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MacBook Air 13” 2018 vs. MacBook Pro 15” (2017) - Specs Comparison

Here is a comparison between the specifications of the MacBook Air 13” 2018 and MacBook Pro 15” (2017), including differences in the chip, memory, storage, display, battery, ports, and more.

By Conor Banett

January 24, 2024 10:13 am

MacBook Air 13” 2018 vs. MacBook Pro 15” (2017)

The MacBook Air 13” 2018 features the 7W 8th Generation Intel Amber Lake Y dual-core Intel Core i5-8210Y with the boost speed up to 3.60 GHz. While the MacBook Pro 15” (2017) features the 45W 7th Generation Intel Kaby Lake quad-core Intel Core i7-7700HQ up to quad-core Intel Core i7-7920HQ with the boost speed up to 4.10 GHz.

If you are in the market looking for a laptop and don't know what's the difference between the 13.3″ MacBook Air 13” 2018 and the 15.4″ MacBook Pro 15” (2017) , we have a detailed tech specs comparison between both devices for you to check out here.

MacBook Air 13” 2018 vs. MacBook Pro 15” (2017): Specs Comparison

	Compare With Please enter device name or part of it MacBook Air 13” 2018	Compare With Please enter device name or part of it MacBook Pro 15” (2017)
Key Features
What's new	New Design It's now even more compact and portable with the all-new distinct smaller wedge-shaped design. It's 10% thinner, 17% less volume, and a quarter pound lighter than the previous generation. It is also available in three different colors. New Retina Display Adopting the latest retina display, MacBook Air now displays over 4 million pixels with more color that make text, images, and animation look sharp and smooth. Touch ID & Apple T2 Chip You can now log in to your MacBook Air much faster, easier, and more securely than ever before with the latest Touch ID sensor with deep integration with Apple T2's Secure Enclave chip. Latest Intel Core Processors It's powered by an 8th Gen Intel Core i5 processor with faster-integrated graphics, faster 2133 MHz LPDDR3 memory, and faster SSD. Thunderbolt 3 ports The most versatile port now arrives in MacBook Air, it allows you to charge your notebook, have lightning-fast data transfer, output 5K displays, and support external GPUs (eGPUs). 3rd-generation butterfly keyboard Larger trackpad. More immersive audio experience.	7th-gen Intel Kaby Lake Core i7 processors up to 3.1 GHz with Turbo Boost up to 4.1 GHz Up to 16GB of LPDDR3 memory Powerful Radeon Pro discrete graphics with 2GB or 4GB of video memory in every configuration Up to 2TB of SSD storage Apple T1 Chip Touch Bar and Touch ID
What's missing	Has fewer ports No MagSafe

Availability	MacBook Air 13” 2018	MacBook Pro 15” (2017)
Released	2018	2017
Release Info	Available on October 30, 2018	Announced on June 5th, 2018
Pricing	$1,199 Intel Core i5 8210Y \| 8GB RAM \| 128GB SSD $1,399 Intel Core i5 8210Y \| 8GB RAM \| 256GB SSD	$2,399 Intel Core i7 7700HQ \| 16GB RAM \| 256GB SSD \| Radeon Pro 555 $2,799 Intel Core i7 7820HQ \| 16GB RAM \| 512GB SSD \| Radeon Pro 560

Display	MacBook Air 13” 2018	MacBook Pro 15” (2017)
Size	13.3 Inches	15.4 Inches
Info	Retina display 13.3-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit display with IPS technology; 2560-by-1600 native resolution at 227 pixels per inch with support for millions of colors Supported scaled resolutions: 1680 by 1050 1440 by 900 1024 by 640 16:10 aspect ratio	Retina display 15.4-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit display with IPS technology; 2880-by-1800 native resolution at 220 pixels per inch with support for millions of colors Supported scaled resolutions: 1920 by 1200 1680 by 1050 1280 by 800 1024 by 640 500 nits brightness Wide color (P3)

Exterior	MacBook Air 13” 2018	MacBook Pro 15” (2017)
Size Comparison
Dimensions	11.97” x 8.36” x 0.16 - 0.61” (304.1 mm x 212.4 mm x 4.1 – 15.6 mm)	13.75” x 9.48” x 0.61” (349.3 mm x 240.7 mm x 155 mm)
Weight	Starting at 2.75 pounds (1.25 kg)	Starting at 4.02 pounds (1.83 kg)
Colors	GoldSpace GraySilver	Space GraySilver
Keyboard and Trackpad	Backlit Magic Keyboard with: 78 (U.S.) or 79 (ISO) individual LED-backlit keys, including 12 function keys and 4 arrow keys Ambient light sensor Force Touch trackpad for precise cursor control and pressure-sensing capabilities; enables Force clicks, accelerators, pressure-sensitive drawing, and Multi-Touch gestures	Backlit Magic Keyboard with: 64 (U.S.) or 65 (ISO) keys including 4 arrow keys Touch Bar with integrated Touch ID sensor Ambient light sensor Force Touch trackpad for precise cursor control and pressure-sensing capabilities; enables Force clicks, accelerators, pressure-sensitive drawing, and Multi-Touch gestures
Ports	Two Thunderbolt 3 (USB‑C) ports with support for: Charging DisplayPort Thunderbolt (up to 40Gb/s) USB 3.1 Gen 2 (up to 10Gb/s)	Four Thunderbolt 3 (USB‑C) ports with support for: Charging DisplayPort Thunderbolt (up to 40Gb/s) USB 3.1 Gen 2 (up to 10Gb/s)

Internal Specs	MacBook Air 13” 2018	MacBook Pro 15” (2017)
Processor	8th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-8210Y 2 cores, 4 threads, 1.60 → 3.60 GHz, 4MB SmartCache, 7W	7th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-7700HQ 4 cores, 8 threads, 2.80 → 3.80 GHz, 6MB Cache, 45W 7th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-7820HQ 4 cores, 8 threads, 2.90 → 3.90 GHz, 8 MB Cache, 45W 7th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-7920HQ 4 cores, 8 threads, 3.10 → 4.10 GHz, 8 MB Cache, 45W
Integrated Graphics	8th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-8210Y Intel® UHD Graphics 617 24 Execution Units, 300 → 1050 MHz	7th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-7700HQ Intel® HD Graphics 630 24 Execution Units, 350 → 1100 MHz 7th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-7820HQ Intel® HD Graphics 630 24 Execution Units, 350 → 1100 MHz 7th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-7920HQ Intel® HD Graphics 630 24 Execution Units, 350 → 1100 MHz
Discrete Graphics	Support for Thunderbolt 3–enabled external graphics processors (eGPUs)	AMD Radeon Pro 555 with 2GB of GDDR5 memory AMD Radeon Pro 560 with 4GB of GDDR5 memory
Memory	8GB Configurable to 16GB 2133MHz LPDDR3 onboard memory	16GB of 2133MHz LPDDR3 onboard memory
Storage	128GB256GB Configurable to 512GB or 1TB SSD	256GB512GB configurable to 1TB or 2TB SSD

Connectivity	MacBook Air 13” 2018	MacBook Pro 15” (2017)
Wi-Fi	802.11ac Wi‑Fi wireless networking IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n compatible	802.11ac Wi‑Fi wireless networking IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n compatible
Bluetooth	Bluetooth 4.2 wireless technology	Bluetooth 4.2 wireless technology

Battery	MacBook Air 13” 2018	MacBook Pro 15” (2017)
Size	50.3 Wh lithium‑polymer battery	76 Wh lithium‑polymer battery
Battery Life	Up to 12 hours wireless web Up to 13 hours Apple TV app video playback Up to 30 days of standby time	Up to 10 hours wireless web Up to 10 hours Apple TV app movie playback Up to 30 days of standby time
Power Supply	30W USB‑C Power Adapter	87W USB‑C Power Adapter

Software	MacBook Air 13” 2018	MacBook Pro 15” (2017)
OS	Shipped with macOS Mojave	Shipped with macOS Sierra
Built-in Apps	PhotosiMovieGarageBandPagesNumbersKeynoteSiriSafariMailFaceTimeMessagesMapsNewsStocksHomeVoice MemosNotesCalendarContactsRemindersPhoto BoothPreviewMusicPodcastsTVBooksApp StoreTime MachineFind MyQuickTime Player	PhotosiMovieGarageBandPagesNumbersKeynoteSiriSafariMailFaceTimeMessagesMapsNewsStocksHomeVoice MemosNotesCalendarContactsRemindersPhoto BoothPreviewMusicPodcastsTVBooksApp StoreTime MachineFind MyQuickTime Player

Camera & Audio	MacBook Air 13” 2018	MacBook Pro 15” (2017)
Camera	720p FaceTime HD camera	720p FaceTime HD camera
Audio	Stereo speakers Three microphones 3.5 mm headphone jack	Stereo speakers with high dynamic range Three microphones 3.5mm headphone jack

Misc	MacBook Air 13” 2018	MacBook Pro 15” (2017)
Sensors	Touch ID sensor Ambient light sensor	Touch ID sensor
Security	Touch ID sensor Apple T2 Security Chip	Touch ID sensor Apple T1 Chip
In the box	MacBook Air 30W USB‑C Power Adapter USB-C Charge Cable (2 m)	15‑inch MacBook Pro 87W USB‑C Power Adapter USB-C Charge Cable (2 m)
Warranty	Your MacBook Air comes with 90 days of complimentary technical support and a one-year limited warranty. Purchase AppleCare+ to extend your coverage to three years from your AppleCare+ purchase date and add up to two incidents of accidental damage coverage, each subject to a service fee of $99 for screen damage or external enclosure damage, or $299 for other repairable damage, plus applicable tax.	Your MacBook Pro comes with 90 days of complimentary technical support and a one‑year limited warranty. Purchase AppleCare+ for Mac to extend your coverage to three years from your AppleCare+ purchase date and add up to two incidents of accidental damage coverage, each subject to a service fee of $99 for screen damage or external enclosure damage, or $299 for other repairable damage, plus applicable tax.
More	Video Support Simultaneously supports full native resolution on the built-in display at millions of colors and: One external display with 5120-by-2880 resolution at up to 60Hz Up to two external displays with 4096-by-2304 resolution at up to 60Hz Thunderbolt 3 digital video output Native DisplayPort output over USB‑C VGA, HDMI, and Thunderbolt 2 output using adapters (sold separately)	Video Support Simultaneously supports full native resolution on the built-in display at millions of colors and: Up to two displays with 5120-by-2880 resolution at 60Hz at over a billion colors Up to four displays with 4096-by-2304 resolution at 60Hz at millions of colors Up to four displays with 3840-by-2160 resolution at 60Hz at over a billion colors Thunderbolt 3 digital video output Native DisplayPort output over USB‑C VGA, HDMI, and Thunderbolt 2 output supported using adapters (sold separately)