20+ Difference between MacBook And MacBook Air (Explained)

Who does not love Macbooks? They come with amazing displays and lots of specifications and ofc! Also, with high prices, it is undoubtedly worth every penny paid for it.

Most people get confused when they hear MacBook and MacBook Air due to various similarities. But despite the similarities, both are very different.

The major difference between a MacBook and MacBook Air is that the former is a laptop owned by Apple Inc. while the latter is a better-updated version of it.

Comparison Between MacBook And MacBook Air

Parameter	MacBook	MacBook Air
Meaning and launch	It refers to a laptop series manufactured, marketed, and owned by Apple Inc, whose first-ever version was launched on May 16, 2006, which was before the launch of the MacBook Air series.	It refers to another laptop series manufactured, marketed, and owned by Apple Inc., whose first-ever version was launched on January 15, 2008, after the MacBook series launch.
Display	It typically comes in a display size of 12 inches. The most amazing part of its display is that it comes with a retina display. Along with that, the display resolutions of this laptop happen to be better than the display resolutions of the MacBook Air. Its display resolutions are set at 2304*1440.	It comes in two display sizes; one is 11 inches, while the other is 13 inches. However, it does not have the presence of a retina display. Also, the display resolution of this laptop happens to be average in comparison to the display resolution of a MacBook. Its display resolutions are set at 1440*900.
Weight	It weighs lighter than the MacBook Air.	It weighs heavier than the MacBook.
Processor	The processor of this laptop is great, but compared to the Macbook Air’s processor, it happens to be average. It is concerned with using Intel Core M processors, which affects its speed and efficiency accordingly.	The processor of this laptop is well, which is also the reason behind its fabulous speed and efficiency. It is concerned with using Intel i5 or i7 processors.
Speed	The speed of this laptop is slower than the speed of the MacBook Air because this laptop uses an Intel Core M processor.	The speed of this laptop is faster than the speed of the MacBook because this laptop makes use of Intel i5 or i7 processors.
Battery	The battery of this laptop can easily last up to 10 hours.	The battery of this laptop can easily last up to 12 hours.
USB ports	This laptop comes with only one USB port.	This laptop comes with two USB ports.
Storage and memory	This laptop has a memory of 8 GB and a storage of 256 GB.	This laptop is associated with a memory of 8 GB and a storage of 128 GB.
Force torch	This laptop comes with a force torch.	This laptop does not have a force torch.
Colors	It can be found in various colors such as gold, silver, gray, rose gold, etc.	It can only be found in gray or silver color tones.

difference between macbook vs macbook air

Major Difference Between MacBook And MacBook Air

What exactly is MacBook?

A MacBook is a series of laptops that Apple Incorporations own. The first-ever version of these laptops was launched in May 2006 by Apple Inc.

These laptops are associated with a display of 12 inches and a resolution of 2304*1440. These laptops have an Intel core M processor making their speed and efficiency moderately high.

These laptops offer only one USB port accompanied by 8GB of memory and 256GB of storage. Speaking of its battery capacity, it can easily last approximately 10 hours with a single charge.

Key Difference: MacBook

It can be best described as a laptop that is launched and owned by Apple Incorporations. The roots of origin of these laptops can be traced back to 2006.

This laptop series typically has a display of around 12 inches, with a resolution of 2304*1440.

This laptop version is usually thicker and weighs heavier than a MacBook Air.

These laptops are associated with a more powerful battery than the battery of a MacBook Air. The battery of these laptops typically lasts approximately 10 hours.

These laptops operated with a processor of Intel Core M, which is good, but when compared to MacBook Air, its processor is only considered moderately powerful.

What exactly is MacBook Air?

A MacBook Air is a series of laptops owned by Apple Inc., which came into existence after the launch of the MacBook series. The first ever version of these laptops came into markets in January 2008.

It comes with a display of not only 11 inches but also 13 inches with a resolution of 1440*900. These laptops come with Intel Core i5 or i7 processors, due to which the speed and efficiency of these laptops are relatively high.

These laptops offer two USB ports with a memory of 8GB and storage of 128 GB. Its battery can easily last approximately 12 hours.

Key Difference: MacBook Air

It can be best described as a laptop that is also launched and owned by Apple Incorporations and is a better-upgraded version of the MacBook. The traces of the invention of this laptop take us back to 2008.

This series of laptops is associated with a display ranging from 11 inches to 13 inches and a display resolution of 1440*990.

In comparison to the MacBook, these laptops are slimmer and weigh lighter.

The batteries of these laptops are generally considered more powerful than the batteries of MacBooks and can last at least 12 hours.

These laptops are concerned with an intel core processor of either Core i5 or i7.

The Contrast Between MacBook And MacBook Air

Meaning and launch

MacBook – It can be best described as a laptop manufactured, marketed, and owned by Apple Inc. It came into existence before the launch of the MacBook Air series. It was first launched on May 16, 2006.

MacBook Air – It can be best described as a laptop manufactured, marketed, and owned by Apple Inc. It came into existence after the launch of the MacBook series. It was first launched on January 115, 2008.

Display

MacBook – It only comes in a display size of 12 inches. The notable feature of this laptop is that it uses a Retina display and comes with better screen resolutions than MacBook Air. It can be found on screen or display resolutions of 2304*1440.

MacBook Air – One of the primary advantages of this laptop is that it comes into two categories of displays, one in 11 inches and the other in 13 inches.

However, unlike MacBook, it does not use a retina display. Also, the screen or display resolutions happen to be average in comparison to the resolutions of the MacBook series. Its resolutions can be found in dimensions 1440*900.

Weight

MacBook – This laptop weighs lighter than MacBook Air.

MacBook Air – Thus laptop weighs heavier than MacBook.

Processor

MacBook – The processor used in this laptop is amazing. Still, compared to the processor of MacBook Air, this processor happens to be only moderately good, which affects its speed and efficiency.

However, the difference is not even noticeable to some individuals. This laptop is associated with using an Intel Core processor M.

MacBook Air – This laptop offers a fantastic processor, which is considerably better even when compared to the processor of MacBook.

This laptop is associated with using an Intel i5 or i7 processor, due to which the speed and efficiency of this laptop also happen to be good.

Speed

MacBook – The speed of this laptop is slower than the speed of MacBook Air, the reason being that this laptop makes use of a moderate processor, i.e., Intel core Processor M.

MacBook Air – The speed of this laptop is faster than the speed of MacBook because this laptop makes use of an amazing processor, i.e., Intel i5 and i7 processor.

USB ports

MacBook – Another major drawback of this laptop is that it only offers one USB port, so if the users want to connect a phone or a watch to the laptop simultaneously, they cannot do so.

MacBook Air – One of the significant advantages of this laptop is that it comes with two USB ports, so if the users have to connect a phone or a watch to the laptop, they can do so simultaneously without any problem.

Storage and memory

MacBook – This laptop comes with the same memory as the MacBook Air series, which is 8GB, but surprisingly it comes with a massive storage capacity of 256GB.

MacBook Air – This laptop has a memory of 8GB, but when it comes to storage, it comes with a lower storage capacity than the storage capacity of MacBook. One can find the storage capacity of this laptop set at 128GB.

Battery

MacBook – The battery of this laptop typically lasts shorter than the battery of the MacBook Air. This laptop’s battery usually lasts around ten hours easily.

MacBook Air – The battery of this laptop generally lasts longer than the battery of the MacBook. This laptop’s battery typically lasts around twelve hours.

Force torch

MacBook – This laptop comes with a force torch, a significant advantage of these laptops.

MacBook Air – These laptops typically do not come with a force torch.

Colors

MacBook – One of the notable features of this laptop that also acts as a major distinction between this laptop and MacBook Air is that this laptop can be found in a variety of colors such as gold, silver, gray, rose gold, etc.

MacBook Air – This laptop can not be found in many colors like the MacBook. This laptop is generally available in gray and silver color tones.

Conclusion

MacBook and MacBook Air are both series of laptops manufactured, marketed, and owned by Apple Inc.

The major difference between MacBook and MacBook Air is that the former was launched earlier, is smaller, and weighs lighter. In contrast, the latter was launched later, is bigger, and weighs heavier.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q1. Which has a better display: MacBook or MacBook Air?

Surprisingly, the former is equipped with a better display than the latter. The former has a resolution of around 2304*1440, whereas the latter has a resolution of 1440*900.

Q2. What is the storage and memory of MacBook and MacBook Air?

The former offers a memory of 8GB accompanied by a storage capacity of 256 GB, whereas the latter offers a memory of 8GB and a storage capacity of 128 GB.

Q3. How many USB ports are available in MacBook and MacBook Air?

The former has lesser USB ports in comparison to the presence of USB ports in the MacBook Air. The former has only one USB port, whereas the latter has two USB ports.

Q4. When did the MacBook and MacBook Air launch?

The former was launched before the existence of the latter. The former’s first-ever version was launched on May 16, 2006, whereas the latter’s first-ever version was launched on January 15, 2008.