Apple MacBook Air (13-inch, Early 2014) vs Apple MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Mid 2014)

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MacBook Air (13-inch, Early 2014) compared with MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Mid 2014)

	AppleMacBook Air (13-inch, Early 2014)	AppleMacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Mid 2014)
Overview
Released
Released	April 2014	July 2014
Display
Screen size
Screen size	13.3″	13.3″
Resolution
Resolution	1440 × 900	2560 × 1600 (better)
Panel
Panel	TN LCD	IPS LCD
Touchscreen
Touchscreen	No	No
Display type
Display type	Glossy LED-backlit widescreen LCD, millions of colours; TN panel confirmed by Notebookcheck's exact-model review. Refresh rate and brightness unpublished by Apple.	Retina LED-backlit IPS display, millions of colours; native 2560 × 1600, with scaled modes of 1680 × 1050, 1440 × 900 and 1024 × 640. Refresh rate and brightness unpublished by Apple.
Pixel density
Pixel density	–	227 ppi
Performance
Processor
Processor	Intel Core i5-4260U or Intel Core i7-4650U	Intel Core i5-4278U, Intel Core i5-4308U or Intel Core i7-4578U
CPU cores
CPU cores	2	2
CPU threads
CPU threads	4	4
Graphics
Graphics	Intel HD Graphics 5000	Intel Iris Graphics 5100
Memory
Memory	4 GB or 8 GB	8 GB or 16 GB (better)
Storage
Storage	128 GB to 512 GB	128 GB to 1 TB (better)
CPU
CPU	Dual-core Intel Core i5-4260U at 1.4 GHz with Turbo Boost up to 2.7 GHz and 3 MB shared L3 cache; configurable to Core i7-4650U at 1.7 GHz with Turbo Boost up to 3.3 GHz and 4 MB shared L3 cache. Exact processor identities confirmed by Notebookcheck and Mobilenet.	Dual-core Core i5-4278U at 2.6 GHz (Turbo Boost up to 3.1 GHz, 3 MB shared L3 cache), Core i5-4308U at 2.8 GHz (up to 3.3 GHz, 3 MB), or Core i7-4578U at 3.0 GHz (up to 3.5 GHz, 4 MB). Exact identities documented by Primate Labs. Lower bases offer both faster processors; upper base offers the i7 upgrade.
GPU
GPU	Intel HD Graphics 5000 integrated graphics	Intel Iris Graphics 5100 integrated graphics, documented in Macworld's exact-model review
Memory type
Memory type	4 GB of 1600 MHz LPDDR3 onboard memory, configurable to 8 GB	8 GB of 1600 MHz DDR3L onboard memory, configurable to 16 GB at purchase
Storage type
Storage type	128 GB or 256 GB PCIe-based flash storage; the 256 GB base is configurable to 512 GB. Processor and memory upgrades apply to either base.	PCIe-based flash storage; 128 GB or 256 GB with the 2.6 GHz base and all three processor choices. The 512 GB base has the 2.8 GHz i5, configurable to the 3.0 GHz i7 and 1 TB storage. Configurations retain these explicitly published base and upgrade combinations.
Battery and size
Battery life (maker's claim)
Battery life (maker's claim)	Up to 12 hours	Up to 9 hours
Battery capacity
Battery capacity	54 Wh	71.8 Wh (better)
Weight
Weight	1.35 kg (better)	1.57 kg
Thickness
Thickness	17 mm (better)	18 mm
Width × depth
Width × depth	325 × 227 mm	314 × 219 mm
Battery life detail
Battery life detail	Built-in 54 Wh lithium-polymer battery; up to 12 hours wireless web, 12 hours iTunes movie playback or 30 days standby under Apple's test conditions. Reference weight varies by configuration and manufacturing process.	Built-in 71.8 Wh lithium-polymer battery; up to 9 hours wireless web, 9 hours iTunes movie playback or 30 days standby under Apple's test conditions. Reference weight varies by configuration and manufacturing process.
Charger
Charger	45 W MagSafe 2 Power Adapter with cable management	60 W MagSafe 2 Power Adapter with cable management
Materials
Materials	Aluminium enclosure; tapered thickness from 3 to 17 mm	Aluminium enclosure
Colours
Colours	Silver	Silver
Connections
Ports
Ports	2 × USB-A, Thunderbolt, MagSafe 2, headphone jack, SD card slot	2 × USB-A, 2 × Thunderbolt 2, MagSafe 2, headphone jack, SD card slot, HDMI
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi	802.11ac AirPort Extreme (draft specification); compatible with 802.11a/b/g/n	802.11ac (draft specification); compatible with 802.11a/b/g/n
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	4.0	4.0
Webcam
Webcam	720p FaceTime HD	720p FaceTime HD
Operating system
Operating system	macOS	macOS
Port detail
Port detail	Two USB 3 ports up to 5 Gb/s, Thunderbolt up to 10 Gb/s with native Mini DisplayPort output, MagSafe 2, SDXC card slot and headphone jack supporting the Apple iPhone headset remote and microphone. DVI, VGA, dual-link DVI and HDMI require separate adapters.	Two USB 3 ports up to 5 Gb/s, two Thunderbolt 2 ports up to 20 Gb/s with native Mini DisplayPort output, HDMI, SDXC, MagSafe 2 and headphone jack; support for digital/analogue audio line output and Apple iPhone headset remote and microphone. Ethernet and FireWire require separate Thunderbolt adapters.
External displays
External displays	Built-in screen plus one external display up to 2560 × 1600, both with millions of colours; dual display and video mirroring, HDMI audio and video through a compatible adapter	Built-in screen plus up to two external displays at 2560 × 1600, with millions of colours; HDMI supports 1080p at up to 60 Hz, 3840 × 2160 at 30 Hz or 4096 × 2160 at 24 Hz. DVI, VGA and dual-link DVI adapters sold separately.
Keyboard
Keyboard	Full-size backlit keyboard with 78 US or 79 ISO keys, 12 function keys, four arrow keys and ambient light sensor	Full-size backlit keyboard with 78 US or 79 ISO keys, 12 function keys, four arrow keys and ambient light sensor
Trackpad
Trackpad	Multi-Touch trackpad with inertial scrolling, pinch, rotate, swipe, three-finger swipe, four-finger swipe, tap, double-tap and drag	Multi-Touch trackpad with inertial scrolling, pinch, rotate, swipe, three-finger swipe, four-finger swipe, tap, double-tap and drag
Speakers
Speakers	Stereo speakers	Stereo speakers
Microphones
Microphones	Dual microphones	Dual microphones
In the box
In the box	MacBook Air, power adapter, AC wall plug and power cord; OS X Mavericks and iLife; iWork is free for qualifying new Mac purchases	MacBook Pro with Retina display, MagSafe 2 Power Adapter, AC wall plug and power cord; OS X Mavericks, iLife apps and qualifying free iWork apps