M4 MacBook Air vs. M3 Pro MacBook Pro: Which One Stays?

Over the past week, I put the new M4 MacBook Air through its paces, running it through my typical workflows to see how it stacks up against my M3 Pro MacBook Pro. Since I only need one of these machines, I had to decide—which one stays, and which one goes?

Design & Portability

The M4 MacBook Air is obviously thinner and lighter, but I was surprised by just how much more portable it feels compared to the 14-inch MacBook Pro. Even though the Air has a 13-inch display, it has a smaller overall footprint.

Looking at the specs:

• MacBook Pro weighs 3.5 pounds

• MacBook Air weighs 2.7 pounds

That almost one-pound difference is noticeable when carrying it around. If you’re someone who moves around a lot, the Air is the clear winner in portability.

Ports & Accessories

Here’s where the MacBook Pro has the advantage: more ports.

• The MacBook Air sticks to two Thunderbolt ports and MagSafe for charging.

• The MacBook Pro offers an HDMI port and an SD card slot in addition to its Thunderbolt ports.

I don’t use an SD card reader as much anymore, but when I do, I rely on an Anker 8-in-2 hub. It’s compact, plugs in securely, and doesn’t block MagSafe, making it a solid workaround for the Air’s port limitations.

How I Use My Laptop

I had to be realistic about how I use my laptop. Most of my heavy lifting—video editing, transcription, and exporting—happens on my Mac Studio. When I do use a laptop, it’s either when I’m traveling or doing light admin work on the patio.

That means I don’t necessarily need the most powerful MacBook—I need one that’s portable and handles the essentials well. That realization alone started shifting my decision in favor of the MacBook Air.

Display Comparison

This is one of the biggest differences between the two machines.

• The MacBook Pro has an XDR display with ProMotion (120Hz refresh rate), and a higher sustained brightness (1000 nits). But only 600 nits for SDR content.

• The MacBook Air has a 500-nit display with True Tone and wide color, but no ProMotion.

If I compare them side by side, the Pro’s display is clearly superior. Colors are richer, contrast is better, and the ProMotion smoothness is noticeable. But here’s the thing: you don’t usually compare displays side by side in real-world use.

When I was just using the MacBook Air by itself—whether for video editing, browsing, or messaging—the screen felt totally fine. Even outdoors, it was still usable, and that’s all I really need.

Performance & Battery Life

I ran my usual workflow on both machines:

✔️ Editing multiple 4K video files in Final Cut Pro

✔️ Exporting videos with Compressor

✔️ Transcribing audio files

✔️ Editing high-res images in Pixelmator

Surprisingly, the M4 MacBook Air actually beat the M3 Pro MacBook Pro in certain export tests. When exporting videos through Compressor, the Air finished faster in some cases.

However, when I tried pushing both machines to their limits, the MacBook Pro handled more simultaneous tasks better—especially on battery power. With multiple exports, transcriptions, and edits happening all at once, the M4 MacBook Air started to choke, while the M3 Pro MacBook Pro held up better.

That said, if I kept my tasks reasonable, the M4 Air performed just as well as the Pro. And for my needs, that’s all that really matters.

Battery life was another area where the Air surprised me. When in standby mode, it actually held onto its charge betterthan my MacBook Pro. If you’re doing light tasks like web browsing or email, the battery can easily last all day, maybe even two.

Keyboard & Wi-Fi 7

Here’s something Apple didn’t mention in their announcements:

The M4 MacBook Air keyboard feels better than the previous MacBooks.

Typing feels clickier and firmer compared to my M3 Pro MacBook Pro, which feels a little mushier by comparison. It’s a small thing, but since I type a lot, it’s actually a big deal for daily use.

One letdown, though: the M4 MacBook Air doesn’t have Wi-Fi 7—it still uses Wi-Fi 6E. It’s not a dealbreaker, but for a 2025 Mac, it would’ve been nice to have.

Final Decision: Which One Stays?

After running all these tests, I had to make a call:

Do I keep the M4 MacBook Air or stick with the M3 Pro MacBook Pro?

💰 Apple offered me a $1,000 trade-in for my MacBook Pro

💻 My M4 MacBook Air (2TB SSD, 32GB RAM) cost about $2,100

For an extra $1,000, I’d be upgrading to a lighter and more portable machine that handles my daily tasks just fine. The display downgrade doesn’t bother me much, and the better keyboard is a bonus.

🚀 Decision: I’m keeping the M4 MacBook Air and trading in the M3 Pro MacBook Pro.

If you’re debating between these two laptops, ask yourself how you use your laptop:

• Need maximum power on the go? Stick with the MacBook Pro.

• Want something light but still powerful? The M4 MacBook Air is fantastic.

For me, portability won out over raw power—and I haven’t regretted it.