What's the real difference between 60Hz and 120Hz refresh rates?

The 120Hz display on MacBook Pro makes scrolling, animations, and cursor movement feel noticeably smoother and more responsive in daily use. While 60Hz is adequate, once you experience 120Hz, the difference becomes obvious. It affects everything from web browsing to video playback to gaming.

Can the MacBook Air handle gaming and 3D applications?

Yes, the M5 MacBook Air can handle casual gaming and light 3D work. However, the fanless design causes performance to throttle during sustained intensive tasks. The MacBook Pro's dual fans allow it to maintain peak performance longer, making it better for professional 3D work and demanding games.

Is the $130-800 price difference between Air and Pro worth it?

Depends on your use case. If you do professional video editing, 3D rendering, or coding intensive projects daily, yes. If you're a student or general user who occasionally does light creative work, the Air offers exceptional value. The Pro becomes worthwhile when sustained performance is crucial to your workflow.

Which MacBook should I buy in 2026?

Buy the MacBook Air if you need a laptop for school, web browsing, light creative projects, and everyday computing with excellent portability. Buy the MacBook Pro if you're a professional doing video editing, 3D animation, software development, or other demanding workloads where sustained peak performance justifies the $800+ premium.

MacBook Pro vs MacBook Air

Updated March 27, 2026

MacBook Pro (M5/M5 Pro/M5 Max)

Premium portable laptop starting at $1,999 with integrated display, up to 8TB storage, and superior GPU options

Professional video editors, 3D animators, software developers, and content creators requiring sustained high performance

Check Price

MacBook Air (M5)

Apple's versatile mid-range laptop offering excellent everyday performance with fanless efficiency and portability.

Students, general users, light creators, web developers, and anyone seeking excellent performance-to-price ratio

Short Answer

The MacBook Pro offers superior performance with up to 120Hz display refresh rate, better thermal management for sustained workloads, and more powerful M5 Pro/Max processors, while the MacBook Air delivers excellent everyday performance at a lower price point with nearly identical capabilities for most users. The choice depends on whether you need pro-level sustained performance or everyday computing power.

Our Verdict

The MacBook Pro is the superior choice for professionals requiring sustained high-performance computing, video editing, 3D design, and demanding software development. The MacBook Air is ideal for students, general users, and those with light creative needs, offering 90% of the Pro's capability at a significantly lower price point with better portability.

MacBook Pro (M5/M5 Pro/M5 Max)8

7MacBook Air (M5)

Choose MacBook Pro (M5/M5 Pro/M5 Max) if

Professional video editors, 3D animators, software developers, and content creators requiring sustained high performance

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Key Differences at a Glance

📱

Display Refresh Rate: MacBook Pro (M5/M5 Pro/M5 Max) wins (Up to 120Hz vs 60Hz)

📅

Thermal Management: MacBook Pro (M5/M5 Pro/M5 Max) wins (Built-in dual fans for sustained performance vs Fanless design with performance throttling under load)

🧠

Processor Options: MacBook Pro (M5/M5 Pro/M5 Max) wins (M5, M5 Pro, M5 Max chips vs M5 chip only)

See all 7 differences

Key Facts & Figures

Metric	MacBook Pro (M5/M5 Pro/M5 Max)	MacBook Air (M5)	Diff
Starting Price (USD)(USD)	$1,999	$1,199	+67%
Display Refresh Rate(Hz)	120Hz	60Hz	+100%
Maximum GPU Cores(cores)	32-core (M5 Max)

Key Differences

MacBook Pro (M5/M5 Pro/M5 Max)

Attribute

MacBook Air (M5)

Up to 120Hz🏆

Display Refresh Rate

60Hz

Built-in dual fans for sustained performance🏆

Thermal Management

Fanless design with performance throttling under load

M5, M5 Pro, M5 Max chips🏆

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Last updated: March 27, 2026AI generated

Choose MacBook Air (M5) if

Students, general users, light creators, web developers, and anyone seeking excellent performance-to-price ratio

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

128GB🏆

Maximum RAM

32GB

$1,999

Starting Price (USD)

$1,199🏆

Video editing, 3D rendering, professional workloads

Best Use Case

School, web browsing, light editing, everyday use

3.5 lbs (14") / 4.7 lbs (16")

Weight & Portability

2.7 lbs (13") / 3.3 lbs (15")🏆

Display Refresh Rate

MacBook Pro (M5/M5 Pro/M5 Max)

Up to 120Hz🏆

MacBook Air (M5)

60Hz

Thermal Management

MacBook Pro (M5/M5 Pro/M5 Max)

Built-in dual fans for sustained performance🏆

MacBook Air (M5)

Fanless design with performance throttling under load

Processor Options

MacBook Pro (M5/M5 Pro/M5 Max)

M5, M5 Pro, M5 Max chips🏆

MacBook Air (M5)

M5 chip only

Maximum RAM

MacBook Pro (M5/M5 Pro/M5 Max)

128GB🏆

MacBook Air (M5)

32GB

Starting Price (USD)

MacBook Pro (M5/M5 Pro/M5 Max)

$1,999

MacBook Air (M5)

$1,199🏆

Best Use Case

MacBook Pro (M5/M5 Pro/M5 Max)

Video editing, 3D rendering, professional workloads

MacBook Air (M5)

School, web browsing, light editing, everyday use

Weight & Portability

MacBook Pro (M5/M5 Pro/M5 Max)

3.5 lbs (14") / 4.7 lbs (16")

MacBook Air (M5)

2.7 lbs (13") / 3.3 lbs (15")🏆

Full Comparison

Attribute	MacBook Pro (M5/M5 Pro/M5 Max)	MacBook Air (M5)

Starting Price (USD)(USD)	$1,999	$1,199

Display Refresh Rate(Hz)	120Hz	60Hz

Maximum GPU Cores(cores)	32-core (M5 Max)	10-core (M5)
Processor Options	M5, M5 Pro, M5 Max	M5 only
Sustained Performance Under Load	Maintains peak performance with dual fans	Throttles performance under sustained heavy loads
GPU Cores (Pro Model)(cores)	20 cores (M5 Pro)	—

Maximum RAM(GB)	128GB	32GB
Base RAM Configuration(GB)	24GB	—

Starting Weight (15" model)(lbs)	4.7 lbs	3.3 lbs

Cooling System	Dual-fan active cooling	Passive (fanless) design

Base Starting Price(USD)	$1,999	—

Maximum RAM Available(GB)	64GB	—
Base Storage Configuration(GB)	512GB	—
Maximum Storage Available(TB)	8TB	—

Display Included	14" or 16" Liquid Retina XDR	—
Portability(yes/no)	Fully portable laptop	—

MacBook Pro (M5/M5 Pro/M5 Max)

MacBook Air (M5)

Starting Price (USD)(USD)

$1,999

$1,199

Display Refresh Rate(Hz)

120Hz

60Hz

Maximum GPU Cores(cores)

32-core (M5 Max)

10-core (M5)

Processor Options

M5, M5 Pro, M5 Max

M5 only

Sustained Performance Under Load

Maintains peak performance with dual fans

Throttles performance under sustained heavy loads

GPU Cores (Pro Model)(cores)

20 cores (M5 Pro)

—

Maximum RAM(GB)

128GB

32GB

Base RAM Configuration(GB)

24GB

—

Starting Weight (15" model)(lbs)

4.7 lbs

3.3 lbs

Cooling System

Dual-fan active cooling

Passive (fanless) design

Base Starting Price(USD)

$1,999

—

Maximum RAM Available(GB)

64GB

—

Base Storage Configuration(GB)

512GB

—

Maximum Storage Available(TB)

8TB

—

Display Included

14" or 16" Liquid Retina XDR

—

Portability(yes/no)

Fully portable laptop

—

Visual Comparison

Side-by-side comparison of numeric attributes

Pros & Cons

MacBook Pro (M5/M5 Pro/M5 Max)

5 pros2 cons

Pros

Up to 120Hz adaptive refresh rate display for smooth scrolling and responsiveness
Dual-fan cooling system enables sustained peak performance under heavy workloads
M5 Pro and Max chips with up to 32-core GPU for professional-grade computing
Up to 128GB unified memory for demanding multi-tasking and applications
Larger 14" and 16" display options with ProMotion technology

Cons

Significantly higher starting price at $1,999 vs $1,199 for Air
Overkill for everyday users and light creative work, adding unnecessary cost

MacBook Air (M5)

5 pros3 cons

Pros

Significantly more affordable starting at $1,199, saving $800 vs Pro entry model
Lightweight and ultraportable design at 2.7-3.3 lbs, ideal for students and mobile users
M5 chip delivers excellent performance for 95% of everyday tasks and light creative work
Fanless design ensures silent operation during normal use
Available in 13" and 15" sizes for different preferences

Frequently Asked Questions

Most likely no. The MacBook Air M5 handles light video editing perfectly well and costs $800 less. Only upgrade to Pro if you're doing heavy 4K/8K editing, 3D rendering, or professional work where sustained performance matters. For school projects and occasional editing, the Air is ideal.

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Full Comparison

Attribute	MacBook Pro (M5/M5 Pro/M5 Max)	MacBook Air (M5)

Starting Price (USD)(USD)	$1,999	$1,199

Display Refresh Rate(Hz)	120Hz	60Hz

Maximum GPU Cores(cores)	32-core (M5 Max)	10-core (M5)
Processor Options	M5, M5 Pro, M5 Max	M5 only
Sustained Performance Under Load	Maintains peak performance with dual fans	Throttles performance under sustained heavy loads
GPU Cores (Pro Model)(cores)	20 cores (M5 Pro)	—

Maximum RAM(GB)	128GB	32GB
Base RAM Configuration(GB)	24GB	—

Starting Weight (15" model)(lbs)	4.7 lbs	3.3 lbs

Cooling System	Dual-fan active cooling	Passive (fanless) design

Base Starting Price(USD)	$1,999	—

Maximum RAM Available(GB)	64GB	—
Base Storage Configuration(GB)	512GB	—
Maximum Storage Available(TB)	8TB	—

Display Included	14" or 16" Liquid Retina XDR	—
Portability(yes/no)	Fully portable laptop	—

MacBook Pro (M5/M5 Pro/M5 Max)

MacBook Air (M5)

Starting Price (USD)(USD)

$1,999

$1,199

Display Refresh Rate(Hz)

120Hz

60Hz

Maximum GPU Cores(cores)

32-core (M5 Max)

10-core (M5)

Processor Options

M5, M5 Pro, M5 Max

M5 only

Sustained Performance Under Load

Maintains peak performance with dual fans

Throttles performance under sustained heavy loads

GPU Cores (Pro Model)(cores)

20 cores (M5 Pro)

—

Maximum RAM(GB)

128GB

32GB

Base RAM Configuration(GB)

24GB

—

Starting Weight (15" model)(lbs)

4.7 lbs

3.3 lbs

Cooling System

Dual-fan active cooling

Passive (fanless) design

Base Starting Price(USD)

$1,999

—

Maximum RAM Available(GB)

64GB

—

Base Storage Configuration(GB)

512GB

—

Maximum Storage Available(TB)

8TB

—

Display Included

14" or 16" Liquid Retina XDR

—

Portability(yes/no)

Fully portable laptop

—

Visual Comparison

Side-by-side comparison of numeric attributes

60Hz display feels less smooth compared to Pro's 120Hz refresh rate
Fanless design causes performance throttling under sustained heavy workloads
Limited to M5 processor only, no Pro/Max options for scaling performance needs

MacBook Pro vs MacBook Air

MacBook Pro (M5/M5 Pro/M5 Max)

MacBook Air (M5)

Short Answer

Our Verdict

Track this comparison

Key Differences at a Glance

Key Facts & Figures

Key Differences

Related Comparisons

Related Articles

Explore Entities

More Technology

People Also Compare

Full Comparison

Visual Comparison

Pros & Cons

MacBook Pro (M5/M5 Pro/M5 Max)

Pros

Cons

MacBook Air (M5)

Pros

Frequently Asked Questions

Resources & Learn More

Where to Buy

Wikipedia

Videos

Full Comparison

Visual Comparison

Cons

MacBook Pro vs MacBook Air

MacBook Pro (M5/M5 Pro/M5 Max)

MacBook Air (M5)

Short Answer

Our Verdict

🔔Track this comparison

Key Differences at a Glance

Key Facts & Figures

Key Differences

Related Comparisons

Related Articles

Explore Entities

More Technology

People Also Compare

Full Comparison

Visual Comparison

Pros & Cons

MacBook Pro (M5/M5 Pro/M5 Max)

Pros

Cons

MacBook Air (M5)

Pros

Frequently Asked Questions

Resources & Learn More

Where to Buy

Wikipedia

Videos

Full Comparison

Visual Comparison

Cons

Track this comparison