Apple MacBook Air (13-inch, Mid 2012) vs Apple MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Late 2012)

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MacBook Air (13-inch, Mid 2012) compared with MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Late 2012)

	AppleMacBook Air (13-inch, Mid 2012)	AppleMacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Late 2012)
Overview
Released
Released	June 2012	October 2012
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 Refresh rate and brightness unpublished by Apple.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 with millions of colours; native 2560 × 1600 and 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 Refresh rate and brightness unpublished by Apple.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 i5-3427U or Intel Core i7-3667U	Intel Core i5-3210M or Intel Core i7-3520M
CPU cores
CPU cores	2	2
CPU threads
CPU threads	4	4
Graphics
Graphics	Intel HD Graphics 4000	Intel HD Graphics 4000
Memory
Memory	4 GB or 8 GB	8 GB
Storage
Storage	128 GB to 512 GB	128 GB to 768 GB (better)
CPU
CPU	Dual-core Intel Core i5-3427U at 1.8 GHz with Turbo Boost up to 2.8 GHz and 3 MB shared L3 cache; the 256 GB base is configurable to Core i7-3667U at 2.0 GHz with Turbo Boost up to 3.2 GHz and 4 MB cache. Exact i5 identity confirmed by Notebookcheck; Macworld documents the higher-base-only i7 upgrade, whose exact identity is confirmed by MacGeneration's review of the 13-inch i7 configuration.	Dual-core Intel Core i5-3210M at 2.5 GHz with Turbo Boost up to 3.1 GHz and 3 MB shared L3 cache, or Core i7-3520M at 2.9 GHz with up to 3.6 GHz and 4 MB cache. Exact processor identities documented by Ars Technica.
GPU
GPU	Intel HD Graphics 4000 integrated graphics	Intel HD Graphics 4000 integrated graphics
Memory type
Memory type	4 GB of 1600 MHz DDR3L onboard memory, configurable to 8 GB	8 GB of 1600 MHz DDR3L onboard memory; no higher memory option
Storage type
Storage type	128 GB base with Core i5; 256 GB base configurable to 512 GB flash storage and either processor. Memory upgrade applies to either base. Configurations preserve the base-specific upgrade restrictions documented by Macworld.	Flash storage; 128 GB base configurable to 256 GB, 512 GB or 768 GB, and 256 GB base configurable to 512 GB or 768 GB. Both bases offer the Core i7 upgrade.
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	74 Wh (better)
Weight
Weight	1.35 kg (better)	1.62 kg
Thickness
Thickness	17 mm (better)	19 mm
Width × depth
Width × depth	325 × 227 mm	314 × 219 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 74 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.
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, MagSafe 2, headphone jack, SD card slot, HDMI
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi	802.11n; compatible with 802.11a/b/g	802.11n; compatible with 802.11a/b/g
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 and headphone jack supporting the Apple iPhone headset remote and microphone, and SD card slot. DVI, VGA, dual-link DVI and HDMI require separate adapters.	Two USB 3 ports up to 5 Gb/s, two Thunderbolt ports up to 10 Gb/s with native Mini DisplayPort output, HDMI, SDXC, MagSafe 2 and headphone/optical digital audio output. Supports Apple iPhone headset with 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; 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	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
Microphones
Microphones	Omnidirectional microphone	Dual microphones
In the box
In the box	MacBook Air, power adapter, AC wall plug and power cord; OS X Lion at launch, with a free upgrade to Mountain Lion when available; iLife and documentation	MacBook Pro with Retina display, MagSafe 2 Power Adapter, AC wall plug and power cord; OS X Mountain Lion and iLife apps