Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M2) vs Apple MacBook Pro 13-inch (M2)
Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M2) ($580) vs Apple MacBook Pro 13-inch (M2) ($650) — side-by-side specs, weight, pros and cons to help you pick the right ultraportable laptop.
Spec-by-spec
| Spec | Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M2) | Apple MacBook Pro 13-inch (M2) |
| Price | $580 | $650 |
| Weight | 1240g | 1400g |
| Chip | M2 | M2 |
| Display | 13.6" Liquid Retina | 13.3" Retina |
| Ports | MagSafe 3, 2x Thunderbolt, headphone | 2x Thunderbolt, headphone |
| Cooling | Fanless | Active fan |
| Battery | Up to 18 hours | — |
| Weight | 1240g (Apple published) | 1400g (Apple published) |
| Extras | — | Touch Bar, Touch ID |
Pros & Cons
Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M2)
- Completely silent, there is no fan
- 1240g and 11.3mm thin
- MagSafe 3 returned, so a tripped cable does not take the Mac with it
- Cheapest modern Apple silicon laptop
- Base model has a 256GB SSD that reads slower than the 512
- 8GB base memory is tight in 2026
- Throttles under sustained load
Apple MacBook Pro 13-inch (M2)
- Active cooling, so it sustains load better than an M2 Air
- Very long battery life
- The only way to get a Touch Bar if you liked it
- Heavier than an M2 Air at 1400g
- Thick bezels and an old design
- No MagSafe, only two ports
- 13.3-inch display is smaller than a 13.6-inch Air
Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M2) is the better value at $580. Both are part of our curated ultraportable laptop index — tap through to check current pricing.