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M1 MacBook Air vs. M2 MacBook Pro 14” - Specs Comparison

Here is a comparison between the specifications of the M1 MacBook Air and M2 MacBook Pro 14”, including differences in the chip, memory, storage, display, battery, ports, and more.

By Conor Banett

January 26, 2024 10:15 am

M1 MacBook Air vs. M2 MacBook Pro 14”

The 2020 M1 MacBook Air features the 10W Apple M-Series ARM 64-bit 8-core Apple M1 (8C, 7G) up to 8-core Apple M1 (8C, 8G) with a clock speed of 3.20 GHz. While the 2023 M2 MacBook Pro 14” features the Apple M-Series ARM 64-bit 10-core Apple M2 Pro (10C, 16G) up to 12-core Apple M2 Max (12C, 38G) with the boost speed up to 3.70 GHz.

If you are in the market looking for a laptop and don't know what's the difference between the 13.3″ M1 MacBook Air (2020) and the 14.2″ M2 MacBook Pro 14” (2023), we have a detailed tech specs comparison between both devices for you to check out here.

M1 MacBook Air vs. M2 MacBook Pro 14”: Specs Comparison

	Compare With Please enter device name or part of it M1 MacBook Air	Compare With Please enter device name or part of it M2 MacBook Pro 14”
Key Features
What's new	Better Performance. With the new Apple M1 Chip, it is now 3x times faster in exporting a project in iMovie, 5x times faster applying 3D effects in Final Cut Pro, editing multiple streams 4K ProRes video in Final Cut Pro with no frame drop, 2x times faster in exporting photos in Lightroom, and more. Better battery life of up to 18 hours. The new M1 MacBook Air has the most extended battery life ever, with up to 18 hours of watching movies and 15 hours of web browsing. Better FaceTime HD camera. With the latest Apple Image Single Processor (ISP) in the M1 chip, image quality is better in noise reduction, has a better dynamic range, and has an improved auto white balance. Better display. It now supports a P3 wide color with 400 nits of display brightness. Improvements It supports the latest USB 4 and Wi-Fi 6. It has better security with the new Secure Enclave in the M1 chip.	New M2 Pro and M2 Max - The new M2 processors deliver up to 20% CPU and 30% GPU better performance than the previous M1 Pro and M1 Max. The new chip also supports a larger memory capacity, up to 96GB of unified RAM. More CPU and GPU core count - The new M2 Pro steps up with a minimum of ten CPU and sixteen GPU cores, making the entry configuration a nice upgrade over the previous M1 Pro, starting only with eight CPU cores and fourteen GPU cores while maintaining the same pricing model. Supports 8K at 60Hz - The new 14-inch MacBook Pro has an HDMI 2.1 port that connects an 8K monitor or TV at a 60Hz refresh rate. It also supports a very smooth 240Hz refresh rate at 4K resolution. Better battery life of up to 18 hours - The M2 processors are even more efficient than the M1. For the same 70-watt-hour battery, the new M2 MacBook Pro 14 lasts up to 18 hours of movie playback or 12 hours of wireless web browsing. Welcomed improvements - Here is a list of what's new and what advances the M2 MacBook Pro 14 has over its previous generation: Supports the latest Wi-Fi 6E. Supports Bluetooth 5.3 technology. Supports up to 96GB of unified memory. Shipped with macOS Ventura.
What's missing	Natively supports only one external display. The new M1 chip supports only one extended 6K@60Hz display, while the older Intel version supports up to two 4K@60Hz.	No Bootcamp support - You can't install and run Windows 10/11 by using Bootcamp on the new M2 chip. Virtualization is the only solution you can run the Windows OS on the new Macbook devices. No eGPU supports - The Thunderbolt 4 ports on the 14-inch M2 MacBook Pro don't support external Thunderbolt-enabled graphics processors (eGPUs).

Availability	M1 MacBook Air	M2 MacBook Pro 14”
Released	2020	2023
Release Info	Announced on November 10th, 2020	Announced on January 17, 2023. Available on January 24, 2023.
Pricing	$999 Apple M1 Chip (7 cores GPU) \| 8GB RAM \| 256GB SSD $1,249 Apple M1 Chip (8 cores GPU) \| 8GB RAM \| 512GB SSD	$1,999 M2 Pro, 10C CPU, 16C GPU, 16GB, 512GB $2,299 M2 Pro, 12C CPU, 19C GPU, 16GB, 512GB $2,499 M2 Pro, 12C CPU, 19C GPU, 16GB, 1TB $3,099 M2 Max, 12C CPU, 30C GPU, 32GB, 1TB $3,299 M2 Max, 12C CPU, 38C GPU, 32GB, 1TB $3,699 M2 Max, 12C CPU, 38C GPU, 64GB, 1TB $4,099 M2 Max, 12C CPU, 38C GPU, 64GB, 2TB $4,699 M2 Max, 12C CPU, 38C GPU, 64GB, 4TB $5,899 M2 Max, 12C CPU, 38C GPU, 64GB, 8TB $6,299 M2 Max, 12C CPU, 38C GPU, 96GB, 8TB

Display	M1 MacBook Air	M2 MacBook Pro 14”
Size	13.3 Inches	14.2 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 400 nits brightness Supports wide color (P3) True Tone technology	Liquid Retina XDR display Size: 14.2-inch Technology: Liquid Retina XDR display Resolution: 3024 x 1964 Pixel Density: 254 PPI XDR (Extreme Dynamic Range) Up to 1000 nits sustained (full-screen) brightness, 1600 nits peak brightness 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio Color 1 billion colors Wide color (P3) True Tone technology Refresh rates ProMotion technology for adaptive refresh rates up to 120Hz Fixed refresh rates: 47.95Hz, 48.00Hz, 50.00Hz, 59.94Hz, 60.00Hz

Exterior	M1 MacBook Air	M2 MacBook Pro 14”
Size Comparison
Dimensions	Width: 11.97 inches (30.41 cm) Depth: 8.36 inches (21.24 cm) Height: 0.16–0.63 inch (0.41–1.61 cm)	Height: 0.61 inches (1.55 cm) Width: 12.31 inches (31.26 cm) Depth: 8.71 inches (22.12 cm)
Weight	Starting at 2.8 pounds (1.29 kg)	3.5 pounds (1.60 kg) M2 Pro 3.6 pounds (1.63 kg) M2 Max
Colors	GoldSpace GraySilver	Space GraySilver
Keyboard and Trackpad	Backlit Magic Keyboard with: 78 (U.S.) or 79 (ISO) keys including 12 function keys and 4 arrow keys in an inverted-T arrangement 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: 78 (U.S.) or 79 (ISO) keys including 12 full-height function keys and 4 arrow keys in an inverted-T arrangement Touch ID 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 / USB 4 (USB‑C) ports with support for: Charging DisplayPort Thunderbolt 3 (up to 40Gb/s) USB 3.1 Gen 2 (up to 10Gb/s)

Internal Specs	M1 MacBook Air	M2 MacBook Pro 14”
Processor	Apple M1 (7 GPU Cores) 8 cores, 8 threads, 3.20 GHz, 10W Apple M1 8 cores, 8 threads, 3.20 GHz, 10W	Apple M2 Pro (10C, 16G) 10 cores, 10 threads, 2.42 → 3.50 GHz, Apple M2 Pro (12C, 19G) 12 cores, 12 threads, 2.42 → 3.50 GHz, Apple M2 Max (12C, 30G) 12 cores, 12 threads, 2.42 → 3.70 GHz, Apple M2 Max (12C, 38G) 12 cores, 12 threads, 2.42 → 3.70 GHz,
Integrated Graphics	Apple M1 (7 GPU Cores) Apple M1 iGPU 7 Graphics Cores, 1280 MHz Apple M1 Apple M1 iGPU 8 Graphics Cores, 1280 MHz	Apple M2 Pro (10C, 16G) Apple M2 Pro iGPU 16 GPU Cores, 16 Neural Engine Cores, Apple M2 Pro (12C, 19G) Apple M2 Pro iGPU 19 GPU Cores, 16 Neural Engine Cores, Apple M2 Max (12C, 30G) Apple M2 Max iGPU 30 GPU Cores, 16 Neural Engine Cores, Apple M2 Max (12C, 38G) Apple M2 Max iGPU 38 GPU Cores, 16 Neural Engine Cores,
Memory	8GB unified memory Configurable to 16GB	16GB 32GB 64GB 96GB Unified Memory
Storage	256GB512GB SSD Configurable to 1TB or 2TB	512GB1TB2TB4TB8TB SSD

Connectivity	M1 MacBook Air	M2 MacBook Pro 14”
Wi-Fi	802.11ax Wi‑Fi 6 wireless networking IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac compatible	802.11ax Wi-Fi 6E wireless networking IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac compatible
Bluetooth	Bluetooth 5.0 wireless technology	Bluetooth 5.3 wireless technology

Battery	M1 MacBook Air	M2 MacBook Pro 14”
Size	49.9 Wh lithium‑polymer battery	70 Wh lithium‑polymer battery
Battery Life	Up to 15 hours wireless web Up to 18 hours Apple TV app movie playback	Up to 12 hours of wireless web Up to 18 hours of Apple TV app movie playback
Power Supply	30W USB‑C Power Adapter	67W USB‑C Power Adapter M2 Pro with 10-core CPU models 96W USB‑C Power Adapter M2 Pro with 12-core CPU or M2 Max models. Supports Fast-Charging.

Software	M1 MacBook Air	M2 MacBook Pro 14”
OS	Shipped with macOS Big Sur	Shipped with macOS Ventura
Built-in Apps	PhotosiMovieGarageBandPagesNumbersKeynoteSiriSafariMailFaceTimeMessagesMapsNewsStocksHomeVoice MemosNotesCalendarContactsRemindersPhoto BoothPreviewMusicPodcastsTVBooksApp StoreTime MachineFind MyQuickTime Player	PhotosiMovieGarageBandPagesNumbersKeynoteSiriSafariMailFaceTimeMessagesMapsNewsStocksHomeVoice MemosNotesCalendarContactsRemindersPhoto BoothPreviewMusicPodcastsTVBooksApp StoreTime MachineFind MyQuickTime Player

Camera & Audio	M1 MacBook Air	M2 MacBook Pro 14”
Camera	720p FaceTime HD camera	1080p FaceTime HD camera Advanced image signal processor with computational video.
Audio	Stereo speakers Wide stereo sound Support for Dolby Atmos playback Three-mic array with directional beamforming 3.5 mm headphone jack	High-fidelity six-speaker sound system with force-canceling woofers Wide stereo sound Support for spatial audio when playing music or video with Dolby Atmos on built-in speakers Spatial audio with dynamic head tracking when using AirPods (3rd generation), AirPods Pro, and AirPods Max Studio-quality three-mic array with high signal-to-noise ratio and directional beamforming 3.5 mm headphone jack with advanced support for high-impedance headphones

Misc	M1 MacBook Air	M2 MacBook Pro 14”
Sensors	Touch ID sensor Ambient light sensor	Touch ID sensor
Security	Touch ID sensor Apple T2 Security Chip	Touch ID sensor
In the box	MacBook Air 30W USB‑C Power Adapter USB-C Charge Cable (2 m)	14‑inch MacBook Pro 67W USB‑C Power Adapter M2 Pro with 10-core CPU models. 96W USB‑C Power Adapter M2 Pro with 12-core CPU or M2 Max models. USB-C to MagSafe 3 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 every 12 months, 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 up to 6K resolution at 60Hz Thunderbolt 3 digital video output Native DisplayPort output over USB‑C VGA, HDMI, DVI, and Thunderbolt 2 output supported using adapters (sold separately)	Display Supports M2 Pro Simultaneously supports full native resolution on the built-in display at 1 billion colors and: Up to two external displays with up to 6K resolution at 60Hz over Thunderbolt, or one external display with up to 6K resolution at 60Hz over Thunderbolt and one external display with up to 4K resolution at 144Hz over HDMI One external display supported at 8K resolution at 60Hz or one external display at 4K resolution at 240Hz over HDMI M2 Max Simultaneously supports full native resolution on the built-in display at 1 billion colors and: Up to four external displays: Up to three external displays with 6K resolution at 60Hz over Thunderbolt and one external display with up to 4K resolution at 144Hz over HDMI Up to three external displays: Up to two external displays with 6K resolution at 60Hz over Thunderbolt and one external display with up to 8K resolution at 60Hz or one external display with 4K resolution at 240Hz over HDMI Thunderbolt 4 digital video output Native DisplayPort output over USB‑C HDMI digital video output Support for one display with up to 8K resolution at 60Hz or 4K resolution at 240Hz