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MacBook Air (13-inch, Early 2015) vs MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015)

MacBook Air (13-inch, Early 2015)1MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015)2

Quick look

Quick look: MacBook Air against MacBook Pro
FigureMacBook Air1MacBook Pro2
Price£8493launch price£9993launch price
ChipCore i51.6GHz dual-core IntelCore i52.7GHz dual-core Intel
CPU2-coreCPU2-coreCPU
Memory4GBmemory, base8GBmemory, base
Storage128GBstorage, base128GBstorage, base
Battery lifeUp to12 hrsvideo playback, claimedUp to12 hrsvideo playback, claimed
Released9 March 20153Released9 March 20154Released
Security updates16 September 20245Security updates ended16 September 20245Security updates ended
Price
The MacBook Air is £849 at launch, per Apple Newsroom (UK); the MacBook Pro is £999 at launch, per Apple Newsroom (UK).

True to scale

MacBook Air (13-inch, Early 2015) · 325 × 227 mm footprintMacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015) · 314 × 219 mm footprint

Footprints from above, from Apple’s published dimensions, drawn to one scale and superposed. Corner rounding is our drawing convention, not a measurement.

Specifications

Each figure is from the source marked by its Mac’s name unless it carries its own small number, which links to where that figure was read.

Body

Body: Apple MacBook Air (13-inch, Early 2015) against Apple MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015)
SpecificationMacBook Air1MacBook Pro2
Dimensions3–17 x 325 x 227 mm18 x 314 x 219 mm
Weight1.35 kg1.58 kg
PortsTwo USB 3 ports (up to 5 Gbps), Thunderbolt 2 port (up to 20 Gbps), MagSafe 2 power port, SDXC card slot, 3.5 mm headphone jackMagSafe 2 power port, two Thunderbolt 2 ports (up to 20 Gbps), two USB 3 ports (up to 5 Gbps), HDMI port, 3.5 mm headphone jack, SDXC card slot
Thunderbolt ports12
Thunderbolt versionThunderbolt 2Thunderbolt 2
USB-A ports22
HDMINo HDMI port.6HDMI port
SD card slotYesYes
Headphone jackYesYes
MagSafeYesYes
KeyboardFull-size backlit keyboardFull-size backlit keyboard with 78 (U.S.) or 79 (ISO) keys, including 12 function keys and 4 arrow keys (inverted T arrangement)
Touch IDNo Touch ID.6No Touch ID.7

Display

Display: Apple MacBook Air (13-inch, Early 2015) against Apple MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015)
SpecificationMacBook Air1MacBook Pro2
Display size13.3 in13.3 in
Resolution1440 x 9002560 x 1600
Pixel densityNot available8227 ppi
Display typeLED-backlit glossy widescreen displayRetina display
BrightnessNot available8300 nits
Wide colour (P3)Not available8No wide colour (P3) display.9

Chip and memory

Chip and memory: Apple MacBook Air (13-inch, Early 2015) against Apple MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015)
SpecificationMacBook Air1MacBook Pro2
Chip1.6GHz dual-core Intel Core i52.7GHz dual-core Intel Core i5
Apple siliconIntel processor, not Apple silicon.10Intel processor, not Apple silicon.9
CPU cores22
GraphicsIntel HD Graphics 6000Intel Iris Graphics 6100
Chip options1.6GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 or 2.2GHz dual-core Intel Core i72.7GHz dual-core Intel Core i5, Turbo Boost up to 3.1GHz; 2.9GHz dual-core Intel Core i5, Turbo Boost up to 3.3GHz; configurable to 3.1GHz dual-core Intel Core i7, Turbo Boost up to 3.4GHz
Memory (base)4GB8GB
Memory (maximum)8GB16GB
Memory options4GB or 8GB8GB or 16GB
Memory upgradeable by userNo, as Apple documents11No, as Apple documents11
Storage (base)128GB128GB
Storage (maximum)512GB1TB
Storage options128GB, 256GB or 512GB128GB, 256GB, 512GB or 1TB

Battery and power

Battery and power: Apple MacBook Air (13-inch, Early 2015) against Apple MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015)
SpecificationMacBook Air1MacBook Pro2
Battery capacity54 Wh74.9 Wh
Rated charge cycles1,000 cycles121,000 cycles12
Video playback (claimed)12 h12 h
Wireless web (claimed)12 h10 h
Included power adapter45 W60 W
Fast chargingNo fast charging.6No fast charging.7

Connectivity

Connectivity: Apple MacBook Air (13-inch, Early 2015) against Apple MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015)
SpecificationMacBook Air1MacBook Pro2
Wi-Fi802.11ac Wi-Fi802.11ac Wi-Fi wireless networking; IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n compatible
Bluetooth4.04.0
EthernetNo Ethernet port.6No Ethernet port.7
External displays (base)12

Camera and audio

Camera and audio: Apple MacBook Air (13-inch, Early 2015) against Apple MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015)
SpecificationMacBook Air1MacBook Pro2
Camera720p FaceTime HD camera720p FaceTime HD camera
SpeakersStereo speakersStereo speakers
MicrophonesDual microphonesDual microphones

Platform

Platform: Apple MacBook Air (13-inch, Early 2015) against Apple MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015)
SpecificationMacBook Air1MacBook Pro2
Shipped withOS X Yosemite13OS X Yosemite14
Newest macOSmacOS Monterey15macOS Monterey16
Model identifierMacBookAir7,215MacBookPro12,116
Model year20152015

Benchmarks

Benchmarks: Apple MacBook Air (13-inch, Early 2015) against Apple MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015)
SpecificationMacBook Air1MacBook Pro2
Geekbench 7 (CPU, single-core)8071791817
Geekbench 7 (CPU, multi-core)1,463171,78117

Sources

  1. Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Air (13-inch, Early 2015) - Technical Specifications · Default for MacBook Air · Apple’s figure · read 15 Sep 2026

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  2. Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015) - Technical Specifications · Default for MacBook Pro · Apple’s figure · read 15 Sep 2026

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  3. Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple Updates 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina Display & MacBook Air · Apple’s figure · read 15 Sep 2026

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  4. Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple Updates 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina Display & MacBook Air · Apple’s figure · read 22 Sep 2026

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  5. endoflife.date — Apple macOS · third-party figure · read 2 Oct 2026

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  6. MacBook Air (13-inch, Early 2015): No HDMI port. No Touch ID. No fast charging. No Ethernet port. Checked: Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Air (13-inch, Early 2015) - Technical Specifications. Read 9 Oct 2026

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  7. MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015): No Touch ID. No fast charging. No Ethernet port. Checked: Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015) - Technical Specifications. Read 9 Oct 2026

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  8. Not published by Apple. Pages checked: Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Air (13-inch, Early 2015) - Technical Specifications; Apple Support (UK) — Identify your MacBook Air model; Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple Updates 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina Display & MacBook Air. Read 9 Oct 2026

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  9. MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015): No wide colour (P3) display. Intel processor, not Apple silicon. Checked: Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015) - Technical Specifications. Read 15 Sep 2026

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  10. MacBook Air (13-inch, Early 2015): Intel processor, not Apple silicon. Checked: Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Air (13-inch, Early 2015) - Technical Specifications. Read 15 Sep 2026

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  11. Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro: how to remove or install memory · Apple’s figure · read 18 Oct 2026

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  12. Apple Support (UK) — Determine battery cycle count for Mac laptops · Apple’s figure · read 15 Oct 2026

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  13. Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple Updates 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina Display & MacBook Air · Apple’s figure · read 9 Oct 2026

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  14. Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple Updates 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina Display & MacBook Air · Apple’s figure · read 2 Oct 2026

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  15. Apple Support (UK) — Identify your MacBook Air model · Apple’s figure · read 15 Sep 2026

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  16. Apple Support (UK) — Identify your MacBook Pro model · Apple’s figure · read 15 Sep 2026

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  17. Geekbench Browser (Primate Labs) · third-party figure · read 11 Oct 2026

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Not published by Apple

MacBook Air. Apple doesn’t publish for this Mac: colours, refresh rate, nano-texture option, GPU cores, storage upgradeable by user. Geekbench 7 Metal: the Mac chart has no Metal score for this Mac (chart read 10 Oct 2026). Pages checked: Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Air (13-inch, Early 2015) - Technical Specifications; Apple Support (UK) — Identify your MacBook Air model; Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple Updates 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina Display & MacBook Air, read 9 Oct 2026.

MacBook Pro. Apple doesn’t publish for this Mac: colours, refresh rate, nano-texture option, GPU cores, storage upgradeable by user. Geekbench 7 Metal: the Mac chart has no Metal score for this Mac (chart read 10 Oct 2026). Pages checked: Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015) - Technical Specifications; Identify your MacBook Pro model; Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple Updates 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina Display & MacBook Air, read 9 Oct 2026.

If you own one of them

Whether to move is a different question from which is better. Each Mac has a page on it: what its successor changes (the newest Mac in its line where Apple sells one, otherwise the Mac this site treats as its replacement, which can be in another line), what it fetches and whether it still gets updates. Should I upgrade my MacBook Air (13-inch, Early 2015)? · Should I upgrade my MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015)?

The pairs a buyer of either Mac would also weigh. Any two Macs in the catalogue can be compared from the chooser.