Apple MacBook Air (13-inch, Mid 2011) vs Apple MacBook Pro (13-inch, Early 2011)

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MacBook Air (13-inch, Mid 2011) compared with MacBook Pro (13-inch, Early 2011)

	AppleMacBook Air (13-inch, Mid 2011)	AppleMacBook Pro (13-inch, Early 2011)
Overview
Released
Released	July 2011	February 2011
Display
Screen size
Screen size	13.3″	13.3″
Resolution
Resolution	1440 × 900 (better)	1280 × 800
Panel
Panel	TN LCD	TN LCD
Touchscreen
Touchscreen	No	No
Display type
Display type	Glossy LED-backlit widescreen LCD, millions of colours; TN panel confirmed by AppleInsider's exact-model review. Refresh rate and brightness unpublished by Apple.	LED-backlit glossy widescreen LCD, millions of colours; TN panel explicitly confirmed by Notebookcheck's exact Early 2011 2.7 GHz review. No antiglare or higher-resolution option. Apple does not publish refresh rate or brightness.
Performance
Processor
Processor	Intel Core i5-2557M or Intel Core i7-2677M	Intel Core i5-2415M or Intel Core i7-2620M
CPU cores
CPU cores	2	2
CPU threads
CPU threads	4	4
Graphics
Graphics	Intel HD Graphics 3000	Intel HD Graphics 3000
Memory
Memory	4 GB	4 GB or 8 GB (better)
Storage
Storage	128 GB to 256 GB	128 GB to 750 GB (better)
CPU
CPU	Dual-core Intel Core i5-2557M at 1.7 GHz, Turbo Boost up to 2.7 GHz with 3 MB shared L3 cache; the higher storage base is configurable to Core i7-2677M at 1.8 GHz, Turbo Boost up to 2.9 GHz and 4 MB cache. Exact identities confirmed by Notebookcheck; Macworld documents the base-specific upgrades.	Dual-core Intel Core i5-2415M at 2.3 GHz with 3 MB shared L3 cache or Core i7-2620M at 2.7 GHz with 4 MB cache. Exact identities confirmed by Notebookcheck's respective 2.3 GHz and 2.7 GHz reviews.
GPU
GPU	Intel HD Graphics 3000; 384 MB shared with main memory	Intel HD Graphics 3000 with 384 MB of DDR3 SDRAM shared with main memory
Memory type
Memory type	4 GB of 1333 MHz DDR3 onboard memory	4 GB of 1333 MHz DDR3, two 2 GB SO-DIMMs; two slots support up to 8 GB
Storage type
Storage type	128 GB flash storage with Core i5; 256 GB base supports Core i5 or Core i7. Configurations preserve the base-specific upgrade restrictions; memory cannot be upgraded after purchase.	Core i5 base has 320 GB and Core i7 base has 500 GB, both 5400-rpm Serial ATA hard drives. Configurable 500 GB or 750 GB 5400-rpm hard drive, or 128 GB, 256 GB or 512 GB SSD. Storage capacity rows use HDD for 320/500/750 GB and SSD for 128/256/512 GB; memory upgrades apply to either processor. Macworld confirms 750 GB upgrades on both bases; Apple's configure-to-order list includes it despite the shorter Storage subsection omitting it. 8× slot-loading SuperDrive supports DVD±R DL, DVD±RW and CD-RW.
Battery and size
Battery life (maker's claim)
Battery life (maker's claim)	Up to 7 hours	Up to 7 hours
Battery capacity
Battery capacity	50 Wh	63.5 Wh (better)
Weight
Weight	1.35 kg (better)	2.04 kg
Thickness
Thickness	17 mm (better)	24.1 mm
Width × depth
Width × depth	325 × 227 mm	325 × 227 mm
Battery life detail
Battery life detail	Built-in 50 Wh lithium-polymer battery; up to 7 hours wireless web or 30 days standby under Apple's test conditions. Reference weight varies by configuration and manufacturing process.	Built-in 63.5 Wh lithium-polymer battery; up to 7 hours wireless web under Apple's test conditions. Reference weight varies by configuration and manufacturing process.
Charger
Charger	45 W MagSafe Power Adapter with cable management	60 W MagSafe Power Adapter with cable management
Materials
Materials	Aluminium enclosure; tapered thickness from 3 to 17 mm	Aluminium unibody enclosure and glass trackpad
Colours
Colours	Silver	Silver
Connections
Ports
Ports	2 × USB-A, Thunderbolt, MagSafe, headphone jack, SD card slot	2 × USB-A, Thunderbolt, MagSafe, headphone jack, SD card slot, Ethernet
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi	802.11n; compatible with 802.11a/b/g	802.11n; compatible with 802.11a/b/g
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	4.0	2.1 + EDR
Webcam
Webcam	FaceTime camera	720p FaceTime HD (Macworld)
Operating system
Operating system	macOS	macOS
Port detail
Port detail	Two USB 2.0 ports up to 480 Mb/s, Thunderbolt up to 10 Gb/s with native Mini DisplayPort output, MagSafe, SD card slot and headphone jack supporting the Apple iPhone headset remote and microphone. DVI, VGA and dual-link DVI require separate adapters.	Two USB 2.0 ports up to 480 Mb/s, Thunderbolt up to 10 Gb/s, FireWire 800 up to 800 Mb/s, 10/100/1000BASE-T Ethernet, SDXC card slot, MagSafe, combined headphone/line input with digital output, and Kensington lock slot. Native Mini DisplayPort output; DVI, VGA, dual-link DVI and HDMI audio/video through separate 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	Built-in screen plus one external display up to 2560 × 1600, both with millions of colours; dual display and video mirroring
Keyboard
Keyboard	Full-size backlit keyboard	Full-size backlit keyboard with 78 US or 79 ISO keys, 12 function keys and four arrow keys
Trackpad
Trackpad	Multi-Touch trackpad	Glass 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 with subwoofer
Microphones
Microphones	Omnidirectional microphone	Omnidirectional microphone
In the box
In the box	MacBook Air, power adapter, AC wall plug and power cord; OS X Lion, iLife and documentation; Lion Recovery	MacBook Pro, display cleaning cloth, power adapter, AC wall plug, power cord, software DVDs and documentation; Mac OS X Snow Leopard and iLife ’11