At first glance, the basic M1-powered MacBook Airs and Pros look remarkably similar, with three key differences justifying the $300 surcharge for the M1 MacBook Pro.
1. Better performance
Apple describes the MacBook Air as “a silent, fanless design,” which makes the thin and lightweight computer is quiet and uses very little battery, despite its M1 performance.
For business users who want to maximize the performance of the M1 chip – a common need when editing images, playing video, processing large amounts of data, and performing other data-intensive collaborative work – the Pro is equipped with a more durable 61-watt power source, compared to just a 30-watt air adapter.
Business owners would much prefer the extra energy.
2. Longer battery life
Professionals working on the go or from a power source will notice that the MacBook Air is a little lighter and designed for mobile use.
The Air’s battery life is shorter.
While Apple claims the M1 Air’s 49.9-watt lithium polymer battery will provide up to 15 hours of wireless web activity, the MacBook Pro has a larger power source. The Pro’s 58.2-watt battery extends the working time of wireless websites to an estimated 17 hours.
3. Brighter display
With its 500-nit display, the M1 MacBook Pro gives users the ability to render screens that are almost 25% brighter than the Air.
While the M1 Air’s display delivers beautiful images with crisp clarity and true-tone color when producing artwork, images, photos and videos, the extra brightness helps professionals view and anticipate the final version of their results much better.
The M1 MacBook Pro offers further upgrades compared to the Macbook Air.
The Pro features the Touch Bar, which provides convenient access to commonly used functions such as brightening or dimming the display, adjusting the volume and configuring the backlight intensity. The Pro model also features high dynamic range stereo speakers with only wide stereo sound for the Air. For video calls, the Pro model’s studio-quality microphones with their high signal-to-noise ratio filters will prove to be another helpful feature and differentiating factor compared to the Air.
For more information, read the original story in Tech Republic.