Should I wait for the 2026 MacBook Pro?

If your current laptop works and you have a $130 deal on the 2025 Pro, the current deal is excellent value. Waiting for 2026 models typically means price increases or minimal performance gains. Since you're a student with light workloads, the Air is the safer choice regardless of timing.

How long will these laptops last for school?

Both will easily last 4-5 years for typical student use (classes, research, light projects). The Air's 16GB RAM and 512GB storage are future-proof for most academic work. If you plan to do professional creative work after graduation, the Pro is better, but for school, the Air is more than adequate.

Is the $130 price difference worth it for my use case (school, browsing, light video editing)?

No, the MacBook Air M5 is the better choice for your needs. The extra $130 for the Pro is not justified if you're only doing light video editing. The Air's passive cooling is sufficient for occasional editing tasks, and the larger 15-inch screen actually benefits students and web workers more. Save the $130 for software subscriptions or external storage.

Will the MacBook Air throttle during light video editing?

The Air may experience some thermal throttling during sustained heavy rendering or long 4K editing sessions, but for typical light editing workflows (cutting clips, basic color correction, standard exports), it will perform well. If you're editing 1080p or shorter clips occasionally, throttling won't significantly impact your workflow.

MacBook Air vs MacBook Pro 2026

Updated March 27, 2026

MacBook Air M5 15-inch (2026)

Apple's best-value ultraportable laptop with M5 chip, 15" display, and all-day battery

Students, casual users, web workers, light content creators, and anyone prioritizing portability and value

Check Price

MacBook Pro M5 14-inch (2025)

Professional-grade laptop with M5 chip, active cooling, and enhanced performance sustained output

Professional content creators, video editors, 3D artists, software developers, and users who perform sustained heavy workloads

Short Answer

The MacBook Air M5 offers excellent value for students and casual users with a larger 15" screen at a lower price, while the MacBook Pro M5 provides active cooling and better sustained performance for demanding creative work. For school, browsing, and light video editing, the Air is the better choice unless you need professional-grade performance.

Our Verdict

For your specific use case—school, web browsing, light video editing, and occasional gaming—the MacBook Air M5 15" is the better choice. It offers a larger screen, lower price, and sufficient performance for your needs. Save the $130 difference for software or accessories. Only choose the Pro if you plan to do heavy 4K video editing or 3D rendering regularly.

MacBook Air M5 15-inch (2026)10

5MacBook Pro M5 14-inch (2025)

Choose MacBook Air M5 15-inch (2026) if

Students, casual users, web workers, light content creators, and anyone prioritizing portability and value

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Key Differences at a Glance

💰

Price (CAD): MacBook Air M5 15-inch (2026) wins ($1,600 vs $1,730)

🔹

Cooling System: MacBook Pro M5 14-inch (2025) wins (Active cooling with fan vs Passive cooling)

📱

Screen Size: MacBook Air M5 15-inch (2026) wins (15 inches vs 14 inches)

See all 7 differences

Key Facts & Figures

Metric	MacBook Air M5 15-inch (2026)	MacBook Pro M5 14-inch (2025)	Diff
Battery Life(hours)	18+ hours typical	17+ hours typical	+6%
Starting Price (CAD)(CAD)	$1,600	$1,730	-8%
Display Size(inches)	15 inches

Key Differences

MacBook Air M5 15-inch (2026)

Attribute

MacBook Pro M5 14-inch (2025)

$1,600🏆

Price (CAD)

$1,730

Passive cooling

Cooling System

Active cooling with fan🏆

15 inches🏆

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Last updated: March 27, 2026AI generated

Choose MacBook Pro M5 14-inch (2025) if

Professional content creators, video editors, 3D artists, software developers, and users who perform sustained heavy workloads

All figures sourced from publicly available data. Last updated May 2026.

Students, casual users, light editing

Best Use Case

Content creators, video editors, professionals

Good, throttles under load

Sustained Performance

Excellent, maintains peak performance🏆

Very portable, lightweight🏆

Portability

Slightly heavier, more compact

Excellent for everyday use🏆

Value for Money

Premium pricing for pro features

Price (CAD)

MacBook Air M5 15-inch (2026)

$1,600🏆

MacBook Pro M5 14-inch (2025)

$1,730

Cooling System

MacBook Air M5 15-inch (2026)

Passive cooling

MacBook Pro M5 14-inch (2025)

Active cooling with fan🏆

Screen Size

MacBook Air M5 15-inch (2026)

15 inches🏆

MacBook Pro M5 14-inch (2025)

14 inches

Best Use Case

MacBook Air M5 15-inch (2026)

Students, casual users, light editing

MacBook Pro M5 14-inch (2025)

Content creators, video editors, professionals

Sustained Performance

MacBook Air M5 15-inch (2026)

Good, throttles under load

MacBook Pro M5 14-inch (2025)

Excellent, maintains peak performance🏆

Portability

MacBook Air M5 15-inch (2026)

Very portable, lightweight🏆

MacBook Pro M5 14-inch (2025)

Slightly heavier, more compact

Value for Money

MacBook Air M5 15-inch (2026)

Excellent for everyday use🏆

MacBook Pro M5 14-inch (2025)

Premium pricing for pro features

Full Comparison

Attribute	MacBook Air M5 15-inch (2026)	MacBook Pro M5 14-inch (2025)

Cooling System	Passive (fanless)	Active (with fan)

Battery Life(hours)	18+ hours typical	17+ hours typical

Starting Price (CAD)(CAD)	$1,600	$1,730

Display Size(inches)	15 inches	14 inches

Processor	Apple M5 (10-core)	Apple M5 (10-core)
Base RAM(GB)	16 GB	16 GB

Base Storage(GB)	512 GB SSD	512 GB SSD

Ideal for Video Editing	Light editing only	Professional grade

MacBook Air M5 15-inch (2026)

MacBook Pro M5 14-inch (2025)

Cooling System

Passive (fanless)

Active (with fan)

Battery Life(hours)

18+ hours typical

17+ hours typical

Starting Price (CAD)(CAD)

$1,600

$1,730

Display Size(inches)

15 inches

14 inches

Processor

Apple M5 (10-core)

Base RAM(GB)

16 GB

Base Storage(GB)

512 GB SSD

Ideal for Video Editing

Light editing only

Professional grade

Visual Comparison

Side-by-side comparison of numeric attributes

Pros & Cons

MacBook Air M5 15-inch (2026)

6 pros2 cons

Pros

Larger 15-inch screen at same price point
Lower starting price ($1,600 CAD)
Excellent battery life for all-day use
Lightweight and highly portable
Sufficient for school, browsing, and light creative work
Double base storage at 512GB standard

Cons

Passive cooling can throttle performance during sustained heavy workloads
Not ideal for professional video editing or 3D rendering

MacBook Pro M5 14-inch (2025)

6 pros3 cons

Pros

Active cooling system maintains peak performance under load
Faster sustained performance for demanding tasks
Thunderbolt 5 connectivity for professional workflows
Better for video editing and 3D rendering
Superior thermal management
Premium build quality and design

Frequently Asked Questions

Both M5 chips handle casual gaming well. The MacBook Air's larger 15-inch screen provides a better gaming experience, but both will deliver similar frame rates for most games. The Pro's active cooling provides marginally better sustained gaming performance, but the difference is minimal for casual gaming scenarios.

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Full Comparison

Attribute	MacBook Air M5 15-inch (2026)	MacBook Pro M5 14-inch (2025)

Cooling System	Passive (fanless)	Active (with fan)

Battery Life(hours)	18+ hours typical	17+ hours typical

Starting Price (CAD)(CAD)	$1,600	$1,730

Display Size(inches)	15 inches	14 inches

Processor	Apple M5 (10-core)	Apple M5 (10-core)
Base RAM(GB)	16 GB	16 GB

Base Storage(GB)	512 GB SSD	512 GB SSD

Ideal for Video Editing	Light editing only	Professional grade

MacBook Air M5 15-inch (2026)

MacBook Pro M5 14-inch (2025)

Cooling System

Passive (fanless)

Active (with fan)

Battery Life(hours)

18+ hours typical

17+ hours typical

Starting Price (CAD)(CAD)

$1,600

$1,730

Display Size(inches)

15 inches

14 inches

Processor

Apple M5 (10-core)

Base RAM(GB)

16 GB

Base Storage(GB)

512 GB SSD

Ideal for Video Editing

Light editing only

Professional grade

Visual Comparison

Side-by-side comparison of numeric attributes

Cons

Higher price ($1,730 CAD)
Smaller 14-inch screen
Overkill for casual users and students

MacBook Air vs MacBook Pro 2026

MacBook Air M5 15-inch (2026)

MacBook Pro M5 14-inch (2025)

Short Answer

Our Verdict

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Key Differences at a Glance

Key Facts & Figures

Key Differences

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Full Comparison

Visual Comparison

Pros & Cons

MacBook Air M5 15-inch (2026)

Pros

Cons

MacBook Pro M5 14-inch (2025)

Pros

Frequently Asked Questions

Resources & Learn More

Where to Buy

Wikipedia

Videos

Full Comparison

Visual Comparison

Cons

MacBook Air vs MacBook Pro 2026

MacBook Air M5 15-inch (2026)

MacBook Pro M5 14-inch (2025)

Short Answer

Our Verdict

🔔Track this comparison

Key Differences at a Glance

Key Facts & Figures

Key Differences

Related Comparisons

Related Articles

Explore Entities

More Products

People Also Compare

Full Comparison

Visual Comparison

Pros & Cons

MacBook Air M5 15-inch (2026)

Pros

Cons

MacBook Pro M5 14-inch (2025)

Pros

Frequently Asked Questions

Resources & Learn More

Where to Buy

Wikipedia

Videos

Full Comparison

Visual Comparison

Cons

Track this comparison