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MacBook Air vs MacBook Pro: Specs, Features & Price Comparison

  • Staff
  • Oct 30, 2014 08:12 AM EDT
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Choosing between Apple's array of computers may not be very easy. With new products coming every now and then, attention to accurate details will help a prospective buyer determine which Apple laptop suits him best.

Here are some things to consider when torn between Macbooks Air and Retina Pro.

Display

The current Macbook Air is offered in two versions: the 11-inch and 13-inch. The 11.6-inch (diagonal) type offers a native resolution of up to 1366 x 768, while the 13.3-inch (diagonal) has 1440 x 900.

Retina Display is packed in the latest Macbook Pro. Also available in two versions, the 13-inch and 15-inch both sport IPS technology. The 13.3-inch (diagonal) type offers a resolution of 2560 x 1600, at 227 pixels per inch (ppi). The 15.4-inch (diagonal) type comes at 2880 x 1800, supported by 220 ppi.

Camera

Off to what could be one of the most interesting features -- both versions of Air and Retina Pro are packed with a 720p FaceTime HD camera, perfect to capture those precious moments.

Processor

Air is powered by 1.4GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 (Turbo Boost up to 2.7GHz), with 3MB shared L3 cache.

On the other hand, Retina Pro works under more variations. The 13-inch version may be powered by 2.6GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 (Turbo Boost up to 3.1GHz) or 2.8GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 (Turbo Boost up to 3.3GHz).

As for the 15-inch version, 2.2GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 (Turbo Boost up to 3.4GHz) and 2.5GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 processor (Turbo Boost up to 3.7GHz) are available.

Storage

Both versions of Air are offered in 128 GB and 256 GB, respectively. The 256 GB versions are configurable up to 512GB flash storage.

Same storage options apply for both versions of the Retina Pro, with the inclusion of a 512 GB choice -- which can be configured up to 1 TB.

Memory

Air has about 4 GB of 1600MHz LPDDR3 onboard, which can be configured up to 8 GB.

Retina Pro's 13-inch version has 8 GB of 1600MHz DDR3L onboard, which can climb up to 16 GB. The 15-inch version houses 16 GB.

Power

Up to 12 hours of wireless web -- that's the promise of Air's 13-inch version. The 11-inch type takes 9 hours.

Retina Pro's versions vary in a difference of one hour: the 13-inch powers for 9 hours wireless web, while the 15-inch falls behind at 8 hours.

Connectivity and Wireless Support

Air's 11-inch version has two USB 3 ports, a Thunderbolt port and a MagSafe 2 power port. The 13-inch version has all of them, plus an SDXC card slot. Both connect via 802.11ac Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0.

Retina Pro has the following: MagSafe 2 power port, two Thunderbolt 2 ports (up to 20 Gbps), two USB 3 ports (up to 5 Gbps), HDMI port, headphone port and an SDXC card slot. The Apple Thunderbolt to FireWire Adapter and Apple Thunderbolt to Gigabit Ethernet Adapter are both sold separately. Retina Pro connects via 802.11ac Wi‑Fi and Bluetooth 4.0.

Operating System

Both versions of Air and Retina Pro operate under the newest OS X Yosemite.

Price

Air's 11-inch starts from $899, while the 13-inch at $999. Retina Pro's 13-inch type starts at $1299, while the 15-inch starts at $1999.

Learn more about Apple products here.

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