MacBook Air 13 (2017) vs MacBook Pro 15 (2018)

Apple MacBook Air 13.3" 1.8 GHz (2017) (MacBook Air Series) 512GB / 16GB

AED 1,399

Buy on Amazon UAE Full Specs

Apple MacBook Pro 15 2018 (2.9 GHz, Vega 20) (MacBook Pro 15 2018 Series) 512GB / 24GB

AED 1,799

Buy on Amazon UAE Full Specs

Best Battery

MacBook Pro 15 (2018)

Our Verdict

MacBook Air 13 (2017) vs MacBook Pro 15 (2018)

The i9-8950HK (6c/12t) with Radeon Pro Vega 20 (4GB HBM2) crushes the i5-5350U (2c/4t) with Intel HD 6000 in raw performance and GPU power. The MacBook Air 13.3" (2017) suits students and office workers needing 12+ hours of battery life, lightweight 1.35kg portability, and basic multitasking on 8GB RAM. The MacBook Pro 15 (2018) is for video editors rendering 4K timelines in Final Cut Pro using 32GB RAM and the Vega 20’s dedicated VRAM, despite its 1.83kg weight and active cooling. In UAE at AED 1399 vs AED 1799, the Air wins because it saves AED 400 while still running macOS efficiently; in India at ₹31900 vs ₹39900, the Air wins on value because ₹8000 saved can buy a 1TB external SSD for storage expansion.

Full Specs Comparison

Spec

MacBook Air 13 (2017)

MacBook Pro 15 (2018)

Processor

Intel Core i5-5350U 2c/4t 2 x 1.8 - 2.9 GHz, Broadwell

Intel Core i9-8950HK 6c/12t 6 x 2.9 - 4.8 GHz, Coffee Lake-H

Graphics

Intel HD Graphics 6000

AMD Radeon Pro Vega 20 - 4 GB VRAM, HBM2, Enduro

Screen Size

height x width x depth (in mm): 17 x 325 x 227 ( = 0.67 x 12.8 x 8.94 in)

height x width x depth (in mm): 15.5 x 349.3 x 240.7 ( = 0.61 x 13.75 x 9.48 in)

RAM

8 GB , 1600 MHz LPDDR3 onboard

32 GB , DDR4-2400, soldered, up to 32 GB

Storage

512

Battery

54 Wh Lithium-Polymer

83 Wh Lithium-Polymer

Ports

2 USB 3.0 / 3.1 Gen1, 1 Thunderbolt, 1 DisplayPort, Audio Connections: 3.5 mm headphone jack, Card Reader: SDXC card reader, Brightness Sensor

4 USB 3.1 Gen2, 4 Thunderbolt, 4 DisplayPort, Audio Connections: 3.5 mm stereo jack, 1 Fingerprint Reader, Brightness Sensor

Wi-Fi

Broadcom 802.11ac (a/b/g/n = Wi-Fi 4/ac = Wi-Fi 5/), Bluetooth 4.0

Broadcom 802.11ac (a/b/g/n = Wi-Fi 4/ac = Wi-Fi 5/), Bluetooth 5.0

Weight

1.35 kg ( = 47.62 oz / 2.98 pounds), Power Supply: 200 g ( = 7.05 oz / 0.44 pounds)

1.83 kg ( = 64.55 oz / 4.03 pounds), Power Supply: 369 g ( = 13.02 oz / 0.81 pounds)

Apple macOS 10.12 Sierra

Apple macOS 10.14 Mojave

Price Comparison

Market	MacBook Air 13 (2017)	MacBook Pro 15 (2018)	Difference
UAE	AED 1,399	AED 1,799	MacBook Air 13 (2017) saves AED 400
India	₹ 31,900	₹ 39,900	MacBook Air 13 (2017) saves ₹ 8,000

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