15-inch MacBook Air vs 16-inch Intel MacBook Pro: A perfect upgrade?

The 15-inch MacBook Air arrived with a range of impressive features and performance at an affordable price. But is it a good replacement for those with a 16-inch Intel MacBook Pro or earlier? Follow along for a detailed comparison of the 15-inch MacBook Air vs 16-inch Intel MacBook Pro.

The MacBook Air got a notable upgrade in 2022 with M2 chip, an all-new design, larger 13.6-inch display, flat-edged chassis, new midnight color, an upgraded webcam, and much more. However, that’s still quite a bit less screen real estate than the 15 or 16-inch MacBook Pro.

Then at WWDC 2023, Apple launched the anticipated 15-inch MacBook Air. We’ve previously covered how the latest M2 Pro/Max MacBook Pro compares to the new 15-inch MacBook Air:

• MacBook Pro vs Air: Here’s how the latest M2 laptops compare

But what about those considering the jump from the 16-inch Intel MacBook Pro – or earlier 15-inch Intel MacBook Pro models, is the 15-inch Air a good upgrade? Let’s dive in!

15-inch MacBook Air vs 16-inch Intel MacBook Pro

CPU, GPU, RAM, neural engine

M2 enables up to 24GB RAM, up to 10 GPU cores, with up to 2TB of storage and has a 16-core neural engine.

Meanwhile, the 2019 Macbook Pro does have higher storage and RAM thresholds but uses the less powerful and old Intel Core i9 (up to 8-core) and an overall system that’s less efficient than Apple Silicon.

Apple shared that the M2 MacBook Air is up to 12x faster than the fastest Intel MacBook Air. But what about compared to the 16-inch Intel MacBook Pro that has the up to the Core i9?

According to GeekBench results, the M2 is 66% faster for the single-core and 47% faster than the multi-core score of the Intel Core i9 8-core.

While the raw power of the 16-inch Intel MacBook Pro’s maxed-out AMD Radeon Pro 5600M is greater than the M2 GPU, the 15-inch MacBook Air has a dedicated media engine with one encode, decode, and ProRes encode/decode engine.

Another factor to consider, the fanless M2 MacBook Air is silent while the 16-inch Intel MacBook Pro and 15-inch models are known for running hot and loud when the fans kick up.

Displays

The newest and largest ever MacBook Air comes with a 15.3-inch display. That’s 0.7 inches smaller than the 16-inch Intel MacBook Pro.

For screen brightness, the MacBook Air has up to 500 nits which is the same as the MacBook Pro. Other display features and specs like PPI, P3 wide color, and more are almost identical between the two:

The 15-inch MacBook Air includes a notch at the top center of the display for the 1080p FaceTime camera. But unlike the iPhone, the notch doesn’t include Face ID hardware/support. Meanwhile, the 2019 Intel MacBook Pro has an outdated 720p webcam.

Finally, the 15-inch Air has slimmer bezels, particularly on the top and bottom, than the 16-inch Intel MacBook Pro.

I/O

The MacBook Air gained MagSafe charging like the modern MacBook Pro in 2022, same for the 2023 15-inch Air.

The MacBook Air has two fewer Thunderbolt/USB-C ports than the Pro, but it features Bluetooth 5.3 and WiFi 6.

When it comes to external displays, the Air has support for just 1 up to 6K at 60Hz, even with the new M2 chip. That may be a deal-breaker for some as the 2019 MacBook Pro supports up to 4 external displays.

• Best USB-C display and Thunderbolt displays for MacBooks

Size, weight, and finish

As you’d expect, the 15-inch MacBook Air is lighter – a full pound under the 16-inch Intel MacBook Pro.

It also has a slightly smaller footprint and is 11.5 mm thick compared to the 2019 MacBook Pro which is 16.2 mm thick.

Since the 2022 MacBook Air shifted away from the wedge design it had for years, all of the new MacBooks share the flat-edged chassis.

Battery life

Real-world battery life for Apple Silicon MacBooks compared to the old Intel models has been impressive and usually matches the company’s claims. But that can depend on your workflow, screen brightness, and more.

The 15-inch MacBook Air offers up to 18 hours of use compared to 11 when the 16-inch Intel MacBook Pro was new. And of course, if your Pro is older, it’s probably a much shorter battery life than 11.

Also, the 15-inch MacBook Air can fast charge to give up to 50% battery in just 30 minutes when using a 70W power adapter.

15-inch MacBook Air vs 16-inch Intel MBP pricing

With a starting price of $1,299, the 15-inch MacBook Air is $1,100 less than the base 16-inch Intel MacBook Pro originally cost.

However, to match the same 512GB storage and 16GB memory of the base 16-inch Intel MacBook Pro, that’s $1,699 for the 15-inch MacBook Air, $700 less than the original 16-inch Intel MBP.

15-inch MacBook Air vs 16-inch Intel MacBook Pro wrap-up

• For performance needs up to medium intensive or limited high intensive workflows in the lightest and slimmest package with all-day battery life, the 15-inch MacBook Air is a great 16-inch Intel MacBook Pro replacement starting at just $1,299.

• If you need or value the most power (still with an all-day battery) for heavily intensive workflows, active cooling, a brighter screen, more ports, greater external display support, and more, the 2023 MacBook Pro is the way to go.

You can find the latest MacBooks at Apple, Amazon, and more.

What do you think about the current MacBook lineup? Share your thoughts in the comments! Thanks for reading our guide on 15-inch MacBook Air vs 16-inch Intel MacBook Pro!

Read more 9to5Mac guides:

• MacBook Pro vs Air: Here’s how the latest M2 laptops compare
• 15-inch MacBook Air vs 13-inch Air: What’s the same, what’s changed?
• M2 iPad Pro vs iPad Air: What’s the better choice?
• M2 Mac Studio vs M1 Mac Studio: Here’s how the power desktops compare

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