Home / Ultraportable Laptop / Comparison
Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M3) vs Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch (M4)
Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M3) ($772) vs Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch (M4) ($1,200) — 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 (M3) | Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch (M4) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $772 | $1,200 |
| Weight | 1240g | 1550g |
| Chip | M3 | M4 |
| Display | 13.6" Liquid Retina | 120Hz ProMotion mini-LED XDR |
| Ports | MagSafe 3, 2x Thunderbolt, headphone | 3x Thunderbolt 4, HDMI, SDXC, MagSafe 3 |
| Cooling | Fanless | Active fan |
| Displays | Two external with lid closed | — |
| Weight | 1240g (Apple published) | 1550g (Apple published) |
Pros & Cons
Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M3)
- Two external displays, which the M2 could not do
- Faster chip in the same 1240g body
- Fanless and silent
- Better SSD than the base M2
- Marginal gain over an M2 for most tasks
- 8GB base memory again
- Still throttles under long exports
Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch (M4)
- XDR mini-LED at 120Hz is far better than any Air display
- Real port selection, including HDMI and SD
- Sustains performance under load
- Best speakers in any laptop this size
- 1550g, 310g more than a 13-inch Air
- Costs meaningfully more used
- Overkill for browsing and documents
Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M3) is the better value at $772. Both are part of our curated ultraportable laptop index — tap through to check current pricing.
More Ultraportable Laptop comparisons
Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M5) vs Apple MacBook Air 15-inch (M5)Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M5) vs Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch (M5)Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M5) vs Apple MacBook Pro 16-inch (M5 Pro)Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M5) vs Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M2)Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M5) vs Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M3)Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M5) vs Apple MacBook Air 15-inch (M3)