Skip to content
MacIQ

MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2019) vs MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2018, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports)

MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2019)1MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2018, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports)2

Quick look

Quick look: MacBook Air against MacBook Pro
FigureMacBook Air1MacBook Pro2
Price£1,0993launch price£1,7494launch price
ChipCore i51.6GHz dual-core IntelCore i52.3GHz quad-core Intel
CPU2-coreCPU4-coreCPU
Memory8GBmemory, base8GBmemory, base
Storage128GBstorage, base256GBstorage, base
Battery lifeUp to13 hrsvideo playback, claimedUp to10 hrsvideo playback, claimed
Released9 July 20195Available online; Apple gave no in-store day12 July 20186Available online; Apple gave no in-store day
Security updates14 September 20267Security updates endedNot available8Security updates
Price
The MacBook Air is £1,099 at launch, per Apple Newsroom (UK); the MacBook Pro is £1,749 at launch, per Apple Newsroom (UK).

True to scale

MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2019) · 304.1 × 212.4 mm footprintMacBook Pro (13-inch, 2018, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports) · 304.1 × 212.4 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, 2019) against Apple MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2018, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports)
SpecificationMacBook Air1MacBook Pro2
Dimensions4.1–15.6 x 304.1 x 212.4 mm14.9 x 304.1 x 212.4 mm
Weight1.25 kg1.37 kg
ColoursGold, Space Gray, SilverSilver, 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.9No USB-A ports.10
HDMINo HDMI port.11No HDMI port.12
SD card slotNo SD card slot.11No SD card slot.12
Headphone jackYesYes
MagSafeNo MagSafe port.11No MagSafe port.10
KeyboardFull-size keyboard with LED-backlit keysFull-size backlit keyboard with Touch Bar and Touch ID
Touch IDYesYes
Touch BarNot available13Yes

Display

Display: Apple MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2019) against Apple MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2018, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports)
SpecificationMacBook Air1MacBook Pro2
Display size13.3 in13.3 in
Resolution2560 x 16002560 x 1600
Pixel density227 ppi227 ppi
Display typeRetina displayRetina display
BrightnessNot available14500 nits
Wide colour (P3)Not available14Yes

Chip and memory

Chip and memory: Apple MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2019) against Apple MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2018, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports)
SpecificationMacBook Air1MacBook Pro2
Chip1.6GHz dual-core Intel Core i52.3GHz quad-core Intel Core i5
Apple siliconIntel processor, not Apple silicon.9Intel processor, not Apple silicon.10
CPU cores24
GraphicsIntel UHD Graphics 617Intel Iris Plus Graphics 655
Chip options1.6GHz dual-core Intel Core i5152.3GHz quad-core Intel Core i5 or 2.7GHz quad-core Intel Core i7
Memory (base)8GB8GB
Memory (maximum)16GB16GB
Memory options8GB or 16GB8GB or 16GB
Memory upgradeable by userNo, as Apple documents16No, as Apple documents16
Storage (base)128GB256GB
Storage (maximum)1TB2TB
Storage options128GB, 256GB, 512GB or 1TB256GB, 512GB, 1TB or 2TB

Battery and power

Battery and power: Apple MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2019) against Apple MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2018, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports)
SpecificationMacBook Air1MacBook Pro2
Battery capacity49.9 Wh58 Wh
Rated charge cycles1,000 cycles171,000 cycles17
Video playback (claimed)1813 h10 h
Wireless web (claimed)12 h10 h
Included power adapter30 W61 W
Fast chargingNo fast charging.11No fast charging.12

Connectivity

Connectivity: Apple MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2019) against Apple MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2018, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports)
SpecificationMacBook Air1MacBook Pro2
Wi-Fi802.11ac Wi-Fi802.11ac Wi-Fi
Bluetooth4.25.0
EthernetNo Ethernet port.11No Ethernet port.12
External displays (base)22

Camera and audio

Camera and audio: Apple MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2019) against Apple MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2018, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports)
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, 2019) against Apple MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2018, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports)
SpecificationMacBook Air1MacBook Pro2
Newest macOSmacOS Sonoma19macOS Sequoia20
Model identifierMacBookAir8,219MacBookPro15,220
Model year20192018

Sources

  1. Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2019) - Technical Specifications · Default for MacBook Air · Apple’s figure · read 15 Sep 2026

    ↩

  2. Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2018, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports) - Technical Specifications · Default for MacBook Pro · Apple’s figure · read 15 Sep 2026

    ↩

  3. Apple Newsroom (UK) — MacBook Air and MacBook Pro updated for back-to-school season · Apple’s figure · read 15 Sep 2026

    ↩

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

    ↩

  5. Apple Newsroom (UK) — MacBook Air and MacBook Pro updated for back-to-school season · Apple’s figure · read 2 Oct 2026

    ↩

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

    ↩

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

    ↩

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

    ↩

  9. MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2019): No USB-A ports. Intel processor, not Apple silicon. Checked: Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2019) - Technical Specifications. Read 15 Sep 2026

    ↩

  10. MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2018, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports): No USB-A ports. No MagSafe port. Intel processor, not Apple silicon. Checked: Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2018, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports) - Technical Specifications. Read 15 Sep 2026

    ↩

  11. MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2019): 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, 2019) - Technical Specifications. Read 9 Oct 2026

    ↩

  12. MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2018, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports): No HDMI port. No SD card slot. No fast charging. No Ethernet port. Checked: Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2018, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports) - Technical Specifications. Read 9 Oct 2026

    ↩

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

    ↩

  14. Not published by Apple. Pages checked: Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2019) - Technical Specifications; Apple Support (UK) — Identify your MacBook Air model; Apple Newsroom (UK) — MacBook Air and MacBook Pro updated for back-to-school season. Read 9 Oct 2026

    ↩

  15. Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2019) - Technical Specifications · Apple’s figure · read 9 Oct 2026

    ↩

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

    ↩

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

    ↩

  18. Two different Apple tests. MacBook Air: Apple TV app video playback. MacBook Pro: iTunes movie playback.

    ↩

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

    ↩

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

    ↩

Not published by Apple

MacBook Air. Apple doesn’t publish for this Mac: refresh rate, nano-texture option, GPU cores, storage upgradeable by user, the macOS it shipped with. 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, 2019) - Technical Specifications; Apple Support (UK) — Identify your MacBook Air model; Apple Newsroom (UK) — MacBook Air and MacBook Pro updated for back-to-school season, read 9 Oct 2026.

MacBook Pro. Apple doesn’t publish for this Mac: refresh rate, nano-texture option, GPU cores, storage upgradeable by user, the macOS it shipped with. 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 (13-inch, 2018, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports) - Technical Specifications; Apple Support (UK) — Identify your MacBook Pro model; Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple updates MacBook Pro with faster performance and new features for pros, 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, 2019)? · Should I upgrade my MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2018, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports)?

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