M1 MacBook Pro 14” vs. MacBook Air 13” 2015 - Specs Comparison

Here is a comparison between the specifications of the M1 MacBook Pro 14” and MacBook Air 13” 2015, including differences in the chip, memory, storage, display, battery, ports, and more.

M1 MacBook Pro 14” vs. MacBook Air 13” 2015

The 2021 M1 MacBook Pro 14” features the Apple M-Series ARM 64-bit 8-core Apple M1 Pro (8C, 14G) up to 10-core Apple M1 Max (10C, 32G) with a clock speed of 3.20 GHz. While the MacBook Air 13” 2015 features the 15W 5th Generation Intel Broadwell dual-core Intel Core i5-5250U 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 14.2″ M1 MacBook Pro 14” (2021) and the 13.3″ MacBook Air 13” 2015 , we have a detailed tech specs comparison between both devices for you to check out here.

M1 MacBook Pro 14” vs. MacBook Air 13” 2015: Specs Comparison

M1 MacBook Pro 14” image

M1 MacBook Pro 14”

MacBook Air 13” 2015 image

MacBook Air 13” 2015

Key Features
What's new

All-New MacBook Pro Design

The new design focus on functionality and performance. It has a larger chassis that provides more room for an advanced thermal system that can move 50 percent more air than the previous generation.

New M1 Pro and M1 Max Chip

The new 14” MacBook Pro features the new M1 Pro, and M1 Max applies a system-on-a-chip (SoC) architecture. Both processors feature fast unified memory and increased memory bandwidth up to 400GB/s, 8-core CPU, 32-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine, and with best-in-class performance per watt and industry-leading power efficiency.

New Liquid Retina XDR with ProMotion Display

Featuring the mini-LED technology used in iPad Pro, the Liquid Retina XDR display delivers up to 1,000 nits of sustained, full-screen brightness, an incredible 1,600 nits of peak brightness, and a 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio.

Better Battery Life

It delivers up to 17 hours of video playback, seven more hours than the previous-generation MacBook Pro.
What's missing

Removed features

Here is the list of features removed from the 16-inch M1 MacBook Pro laptop:
  • Removed Touchbar
  • One less Thunderbolt port

No Bootcamp

You can no longer install and run Windows 10/11 via Bootcamp on the newer Arm-based M1 chip. The only solution you have for now is to use virtualization.
AvailabilityM1 MacBook Pro 14”MacBook Air 13” 2015
Released20212015
Release Info
  • Announced on October 18, 2021.
  • Available on October 26, 2021.
  • Available on April 19, 2015
Pricing
  • $1,999
    M1 Pro, 8C CPU, 14C GPU, 16GB, 512GB
  • $2,299
    M1 Pro, 10C CPU, 16C GPU, 16GB, 512GB
  • $2,499
    M1 Pro, 10C CPU, 16C GPU, 16GB, 1TB
  • $3,099
    M1 Max, 10C CPU, 24C GPU, 32GB, 1TB
  • $3,299
    M1 Max, 10C CPU, 32C GPU, 32GB, 1TB
  • $3,699
    M1 Max, 10C CPU, 32C GPU, 64GB, 1TB
  • $4,099
    M1 Max, 10C CPU, 32C GPU, 64GB, 2TB
  • $4,699
    M1 Max, 10C CPU, 32C GPU, 64GB, 4TB
  • $5,899
    M1 Max, 10C CPU, 32C GPU, 64GB, 8TB
  • $999
    Intel Core i5 5250U | 4GB RAM | 128GB SSD
  • $1,199
    Intel Core i5 5250U | 4GB RAM | 256GB SSD
DisplayM1 MacBook Pro 14”MacBook Air 13” 2015
Size14.2 Inches13.3 Inches
Info
  • 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
  • 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
ExteriorM1 MacBook Pro 14”MacBook Air 13” 2015
Size Comparison
Dimensions
  • Height: 0.61 inch (1.55 cm)
  • Width: 12.31 inches (31.26 cm)
  • Depth: 8.71 inches (22.12 cm)
12.8” x 8.94” x 0.11 - 0.68” (325 mm x 227 mm x 3 - 17 mm)
Weight3.5 pounds (1.6 kg)Starting at 2.96 pounds (1.35 kg)
Colors
Space GraySilver
Silver
Keyboard and TrackpadBacklit 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
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
  • 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 SpecsM1 MacBook Pro 14”MacBook Air 13” 2015
Processor
  • Apple M1 Pro (8C, 14G)
    8 cores, 8 threads, 3.20 GHz,
  • Apple M1 Pro (10C, 16G)
    10 cores, 10 threads, 3.20 GHz,
  • Apple M1 Max (10C, 24G)
    10 cores, 10 threads, 3.20 GHz,
  • Apple M1 Max (10C, 32G)
    10 cores, 10 threads, 3.20 GHz,
  • 5th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-5250U
    2 cores, 4 threads, 1.60 → 2.70 GHz, 3MB Cache, 15W
  • 5th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-5350U
    2 cores, 4 threads, 2.20 → 3.10 GHz, 4MB Cache, 15W
Integrated Graphics
  • Apple M1 Pro (8C, 14G)
    Apple M1 Pro iGPU
    14 GPU Cores, 16 Neural Engine Cores,
  • Apple M1 Pro (10C, 16G)
    Apple M1 Pro iGPU
    16 GPU Cores, 16 Neural Engine Cores,
  • Apple M1 Max (10C, 24G)
    Apple M1 Max iGPU
    24 GPU Cores, 16 Neural Engine Cores,
  • Apple M1 Max (10C, 32G)
    Apple M1 Max iGPU
    32 GPU Cores, 16 Neural Engine Cores,
  • 5th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-5250U
    Intel® HD Graphics 6000
    48 Execution Units, 300 → 950 MHz
  • 5th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-5350U
    Intel® HD Graphics 6000
    48 Execution Units, 300 → 1000 MHz
Memory
16GB 32GB 64GB
Unified Memory
4GB8GB
 1600MHz LPDDR3 onboard memory
Storage
512GB1TB2TB4TB8TB
SSD
128GB256GB
Configurable to 512GB flash storage.
ConnectivityM1 MacBook Pro 14”MacBook Air 13” 2015
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
BluetoothBluetooth 5.0 wireless technologyBluetooth 4.0 wireless technology
BatteryM1 MacBook Pro 14”MacBook Air 13” 2015
Size70 Wh lithium‑polymer battery54 Wh lithium‑polymer battery
Battery Life
  • Up to 11 hours wireless web
  • Up to 17 hours of Apple TV app movie playback
  • Up to 12 hours wireless web
  • Up to 12 hours of iTunes movie playback
  • Up to 30 days standby time
Power Supply
  • 67W USB‑C Power Adapter
    M1 Pro with 8-core CPU models
  • 96W USB‑C Power Adapter
    M1 Pro with 10-core CPU or M1 Max models. Supports Fast-Charging.
45W MagSafe 2 Power Adapter
With cable management system; MagSafe 2 power port.
SoftwareM1 MacBook Pro 14”MacBook Air 13” 2015
OSShipped with macOS MontereyShipped with macOS Sierra
Built-in Apps
PhotosiMovieGarageBandPagesNumbersKeynoteSiriSafariMailFaceTimeMessagesMapsNewsStocksHomeVoice MemosNotesCalendarContactsRemindersPhoto BoothPreviewMusicPodcastsTVBooksApp StoreTime MachineFind MyQuickTime Player
PhotosiMovieGarageBandPagesNumbersKeynoteSafariMailFaceTimeMessagesMapsNotesCalendarContactsRemindersiTunesiBooksApp Store
Camera & AudioM1 MacBook Pro 14”MacBook Air 13” 2015
Camera1080p FaceTime HD camera 
Advanced image signal processor with computational video.
720p FaceTime HD camera
Audio
  • 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
  • Stereo speakers
  • Dual microphones
  • Headphone port
  • Support for Apple iPhone headset with remote and microphone
MiscM1 MacBook Pro 14”MacBook Air 13” 2015
SensorsTouch ID sensor
Security
  • Touch ID sensor
  • Apple T2 Security Chip
In the box
  • 14‑inch MacBook Pro
  • 67W USB‑C Power Adapter
    M1 Pro with 8-core CPU models.
  • 96W USB‑C Power Adapter
    M1 Pro with 10-core CPU or M1 Max models.
  • USB-C to MagSafe 3 Cable (2 m)
  • MacBook Air 13″
  • Power adapter
  • AC wall plug
  • Power cord
WarrantyYour 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.Limited Warranty and ServiceYour 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
  • 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 at over a billion colors (M1 Pro) or
    • Up to three external displays with up to 6K resolution and one external display with up to 4K resolution at 60Hz at over a billion colors (M1 Max)
  • Thunderbolt 4 digital video output
    • Native DisplayPort output over USB‑C
    • VGA, HDMI, DVI, and Thunderbolt 2 output supported using adapters (sold separately)
  • HDMI digital video output
    • Support for one display with up to 4K resolution at 60Hz
    • DVI output using HDMI to DVI Adapter (sold separately)
Video Support
  • Dual display and video mirroring: Simultaneously supports full native resolution on the built-in display and up to 2560 by 1600 pixels on an external display, both at millions of colors
  • Thunderbolt digital video output
    • Native Mini DisplayPort output
    • DVI output using Mini DisplayPort to DVI Adapter (sold separately)
    • VGA output using Mini DisplayPort to VGA Adapter (sold separately)
    • Dual-link DVI output using Mini DisplayPort to Dual-Link DVI Adapter (sold separately)
    • HDMI audio and video output using third-party Mini DisplayPort to HDMI Adapter (sold separately)

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