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MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2018) vs MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2018)

MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2018)1MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2018)2

Quick look

Quick look: MacBook Air against MacBook Pro
FigureMacBook Air1MacBook Pro2
Price£1,1993launch price£2,3494launch price
ChipCore i51.6GHz dual-core IntelCore i72.2GHz 6-core Intel
CPU2-coreCPU6-coreCPU
Memory8GBmemory, base16GBmemory, base
Storage128GBstorage, base256GBstorage, base
Battery lifeUp to13 hrsvideo playback, claimedUp to10 hrsvideo playback, claimed
Released7 November 20183ReleasedIn Apple Stores; orderable online from 30 October 2018.12 July 20185Available online; Apple gave no in-store day
Security updates14 September 20266Security updates endedNot available7Security updates
Price
The MacBook Air is £1,199 at launch, per Apple Newsroom (UK); the MacBook Pro is £2,349 at launch, per Apple Newsroom (UK).

True to scale

MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2018) · 304.1 × 212.4 mm footprintMacBook Pro (15-inch, 2018) · 349.3 × 240.7 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 (Retina, 13-inch, 2018) against Apple MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2018)
SpecificationMacBook Air1MacBook Pro2
Dimensions4.1–15.6 x 304.1 x 212.4 mm15.5 x 349.3 x 240.7 mm
Weight1.25 kg1.83 kg
ColoursGold, Silver, Space GraySilver, Space Gray
PortsTwo Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) ports, 3.5 mm headphone jackFour Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) ports, 3.5 mm headphone jack
Thunderbolt ports24
Thunderbolt versionThunderbolt 3Thunderbolt 3
USB-A portsNo USB-A ports.8No USB-A ports.9
HDMINo HDMI port.10No HDMI port.11
SD card slotNo SD card slot.10No SD card slot.11
Headphone jackYesYes
MagSafeNo MagSafe port.10No MagSafe port.9
KeyboardFull-size keyboard with LED-backlit keysFull-size backlit keyboard with Touch Bar and Touch ID
Touch IDYesYes
Touch BarNot available12Yes

Display

Display: Apple MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2018) against Apple MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2018)
SpecificationMacBook Air1MacBook Pro2
Display size13.3 in15.4 in
Resolution2560 x 16002880 x 1800
Pixel density227 ppi220 ppi
Display typeRetina displayRetina display
BrightnessNot available13500 nits
Wide colour (P3)Not available13Yes

Chip and memory

Chip and memory: Apple MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2018) against Apple MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2018)
SpecificationMacBook Air1MacBook Pro2
Chip1.6GHz dual-core Intel Core i52.2GHz 6-core Intel Core i7
Apple siliconIntel processor, not Apple silicon.8Intel processor, not Apple silicon.9
CPU cores26
GraphicsIntel UHD Graphics 617Radeon Pro 555X with 4GB of GDDR5 memory
Chip options1.6GHz dual-core Intel Core i5142.2GHz 6-core Intel Core i7, 2.6GHz 6-core Intel Core i7 or 2.9GHz 6-core Intel Core i9
Memory (base)8GB16GB
Memory (maximum)16GB32GB
Memory options8GB or 16GB16GB or 32GB
Memory upgradeable by userNo, as Apple documents15No, as Apple documents15
Storage (base)128GB256GB
Storage (maximum)1.5TB4TB
Storage options128GB, 256GB, 512GB or 1.5TB256GB, 512GB, 1TB, 2TB or 4TB

Battery and power

Battery and power: Apple MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2018) against Apple MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2018)
SpecificationMacBook Air1MacBook Pro2
Battery capacity50.3 Wh83.6 Wh
Rated charge cycles1,000 cycles161,000 cycles16
Video playback (claimed)13 h10 h
Wireless web (claimed)12 h10 h
Included power adapter30 W87 W
Fast chargingNo fast charging.10No fast charging.17

Connectivity

Connectivity: Apple MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2018) against Apple MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2018)
SpecificationMacBook Air1MacBook Pro2
Wi-Fi802.11ac Wi-Fi802.11ac Wi-Fi
Bluetooth4.25.0
EthernetNo Ethernet port.10No Ethernet port.11
External displays (base)24

Camera and audio

Camera and audio: Apple MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2018) against Apple MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2018)
SpecificationMacBook Air1MacBook Pro2
Camera720p FaceTime HD camera720p FaceTime HD camera
SpeakersStereo speakersStereo speakers with high dynamic range
MicrophonesThree microphonesThree microphones

Platform

Platform: Apple MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2018) against Apple MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2018)
SpecificationMacBook Air1MacBook Pro2
Shipped withmacOS Mojave18Not available19
Newest macOSmacOS Sonoma20macOS Sequoia21
Model identifierMacBookAir8,120MacBookPro15,121
Model year20182018

Sources

  1. Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2018) - Technical Specifications · Default for MacBook Air · Apple’s figure · read 15 Sep 2026

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  2. Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2018) - Technical Specifications · Default for MacBook Pro · Apple’s figure · read 15 Sep 2026

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  3. Apple Newsroom (UK) — All-new MacBook Air takes flight · Apple’s figure · read 15 Sep 2026

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  4. Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple updates MacBook Pro with faster performance and new features for pros · Apple’s figure · read 15 Sep 2026

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  5. Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple updates MacBook Pro with faster performance and new features for pros · Apple’s figure · read 2 Oct 2026

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

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  7. Security updates: no end date published. Checked: endoflife.date. Read 22 Sep 2026

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  8. MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2018): No USB-A ports. Intel processor, not Apple silicon. Checked: Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2018) - Technical Specifications. Read 15 Sep 2026

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  9. MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2018): No USB-A ports. No MagSafe port. Intel processor, not Apple silicon. Checked: Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2018) - Technical Specifications. Read 15 Sep 2026

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  10. MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2018): No HDMI port. No SD card slot. No MagSafe port. No fast charging. No Ethernet port. Checked: Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2018) - Technical Specifications. Read 9 Oct 2026

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  11. MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2018): No HDMI port. No SD card slot. No Ethernet port. Checked: Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2018) - Technical Specifications. Read 9 Oct 2026

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  12. Doesn’t apply: the Touch Bar was only fitted to MacBook Pro

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  13. Not published by Apple. Pages checked: Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2018) - Technical Specifications; Apple Support (UK) — Identify your MacBook Air model; Apple Newsroom (UK) — All-new MacBook Air takes flight. Read 9 Oct 2026

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  14. Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2018) - Technical Specifications · Apple’s figure · read 9 Oct 2026

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

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

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  17. MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2018): No fast charging. Checked: Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple unveils game-changing MacBook Pro. Read 9 Oct 2026

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  18. Apple Newsroom (UK) — All-new MacBook Air takes flight · Apple’s figure · read 9 Oct 2026

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  19. Not published by Apple. Pages checked: Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2018) - Technical Specifications; Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple updates MacBook Pro with faster performance and new features for pros; Apple Support (UK) — Identify your MacBook Pro model. Read 9 Oct 2026

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

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

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Not published by Apple

MacBook Air. Apple doesn’t publish for this Mac: refresh rate, nano-texture option, GPU cores, storage upgradeable by user. Geekbench 7: the Mac chart has no entry for this Mac, so no figures are shown (chart read 10 Oct 2026). Pages checked: Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2018) - Technical Specifications; Apple Support (UK) — Identify your MacBook Air model; Apple Newsroom (UK) — All-new MacBook Air takes flight, read 9 Oct 2026.

MacBook Pro. Apple doesn’t publish for this Mac: 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 (15-inch, 2018) - Technical Specifications; Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple updates MacBook Pro with faster performance and new features for pros; Apple Support (UK) — Identify your MacBook Pro model, 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 (Retina, 13-inch, 2018)? · Should I upgrade my MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2018)?

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