M2 MacBook Air (2023) vs. M2 MacBook Pro (2022)- Which one should you buy?

Apple recently launched a new MacBook Air with an M2 chip, a 15.3 Liquid Retina display, and a larger battery than its predecessor, the 13-inch M2 MacBook Air (2022). 

Due to the premium $1,299 starting price and specs, the new M2 MacBook Air has been widely compared to the 14-inch MacBook Pro (2023) with an M2 Pro chip to see which laptop performs better.

However, we believe the worthy comparison of the 2023 MacBook Air (15-inch) is with the 2022 MacBook Pro (13-inch) because the M2 chip powers both laptops. 

If you looking to buy upgrade your older computer or buy a new one and want to know if you should opt for the 15-inch M2 MacBook Air or the 13-inch M2 MacBook Pro, we have a comprehensive performance comparison of both machines for you to make an informed decision. 

M2 MacBook Air and M2 MacBook Pro – Comparison

Similarities

Specs15-inch MacBook Air13-inch MacBook Air
ProcessorM2 chip built on 5nm process
8-core CPU (4 performance cores
and 4 efficiency cores)
10-core GPU
16-core Neural Engine
100GB/s memory bandwidth
M2 chip built on 5nm process
8-core CPU (4 performance cores
and 4 efficiency cores)
10-core GPU
16-core Neural Engine
100GB/s memory bandwidth
RAM8GB
16GB
24GB
8GB
16GB
24GB
Storage256GB SSD
512GB SSD
1TB SSD
2TB SSD
256GB SSD
512GB SSD
1TB SSD
2TB SSD
Price$1,299$1,299
M2 MacBook Air 2023

Design differences

Specs15-inch MacBook Air13-inch MacBook Pro
DesignFanless
1.15 cm height
34.04cm width
1.51 kg weight
Thermal system with cooling fans
1.56 cm height
30.41 cm width
1.4 kg weight
Display15.3-inch (diagonal) screen
Liquid Retina display
2880 by 1864 pixels
13.3-inch (diagonal) screen
LED-backlit display with IPS tech
2560 by 1600 pixels
Camera1080p FaceTime HD camera720p FaceTime HD camera
Biometric authenticationTouch IDTouch Bar
Touch ID
Sound systemSix-speakers with force-cancelling woofers
Three-mic array with directional beamforming
Stereo speakers with high dynamic range
Wide stereo sound
three-mic array with high signal-to-noise ratio and directional beamforming
Wireless connectivityBluetooth 5.3Bluetooth 5.0
Battery66.5-watt-hour lithium-polymer battery58.2-watt-hour lithium-polymer battery
Battery lifeUp to 15 hours web surfing
Up to 18 hours video streaming
Up to 17 hours web surfing
Up to 20 hours video streaming

Performance comparison

Tests15-inch MacBook Air13-inch MacBook Pro
Geekbench 5Single-core: 1824
Multi-core: 8537
Single-core: 1861
Multi-core: 8671
Cinebench R23Single-core: 1504
Multi-core: 8134
Single-core: 1533
Multi-core: 8306
HandBrake 1.4
(Lower is better)
Render time: 7 minutes 29 seconds
Render time: 6 minutes 52 seconds
3DMark
(Higher is better)
6,8566,800

Verdict: M2 MacBook Air (2023) is a better choice than M2 MacBook Pro (2022)

If you are comparing a MacBook Pro with a MacBook Air that means you do not mind the heavier machine.

In that case, you should opt for the new 15-inch M2 MacBook Air (2023) over the 13-inch MacBook Pro (2022) because you will get a larger screen and almost the same performance as the Pro machine for the same price.

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About the Author

Addicted to social media and in love with iPhone, started blogging as a hobby. And now it's my passion for every day is a new learning experience. Hopefully, manufacturers will continue to use innovative solutions and we will keep on letting you know about them.