Versus Engine
Apple MacBook Air (M5) vs MacBook Pro 16" M4 Max
Specs, price and the one trade-off that actually decides it — Apple MacBook Air (M5) against MacBook Pro 16" M4 Max, side by side.
Cheaper to start
Apple MacBook Air (M5)
Starts about $2,300 lower.
Rated higher
Apple MacBook Air (M5)
9.6 vs 9.2 on our design scale.
Standout
Apple MacBook Air (M5)
Completely silent under normal load
Apple MacBook Air (M5)
The fanless efficiency benchmark: desktop-class work in a silent chassis, from $1,099.
Where it wins, where it doesn't
Pros
- Completely silent under normal load
- Battery life that removes charger anxiety
- Very light for the performance on offer
Cons
- Throttles under sustained load — no fan to shed heat
- Not suitable for serious local model inference
- Memory and storage fixed at purchase
Specifications
- charging_portsMagSafe 3 charging port, Two Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C) ports
- ChipApple M5 chip 10-core CPU with 4 super cores and 6 efficiency cores 10-core GPU Neural Accelerators Hardware-accelerated ray tracing 16-core Neural Engine 153GB/s memory bandwidth Media Engine Hardware-accelerated H.264, HEVC, ProRes, and ProRes RAW Video decode engine Video encode engine ProRes encode and decode engine AV1 decode
- configurable_memory24GB or 32GB
- DisplayLiquid Retina display 13.6-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit display with IPS technology; 2 2560-by-1664 native resolution at 224 pixels per inch 500 nits brightness Color Support for 1 billion colors Wide color (P3) True Tone technology
- Memory16GB 16GB unified memory Configurable to: 24GB or 32GB
- memory_bandwidth153GB/s memory bandwidth
- Storage512GB 512GB SSD Configurable to: 1TB, 2TB, or 4TB
- adapter—
- audio_playbackSupported formats include AAC, MP3, Apple Lossless, FLAC, Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, and Dolby Atmos
- Battery—
- Battery and PowerUp to 18 hours video streaming Up to 15 hours wireless web Built-in 53.8-watt-hour lithium-polymer battery 40W Dynamic Power Adapter with 60W Max USB-C to MagSafe 3 Cable (2 m) Fast-charge capable with 70W or higher USB PD power source
- battery_life_max—
- battery_life_pro—
- battery_life_video_streamingUp to 18 hours video streaming
- battery_life_wireless_webUp to 15 hours wireless web
- battery_typeBuilt-in 53.8-watt-hour lithium-polymer battery
- cable—
- Charging and ExpansionMagSafe 3 charging port 3.5 mm headphone jack Two Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C) ports with support for: Charging DisplayPort Thunderbolt 4 (up to 40Gb/s) USB 4 (up to 40Gb/s) MagSafe 3 3.5 mm headphone jack Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C) External Display Support Supports up to two external displays: Two displays up to a native resolution of 6K at 60Hz or 4K at 144Hz
- configurable_storage1TB, 2TB, or 4TB
- cores—
- cpu_cores10-core CPU with 4 super cores and 6 efficiency cores
- display_brightness500 nits brightness
- display_colorSupport for 1 billion colors, Wide color (P3), True Tone technology
- display_size13.6-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit display with IPS technology; 2 2560-by-1664 native resolution at 224 pixels per inch
- expansion_ports3.5 mm headphone jack
- external_display_supportSupports up to two external displays: Two displays up to a native resolution of 6K at 60Hz or 4K at 144Hz, One display up to a native resolution of 8K at 60Hz or 5K at 120Hz or 4K at 240Hz
- gpu—
- keyboardBacklit Magic Keyboard with: 78 (ANSI) or 79 (ISO) keys including 12 full-height function keys, Touch ID, Ambient light sensor
- media_engineHardware-accelerated H.264, HEVC, ProRes, and ProRes RAW
- neural_accelerators16-core Neural Engine
- neural_engine—
- NPU—
- operating_requirements / frequency—
- operating_requirements / line_voltage—
- operating_requirements / maximum_shipping_altitude—
- operating_requirements / maximum_storage_altitude—
- operating_requirements / operating_altitude—
- operating_requirements / operating_temperature—
- operating_requirements / relative_humidity—
- operating_requirements / storage_temperature—
- Ports—
- power_adapter40W Dynamic Power Adapter with 60W Max
- Processor—
- RAM—
- size_and_weight / depth—
- size_and_weight / height—
- size_and_weight / weight_max—
- size_and_weight / weight_pro—
- size_and_weight / width—
- storage_max—
- storage_pro—
- video_playbackSupported formats include HEVC, H.264, AV1, and ProRes, HDR with Dolby Vision, HDR10+/HDR10, and HLG
- Weight—
MacBook Pro 16" M4 Max
A flagship mobile workstation designed for peak performance-per-watt and heavy local AI inference.
Where it wins, where it doesn't
Pros
- Up to 36-core CPU and 80-core GPU for heavy workloads
- Up to 24 hours of battery life for extended use
- Multiple high-speed ports for versatile connectivity
Cons
- Expensive price point of $3399
- Limited storage options starting at 512GB
Specifications
- charging_portsSDXC card slot, HDMI port, 3.5 mm headphone jack, MagSafe 3 port, Three Thunderbolt 5 (USB-C) ports
- ChipApple M4 Pro chip, Apple M4 Max chip
- configurable_memory36GB, 48GB, 64GB, 128GB
- Display16.2" Liquid Retina XDR
- Memory24GB unified memory, 36GB unified memory
- memory_bandwidth1.2TB/s memory bandwidth
- StorageUp to 8TB SSD
- adapter140W USB-C Power Adapter
- audio_playback—
- BatteryUp to 22 hours
- Battery and Power—
- battery_life_maxUp to 21 hours video streaming, Up to 14 hours wireless web
- battery_life_proUp to 24 hours video streaming, Up to 17 hours wireless web
- battery_life_video_streaming—
- battery_life_wireless_web—
- battery_type—
- cableUSB-C to MagSafe 3 Cable
- Charging and Expansion—
- configurable_storage—
- coresUp to 36-core CPU with 12 super cores and 24 performance cores
- cpu_cores—
- display_brightness—
- display_color—
- display_size—
- expansion_ports—
- external_display_support—
- gpuUp to 80-core GPU
- keyboard—
- media_engine—
- neural_accelerators—
- neural_engine32-core Neural Engine
- NPU38 TOPS (Neural Engine)
- operating_requirements / frequency50Hz to 60Hz
- operating_requirements / line_voltage100V to 240V AC
- operating_requirements / maximum_shipping_altitude35,000 feet
- operating_requirements / maximum_storage_altitude15,000 feet
- operating_requirements / operating_altitudetested up to 10,000 feet (3000 meters)
- operating_requirements / operating_temperature50° to 95° F (10° to 35° C)
- operating_requirements / relative_humidity0% to 90% noncondensing
- operating_requirements / storage_temperature-13° to 113° F (-25° to 45° C)
- Ports3x Thunderbolt 4, HDMI, SDXC, MagSafe 3
- power_adapter—
- ProcessorApple M4 Max
- RAMUp to 128GB Unified
- size_and_weight / depth9.77 inches (24.81 cm)
- size_and_weight / height0.66 inch (1.68 cm)
- size_and_weight / weight_max4.7 pounds (2.15 kg)
- size_and_weight / weight_pro4.7 pounds (2.14 kg)
- size_and_weight / width14.01 inches (35.57 cm)
- storage_max1TB SSD, Configurable to: 2TB, 4TB, or 8TB
- storage_pro512GB SSD, Configurable to: 1TB, 2TB, or 4TB
- video_playback—
- Weight2.14 kg