MacBook Air M4 13-inch vs MacBook Pro 16-inch M2 Max

MacBook Pro 16-inch M2 Max wins — The MacBook Pro 16-inch M2 Max leads in performance and display quality with up to 96GB RAM and active cooling (per Note…

Scores: MacBook Air M4 13-inch 7.5/10 · MacBook Pro 16-inch M2 Max 8/10

The MacBook Pro 16-inch M2 Max leads in performance and display quality with up to 96GB RAM and active cooling (per Notebookcheck benchmarks), making it the stronger choice for demanding creative work. The MacBook Air M4 13-inch excels in portability and efficiency with its fanless design and newer silicon. This is a close call only if portability is the top priority; otherwise the Pro wins 4 o...

Spec-by-spec comparison

	MacBook Air M4 13-inch	MacBook Pro 16-inch M2 Max
CPU	Apple M4	Apple M2 Max
Display	13.6-inch Liquid Retina 500 nits	16.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR 1600 nits
Weight	2.7 lbs	4.7 lbs
Battery	Up to 18 hours	Up to 22 hours

MacBook Air M4 13-inch

What works

Fanless design for silent operation
Newer M4 chip with improved efficiency
Lightweight and highly portable

What doesn't

Base 16GB RAM only
No active cooling for sustained loads

MacBook Pro 16-inch M2 Max

What works

Up to 96GB unified memory support
Superior sustained performance with fans
Brighter mini-LED display with ProMotion

What doesn't

Older M2 generation silicon
Significantly heavier and less portable

Bottom line

Our pick: MacBook Pro 16-inch M2 Max.

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