Apple MacBook Air 15 (M2) vs Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021)

Compared 2 laptops: Apple MacBook Air 15 (M2), vs Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021). Below are specs, tests, pros and cons for each device

Versions

Available versions and configurations
Processor n/a - Apple M1 Pro
- Apple M1 Max
Storage - 256 GB
- 512 GB
- 1024 GB
- 2048 GB
- 512 GB
- 1024 GB
- 2048 GB
- 4096 GB
- 8192 GB
RAM - 8 GB
- 16 GB
- 24 GB
- 16 GB
- 32 GB
- 64 GB

Review

Key Specs Apple MacBook Air 15 (M2) and Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021)
System Performance
System and app performance
Gaming Performance
Graphics in popular 3D games
Display
Color accuracy, sharpness & brightness
Battery Life
Estimated real-world battery life
Connectivity
Ports, webcam, and interfaces
Case & Design
Appearance, materials, durability, comfort
NanoReview Score
Overall score by NanoReview
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Function
Importance (Weight)
Performance:
Gaming:
Display:
Battery life:
Connectivity:
Portability:
Higher weight means greater impact on NanoReview score.

Tests & specs

Specs & test comparison

Body

Design and ergonomics comparison
Weight 1.51 kg 2.1 kg
Pixel size 340.4x237.6x11.5 mm 355.7x248.1x16.8 mm
Area 809 cm² 882 cm²
Screen-to-body ratio 83.9 % 86.2 %
Side bezels 5.4 mm 3.4 mm
Colors - Black
- Silver
- Gold
- Gray
- Silver
- Gray
Material Aluminum Aluminum
Transformer No No
Opening angle 130 ° 135 °
Cooling system
Cooling typePassiveActive
Vapor chamberNoNo
Liquid metalNon/a
Cooler countn/a2
Noise Leveln/a37.4 dB

Display

Display quality comparison
Diagonal 15.3 in 16.2 in
Type IPS LCD Mini LED
Refresh rate 60 Hz 120 Hz
Adaptive refresh rate No Yes (24-120 Hz)
Pixel density 224 ppi 254 ppi
Aspect ratio 16:10 16:10
Resolution 2880x1864 pixels 3456x2234 pixels
HDR support Yes, Dolby Vision Yes, Dolby Vision
Sync Tech No No
Touchscreen No No
Coating Glossy (Anti-Reflective) Glossy (Anti-Reflective)
Light sensor Yes Yes
Display test
Max brightness
Apple MacBook Air 15 (M2)
500 nits
Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021)
500 nits
Contrast1326:125700:1
DCI-P3 gamut98.7 %99.1 %
sRGB gamut99.9 %100 %
Adobe RGB gamut98.9 %88 %
Response time24 ms67 ms

Battery

Capacity 66.5 Wh 100 Wh
Full Charge Time 2:50 h 1:25 h
Battery Type Li-Po Li-Po
Removable No No
Fast Charging Yes Yes
USB PD Yes, 70 W Yes, 100 W
Charge Port Location Left Left, Right
Charge Power 35/70 W 140 W
Cable Length 2 m 2 m
Charger weight 189/208 g 353 g

Processor

Processor Apple M2 Apple M1 Pro
Base frequency 3.5 GHz 3.2 GHz
Cores 8 (4P + 4E) 10 (8P + 2E)
Threads 8 10
Integrated Graphics Apple M2 GPU Apple M1 Pro GPU (16-core)
Process tech. 5 nm 5 nm
GeekBench v6
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)
Apple MacBook Air 15 (M2)
2494
Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021)
2319
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)
Apple MacBook Air 15 (M2)
9936
Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021)
10231
Cinebench
Cinebench R23 (Single-Core)
Apple MacBook Air 15 (M2)
1544
Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021)
1528
Cinebench R23 (Multi-Core)
Apple MacBook Air 15 (M2)
8423
Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021)
12046

GPU Model

GPU Model Apple M2 GPU (8-core) Apple M1 Pro GPU (16-core)
TGP 15 W 30 W
Graphics Type Integrated Integrated
Process tech. 5 nm 5 nm
GPU Frequency 500 MHz 450 MHz
Boost GPU Frequency 1398 MHz 1296 MHz
FLOPS 2.9 TFLOPS 5.3 TFLOPS
Memory Type LPDDR5 LPDDR5
Tire Width 128 bit 256 bit
Memory speed 6.4 Gbit/s 6.4 Gbit/s
Shader Units 1024 2048
TMUs 64 128
ROPs 32 64

RAM

RAM Size 8 GB 16 GB
Channels 2x4 GB 2x8 GB
Frequency 6400 MHz 6400 MHz
Type LPDDR5 LPDDR5
Replaceable No No

Storage

Bus Custom Custom
Type SSD (M2) SSD (M2)
Channels 1x256 GB 2x256 GB
Replaceable No No
NVMe Yes Yes
Storage Capacity 256 GB 512 GB

Sound

Audio Formats 2.4 4.2
Dolby Atmos Yes Yes
Max Volume 85 dB 84.7 dB
Microphones 3 3

Connectivity

Wi-Fi version v6 v6
Bluetooth version 5.3 5
Fingerprint sensor Yes Yes
IR sensor No No
CD drive No No
Webcam Above Display Above Display
Webcam Resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Ports
USB-ANoNo
USB-C2x4.03x4.0
ThunderboltThunderbolt 3Thunderbolt 4
HDMINo1x2.0
DisplayPortNoNo
VGANoNo
3.5 mm Audio JackYesYes
Ethernet (RJ45)NoNo
Card ReaderNoYes
Charging PortYesYes

Keyboard & Touchpad

Key Type Island Layout Island Layout
Numeric Keypad No No
Backlight Yes Yes
Key Travel 1 mm 1 mm
Touchpad
Sizen/a15.5x9.9 cm
SurfaceGlassGlass
Windows PrecisionNoNo
* Attention! Ports, display type, speakers, and specs may differ by model or country.

Results

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