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Company ProductName Specs
Company ProductName Specs
Advantages of the Apple MacBook Air (2022)
- Excellent for general use
- Excellent portability
Advantages of the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2023)
- Very good for engineering and design
- Good for gaming and AI
- Excellent overall display quality
Key differences
General Use
9.1
8.5
2560 x 1664
RESOLUTION
3024 x 1964
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
486.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
489.0 nits
15.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
13.5 Hours
10.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.5/10
9.4/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
8.5/10
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) is excellent for general use, while the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2023) is very good.
PerfectRec’s General Use Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for general productivity, web browsing, streaming, video calls, and running a wide variety of apps and programs.
Screen Quality
7.6
9.2
13.6in
SIZE
14.2in
2560 x 1664
RESOLUTION
3024 x 1964
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
486.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
489.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Air has a better screen than the Apple MacBook Pro 14 for software development, and content creation, while the Apple MacBook Pro 14 has a better screen for general use, AI, and engineering and design.
PerfectRec’s screen quality scores take into account various important factors that are relevant for different use cases.
Battery
15.0 Hours
13.5 Hours
The Apple MacBook Air has 15 hours of battery life. The Apple MacBook Pro 14 has 13.5 hours of battery life.
Battery life estimate is based on a mix of common use patterns. More portable and higher performing laptops tend to have less battery life.
Portability
Excellent
Very Good
13.6in
SIZE
14.2in
2.7 lbs
WEIGHT
3.5 lbs
0.4in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) has excellent portability, while the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2023) has very good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
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Key similarities
Gaming and AI
6.9
7.0
2.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
2560 x 1664
RESOLUTION
3024 x 1964
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
10.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
8.7/10
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2023) to be good for gaming and AI, while the Apple MacBook Air (2022) is only fair.
PerfectRec’s Gaming and AI Score strongly emphasizes graphics processing capability, while also taking into account other factors that impact suitability for gaming and AI work.
Engineering and Design
7.9
8.0
6.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.8/10
2.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
24.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2023) to be very good for engineering and design, while the Apple MacBook Air (2022) is good.
PerfectRec’s Engineering and Design Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for graphic design and 3D rendering work.
Content Creation
8.8
8.5
6.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.8/10
2560 x 1664
RESOLUTION
3024 x 1964
24.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) and Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2023) are both very good for content creation.
PerfectRec’s Content Creation Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for photo editing, video editing and other content creation tasks.
Software Development
8.8
8.4
6.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.8/10
24.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2560 x 1664
RESOLUTION
3024 x 1964
10.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.5/10
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) and Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2023) are both very good for software development.
PerfectRec’s Software Development Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for software developers.
Build Quality
10.0
10.0
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) and Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2023) both have best in class build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,749
$1,699
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
The Apple MacBook Air (2022) has a price of $1,749 and the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2023) costs $1,699.
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How the Apple MacBook Air (2022) and the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2023) compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Apple MacBook Air (2022) | Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2023) |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$1,749 | $1,699 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | July 1, 2022 | January 1, 2023 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 12'' x 8.5'' x 0.44'' | 12.3'' x 8.7'' x 0.61'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 2.7 lbs | 3.5 lbs | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Apple M2 | Apple M2 Pro (10C) | |
Graphics | |||
Graphics | M2 (10C) | M2 Pro (16C) | |
Mux Switch / Advanced Optimus | |||
Mux Switch / Advanced Optimus | No | No | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 24 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 5 | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 15 Hours | 13.5 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 52.6 Wh | 69.6 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 13.6" | 14.2" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | Mini LED | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 2560 x 1664 | 3024 x 1964 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 120Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 486 nits | 489 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 10/10 | 10/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 9.4/10 | 8.6/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 10/10 | 8.8/10 | |
Keyboard Lighting Color | |||
Keyboard Lighting Color | White | White | |
Warranty Period | |||
Warranty Period | 1 year | 1 year | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 10/10 | 9.5/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 10/10 | 10/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 1080p | 1080p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | Yes | Yes | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | No | No | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 0 | 0 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 2 | 3 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 1 | 2 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | 3 | 4 | |
Shopping
Apple MacBook Air (2022)
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Andreas Osthoff | July 2022
"The Apple MacBook Air M2 Entry is a very good, but too expensive daily MacBook. The new MacBook Air M2 is undoubtedly once again a very good mobile companion, but we are still a little bit disappointed on a very high level, which is definitely connected with the increased price point. The new chassis is extremely slim and the front edge is no problem during typing, but the bezels are pretty wide for a modern device and in addition with the vertical space required for the notch, the new Air has larger footprint than some Windows rivals."
Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2023)
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Andreas Osthoff | January 2023
"In the Apple MacBook Pro 14 2023, the M2 Pro is slowed down. From the improved 5nm process, the new M2 Pro is a very solid upgrade. Graphics performance has increased by about 25% in tandem with a clear improvement in efficiency. The processor has also seen a performance leap of up to 20%, but this is accompanied by an increase in consumption of up to 25%. Fundamentally, Apple its maintaining its advantage over AMD and Intel, particularly in optimized applications where the results are very good in view of the comparatively low power consumption."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Air (2022) or the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2023)
About Apple
Apple, an American technology company, is one of the world’s largest company in terms of market capitalization. Their MacBook laptops feature a slim, minimalistic design, class-leading battery life, and premium display and speaker quality. In 2020 Apple switched from using Intel processors to their own silicon chips which have excellent performance and efficiency. The macOS operating system is the second most widely used OS, after Windows.
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Why trust us
This information was produced and vetted by the PerfectRec laptops team. We are a product research and recommendation organization that meticulously reviews and evaluates the latest laptop information and makes it digestible for you.
By the numbers
380
Laptops evaluated
48,640
Laptops stats compiled
13
Proprietary Laptops ratings developed
59,895
Recommendations made
12,978
Consumer hours saved
About the laptop team
Joe Golden, Ph.D
CEO and Laptops Editor
Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
Jason Lew
Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Jason is a staff expert and software engineer that has been making laptop recommendations for 7 years and moderates one of the largest laptop subreddits.
Chandradeep Chowdhury
Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Chandradeep is a staff expert and software engineer and expert in televisions and monitors. He’s been making monitor recommendations for ten years.
Craig Russell
Laptops Expert
Craig is a UK-based laptops expert. Craig works in IT, where he recommends and supports laptops and PCs for clients and has been recommending laptops on Reddit for five years.
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