Apple MacBook Air (Mid 2009) vs Apple MacBook Pro (13-inch, Mid 2009)

Every spec side by side, from each maker's published figures.

Better figure, where one is clearly better

MacBook Air (Mid 2009) compared with MacBook Pro (13-inch, Mid 2009)
AppleMacBook Air (Mid 2009)AppleMacBook Pro (13-inch, Mid 2009)
Overview
ReleasedJune 2009June 2009
Display
Screen size13.3″13.3″
Resolution1280 × 8001280 × 800
Panel–TN LCD
TouchscreenNoNo
Display typeGlossy LED-backlit widescreen LCD, millions of colours; panel technology, refresh rate and brightness unpublished by Apple.LED-backlit glossy widescreen LCD, millions of colours; TN panel identified in Notebookcheck’s exact-model review. No antiglare option; refresh rate and brightness unpublished by Apple.
Performance
ProcessorIntel Core 2 Duo SL9400 or Intel Core 2 Duo SL9600Intel Core 2 Duo 2.26 GHz (MacBook Pro 13-inch, Mid 2009) or Intel Core 2 Duo P8700
CPU cores22
GraphicsNVIDIA GeForce 9400MNVIDIA GeForce 9400M
Memory2 GB2 GB, 4 GB or 8 GB (better)
Storage120 GB to 128 GB128 GB to 500 GB (better)
CPUDual-core Intel Core 2 Duo SL9400 at 1.86 GHz or SL9600 at 2.13 GHz, 6 MB shared L2 cache and 1066 MHz frontside bus. Exact identities confirmed by EveryMac and Notebookcheck.Dual-core Intel Core 2 Duo at 2.26 GHz or 2.53 GHz with 3 MB shared L2 cache and 1066 MHz frontside bus. The upper P8700 identity is confirmed by Notebookcheck. EveryMac lists P7550 or P8400 for the lower model, so its chip record retains the maker’s model and clock without selecting one silicon variant.
GPUNVIDIA GeForce 9400M with 256 MB of DDR3 SDRAM shared with main memoryNVIDIA GeForce 9400M with 256 MB of DDR3 SDRAM shared with main memory
Memory type2 GB of 1066 MHz DDR3 onboard memory, not upgradeable1066 MHz DDR3 in two SO-DIMM slots, up to 8 GB. Lower model starts with 2 GB and supports 4 or 8 GB; upper starts with 4 GB and supports 8 GB.
Storage typeThe 1.86 GHz base has a 120 GB 4200-rpm Serial ATA hard drive; the 2.13 GHz base has a 128 GB solid-state drive. Configurations preserve these published combinations. Optional external USB MacBook Air SuperDrive; no built-in optical drive.Lower base has 160 GB and upper base 250 GB, both 5400-rpm Serial ATA hard drives. Configurable 250 GB, 320 GB or 500 GB hard drive, or 128 GB or 256 GB SSD; rows preserve base memory and storage restrictions confirmed by Macworld. 8× slot-loading SuperDrive supports DVD±R DL, DVD±RW and CD-RW.
Battery and size
Battery life (maker's claim)–Up to 7 hours
Battery capacity40 Wh60 Wh (better)
Weight1.36 kg (better)2.04 kg
Thickness19.4 mm (better)24.1 mm
Width × depth325 × 227 mm325 × 227 mm
Battery life detailBuilt-in 40 Wh lithium-polymer battery. Reference weight varies by configuration and manufacturing process; no runtime figure on the current maker technical sheet.Built-in 60 Wh lithium-polymer battery from Apple’s model-specific sheet; the launch notice instead lists 58 Wh. Up to 7 hours wireless productivity in Apple’s launch test. Reference weight varies by configuration and manufacturing process.
Charger45 W MagSafe Power Adapter with cable management60 W MagSafe Power Adapter with cable management
MaterialsAluminium enclosure; tapered thickness from 4 to 19.4 mmAluminium unibody enclosure and glass trackpad
ColoursSilverSilver
Connections
PortsUSB-A, MagSafe, headphone jack2 × USB-A, MagSafe, headphone jack, SD card slot, Ethernet
Wi-Fi802.11n draft; compatible with 802.11a/b/g802.11n draft; compatible with 802.11a/b/g
Bluetooth2.1 + EDR2.1 + EDR
WebcamBuilt-in iSight cameraBuilt-in iSight camera
Operating systemmacOSmacOS
Port detailOne USB 2.0 port up to 480 Mb/s, Mini DisplayPort video output, headphone jack and MagSafe. USB Ethernet Adapter supplied; DVI, VGA and dual-link DVI video adapters sold separately.Two USB 2.0 ports up to 480 Mb/s, FireWire 800 up to 800 Mb/s, Mini DisplayPort, 10/100/1000BASE-T Ethernet, SD card slot, MagSafe, combined headphone/line input with optical digital output, and Kensington lock slot. DVI, VGA and dual-link DVI require separate adapters.
External displaysBuilt-in screen plus one external display up to 2560 × 1600, both with millions of colours; dual display and video mirroringBuilt-in screen plus one external display up to 2560 × 1600, both with millions of colours; dual display and video mirroring
KeyboardFull-size backlit keyboard with ambient light sensorFull-size backlit keyboard with 78 US or 79 ISO keys, 12 function keys and four arrow keys
TrackpadMulti-Touch trackpad with two-finger scrolling, pinch, rotate, swipe, three-finger and four-finger swipe, tap, double-tap and drag gesturesGlass Multi-Touch trackpad with scrolling, pinch, rotate, swipe, three-finger and four-finger swipe, tap, double-tap and drag
SpeakersMono speakerStereo speakers
MicrophonesOmnidirectional microphoneOmnidirectional microphone
In the boxMacBook Air, 45 W MagSafe power adapter, AC wall plug, power cord, USB Ethernet Adapter, install/restore DVDs, display cleaning cloth and documentation; Mac OS X Leopard and iLife ’09MacBook Pro, display cleaning cloth, 60 W MagSafe power adapter, AC wall plug, power cord, software DVDs and documentation; Mac OS X Leopard and iLife ’09

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