Comparison MacBook Air and MacBook Pro M1: Specifications and Experience

Raw Specifications

As we have advanced at the beginning, we will analyze several interesting points of these computers, since in the end, seeing benefits on paper is not always a clear and real indication. However, we believe it is convenient to know first what these MacBook offer us.

Slight difference in processor

Yes, both computers have Apple’s M1 chip integrated with identical differences except for the GPU cores. They both have 8 cores , but 1 of them is idle in the MacBook Air, so for all practical purposes it is said to have 7 cores . Why does this happen?

As it was learned, the manufacturing processes of components as extremely small as these processors require millimeter precision that is not always achieved. Despite the fact that the structuring of these chips is carried out in closed laboratories, with extreme cleanliness, it is inevitable that in some cases a tiny speck of dust or any other trace of dirt that leaves one of the cores idle. Although the manufacturer does not cause this on purpose, they have calculated the number of chips that come out with an unusable core and these are those intended for the ‘Air’ model, while the complete ones are incorporated into the ‘Pro’.

Is it noticeable for practical purposes? The truth is that no. If precise tests are done, the differences will be noticed, after all they exist, but they are not abysmal. A normal user may never be able to detect this difference in processing, and even the most demanding users may not.

A subsection about RAM

In any computer and also in MacBook with Intel we are used to seeing different RAM configurations in which more than 16 GB is always offered in the case of the ‘Pro’, but in these M1 we do not have the possibility to add an amount that not 8GB or 16GB. This may at first seem shocking and even somewhat absurd, since it could be understood that Apple is capping the power of its computers by setting this limit. However, there is an explanation.

For years we have seen how the iPhone and iPad incorporated Apple’s own chips that, together with their software, were capable of moving the tasks carried out by the devices with great fluidity. This is so to the point of offering a lower amount of RAM memory than in competitive devices whose components and software are not always designed by the same company. This optimization of Apple mobile devices has now reached Macs with Apple Silicon and with only 8 or 16 GB of RAM, levels much higher than previously seen in these quantities are reached.

This does not mean that 16 GB is equivalent to 32 GB or more on a Mac with Intel, since it is not really comparable, but for practical purposes there is a certain similarity in terms of performance. However, it is very possible that despite everything, Apple will add more configurations of this memory in future computers focused on getting an even higher performance.

Fan yes or fan no?

One fan on the MacBook Pro M1 versus none on the MacBook Air. It is true that the latter is not focused at first on very demanding tasks and that due to its dimensions due to the compact style it represents, it is not very given to having a very large ventilation system. However, many put their hands to the head when Apple announced that this ‘Air’ did not have any fan. It seemed that they were crazy and more seeing the heating problems that have been dragging the brand’s laptops in recent years.

However, after exhaustive tests we have been able to see in first person how the MacBook Air performs wonderfully without overheating . The temperature control of this device is amazing, despite the fact that it only has a heatsink that replaces the fan of previous generations. Even in heavy tasks like video editing in Final Cut it has held the type. And all this with the always valued silence provided by not having the ventilation system, which in a way reminded us of working with an iPad.

In the ‘Pro’ model three quarters of the same, but better. This one does have a fan, but it has hardly been heard even in the most arduous processing. In this case, we do notice that the temperature is even lower than in the ‘Air’, something obvious.

Application performance

To take into account in this section is that on both computers we find the same performance. Keep in mind that the M1 is a processor with ARM architecture never seen before on a Mac, so developers have had to adapt their respective applications to this new architecture. All Apple apps are optimized , from the simplest like Finder or Photos to the most complex like Final Cut or Logic Pro.

The case of third-party applications is different, since while many are being adapted now, the rest can be opened thanks to Rosetta 2. This is a code translator that allows applications based on Intel chips to be opened with ease. Although not all of them work through this system and some of them give a failure, most of them do it well and many times we do not even know that Rosetta 2 is acting in the background. There is no clear rule that defines these in load times and others, since in the end it is a bit random. There is a tab in Activity Monitor that allows you to see if an application is running natively on M1 or running through Rosetta 2, which is detected if it says “Intel” in the architecture column.

No Windows in either

Very much in line with the previous section, it should be noted that Windows is not yet optimized for the Apple processor. For this reason, neither the MacBook Air nor the MacBook Pro with M1 allow you to install it to a partition through Boot Camp Assistant. Yes, you will see this application installed, but when you open it it will tell you that it is not possible to use it. Apple is optimistic about this issue and hopes that Microsoft will end up adapting Windows as soon as possible to this type of architecture in order to give its users one of the most attractive functions and that is to be able to have the two most popular operating systems in the world in one only equipment is a real advantage.

Plenty of battery for both MacBooks

The M1 chip goes like a shot in every way at the level of moving processes and this obviously raises doubts regarding consumption. Well, we have to tell you to stay calm in this regard, because the data that Apple offers and that we have added in the specifications table is positively false. What do we mean by “positively false”? Well, in reality, at least in our tests, we have achieved even more autonomy.

In a full day of work, either with the ‘Air’ or with the ‘Pro’ we have been able to see how the battery sometimes did not drop below 40-30%, which we believe is quite a feat for the company of Cupertino. Although it is true that the battery will end up suffering over time, it does not hurt to have such an autonomy first so that in the long term we will take longer to require a replacement.

Variant prices according to configuration

As with every Apple computer, we can change component configurations and add software to it. This leads to a price increase, ultimately having these prices established for this series of components.

MacBook Air M1 from 1,129 euros

• M1 processor with 16-core Neural Engine, 8-core CPU and 7-core GPU.
• RAM:
  • 8 GB
  • 16 GB: +230 euros
• SSD storage capacity:
  • 256 GB
  • 512 GB: +230 euros
  • 1 TB: +460 euros
  • 2 TB: +920 euros
• Final Cut Pro: +329.99 euros
• Logic Pro: 229.99 euros

MacBook Air M1 from 1,399 euros

• M1 processor with 16-core Neural Engine, 8-core CPU and 8-core GPU.
• RAM:
  • 8 GB
  • 16 GB: +230 euros
• SSD storage capacity:
  • 512 GB
  • 1 TB: +230 euros
  • 2 TB: +690 euros
• Final Cut Pro: +329.99 euros
• Logic Pro: 229.99 euros

MacBook Pro M1 from 1,499 euros

• M1 processor with 16-core Neural Engine, 8-core CPU and 8-core GPU.
• RAM:
  • 8 GB
  • 16 GB: +230 euros
• SSD storage capacity:
  • 256 GB
  • 512 GB: +230 euros
  • 1 TB: +460 euros
  • 2 TB: +920 euros
• Final Cut Pro: +329.99 euros
• Logic Pro: 229.99 euros

It should be noted that Apple has another version of MacBook Pro from 1,679 euros, which really is as if the 512 GB base were added in the previous one, since there is no other difference and the price of this is in the end the same as if the above is configured.

Choose the Air, except for these cases

As you may have already suspected, we are more fans of the MacBook Air, but not because the ‘Pro’ is not worth it, but because it may not be worth the price increase for a majority of the public. The first of these computers has the great advantage of being much lighter and therefore portable and if we add to that that it has a really amazing power in a multitude of processes and that it regulates the temperature well, we find a team that is really worth every euro it costs.

However, it must be recognized that there is an audience for which we do not recommend the cheapest model and if the MacBook Pro. This is the audience that regularly uses programs and applications that require greater power. It is true that the ‘Air’ can handle this, but perhaps in the long run it will not be so beneficial for the whole, so with the ‘Pro’ model you can have more guarantees.