Should I buy an M4 Air or a 14-inch M1 Pro?
Buy the M4 Air when you want light, quiet, and newer. Buy the 14-inch M1 Pro when you want the brighter 120Hz screen, HDMI, an SD card slot, and 512GB, and you will check the battery on a 2021 machine. The Pro often costs less.
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$400$600$800$1,000$1,200
Side by side
Shaded with a red rule: the better side for a typical buyer. Not a lab score.
Air 13-inch M4Pro 14-inch M1 Pro
Typical price
About $900
Better here: About $730
Memory
16GB is standard. It can be ordered with 24GB or 32GB. It cannot be upgraded later.
16GB was the base. 32GB listings cost more and are the better edit machine.
Storage
256GB is the base. 512GB is more comfortable if you store photos or projects locally.
Better here: 512GB was the base, which is more useful than the Air’s 256GB.
Screen
13.6-inch Liquid Retina, about 500 nits.
Better here: 14.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR with ProMotion (120Hz). Much brighter than any Air: about 1,000 nits sustained.
Ports
MagSafe, two Thunderbolt ports, and a headphone jack. No HDMI and no SD card slot.
Better here: MagSafe, three Thunderbolt ports, HDMI, an SD card slot, and a headphone jack.
External displays
Two external displays, with the lid open.
Better here: Two external displays, and HDMI is built in.
Camera
Better here: 12MP Center Stage. It keeps you in frame on calls.
1080p.
Noise
Better here: Silent. There is no fan.
Fans spin up on long exports. Quiet the rest of the time.
Weight
Better here: 2.7 lb
3.5 lb
Battery
Apple’s figure is up to 18 hours of video.
Apple’s figure is up to 17 hours of video. Cycle count matters on a 2021 machine.
Speed
The sweet spot. Comfortable for school, photo work, and most coding.
Still strong for code and 4K timelines. The fans let it hold speed.
US eBay asking ranges as of November 11, 2026.