If you are thinking of purchasing a new computer, it is possible that you are looking at the most recent ones, among which we find the Pro models with M5 chip, and the previous Air with M4both from 2025, and with very good features, but different.
Today, we are going to see the key differences, so that you can, for yourself, decide if a Pro version is necessary, since we all know that it is more expensive for a reason, and that its power will be greater, but it may not be designed for all audiences, and that an Air will be more than enough.
Which MacBook to buy in 2025
In October, Apple presented its new MacBook Pro M5, which, with certain configurations, is not that far from the price of an Air, so many people may hesitate between one and the other, since, even though it is the same year, it takes quite a few months, and a year, of the chip, and it shows.
The M5 offers real improvements over the M4: up to 15% more performance multicore, a 45% jump in GPU, 30% more unified memory bandwidth, and even quadruple performance in AI tasks on GPU. But the M4 is not obsolete: for many users it is still powerful enough and sufficient for 90% of everyday tasks.
There are other differences between the Air and Pro models. The Pro includes more ports (three Thunderbolt/USB-C, HDMI, and SD card slot vs. just two ports on the Air), an active cooling system (fan) vs. the Air's passive cooling, and a mini-LED display with HDR support and much higher maximum brightness (1,000 nits vs. 500 nits). Additionally, the Pro handles sustained loads better without thermal throttling, making it better suited for demanding jobs. The questions is, do you use your Mac for something like this?
At base price, the Air with 256 GB costs significantly less than the equivalent Pro with 512 GB. However, when leveling the configuration, with the same storage, the difference is not as high as it may seem, but it is also due to this. However, the Air usually has significant discounts, which makes it even more attractive, since, not only because of its model, but because of the months since its launch, some websites have it on sale, something difficult to see in a model that is only days old.
In summary: the MacBook Pro with M5 is a very interesting option if you need additional ports, a better screen or greater thermal stability. But buying it just because it has a newer chip doesn't justify the difference in many cases. If your tasks don't tax the hardware to the max, the MacBook Air with M4 is still a great, cheaper buy. We would even go so far as to say that an M3 is a great option if you find it at a deep discount, so don't trust a number or the most current one, since, most of the time, it is not the most profitable. I continue with my M1, and it works like the first day.
