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Apple - MacBook Air 15 M4 vs Apple - MacBook Pro 14 M5

Last updated · How Mars Score works
MacBook Air 15 M4APPLERENDER
Probe A
Apple
MacBook Air 15 M4
58.9/ 100C
Performance52· 35%
Battery & Ports69· 27%
Design· 20%
Display57· 18%
MacBook Pro 14 M5APPLERENDER
Probe B
Apple
MacBook Pro 14 M5
61.8/ 100C
Performance52· 35%
Battery & Ports74· 27%
Design· 20%
Display62· 18%
Quick verdict

Between the MacBook Air 15 M4 and MacBook Pro 14 M5, the MacBook Air 15 M4 comes out ahead in screen size and weight, while the MacBook Pro 14 M5 wins on refresh rate and claimed battery life. Overall, the MacBook Air 15 M4 scores 58.9 and the MacBook Pro 14 M5 scores 61.8 on our Mars Score.

Buying advice

Which should you buy?

These two are nearly even on the Mars Score (58.9 vs 61.8). The decision isn't about overall quality — both clear the bar — it's about which specific trade-offs fit your use.

Pick the MacBook Air 15 M4 if the display is what you stare at all day — refresh rate, brightness, or sharpness is where the difference will be most visible. The biggest gaps in its favor are screen size, weight.

Pick the MacBook Pro 14 M5 if your top frustration with your current device is running out of charge before the day ends — endurance is the lead spec here. Its strongest claims are refresh rate, claimed battery life, battery, among others.

Both ship with comparable ram, storage, cpu cores, so those specs don't separate the two — focus on the differences below.

Bottom line: there is no wrong answer here — match the spec advantages to how you actually use the product. The Mars Score parity tells you both are well-rounded; the differences are about trade-offs, not quality.

Why Apple - MacBook Air 15 M4 wins

  • Screen size — 7.75% more. 15.3 " vs 14.2 ".
  • Weight — 0.04 kg less. 1.51 vs 1.55.

Why Apple - MacBook Pro 14 M5 wins

  • Refresh rate — 100.00% more. 120 Hz vs 60 Hz.
  • Claimed battery life — 33.33% more. 24 h vs 18 h.
  • Battery — 9.09% more. 72 Wh vs 66 Wh.
  • Thunderbolt ports — 1.00 more. 3 vs 2.
  • Panel type: Mini-LED (vs IPS).
Full readout

Spec comparison

Design

SpecApple - MacBook Air 15 M4Apple - MacBook Pro 14 M5
Weight1.51 kglead1.55 kg
Thickness11.5 mmlead15.5 mm
Build materialaluminumaluminum
Backlit keyboardtruetrue
Fingerprint readertruetrue

Display

SpecApple - MacBook Air 15 M4Apple - MacBook Pro 14 M5
Screen size15.3 "lead14.2 "
Refresh rate60 Hz120 Hzlead
Panel typeIPSMini-LEDlead

Performance

SpecApple - MacBook Air 15 M4Apple - MacBook Pro 14 M5
CPUApple M4Apple M5
CPU cores1010
GPUApple M4 10-core GPUApple M5 10-core GPU
RAM16 GB16 GB
Storage512 GB512 GB
Storage typeSSDSSD

Battery & Ports

SpecApple - MacBook Air 15 M4Apple - MacBook Pro 14 M5
Battery66 Wh72 Whlead
Claimed battery life18 h24 hlead
USB-C ports23lead
Thunderbolt ports23lead
HDMIfalsetruelead
Reader questions

Frequently asked

Which has better battery life, MacBook Air 15 M4 or MacBook Pro 14 M5?+

MacBook Pro 14 M5 claims up to 24 hours — 18h vs 24h.

Which is lighter, MacBook Air 15 M4 or MacBook Pro 14 M5?+

MacBook Air 15 M4 is lighter at 1.51 kg vs 1.55 kg.

Which has an OLED display, MacBook Air 15 M4 or MacBook Pro 14 M5?+

Neither model has an OLED display.

Drill down

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