Which Apple MacBook is best for you? MacBook Air or MacBook Pro?

If you're looking for an Apple laptop, you've come to the right place. Here we'll look at the different models available to help you decide which is best for you.

The first thing to decide is which of the main device types to go for - you can then start looking at the different configurations. 

Here we've rounded up everything from the MacBook Air to the 16-inch MacBook Pro, to help you work out what each model offers, how much they cost, how they can be configured and what their pros and cons are. Coincidentally, 2017's 12-inch MacBook is now no more, replaced by the cheapest MacBook Air. 

Read on to find out which Apple MacBook is the one for you.

Quick summary

The MacBook Air is the cheapest MacBook available overall, and the lightest option. It also offers the longest battery life, Touch ID and a Retina Display with True Tone technology.  

The MacBook Pro 13-inch with Touch Bar is the model for those who want the power, a lighter design, Touch Bar and Touch ID functionality, as well as more Thunderbolt 3 ports. It comes at a cost though, with a starting price that's quite a bit steeper than the model without the Touch Bar.

Now discontinued, the MacBook Pro 15-inch with Touch Bar is still available from some retailers at knock-down prices, so we've left it in this roundup for now. 

Finally, the Macbook Pro 16-inch with touch Bar is the king of the MacBooks with the best power and largest storage options, biggest screen and the Touch Bar and Touch ID features. It is also the most expensive, however, and this probably isn't the MacBook you'll want if you're constantly on the move.

Apple MacBook Air (2019)

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  • Dimensions: 304.1 x 212.4 x 41-156mm, 1.25kg
  • Display: 13.3-inches, 2560 x 1600 (227ppi), 400nits brightness, True Tone
  • Connections: Two USB Type-C ports, 3.5mm headphone jack
  • Battery: 12 hours

The MacBook Air got a design update in October 2018 followed by a refresh in July 2019, though both models retained the iconic wedge shape. The latest model is thinner, lighter and it features Touch ID, a Retina Display and True Tone technology, the latest-generation keyboard and a Force Touch trackpad.

The base model has a dual-core 1.6GHz 8th-generation Intel Core i5 processor, 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, while the top-spec available has a dual-core 1.6GHz 8th-generation Intel Core i5 chip, up to 16GB of RAM and up to 1TB of configurable storage. All models feature Intel UHD Graphics 617. 

The latest MacBook Air is a little more flexible than the old MacBook when it comes to ports, in that it offers an extra USB Type-C port, but it doesn't have the same flexibility as the older MacBook Air from 2015. Two ports is useful offering the ability to charge your device, whilst also performing another task using the other port but you'll need adapters for SD cards and USBs.

The MacBook Air comes in Silver, Space Grey and Gold and it features a 720p FaceTime HD camera. For those with no more than £1100 to spend, the base level MacBook Air is your only option when it comes to an Apple laptop.

Apple MacBook Pro 13-inch (2019)

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  • Dimensions: 304.1 x 212.4 x 149mm, 1.37kg
  • Display: 13.3-inches, 2560 x 1600 (226ppi), 500nits brightness, True Tone
  • Connections: Four Thunderbolt 3 ports, 3.5mm headphone jack
  • Battery: 10 hours

The 13-inch MacBook Pro with the Touch Bar and Touch ID is for those who want the power and the latest features, but still in a compact and easily portable device.

The base model has a quad-core 1.4GHz 8th-generation Intel Core i5 processor, 128GB of storage and 8GB of RAM. The top-specced model has a quad-core 2.8GHz 8th-generation Intel Core i7 processor, 16GB of RAM and 2TB of storage. Some configurations have Intel Iris Plus Graphics 645, while others have 655.

Like all the newer MacBooks, this 13-inch MacBook Pro says bye-bye to the ports. It does, however, offer more than the MacBook Air, with four Thunderbolt 3 ports. You'll still need adapters to transfer images from an SD card for example, but the extra ports will allow you to do more simultaneously than you can do with the MacBook Air.

The MacBook Pro with Touch Bar and Touch ID is available in Silver or Space Gray, comes with a 720p FaceTime HD camera and has three microphones.

Apple MacBook Pro 15-inch (2019)

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  • Dimensions: 349.3 x 240.7 x 155mm, 1.83kg
  • Display: 15.4-inches, 2880 x 1800 (220ppi), 500nits brightness, True Tone
  • Connections: Four Thunderbolt 3 ports, 3.5mm headphone jack
  • Battery: 10 hours

As we mentioned earlier, even though it's been discontinued the MacBook Pro 15-inch with Touch Bar is still available from some retailers at reduced prices, so we've left it in this roundup for now. 

The base model has a six-core 2.6GHz 8th-generation Intel Core i7 processor, 256GB of storage and Radeon Pro 555X graphics with 4GB memory. The top-specced model available has a six-core 2.4GHz 8th-generation Intel Core i9 processor, 4TB of storage and Radeon Pro 560X graphics with 4GB of memory. All models can be configured with up to 32GB of RAM. Graphic options including Radeon Pro Vega 16 and Radeon Pro Vega 20 are also available.

As with other MacBook Pros, you'll need to make sure you allow for buying any adapters you might need because the ports are limited to just Thunderbolt 3, though you get four ports this time.

The MacBook Pro (2019) comes in Silver and Space Grey, has three microphones, and it has a 720p FaceTime HD camera. 

Apple Macbook Pro 16-inch (2019)

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  • Dimensions: 358 x 246 x 16.2mm, 2.0kg
  • Display: 16-inches, 3072 x 1920 resolution (226ppi), 500nits brightness, True Tone
  • Connections: Four Thunderbolt 3 ports, 3.5mm headphone jack
  • Battery: 11 hours

Our final Macbook is one of the most powerful machines Apple has ever produced, an absolute powerhouse that, in all honesty, is definitely overkill for most people. 

It's got Apple's biggest ever laptop battery, its biggest-ever laptop screen with beautiful colour range and crisp detail, an all-new and amazingly satisfying keyboard, and processing power that will crunch through any task.

That said, it's also massively, hugely expensive, and that chunky battery doesn't stop the huge display from absolutely eating up its power, struggling in our experience to get near the 11 hours Apple's claiming. It's also, obviously, not the most portable laptop given its size. Still, if you want the absolute maximum in power that Apple can offer, it's a bit of a monster. 



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