They also all come with dedicated AMD graphics cards, starting from a Radeon Pro 5300M 4GB, and stretching up to a Radeon Pro 5600M with 8GB of VRAM.

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And since youre reading this article, well assume that youre not sure which will best suit your needs for creative work.

Both are listed in our round up of the best laptops for graphic design because both can be great: they run the same version of macOS, theyre reliable and made to premium specs; they have a big focus on usability in their design; and theyre fast.

However, there are nuances between them that can make a big difference for different work types the MacBook Air can handle lighter image editing and even video editing no problem, but when it comes for hardcore 3D work youll want the extra power of the 16-inch MacBook Pro.

The generous screen of the 16-inch is also a key feature for some designers, but there are other subtle differences between the screens of these machines to know about.

Well take you through what you need to know about each laptop, from the specs inside to the connectivity to the screen, so you can get the MacBook that best fits your needs.

MacBook Pro vs MacBook Air: Performance The difference in power between the MacBook Pro and MacBook Air is no surprise if youve been following Apples recent naming conventions.

The Air products are lighter in raw performance, but more affordable; the Pro products pack in more power, along with some other higher-end features.

The MacBook Air uses dual-core or quad-core Intel processors, though theyre lower-power models running at 1.1GHz.

They can boost their speed hugely for short bursts, as all Intel processors can for doing things like quickly opening apps or loading web pages (or even quick file exports), however they cant maintain high-level output for very long at all, because theyre not designed to handle the heat.

The MacBook Air also includes 8GB of RAM as standard, and the maximum is 16GB, which can be limiting for design and creative work.

The 13-inch MacBook Pro has enough power for serious pro apps (though there will always be an upper limit).

Image credit: Apple) The Intel Iris Plus graphics chip isnt what anyone would describe as a pro part for 3D use, but its capable of providing some useful GPU-based acceleration in compatible apps.

It all means that while the MacBook Air is quite capable as a machine for casual-level use of, say Adobes apps or other design and editing tools (and can even handle 4K video editing if youre mostly looking to assemble footage), its not made for deeply complex work.

The MacBook Pro 13-inch steps up to game by including quad-core as standard across the line.

The entry-level model includes a 1.4GHz 8th-gen Intel processor (meaning its a few years old), and this isnt the model wed generally opt for if your budget can stretch, youre much better off getting the version with a 2.0GHz quad-core 10th-gen (the latest version) processor.

Like the MacBook Air, both can speed up hugely in short bursts, but these will be able to tackle longer high-speed multi-core tasks significantly faster.

You can also step up to a 2.3GHz processor, if you want some extra power.

The base model comes with 8GB of RAM, but the 2GHz model were recommending includes 16GB of RAM as standard.

You can increase this to 32GB of RAM, however thats the limit.

This again may be too much of a bottleneck for some work, though given that the 13-inch MacBook Pro isnt designed to be the desktop-replacement model, it should be enough for most work that the Pros other specs are really up to.

If you dont know that 32GB of RAM is too little for you, then it probably isnt.

The 13-inch Pro also uses Intel integrated graphics, and though theyre stronger than whats in the MacBook Air, the same limitations apply: its capable of supporting GPU-accelerated tasks and some 3D work, but without large amounts of dedicated VRAM, its always more of a support for 2D design than a way to create complex 3D works.

The MacBook Pro 13-inch steps up to game by including quad-core as standard across the line For that, you need the 16-inch MacBook Pro, which is the real workhorse of Apples laptop line-up.

The 16-inch Pros start from 16GB of RAM, but you can take them up to 64GB.

Mac Book Air For Video Editing