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MacBook Air (M1, 2020) vs. MacBook Pro 16” (2020) - Detailed Specs Comparison

Here is a side by side comparison between MacBook Air (M1, 2020) and MacBook Pro 16” (2020) specs including CPU, RAM, storage, battery, display, and more.

BY Conor Banett September 20, 2020 10:43 am

MacBook Air (M1, 2020) vs. MacBook Pro 16” (2020)

The MacBook Air (M1, 2020) features the 10W Apple M-Series ARM 64-bit 8-core Apple M1 (7 GPU Cores) up to 8-core Apple M1 with a clock speed of 3.20 GHz. While the MacBook Pro 16” (2020) features the 45W 9th Generation Intel Coffee Lake 6-core Intel Core i7-9750H up to 8-core Intel Core i9-9980HK with the boost speed up to 5.00 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 (M1, 2020) and the 16″ MacBook Pro 16” (2020) , we have a detailed tech specs comparison between both devices for you to check out here.

MacBook Air (M1, 2020) vs. MacBook Pro 16” (2020): Specs Comparison

	Compare With Please enter device name or part of it MacBook Air (M1, 2020) See at Amazon	Compare With Please enter device name or part of it MacBook Pro 16” (2020) See at Amazon
Key Features
What's new	Better Performance With the new Apple M1 Chip, it 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 It's a MacBook Air with the longest battery life ever made, 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, greater dynamic range, and improved auto white balance. Better Display It now supports P3 wide color with 400-nits of display brightness. More Supports latest USB 4 Supports latest Wi-Fi 6 Better security with new Secure Enclave in M1 chip	New Optional AMD Radeon Pro 5600M You can now opt for the latest AMD Radeon Pro with 40 compute units, 8GB of High Bandwidth Memory (HBM2), and 394GB/s of memory bandwidth that can deliver performance up to 75% faster than the AMD Radeon Pro 5500M.
What's missing	Supports only one extended [email protected] display, while the older Intel version supports up to two [email protected] Not supports for external Thunderbolt-3 enabled graphics processors (eGPUs).

Availability	MacBook Air (M1, 2020)	MacBook Pro 16” (2020)
Released	2020	2020
Release Info	Announced on November 10th, 2020	Announced in June 2020. Available in June 2020.
Pricing	$999 Apple M1 Chip (7 cores GPU) \| 8GB RAM \| 256GB SSD $1,249 Apple M1 Chip (8 cores GPU) \| 8GB RAM \| 512GB SSD	$2,399 - Intel Core i7 \| 16GB RAM \| 512GB SSD \| Radeon 5300M 4GB $2,799 - Intel Core i7 \| 16GB RAM \| 1TB SSD \| Radeon 5500M 4GB

MacBook Air (M1, 2020) Price
	2020 Apple MacBook Air Laptop: Apple M1 Chip, 13” Retina Display, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD Storage, Backlit Keyboard, FaceTime HD Camera, Touch ID. Works with iPhone/iPad; Silver By Apple $899.00 Was: $999.00	See at Amazon
	Late 2020 Apple MacBook Air with Apple M1 Chip (13.3 inch, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD) Space Gray (Renewed) By Apple $855.00	See at Amazon
	2022 Apple MacBook Air Laptop with M2 chip: 13.6-inch Liquid Retina Display, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD Storage, Backlit Keyboard, 1080p FaceTime HD Camera. Works with iPhone and iPad; Starlight By Apple $1,099.00 Was: $1,199.00	See at Amazon
MacBook Pro 16” (2020) Price
	Apple MacBook Pro (16-inch, 16GB RAM, 1TB Storage, 2.3GHz Intel Core i9) - Space Gray (Renewed) By Apple $1,378.99	See at Amazon
	2020 Apple MacBook Pro with 2.0GHz Intel Core i5 (13-inch, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD Storage) - Space Gray (Renewed) By Apple $972.99	See at Amazon
	Late 2019 Apple MacBook Pro (16 inch, 16GB RAM, 512GB) Space Gray (Renewed) By Apple $1,179.99	See at Amazon

Display	MacBook Air (M1, 2020)	MacBook Pro 16” (2020)
Size	13.3 Inches	16 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	Retina display 16‑inch (diagonal) LED‑backlit display with IPS technology; 3072‑by‑1920 native resolution at 226 pixels per inch with support for millions of colors Supported scaled resolutions: 2048 by 1280 1792 by 1120 1344 by 840 1152 by 720 500 nits brightness Wide color (P3) True Tone technology Refresh rates: 47.95Hz, 48.00Hz, 50.00Hz, 59.94Hz, 60.00Hz

Exterior	MacBook Air (M1, 2020)	MacBook Pro 16” (2020)
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: 0.64 inch (1.62 cm) Width: 14.09 inches (35.79 cm) Depth: 9.68 inches (24.59 cm)
Weight	Starting at 2.8 pounds (1.29 kg)	Starting at 4.3 pounds (2.0 kg)
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: 65 (U.S.) or 66 (ISO) keys including 4 arrow keys in an inverted‑T arrangement Touch Bar 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 / 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)	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 (M1, 2020)	MacBook Pro 16” (2020)
Processor	Apple M1 (7 GPU Cores) 8 cores, 8 threads, 3.20 GHz, 10W Apple M1 8 cores, 8 threads, 3.20 GHz, 10W	9th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-9750H 6 cores, 12 threads, 2.60 → 4.50 GHz, 12MB SmartCache, 45W 9th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-9880H 8 cores, 16 threads, 2.30 → 4.80 GHz, 16MB SmartCache, 45W 9th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-9980HK 8 cores, 16 threads, 2.40 → 5.00 GHz, 16MB SmartCache, 45W
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	9th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-9750H Intel® UHD Graphics 630 24 Execution Units, 350 → 1150 MHz 9th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-9880H Intel® UHD Graphics 630 24 Execution Units, 350 → 1200 MHz 9th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-9980HK Intel® UHD Graphics 630 24 Execution Units, 350 → 1250 MHz
Discrete Graphics		AMD Radeon Pro 5300M with 4GB of GDDR6 memory (20 CUs) AMD Radeon Pro 5500M with 4GB of GDDR6 memory (24 CUs) AMD Radeon Pro 5500M with 8GB of GDDR6 memory (24 CUs) New AMD Radeon Pro 5600M with 8GB of HBM2 memory (40 CUs)
Memory	8GB 4266 MHz LPDDR4X onboard memory Configurable to 16GB	16GB 32GB 64GB 2666MHz DDR4 onboard memory
Storage	256GB512GB SSD Configurable to 1TB or 2TB	512GB1TB2TB4TB8TB SSD

Connectivity	MacBook Air (M1, 2020)	MacBook Pro 16” (2020)
Wi-Fi	802.11ax Wi‑Fi 6 wireless networking IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac compatible	802.11ac Wi‑Fi wireless networking IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n compatible
Bluetooth	Bluetooth 5.0 wireless technology	Bluetooth 5.0 wireless technology

Battery	MacBook Air (M1, 2020)	MacBook Pro 16” (2020)
Size	49.9 Wh lithium‑polymer battery	100 Wh lithium‑polymer battery
Battery Life	Up to 15 hours wireless web Up to 18 hours Apple TV app movie playback	Up to 11 hours wireless web Up to 11 hours Apple TV app movie playback Up to 30 days of standby time
Power Supply	30W USB‑C Power Adapter	96W USB‑C Power Adapter

Software	MacBook Air (M1, 2020)	MacBook Pro 16” (2020)
OS	Shipped with macOS Big Sur	Shipped with macOS Catalina
Built-in Apps	PhotosiMovieGarageBandPagesNumbersKeynoteSiriSafariMailFaceTimeMessagesMapsNewsStocksHomeVoice MemosNotesCalendarContactsRemindersPhoto BoothPreviewMusicPodcastsTVBooksApp StoreTime MachineFind MyQuickTime Player	PhotosiMovieGarageBandPagesNumbersKeynoteSiriSafariMailFaceTimeMessagesMapsNewsStocksHomeVoice MemosNotesCalendarContactsRemindersPhoto BoothPreviewMusicPodcastsTVBooksApp StoreTime MachineFind MyQuickTime Player

Camera & Audio	MacBook Air (M1, 2020)	MacBook Pro 16” (2020)
Camera	720p FaceTime HD camera	720p FaceTime HD camera
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 system with force‑cancelling woofers Wide stereo sound Support for Dolby Atmos playback Studio‑quality three-mic array with high signal-to-noise ratio and directional beamforming 3.5 mm headphone jack

Misc	MacBook Air (M1, 2020)	MacBook Pro 16” (2020)
Sensors	Touch ID sensor Ambient light sensor	Touch ID sensor
Security	Touch ID sensor Apple T2 Security Chip	Touch ID sensor Apple T2 Security Chip
In the box	MacBook Air 30W USB‑C Power Adapter USB-C Charge Cable (2 m)	16‑inch MacBook Pro 96W 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 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)	Video Support Simultaneously supports full native resolution on the built-in display at millions of colors and: Up to two displays with 6016‑by‑3384 resolution at 60Hz at over a billion colors or Up to four displays with 4096‑by‑2304 resolution at 60Hz at over a billion colors Thunderbolt 3 digital video output Native DisplayPort output over USB‑C VGA, HDMI, DVI, and Thunderbolt 2 output supported using adapters (sold separately)

MacBook Air (M1, 2020) Price
	2020 Apple MacBook Air Laptop: Apple M1 Chip, 13” Retina Display, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD Storage, Backlit Keyboard, FaceTime HD Camera, Touch ID. Works with iPhone/iPad; Silver By Apple $899.00 Was: $999.00	See at Amazon
	Late 2020 Apple MacBook Air with Apple M1 Chip (13.3 inch, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD) Space Gray (Renewed) By Apple $855.00	See at Amazon
	2022 Apple MacBook Air Laptop with M2 chip: 13.6-inch Liquid Retina Display, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD Storage, Backlit Keyboard, 1080p FaceTime HD Camera. Works with iPhone and iPad; Starlight By Apple $1,099.00 Was: $1,199.00	See at Amazon
MacBook Pro 16” (2020) Price
	Apple MacBook Pro (16-inch, 16GB RAM, 1TB Storage, 2.3GHz Intel Core i9) - Space Gray (Renewed) By Apple $1,378.99	See at Amazon
	2020 Apple MacBook Pro with 2.0GHz Intel Core i5 (13-inch, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD Storage) - Space Gray (Renewed) By Apple $972.99	See at Amazon
	Late 2019 Apple MacBook Pro (16 inch, 16GB RAM, 512GB) Space Gray (Renewed) By Apple $1,179.99	See at Amazon