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MacBook Pro 13” (2018, 4 Thunderbolt 3) vs. MacBook Air 13” 2017 - Detailed Specs Comparison

Here is a side by side comparison between MacBook Pro 13” (2018, 4 Thunderbolt 3) and MacBook Air 13” 2017 specs including CPU, RAM, storage, battery, display, and more.

BY Conor Banett September 20, 2020 10:43 am

MacBook Pro 13” (2018, 4 Thunderbolt 3) vs. MacBook Air 13” 2017

The MacBook Pro 13” (2018, 4 Thunderbolt 3) features the 28W 8th Generation Intel Coffee Lake quad-core Intel Core i5-8259U up to quad-core Intel Core i7-8559U with the boost speed up to 4.50 GHz. While the MacBook Air 13” 2017 features the 15W 5th Generation Intel Broadwell dual-core Intel Core i5-5350U up to dual-core Intel Core i7-5650U with the boost speed up to 3.10 GHz.

If you are in the market looking for a laptop and don't know what's the difference between the 13.3″ MacBook Pro 13” (2018, 4 Thunderbolt 3) and the 13.3″ MacBook Air 13” 2017 , we have a detailed tech specs comparison between both devices for you to check out here.

MacBook Pro 13” (2018, 4 Thunderbolt 3) vs. MacBook Air 13” 2017: Specs Comparison

	Compare With Please enter device name or part of it MacBook Pro 13” (2018, 4 Thunderbolt 3) See at Amazon	Compare With Please enter device name or part of it MacBook Air 13” 2017 See at Amazon
Key Features
What's new	Quad-core Intel Core i5 and i7 processors up to 2.7 GHz with Turbo Boost up to 4.5 GHz and double the eDRAM Intel Iris Plus integrated graphics 655 with 128MB of eDRAM Up to 2TB of SSD storage2 True Tone display technology Apple T2 Chip Touch Bar and Touch ID

Availability	MacBook Pro 13” (2018, 4 Thunderbolt 3)	MacBook Air 13” 2017
Released	2018	2017
Release Info	Announced on July 13th, 2018	Available on June 6, 2017
Pricing	$1,799 - Intel Core i5 \| 8GB RAM \| 256GB SSD $1,999 - Intel Core i5 \| 8GB RAM \| 512GB SSD	$999 Intel Core i5 5350U \| 8GB RAM \| 128GB SSD $1,199 Intel Core i5 5350U \| 8GB RAM \| 256GB SSD

MacBook Pro 13” (2018, 4 Thunderbolt 3) Price
	2020 Apple MacBook Pro with Apple M1 Chip (13-inch, 8GB RAM, 512GB SSD Storage) - Silver By Apple $1,449.99	See at Amazon
	Apple MacBook Pro 13in Core i5 Retina 2.7GHz (MF840LL/A), 8GB Memory, 256GB Solid State Drive (Renewed) By Apple $320.00 Was: $400.00	See at Amazon
	2021 Apple 11-inch iPad Pro (Wi-Fi, 128GB) - Space Gray By Apple $749.00 Was: $799.00	See at Amazon
MacBook Air 13” 2017 Price
	2017 Apple MacBook Air with 1.8GHz Intel Core i5 (13-inch, 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD Storage) (Renewed) By Apple $318.00 Was: $340.00	See at Amazon
	2017 Apple MacBook Air with 1.8GHz Core i5 (8GB RAM, 256GB SSD, 13in, MQD42LL/A)- Silver (Renewed) By Apple $421.42	See at Amazon
	Apple MacBook Air MJVE2LL/A 13-inch Laptop (1.6GHz Core i5,8GB RAM,128GB SSD) (Renewed) By Apple $220.09 Was: $247.00	See at Amazon

Display	MacBook Pro 13” (2018, 4 Thunderbolt 3)	MacBook Air 13” 2017
Size	13.3 Inches	13.3 Inches
Info	Retina display 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 640 500 nits brightness Wide color (P3) True Tone technology	Widescreen display 13.3-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit glossy widescreen display with support for millions of colors Supported resolutions: 1440 by 900 (native), 1280 by 800, 1152 by 720, and 1024 by 640 pixels at 16:10 aspect ratio and 1024 by 768 and 800 by 600 pixels at 4:3 aspect ratio

Exterior	MacBook Pro 13” (2018, 4 Thunderbolt 3)	MacBook Air 13” 2017
Size Comparison
Dimensions	11.97” x 8.36” x 0.59” (304.1 mm x 212.4 mm x 14.9 mm)	12.8” x 8.94” x 0.11 - 0.68” (325 mm x 227 mm x 3 - 17 mm)
Weight	Starting at 3.02 pounds (1.37 kg)	Starting at 2.96 pounds (1.35 kg)
Colors	Space GraySilver	Silver
Keyboard and Trackpad	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	Full-size backlit keyboard with: 78 (U.S.) or 79 (ISO) keys, including 12 function keys and 4 arrow keys (inverted “T” arrangement) with ambient light sensor Multi-Touch trackpad for precise cursor control; supports inertial scrolling, pinch, rotate, swipe, three-finger swipe, four-finger swipe, tap, double-tap, and drag capabilities
Ports	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)	1 x Thunderbolt 2 port Supports data transfers up to 20 Gbps. 2 x USB 3.0 ports Supports data transfers up to 5 Gbps. 1 x 3.5 mm headphone jack 1 x SDXC card reader 1 x MagSafe 2 power port

Internal Specs	MacBook Pro 13” (2018, 4 Thunderbolt 3)	MacBook Air 13” 2017
Processor	8th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-8259U 4 cores, 8 threads, 2.30 → 3.80 GHz, 6MB SmartCache, 28W 8th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-8559U 4 cores, 8 threads, 2.70 → 4.50 GHz, 8MB SmartCache, 28W	5th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-5350U 2 cores, 4 threads, 1.80 → 2.90 GHz, 3MB Cache, 15W 5th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-5350U 2 cores, 4 threads, 2.20 → 3.10 GHz, 4MB Cache, 15W
Integrated Graphics	8th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-8259U Intel® Iris® Plus Graphics 655 48 Execution Units with 128 MB eDRAM, 300 → 1050 MHz 8th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-8559U Intel® Iris® Plus Graphics 655 48 Execution Units with 128 MB eDRAM, 300 → 1200 MHz	5th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-5350U Intel® HD Graphics 6000 48 Execution Units, 300 → 1000 MHz 5th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-5350U Intel® HD Graphics 6000 48 Execution Units, 300 → 1000 MHz
Memory	8GB configurable to 16GB of 2133MHz LPDDR3 onboard memory	4GB8GB 1600MHz LPDDR3 onboard memory
Storage	256GB512GB configurable to 1TB or 2TB SSD	128GB256GB Configurable to 512GB flash storage.

Connectivity	MacBook Pro 13” (2018, 4 Thunderbolt 3)	MacBook Air 13” 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 5.0 wireless technology	Bluetooth 4.0 wireless technology

Battery	MacBook Pro 13” (2018, 4 Thunderbolt 3)	MacBook Air 13” 2017
Size	58.0 Wh lithium‑polymer battery	54 Wh lithium‑polymer battery
Battery Life	Up to 10 hours wireless web Up to 10 hours Apple TV app movie playback Up to 30 days of standby time	Up to 12 hours wireless web Up to 12 hours of iTunes movie playback Up to 30 days standby time
Power Supply	61W USB‑C Power Adapter	45W MagSafe 2 Power Adapter With cable management system; MagSafe 2 power port.

Software	MacBook Pro 13” (2018, 4 Thunderbolt 3)	MacBook Air 13” 2017
OS	Shipped with macOS Mojave	Shipped with macOS Mojave
Built-in Apps	PhotosiMovieGarageBandPagesNumbersKeynoteSiriSafariMailFaceTimeMessagesMapsNewsStocksHomeVoice MemosNotesCalendarContactsRemindersPhoto BoothPreviewMusicPodcastsTVBooksApp StoreTime MachineFind MyQuickTime Player	PhotosiMovieGarageBandPagesNumbersKeynoteSiriSafariMailFaceTimeMessagesMapsNewsStocksHomeVoice MemosNotesCalendarContactsRemindersPhoto BoothPreviewiTunesBooksApp StoreTime Machine

Camera & Audio	MacBook Pro 13” (2018, 4 Thunderbolt 3)	MacBook Air 13” 2017
Camera	720p FaceTime HD camera	720p FaceTime HD camera
Audio	Stereo speakers with high dynamic range Three microphones 3.5mm headphone jack	Stereo speakers Dual microphones Headphone port Support for Apple iPhone headset with remote and microphone

Misc	MacBook Pro 13” (2018, 4 Thunderbolt 3)	MacBook Air 13” 2017
Sensors	Touch ID sensor
Security	Touch ID sensor Apple T2 Chip
In the box	13‑inch MacBook Pro 61W USB‑C Power Adapter USB-C Charge Cable (2 m)	MacBook Air 13″ Power adapter AC wall plug Power cord
Warranty	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.	Limited Warranty and Service Your MacBook Air comes with 90 days of free telephone support and a one-year limited warranty. Purchase the AppleCare Protection Plan to extend your service and support to three years from your computer’s purchase date. Only the AppleCare Protection Plan provides you with direct telephone support from Apple technical experts and the assurance that repairs will be handled by Apple-authorized technicians using genuine Apple parts. For more information, visit Apple Support or call 800-823-2775.
More	Video Support Simultaneously supports full native resolution on the built-in display at millions of colors and: One display with 5120-by-2880 resolution at 60Hz at over a billion colors Up to two displays with 4096-by-2304 resolution at 60Hz at millions of colors Up to two 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, DVI, and Thunderbolt 2 output supported using adapters (sold separately)	Video Support Simultaneously supports full native resolution on the built-in display and up to 3840-by-2160 resolution at 60Hz on an external display, both at millions of colors Thunderbolt digital video output Native Mini DisplayPort output VGA, HDMI, DVI, and dual-link DVI output using adapters (sold separately)

MacBook Pro 13” (2018, 4 Thunderbolt 3) Price
	2020 Apple MacBook Pro with Apple M1 Chip (13-inch, 8GB RAM, 512GB SSD Storage) - Silver By Apple $1,449.99	See at Amazon
	Apple MacBook Pro 13in Core i5 Retina 2.7GHz (MF840LL/A), 8GB Memory, 256GB Solid State Drive (Renewed) By Apple $320.00 Was: $400.00	See at Amazon
	2021 Apple 11-inch iPad Pro (Wi-Fi, 128GB) - Space Gray By Apple $749.00 Was: $799.00	See at Amazon
MacBook Air 13” 2017 Price
	2017 Apple MacBook Air with 1.8GHz Intel Core i5 (13-inch, 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD Storage) (Renewed) By Apple $318.00 Was: $340.00	See at Amazon
	2017 Apple MacBook Air with 1.8GHz Core i5 (8GB RAM, 256GB SSD, 13in, MQD42LL/A)- Silver (Renewed) By Apple $421.42	See at Amazon
	Apple MacBook Air MJVE2LL/A 13-inch Laptop (1.6GHz Core i5,8GB RAM,128GB SSD) (Renewed) By Apple $220.09 Was: $247.00	See at Amazon

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