Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) vs Apple MacBook Air 13 M5 (2026)

Compared 2 laptops: Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021), vs Apple MacBook Air 13 M5 (2026). Below are specs, tests, pros and cons for each device

Versions

Available versions and configurations
Processor - Apple M1 Pro
- Apple M1 Max
- Apple M5 (8-сore GPU)
- Apple M5 (10-Core)
Storage - 512 GB
- 1024 GB
- 2048 GB
- 4096 GB
- 8192 GB
- 512 GB
- 1024 GB
- 2048 GB
- 4096 GB
RAM - 16 GB
- 32 GB
- 64 GB
- 16 GB
- 24 GB
- 32 GB

Review

Key Specs Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) and Apple MacBook Air 13 M5 (2026)
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
Adjust each parameter’s importance to find the best match for you.
Customize your score
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 1.6 kg 1.23 kg
Pixel size 312.6x221.2x15.5 mm 304.1x215x11.3 mm
Area 691 cm² 654 cm²
Screen-to-body ratio 84.6 % 82 %
Side bezels 3.4 mm 5.6 mm
Colors - Silver
- Gray
- Black
- Silver
- Gold
- Blue
Material Aluminum Aluminum
Transformer No No
Opening angle 135 ° 130 °
Cooling system
Cooling typeActivePassive
Vapor chamberNoNo
Liquid metaln/aNo
Cooler count2n/a
Cooler speed6241 RPMn/a
Noise Level49.5 dBn/a

Display

Display quality comparison
Diagonal 14.2 in 13.6 in
Type Mini LED IPS LCD
Refresh rate 120 Hz 60 Hz
Adaptive refresh rate Yes (24-120 Hz) No
Pixel density 254 ppi 225 ppi
Aspect ratio 16:10 16:10
Resolution 3024x1964 pixels 2560x1664 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 Pro 14 (2021)
500 nits
Apple MacBook Air 13 M5 (2026)
500 nits
Contrast48900:11437:1
DCI-P3 gamut99.3 %98.1 %
sRGB gamutn/a100 %
Adobe RGB gamutn/a86.8 %
Response time49 ms20 ms

Battery

Capacity 70 Wh 53.8 Wh
Full Charge Time 2:30 h n/a
Battery Type Li-Po Li-Po
Removable No No
Fast Charging Yes Yes
USB PD Yes, 100 W Yes
Charge Port Location Left, Right Left
Charge Power 67/96 W 35/40/70 W
Cable Length 2 m 2 m
Charger weight 274/315 g 116/80/167 g

Processor

Processor Apple M1 Pro Apple M5 (8-сore GPU)
Base frequency 3.2 GHz 4.61 GHz
Cores 10 (8P + 2E) 10 (4P + 6E)
Threads 10 10
Integrated Graphics Apple M1 Pro GPU (16-core) Apple M5 GPU (8-core)
Process tech. 5 nm 3 nm
GeekBench v6
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)
Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021)
2306
Apple MacBook Air 13 M5 (2026)
4091
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)
Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021)
10139
Apple MacBook Air 13 M5 (2026)
16670
Cinebench
Cinebench R23 (Single-Core)
Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021)
1493
Apple MacBook Air 13 M5 (2026)
n/a
Cinebench R23 (Multi-Core)
Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021)
11747
Apple MacBook Air 13 M5 (2026)
n/a

GPU Model

GPU Model Apple M1 Pro GPU (16-core) Apple M5 GPU (8-Core)
TGP 30 W n/a
Graphics Type Integrated Integrated
Process tech. 5 nm 3 nm
GPU Frequency 450 MHz n/a
Boost GPU Frequency 1296 MHz 1620 MHz
FLOPS 5.3 TFLOPS 3.3 TFLOPS
Memory Type LPDDR5 LPDDR5X
Tire Width 256 bit 128 bit
Memory speed 6.4 Gbit/s 9.6 Gbit/s
Shader Units 2048 1024
TMUs 128 64
ROPs 64 32

RAM

RAM Size 16 GB 16 GB
Channels 2x8 GB 2x8 GB
Frequency 6400 MHz 9600 MHz
Type LPDDR5 LPDDR5X
Replaceable No No

Storage

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

Sound

Audio Formats 4.2 2.2
Dolby Atmos Yes Yes
Max Volume 84.9 dB 82.1 dB
Microphones 3 3

Connectivity

Wi-Fi version v6 v7
Bluetooth version 5 6.0
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-C3x4.02x4.0
ThunderboltThunderbolt 4Thunderbolt 4
HDMI1x2.0No
DisplayPortNoNo
VGANoNo
3.5 mm Audio JackYesYes
Ethernet (RJ45)NoNo
Card ReaderYesNo
Charging PortYesYes

Keyboard & Touchpad

Key Type Island Layout Island Layout
Numeric Keypad No No
Backlight Yes Yes
Key Travel 1 mm 1 mm
Touchpad
Size13.2x8.1 cmn/a
SurfaceGlassGlass
Windows PrecisionNoNo
* Attention! Ports, display type, speakers, and specs may differ by model or country.

Results

No clear favorite identified yet; updates may follow as new data arrives.

Survey

Which laptop would you pick?
0 (0%)
1 (100%)
Total Votes: 1

User comments

Share your opinion or ask questions below