Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) vs Air 13 (M2, 2022)
66
out of 100
VS
57
out of 100
Please select specific configurations for the laptops to get a more accurate comparative review
Review
Performance
System and application performance
Gaming
Performance in popular 3D games
Display
Viewing angle, color accuracy, brightness
Battery Life
Potential battery life in light and average use
Connectivity
Ports, webcam and other interfaces
Portability
Design, materials, durability and usability
Pick the usage scenario that best matches your needs
Value for money (Beta)
Key Differences
Advantages of the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021)
- Higher screen refresh rate: 120 versus 60 Hz
- Can run popular games at about 46-62% higher FPS
- Higher number of cutting-edge USB Type-C ports: 3 versus 2
- Around 42% better multi-core CPU performance in the Cinebench 2024 test
- Features a much bigger (~33%) battery – 70 against 52.6 watt-hours
- Thinner bezels and 3% higher screen-to-body ratio
Advantages of the Apple MacBook Air 13 (M2, 2022)
- Easier to carry: weighs 360 grams less (around 0.79 lbs)
Tests and Specifications
Comparison table of test results and technical specsCase
| Weight | 1.6 kg (3.53 lbs) | 1.24 kg (2.73 lbs) |
| Dimensions | 312.6 x 221.2 x 15.5 mm 12.31 x 8.71 x 0.61 inches |
304.1 x 215 x 11.3 mm 11.97 x 8.46 x 0.44 inches |
| Area | 691 cm2 (107.2 inches2) | 654 cm2 (101.3 inches2) |
| Screen-to-body ratio | ~84.6% | ~82% |
| Side bezels | 3.4 mm | 5.6 mm |
| Colors | Silver, Gray | Silver, Gold, Gray, Blue |
| Material | Aluminum | Aluminum |
| Transformer | No | No |
| Opening angle | 135° | 130° |
Size comparison
| Cooling system | Active | Passive |
| Vapor chamber | No | - |
| Liquid metal | - | No |
| Number of fans | 2 | - |
| Max. fan speed (RPM) | 6241 RPM | - |
| Noise level (max. load) | 49.5 dB | - |
Display
| Size | 14.2 inches | 13.6 inches |
| Type | Mini LED | IPS LCD |
| Refresh rate | 120 Hz | 60 Hz |
| Adaptive refresh rate | Yes (24-120 Hz) | No |
| PPI | 254 ppi | 225 ppi |
| Aspect ratio | 16:10 | 16:10 |
| Resolution | 3024 x 1964 pixels | 2560 x 1664 pixels |
| HDR support | Yes, Dolby Vision | Yes, Dolby Vision |
| Sync technology | No | No |
| Touchscreen | No | No |
| Coating | Glossy (Antireflective) | Glossy (Antireflective) |
| Ambient light sensor | Yes | Yes |
Screen space comparison
MacBook Pro 14 (2021)
14.2″ (16:10 ratio) = 90.6 in2
MacBook Air 13 (M2, 2022)
13.6″ (16:10 ratio) = 83.1 in2
~9% more screen space
| Contrast | 48900:1 | 1384:1 |
| sRGB color space | - | 99.9% |
| Adobe RGB profile | - | 87.6% |
| DCI-P3 color gamut | 99.3% | 98.4% |
| Response time | 49 ms | 29 ms |
Max. brightness
Battery
Capacity
| Full charging time | 2:30 hr | 2:30 hr |
| Battery type | Li-Po | Li-Po |
| Replaceable | No | No |
| Fast charging | Yes | Yes |
| Charging via USB (Power Delivery) | Yes, 100 W | Yes, 65 W |
| Charging port position | Left, Right | Left |
| Charge power | 67 / 96 W | 30 / 35 / 67 W |
| Cable length | 2 meters | 2 meters |
| Weight of AC adapter | 274 / 315 grams | 174 / 189 / 250 grams |
CPU
CPU name
| Base frequency | 3.2 GHz | 3.5 GHz |
| Cores | 10 (8P + 2E) | 8 (4P + 4E) |
| Threads | 10 | 8 |
| Integrated GPU | Apple M1 Pro GPU (16-core) | Apple M2 GPU |
| Fabrication process | 5 nm | 5 nm |
Benchmarks
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)
Cinebench 2024 (Single-Core)
Cinebench 2024 (Multi-Core)
Graphics Card
GPU name
| TGP | 30 W | 15 W |
| Type | Integrated | Integrated |
| Fabrication process | 5 nm | 5 nm |
| GPU base clock | 450 MHz | 500 MHz |
| GPU boost clock | 1296 MHz | 1398 MHz |
| FLOPS | 5.3 TFLOPS | 2.9 TFLOPS |
| Memory size | System Shared | System Shared |
| Memory type | LPDDR5 | LPDDR5 |
| Memory bus | 256 bit | 128 bit |
| Memory speed | 6.4 Gbps | 6.4 Gbps |
| Shading units (cores) | 2048 | 1024 |
| Texture mapping units (TMUs) | 128 | 64 |
| Raster operations pipelines (ROPs) | 64 | 32 |
| GPU performance | 5.3 TFLOPS | 2.9 TFLOPS |
| Blender GPU | 442 | 264 |
| Solar Bay | 11290 | 6237 |
RAM
RAM size
| Channels | 2x8 GB | 2x4 GB |
| Clock | 6400 MHz | 6400 MHz |
| Type | LPDDR5 | LPDDR5 |
| Upgradable | No | No |
Storage
Storage size
| Bus | Custom | Custom |
| Storage type | SSD (M2) | SSD (M2) |
| Channels | 2x256 GB | 1x256 GB |
| Upgradable | No | No |
| NVMe | Yes | Yes |
Sound
| Speakers | 4.2 (4 tweeters and 2 woofers) | 2.2 (2 tweeters and 2 woofers) |
| Dolby Atmos | Yes | Yes |
| Loudness | ~84.9 dB | ~82.7 dB |
| Microphones | 3 | 3 |
Connectivity
| Wi-Fi standard | v6 | v6 |
| Bluetooth | v5 | v5.3 |
| Fingerprint | Yes | Yes |
| Infrared sensor | No | No |
| Optical drive | No | No |
| Webcam | Above the display | Above the display |
| Webcam resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 1920 x 1080 |
| USB-A | No | No |
| USB Type-C | 3x USB 4.0 | 2x USB 4.0 |
| Thunderbolt | Thunderbolt 4 | Thunderbolt 3 |
| HDMI | 1x HDMI 2.0 | No |
| DisplayPort | No | No |
| VGA | No | No |
| Audio jack (3.5 mm) | Yes | Yes |
| Ethernet (RJ45) | No | No |
| SD card reader | Yes | No |
| Proprietary charging port | Yes | Yes |
Input
| Keyboard type | Island | Island |
| Numpad | No | No |
| Backlight | Yes | Yes |
| Key travel | 1 mm | 1 mm |
| Size | 13.2 x 8.1 cm | - |
| Surface | Glass | Glass |
| Windows Precision | No | No |
*Disclaimer! Ports, speakers, display, and other specifications can vary depending on the laptop's specific configuration or region.
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Total votes: 1123
