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MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2019) vs MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2018)

MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2019)1MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2018)2

Quick look

Quick look: MacBook Pro against MacBook Air
FigureMacBook Pro1MacBook Air2
Price£2,3493launch price£1,1994launch price
ChipCore i72.6GHz 6-core IntelCore i51.6GHz dual-core Intel
CPU6-coreCPU2-coreCPU
Memory16GBmemory, base8GBmemory, base
Storage256GBstorage, base128GBstorage, base
Battery lifeUp to10 hrsvideo playback, claimedUp to13 hrsvideo playback, claimed
Released21 May 20195Available online; Apple gave no in-store day7 November 20184ReleasedIn Apple Stores; orderable online from 30 October 2018.
Security updatesNot available6Security updates14 September 20267Security updates ended
Price
The MacBook Pro is £2,349 at launch, per Apple Newsroom (UK); the MacBook Air is £1,199 at launch, per Apple Newsroom (UK).

True to scale

MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2019) · 349.3 × 240.7 mm footprintMacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2018) · 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 (15-inch, 2019) against Apple MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2018)
SpecificationMacBook Pro1MacBook Air2
Dimensions15.5 x 349.3 x 240.7 mm4.1–15.6 x 304.1 x 212.4 mm
Weight1.83 kg1.25 kg
ColoursSilver, Space GrayGold, Silver, Space Gray
PortsFour Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) ports, 3.5 mm headphone jackTwo Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) ports, 3.5 mm headphone jack
Thunderbolt ports42
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.8No MagSafe port.11
KeyboardFull-size backlit keyboard with Touch Bar and Touch IDFull-size keyboard with LED-backlit keys
Touch IDYesYes
Touch BarYesNot available12

Display

Display: Apple MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2019) against Apple MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2018)
SpecificationMacBook Pro1MacBook Air2
Display size15.4 in13.3 in
Resolution2880 x 18002560 x 1600
Pixel density220 ppi227 ppi
Display typeRetina displayRetina display
Brightness500 nitsNot available13
Wide colour (P3)YesNot available13

Chip and memory

Chip and memory: Apple MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2019) against Apple MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2018)
SpecificationMacBook Pro1MacBook Air2
Chip2.6GHz 6-core Intel Core i71.6GHz dual-core Intel Core i5
Apple siliconIntel processor, not Apple silicon.8Intel processor, not Apple silicon.9
CPU cores62
GraphicsRadeon Pro 555X with 4GB of GDDR5 memoryIntel UHD Graphics 617
Chip options2.6GHz 6-core Intel Core i7, 2.3GHz 8-core Intel Core i9 or 2.4GHz 8-core Intel Core i91.6GHz dual-core Intel Core i514
Memory (base)16GB8GB
Memory (maximum)32GB16GB
Memory options16GB or 32GB8GB or 16GB
Memory upgradeable by userNo, as Apple documents15No, as Apple documents15
Storage (base)256GB128GB
Storage (maximum)4TB1.5TB
Storage options256GB, 512GB, 1TB, 2TB or 4TB128GB, 256GB, 512GB or 1.5TB

Battery and power

Battery and power: Apple MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2019) against Apple MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2018)
SpecificationMacBook Pro1MacBook Air2
Battery capacity83.6 Wh50.3 Wh
Rated charge cycles1,000 cycles161,000 cycles16
Video playback (claimed)1710 h13 h
Wireless web (claimed)10 h12 h
Included power adapter87 W30 W
Fast chargingNo fast charging.18No fast charging.11

Connectivity

Connectivity: Apple MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2019) against Apple MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2018)
SpecificationMacBook Pro1MacBook Air2
Wi-Fi802.11ac Wi-Fi802.11ac Wi-Fi
Bluetooth5.04.2
EthernetNo Ethernet port.10No Ethernet port.11
External displays (base)42

Camera and audio

Camera and audio: Apple MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2019) against Apple MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2018)
SpecificationMacBook Pro1MacBook Air2
Camera720p FaceTime HD camera720p FaceTime HD camera
SpeakersStereo speakers with high dynamic rangeStereo speakers
MicrophonesThree microphonesThree microphones

Platform

Platform: Apple MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2019) against Apple MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2018)
SpecificationMacBook Pro1MacBook Air2
Shipped withmacOS Mojave19macOS Mojave20
Newest macOSmacOS Sequoia21macOS Sonoma22
Model identifierMacBookPro15,1, MacBookPro15,321MacBookAir8,122
Model year20192018

Sources

  1. Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2019) - 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, 2018) - Technical Specifications · Default for MacBook Air · Apple’s figure · read 15 Sep 2026

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  3. Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple introduces first 8-core MacBook Pro, the fastest Mac notebook ever · Apple’s figure · read 15 Sep 2026

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

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  5. Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple introduces first 8-core MacBook Pro, the fastest Mac notebook ever · Apple’s figure · read 2 Oct 2026

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

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

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  8. MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2019): No USB-A ports. No MagSafe port. Intel processor, not Apple silicon. Checked: Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2019) - Technical Specifications. Read 15 Sep 2026

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  9. 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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  10. MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2019): No HDMI port. No SD card slot. No Ethernet port. Checked: Apple Support (UK) — MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2019) - Technical Specifications. Read 9 Oct 2026

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

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  18. MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2019): No fast charging. Checked: Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple unveils game-changing MacBook Pro. Read 9 Oct 2026

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  19. Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple introduces first 8-core MacBook Pro, the fastest Mac notebook ever · Apple’s figure · read 9 Oct 2026

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  20. Apple Newsroom (UK) — All-new MacBook Air takes flight · 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 (15-inch, 2019) - Technical Specifications; Apple Newsroom (UK) — Apple introduces first 8-core MacBook Pro, the fastest Mac notebook ever; 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, 2018) - Technical Specifications; Apple Support (UK) — Identify your MacBook Air model; Apple Newsroom (UK) — All-new MacBook Air takes flight, 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 (15-inch, 2019)? · Should I upgrade my MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2018)?

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