13-inch MacBook Air Vs 13-inch Pro; a detailed comparison
Apple has just upgraded its flagship laptops; the 13-inch MacBook Pro and 13-inch MacBook Air. Sometime back, these products were two entirely different computers. But, thanks to many recent upgrades, the gap between the devices has largely blurred. As of now, both the 13-inch Pro and Air look like the new line of Ultrabooks.
Many recent upgrades such as Intel’s third generation Core i5 processors, Thunderbolt ports, 4GB RAM (max 8GB), better memory and same price make the devices identical in specs. Here we make a comparison between the 13-inch versions of the new MacBook Air and Pro.
Form factor
The 13-inch Pro laptop comes with a weight of 4.5 pounds. When compared to it the Air weighs just 2.9 pounds. Well, the Pro looks like a hard slab, while the Air is a blade. Needless to say, the Air has a clear edge over the Pro in form factor, because it is far lighter and thinner.
Display screen
MacBook Air 13 has been enjoying a better quality display over the Pro. Here as well, the Air has a higher-resolution display than the Pro. But when it comes to the brightness and viewing angle, the Pro has an edge. Unsurprisingly, the Pro’s screen has much glare when compared to the Air. However, it looks like that the 13-inch Pro has a relatively weaker screen. There is a rumor that the MacBook Pro 13 is also to get Retina display by the end of the year. But there is no confirmed report from Apple, which recently upgraded the 15-inch MacBook Pro with the Retina Display.
Performance
The MacBook Air is powered by a 1.8GHz Intel Ivy Bridge Core i5 processor, while the Pro has got a more powerful 2.5GHz Core i5 processor. Simply, both the laptops have received Intel’s third-gen Ivy Bridge, which is the major upgrade Apple has brought on to its laptops this time around. Well, the 13-inch Pro comes with the same offerings the 15-inch Pro has and so it is highly powerful.
Ports and extras
The Pro laptop comes with more ports than the Air. The former comes with an integrated FireWire 800 port and an Ethernet port for smooth connectivity. Plus, the machine features a slot-loading DVD drive. In the meantime, a separate USB-to-Ethernet dongle is the major feature of the Air and you can get a USB-connected DVD burner for the device. Anyway, the Pro is more feature-rich when it comes to the ports.
Storage
The 13-inch Air sports 128GB of SSD storage for a price of $1,199. If you want more you can upgrade the storage to 512GB SSD for additional price. But the included 128GB of SSD storage will be enough for basic uses; but for advanced use, you will have to upgrade the memory. On the other hand, the $1,199 13-inch MacBook Pro features 500GB HDD and you can upgrade it with 750GB HDD or 512GB SSD. Though performing slower, the HDD offers more space for storage.
Keyboard/touch pad
Both the Air and Pro feature superb multitouch clickpads. Apple has integrated backlit technology on both the keyboards, however. As per analysts, the Pro’s keys are taller, while the Air’s keys are thinner. Anyway, both keyboards look nice and beautiful.
Battery life
As per testers, both the Air and Pro have great battery life. The 13-inch Air seems to provide 7 hours and 30 minutes on single recharge, while the 13-inch Pro offers below seven hours. Well, the Pro is more advanced as a professional computer with a built-in hard disk and other traditional features, which will naturally devour more power than the Air.
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