, under half an inch thin
Battery	Up to 24 hours, 72.4Wh	Up to 18 hours, 66.5Wh
Ports	Three Thunderbolt 4, HDMI, SDXC, MagSafe 3, headphone jack	Two Thunderbolt 4, MagSafe 3, headphone jack
External displays	Up to two	One
Sustained load	Active cooling keeps performance up in long exports and renders	Fanless, so heavy tasks can slow sooner

Spec	Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch (M5)	Apple MacBook Air 15-Inch (M4)
Processor	Apple M5	M4
GPU cores	Apple (10-Core)	10C GPU
Display size	14.2"	15-inch
Battery life	up to 24 hours	Up to 18 hours, Up to 18 hours (video streaming)
Battery capacity	72.4 Wh	66.5-watt‑hour
Color	Black	Sky Blue
Memory	16GB	16GB
Storage	4TB SSD	1TB SSD
Power Adapter	70W USB-C Power Adapter	35W Dual USB-C Port Compact Power Adapter
CPU cores	10-Core	—
Installed RAM	32 GB	—
Storage capacity	1 TB	—

Spec	Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch (M5)	Apple MacBook Air 15-Inch (M4)
Native resolution	3024 x 1964	—
Refresh rate	120 Hz	—
Weight	3.4 lb / 1.5 kg	—
Wi-Fi	Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax)	—
Operating System	Mac OS	—
Drive Type	Solid State Drive	—
Drive Capacity	1 TB drive	—
Installed Memory	24 GB RAM	—
OS Version	—	macOS Sequoia
Main Storage

Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch (M5) vs Apple MacBook Air 15-Inch (M4)

Prices

Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch (M5) vs Apple MacBook Air 15-Inch (M4)

Prices

Apple MacBook Air 15-Inch (M4)

What separates them

Price history

Prices at every store