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- Table of Contents
- Top
- Main Differences
- Design
- Display
- Interface
- Connectivity
- Configuration
- Performance
- Additional Features And Software
- Comments
Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) vs Apple MacBook Air 15 (2024)
Side-by-Side Comparison
Products
Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021)
Apple MacBook Air 15 (2024)
Tested using Methodology v0.8.2
Updated Apr 26, 2024 07:12 PM
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Amazon.comTested using Methodology v0.8.2
Updated Mar 28, 2025 02:10 PM
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Size14"
Operating SystemmacOS
Size15.3"
Operating SystemmacOS
Variants
- MacBook Pro 14 (MKGT3LL/A) (Silver - M1 Pro/10‑core CPU/16‑core GPU/16GB/1TB)
- MacBook Pro 14 (MKGR3LL/A) (Silver - M1 Pro/8‑core CPU/14‑core GPU/16GB/512GB)
- MacBook Pro 14 (MKGQ3LL/A) (Space Gray - M1 Pro/10‑core CPU/16‑core GPU/16GB/1TB)
- MacBook Pro 14 (MKGP3LL/A) (Space Gray - M1 Pro/8‑core CPU/14‑core GPU/16GB/512GB)
- MacBook Air 15 (MXD43LL/A) (Midnight - M3/16GB/512GB)
- MacBook Air 15 (MRYU3LL/A) (Midnight - M3/8GB/256GB)
- MacBook Air 15 (MRYV3LL/A) (Midnight - M3/8GB/512GB)
- MacBook Air 15 (MXD23LL/A) (Silver - M3/16GB/512GB)
- MacBook Air 15 (MRYP3LL/A) (Silver - M3/8GB/256GB)
- MacBook Air 15 (MRYQ3LL/A) (Silver - M3/8GB/512GB)
- MacBook Air 15 (MXD13LL/A) (Space Gray - M3/16GB/512GB)
- MacBook Air 15 (MRYM3LL/A) (Space Gray - M3/8GB/256GB)
- MacBook Air 15 (MRYN3LL/A) (Space Gray - M3/8GB/512GB)
- MacBook Air 15 (MXD33LL/A) (Starlight - M3/16GB/512GB)
- MacBook Air 15 (MRYR3LL/A) (Starlight - M3/8GB/256GB)
- MacBook Air 15 (MRYT3LL/A) (Starlight - M3/8GB/512GB)
Our Verdict
Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021)
Apple MacBook Air 15 (2024)
Although the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) was released three years before the Apple MacBook Air 15 (2024), it's a better laptop overall, as it has higher-end features, like a sharper, brighter 120Hz Mini LED display, better-sounding speakers, and a wider port selection. The MacBook Air 15's M3 SoC can match the base M1 Pro SoC in raw performance, but you can still get more performance out of the MacBook Pro 14 if you configure it with an M1 Max SoC. Plus, the MacBook Pro 14 can maintain its performance for longer since it has cooling fans. In short, if you only do general productivity tasks like text processing and web browsing, the MacBook Air 15 is a better option, as you won't have to pay for performance you don't need. However, if you perform more demanding tasks like video editing or 3D graphics, the MacBook Pro 14 is the one to get.
Main Differences for
Threshold
School
8.7
8.6
Ports
8.5
5.0
Full Comparison
Design
Style
Style Photo
Form Factor
Traditional (Clamshell)
Traditional (Clamshell)
Build Quality
9.5
9.5
Build Quality Photo
Hinge
9.1
9.1
Hinge Photo
Range
135°
135°
Stability
Good
Good
One Finger Lift
Yes
Yes
Portability
8.4
8.7
Dimensions Photo
Size
14"
15.3"
Thickness
0.6" (1.6 cm)
0.6" (1.4 cm)
Width
12.3" (31.3 cm)
13.4" (34.0 cm)
Depth
8.7" (22.1 cm)
9.3" (23.7 cm)
Volume
67.5 in³ (1,106.8 cm³)
68.8 in³ (1,128.1 cm³)
Weight
3.5 lbs (1.6 kg)
3.3 lbs (1.5 kg)
Charger Size
9.6 in³ (157.5 cm³)
4.2 in³ (68.6 cm³)
Charger Weight
0.7 lbs (0.3 kg)
0.4 lbs (0.2 kg)
Serviceability
3.5
3.5
Internals Photo
Ease Of Access
6.0
6.0
RAM Slots
0
0
Storage Slots
0
0
Replaceable Battery
Yes
Yes
Replaceable Wireless Adapter
No
No
In The Box
In The Box Photo
Display
Screen Specs
Display Photo
Resolution
3024 x 1964
2880 x 1864
Aspect Ratio
16:10
16:10
Pixel Density
255 PPI
226 PPI
Panel Type
IPS
IPS
Touch Screen
No
No
Screen-To-Body Ratio
89%
87%
Refresh Rate
8.7
5.9
Motion Blur
Refresh Rate
120 Hz
60 Hz
Variable Refresh Rate
Apple ProMotion
No
Contrast
10
7.5
Contrast Photo
Native Contrast
50,850 : 1
1,412 : 1
Brightness
8.6
8.7
Maximum Brightness
476 cd/m²
494 cd/m²
Minimum Brightness
4 cd/m²
2 cd/m²
Reflections
8.8
9.1
Reflections Photo Off
Reflections Photo Max
Screen Finish
Glossy
Glossy
Total Reflections
1.92%
1.47%
Indirect Reflections
0.18%
0.38%
Calculated Direct Reflections
1.74%
1.09%
Black Uniformity
10
7.3
Black Uniformity Photo
Uniformity (Std. Dev.)
0.350%
1.103%
Horizontal Viewing Angle
6.9
6.9
Horizontal Viewing Angle Video
Horizontal Chroma Picture
Color Washout From Left
26°
26°
Color Washout From Right
29°
30°
Horizontal Hue Picture
Color Shift From Left
38°
42°
Color Shift From Right
44°
47°
Horizontal Lightness Picture
Brightness Loss From Left
29°
29°
Brightness Loss From Right
32°
34°
Black Level Raise From Left
60°
60°
Black Level Raise From Right
60°
60°
Gamma Shift From Left
33°
30°
Gamma Shift From Right
37°
29°
Vertical Viewing Angle
6.6
6.9
Vertical Viewing Angle Video
Vertical Chroma Picture
Color Washout From Below
27°
26°
Color Washout From Above
31°
28°
Vertical Hue Picture
Color Shift From Below
37°
42°
Color Shift From Above
42°
44°
Vertical Lightness Picture
Brightness Loss From Below
31°
29°
Brightness Loss From Above
34°
30°
Black Level Raise From Below
45°
45°
Black Level Raise From Above
40°
45°
Gamma Shift From Below
31°
37°
Gamma Shift From Above
33°
36°
Out-Of-The-Box Color Accuracy
9.8
9.9
White Balance Screencap
Gamma Curve Screencap
Color Screencap
Avg. White Balance dE
1.63
1.47
Avg. Gamma
2.22
2.24
Avg. Color dE
1.05
0.98
Avg. Color Temperature
6,675.1 K
6,742.3 K
Color Gamut
9.4
9.4
Gamut SDR
sRGB xy
99.97%
99.93%
sRGB uv
99.88%
99.72%
Adobe RGB xy
88.88%
87.43%
Adobe RGB uv
94%
92.34%
Gamut HDR
DCI P3 xy
99.82%
99.05%
DCI P3 uv
99.43%
98.72%
Rec. 2020 xy
72.75%
71.83%
Rec. 2020 uv
73.82%
73.49%
Flicker
10
9.0
Flicker Graph
Flicker-Free
No
No
Flicker Frequency
> 1000Hz
> 1000Hz
Flicker Active Below
0%
100%
Interface
Keyboard
8.0
8.0
Keyboard Photo
Typing Quality
8.0
8.0
Numpad
No
No
Backlighting
Adjustable
Adjustable
Key Switch Actuation Graph
Operating Force
66 gf
62 gf
Actuation Force
41 gf
40 gf
Pre-Travel
0.75 mm
0.80 mm
Total Travel
0.86 mm
0.91 mm
Touchpad
9.2
9.6
Touchpad Photo
Tracking Quality
9.5
9.5
Size
16.1 in² (104.0 cm²)
21.4 in² (138.0 cm²)
Material
Glass
Glass
Dedicated Buttons
No
No
Speakers
8.0
8.9
Frequency Response Plot
Max Volume
74 dB SPL
81 dB SPL
Standard Error @ Normal Vol. (65 dB)
3.9 dB
5.9 dB
Slope @ Normal Vol. (65 dB)
0.6
2.2
Bass Extension (Low-Frequency Ext.)
102 Hz
155 Hz
Treble Extension (High-Frequency Ext.)
20 kHz
20 kHz
Dynamic Range Compression @ Max Vol.
3.3 dB
2.3 dB
Webcam & Microphone
9.1
8.7
Webcam Video Sample
Video Quality
9.5
9.0
Resolution
1080p
1080p
Position
Top Center
Top Center
Privacy Cover
No
No
Face Unlock
No
No
Connectivity
Ports
8.5
5.0
Ports Photo
USB-A Ports
0
0
USB-C Ports
3
2
Thunderbolt
Thunderbolt 4
Thunderbolt 3
USB-C Charging
Yes
Yes
USB-C Display Out
Yes
Yes
HDMI
2.0
No
DisplayPort
No
No
3.5mm Jack
Combo mic/headphone
Combo mic/headphone
Card Reader
SD UHS 2
No
Ethernet
No
No
Proprietary Port
Apple MagSafe 3
Apple MagSafe 3
Security Lock
No
No
Wireless Communication
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax)
Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax)
Bluetooth
5.0
5.3
Configuration
CPU
Brand
Apple
Apple
Model
M1 Pro
M3
Core Count
8
8
Thread Count
8
8
GPU
Brand
Apple
Apple
Model
M1 Pro
M3
Dedicated/Integrated
Integrated
Integrated
VRAM Size
N/A
N/A
RAM
Capacity
16 GB
8 GB
Modules
Unknown
Unknown
Type
LP-DDR5
LP-DDR5
Speed
6,400 MHz
6,400 MHz
Storage
Advertised Capacity
512 GB
256 GB
Usable Capacity
463 GB
214 GB
Drive 1
Apple SSD AP512R
Apple SSD AP0256Z
Drive 1 Type
SSD
SSD
Drive 2
No 2nd Drive
No 2nd Drive
Drive 2 Type
No 2nd Drive
No 2nd Drive
Performance
Geekbench 5 (Synthetics)
9.4
9.4
Geekbench Image
CPU Single-Thread
1,766 points
2,322 points
CPU Multi-Thread
10,004 points
10,501 points
GPU Compute
38,523 points
33,403 points
Cinebench R23 (CPU Rendering)
9.5
9.7
Cinebench R23 Photo
Single-Thread
1,532 points
1,892 points
Multi-Thread
9,576 points
9,179 points
Blender (3D Rendering)
7.2
8.7
Blender Image
CPU Render Time
5.5 min
4.0 min
GPU Render Time
N/A
1.6 min
GPU Render Time (Optix)
N/A
N/A
Basemark GPU (Game Scene)
8.3
7.4
Basemark Image
Overall Score
62,548
44,950
Storage Drive Performance
9.5
9.2
Storage Performance Image
Sequential Write Speed
4,513.3 MB/s
2,738.0 MB/s
Sequential Read Speed
4,831.8 MB/s
2,834.7 MB/s
Random Write Speed
54.2 MB/s
41.1 MB/s
Random Read Speed
57.5 MB/s
62.5 MB/s
Battery
9.2
9.1
Capacity
70 Wh
67 Wh
Battery Life (Web Browsing)
12.5 hrs
12.7 hrs
Battery Life (Video Playback)
9.6 hrs
12.0 hrs
Battery Life (Gaming)
1.8 hrs
3.5 hrs
Charge Time
2.2 hrs
2.8 hrs
Borderlands 3
4.4
3.1
Borderlands 3 Graph
Avg. FPS
32 fps
20 fps
1% Low
18 fps
7 fps
0.1% Low
9 fps
4 fps
1% Low Delta
25 ms
89 ms
0.1% Low Delta
78 ms
230 ms
Avg. FPS On Very Low
53 fps
37 fps
Civilization VI
5.8
5.6
Civilization VI Graph
Avg. FPS
44 fps
41 fps
1% Low
29 fps
26 fps
0.1% Low
21 fps
17 fps
1% Low Delta
12 ms
14 ms
0.1% Low Delta
25 ms
33 ms
Avg. FPS On Minimum
59 fps
93 fps
Avg. Turn Time
10.7 s
10.24 s
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
8.8
CS:GO graph
Avg. FPS
107 fps
1% Low
N/A
0.1% Low
N/A
1% Low Delta
N/A
0.1% Low Delta
N/A
Avg. FPS On Low
144 fps
Counter-Strike 2
0.0
CS2 Graph
Avg. FPS
N/A
1% Low
N/A
0.1% Low
N/A
1% Low Delta
N/A
0.1% Low Delta
N/A
Avg. FPS On Low
N/A
Shadow Of The Tomb Raider
6.6
4.3
Avg. FPS
50 fps
32 fps
1% Low
36 fps
15 fps
0.1% Low
27 fps
8 fps
1% Low Delta
8 ms
36 ms
0.1% Low Delta
18 ms
90 ms
Avg. FPS On Lowest
69 fps
44 fps
Thermals And Noise
7.5
8.1
Keyboard Temps Picture
Keyboard Temp While Idle
26 °C (78 °F)
27 °C (81 °F)
Keyboard Temp Under Load
48 °C (118 °F)
50 °C (121 °F)
Fan Noise While Idle
25.0 dBA
N/A
Fan Noise Under Load
42.1 dBA
N/A
Power & Fan Control App
No
No
Performance Over Time
9.3
7.1
Performance Over Time Graph
CPU Temp (Cinebench)
93 °C
90 °C
CPU Perf. Loss (Cinebench)
4% loss
6% loss
GPU Temp (Heaven)
88 °C
90 °C
GPU Perf. Loss (Heaven)
0% loss
12% loss
Additional Features And Software
Software
Operating System
macOS
macOS
Additional Software
None
None
Extra Features
RGB Illumination
No
No
Touch Pen
No
No
Secondary Display
No
No
Biometrics
Fingerprint Sensor
Fingerprint Sensor
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Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021)
Apple MacBook Air 15 (2024)
Comments
Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) vs Apple MacBook Air 15 (2024): Main Discussion
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