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MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2020, Two Thunderbolt 3 ports) vs MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2019)

MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2020, Two Thunderbolt 3 ports)1MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2019)2

Quick look

Quick look: MacBook Pro against MacBook Air
FigureMacBook Pro1MacBook Air2
Price£1,2993launch price£1,0994launch price
ChipCore i51.4GHz quad-core 8th-generation IntelCore i51.6GHz dual-core Intel
CPU4-coreCPU2-coreCPU
Memory8GBmemory, base8GBmemory, base
Storage256GBstorage, base128GBstorage, base
Battery lifeUp to10 hrsvideo playback, claimedUp to13 hrsvideo playback, claimed
Released4 May 20205Available online; Apple gave no in-store day9 July 20196Available online; Apple gave no in-store day
Security updatesNot available7Security updates14 September 20268Security updates ended
Price
The MacBook Pro is £1,299 at launch, per Apple Newsroom (UK); the MacBook Air is £1,099 at launch, per Apple Newsroom (UK).

True to scale

MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2020, Two Thunderbolt 3 ports) · 304.1 × 212.4 mm footprintMacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2019) · 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 Pro (13-inch, 2020, Two Thunderbolt 3 ports) against Apple MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2019)
SpecificationMacBook Pro1MacBook Air2
Dimensions15.6 x 304.1 x 212.4 mm4.1–15.6 x 304.1 x 212.4 mm
Weight1.4 kg1.25 kg
ColoursSilver, Space GrayGold, Space Gray, Silver
PortsTwo Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) ports, 3.5 mm headphone jackTwo Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) ports, 3.5 mm headphone jack
Thunderbolt ports22
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.9No MagSafe port.12
KeyboardBacklit Magic Keyboard with Touch Bar and Touch IDFull-size keyboard with LED-backlit keys
Touch IDYesYes
Touch BarYesNot available13

Display

Display: Apple MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2020, Two Thunderbolt 3 ports) against Apple MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2019)
SpecificationMacBook Pro1MacBook Air2
Display size13.3 in13.3 in
Resolution2560 x 16002560 x 1600
Pixel density227 ppi227 ppi
Display typeRetina displayRetina display
Brightness500 nitsNot available14
Wide colour (P3)YesNot available14

Chip and memory

Chip and memory: Apple MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2020, Two Thunderbolt 3 ports) against Apple MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2019)
SpecificationMacBook Pro1MacBook Air2
Chip1.4GHz quad-core 8th-generation Intel Core i51.6GHz dual-core Intel Core i5
Apple siliconIntel processor, not Apple silicon.9Intel processor, not Apple silicon.10
CPU cores42
GraphicsIntel Iris Plus Graphics 645Intel UHD Graphics 617
Chip options1.4GHz quad-core 8th-generation Intel Core i5 or 1.7GHz quad-core 8th-generation Intel Core i71.6GHz dual-core Intel Core i515
Memory (base)8GB8GB
Memory (maximum)16GB16GB
Memory options8GB or 16GB8GB or 16GB
Memory upgradeable by userNo, as Apple documents16No, as Apple documents16
Storage (base)256GB128GB
Storage (maximum)2TB1TB
Storage options256GB, 512GB, 1TB or 2TB128GB, 256GB, 512GB or 1TB

Battery and power

Battery and power: Apple MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2020, Two Thunderbolt 3 ports) against Apple MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2019)
SpecificationMacBook Pro1MacBook Air2
Battery capacity58.2 Wh49.9 Wh
Rated charge cycles1,000 cycles171,000 cycles17
Video playback (claimed)1810 h13 h
Wireless web (claimed)10 h12 h
Included power adapter61 W30 W
Fast chargingNo fast charging.19No fast charging.12

Connectivity

Connectivity: Apple MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2020, Two Thunderbolt 3 ports) against Apple MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2019)
SpecificationMacBook Pro1MacBook Air2
Wi-Fi802.11ac Wi-Fi802.11ac Wi-Fi
Bluetooth5.04.2
EthernetNo Ethernet port.11No Ethernet port.12
External displays (base)22

Camera and audio

Camera and audio: Apple MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2020, Two Thunderbolt 3 ports) against Apple MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2019)
SpecificationMacBook Pro1MacBook Air2
Camera720p FaceTime HD camera720p FaceTime HD camera
SpeakersStereo speakers with high dynamic rangeStereo speakers
MicrophonesThree-mic array with directional beamformingThree microphones

Platform

Platform: Apple MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2020, Two Thunderbolt 3 ports) against Apple MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2019)
SpecificationMacBook Pro1MacBook Air2
Shipped withmacOS Catalina20Not available14
Newest macOSmacOS Sequoia21macOS Sonoma22
Model identifierMacBookPro16,321MacBookAir8,222
Model year20202019

Sources

  1. Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2020, Two Thunderbolt 3 ports) - Technical Specifications · Default for MacBook Pro · Apple’s figure · read 15 Sep 2026

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

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  3. Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple updates 13-inch MacBook Pro with Magic Keyboard, double the storage, and faster performance · Apple’s figure · read 15 Sep 2026

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

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  5. Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple updates 13-inch MacBook Pro with Magic Keyboard, double the storage, and faster performance · Apple’s figure · read 22 Sep 2026

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  6. Apple Newsroom (UK) — MacBook Air and MacBook Pro updated for back-to-school season · Apple’s 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. endoflife.date — Apple macOS · third-party figure · read 2 Oct 2026

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  9. MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2020, Two Thunderbolt 3 ports): No USB-A ports. No MagSafe port. Intel processor, not Apple silicon. Checked: Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2020, Two Thunderbolt 3 ports) - Technical Specifications. Read 15 Sep 2026

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  10. 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

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  11. MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2020, Two Thunderbolt 3 ports): No HDMI port. No SD card slot. No Ethernet port. Checked: Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2020, Two Thunderbolt 3 ports) - Technical Specifications. Read 9 Oct 2026

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  12. 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

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

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  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

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

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

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

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

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  19. MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2020, Two Thunderbolt 3 ports): No fast charging. Checked: Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple unveils game-changing MacBook Pro. Read 9 Oct 2026

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  20. Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple updates 13-inch MacBook Pro with Magic Keyboard, double the storage, and faster performance · Apple’s figure · read 9 Oct 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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  22. Apple Support (UK) — Identify your MacBook Air model · Apple’s figure · read 15 Sep 2026

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Not published by Apple

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 (13-inch, 2020, Two Thunderbolt 3 ports) - Technical Specifications; Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple updates 13-inch MacBook Pro with Magic Keyboard, double the storage, and faster performance; Apple Support (UK) — Identify your MacBook Pro model, read 9 Oct 2026.

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, 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.

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 Pro (13-inch, 2020, Two Thunderbolt 3 ports)? · Should I upgrade my MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2019)?

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