MacBook Air and Pro batteries compared: Which MacBook has best battery life
Measuring MacBook battery life in consecutive hours of real-world use (as Apple likes to do) is not always an accurate metric for comparison purposes, as many usage and environmental factors play a role. We can, however, rely on simple technical specifications to tell us the stated battery capacities for each MacBook.
While Apple remains tight-lipped about the iPhone’s battery specifications (see our list of iPhone battery capacities based on teardowns), the company lists the MacBook’s capacities in watt-hours (Wh). We’ve scoured the technical specifications pages of Apple products from 2009 to 2025 to bring you as complete a list as possible using official Apple battery claims.
The watt hour is a unit of energy equivalent to one watt (1 W) of power used for one hour. it is calculated by multiplying the number of amps by the battery voltage. The higher the Wh number, the longer a battery will last using the same application. Batteries will lose efficiency over time, so don’t expect a 2009-era MacBook battery to still have the same power as when it was new or more than a 2025 model, even if it initially had a higher Wh value.
Read How to Test a MacBook Battery: See if It Needs Replacement and Replace It.
Our list starts with older MacBooks using an Intel processor and continues up to the latest M series MacBooks (e.g. M1, M2 Pro, M3, M4, M5).
MacBook Air Battery Capacities
MacBook Air 11-inch (Intel)
- MacBook Air 11-inch, Intel, late 2010: 35 Wh
- MacBook Air 11-inch, Intel, mid-2011: 35 Wh
- MacBook Air 11-inch, Intel, mid-2012: 35 Wh
- MacBook Air 11-inch, Intel, mid-2013: 38 Wh
- MacBook Air 11-inch, Intel, early 2015: 38 Wh
- MacBook Air 11-inch, Intel, early 2015: 38 Wh
13-inch MacBook Air (Intel)
- MacBook Air 13-inch, Intel, mid-2009: 40 Wh
- MacBook Air 13-inch, Intel, late 2010: 50 Wh
- MacBook Air 13-inch, Intel, mid-2011: 50 Wh
- MacBook Air 13-inch, Intel, mid-2012: 50 Wh
- MacBook Air 13-inch, Intel, mid-2013: 54 Wh
- MacBook Air 13-inch, Intel, early 2014: 54 Wh
- MacBook Air 13-inch, Intel, early 2015: 54 Wh
- MacBook Air 13-inch, Intel, 2017: 54 Wh
- MacBook Air 13-inch, Intel, Retina, 2018: 50.3 Wh
- MacBook Air 13-inch, Intel, Retina, 2019: 49.9 Wh
- MacBook Air 13-inch, Intel, Retina, 2020: 49.9 Wh
13-inch MacBook Air (M series)
- MacBook Air 13-inch, M1: 49.9 Wh
- MacBook Air 13-inch, M2: 52.6 Wh
- MacBook Air 13-inch, M3: 52.6 Wh
- MacBook Air 13-inch, M4: 53.8 Wh
15-inch MacBook Air (M series)
- MacBook Air 15-inch, M2: 66.5 Wh
- MacBook Air 15-inch, M3: 66.5 Wh
- MacBook Air 15-inch, M4: 66.5 Wh
MacBook Pro Battery Capacities
13-inch MacBook Pro (Intel)
- MacBook Pro 13-inch, Intel, mid-2009: 60 Wh
- MacBook Pro 13-inch, Intel, mid-2010: 63.5 Wh
- MacBook Pro 13-inch, Intel, early 2011: 63.5 Wh
- MacBook Pro 13-inch, Intel, late 2011: 63.5 Wh
- MacBook Pro 13-inch, Intel, mid-2012: 63.5 Wh
- MacBook Pro 13-inch, Intel, Retina, late 2012: 74 Wh
- MacBook Pro 13-inch, Intel, Retina, early 2013: 74 Wh
- MacBook Pro 13-inch, Intel, Retina, late 2013: 71.8 Wh
- MacBook Pro 13-inch, Intel, Retina, 2014: 71.8 Wh
- MacBook Pro 13-inch, Intel, Retina, 2015: 74.9 Wh
- MacBook Pro 13-inch, Intel, 2016, 2x TB3 ports: 54.5 Wh
- MacBook Pro 13-inch, Intel, 2016, 4x TB3 ports: 49.2 Wh
- MacBook Pro 13-inch, Intel, 2017, 2 TB3 ports: 54.5 Wh
- MacBook Pro 13-inch, Intel, 2018, 4x TB3 ports: 58 Wh
- MacBook Pro 13-inch, Intel, 2019, 2 TB3 ports: 58.2 Wh
- MacBook Pro 13-inch, Intel, 2019, 4x TB3 ports: 58 Wh
- MacBook Pro 13-inch, Intel, 2020, 2 TB3 ports: 58.2 Wh
- MacBook Pro 13-inch, Intel, 2020, 4x TB3 ports: 58 Wh
15-inch MacBook Pro (Intel)
- MacBook Pro 15-inch, Intel, mid-2009: 73 Wh
- MacBook Pro 15-inch, Intel, mid-2010: 77.5 Wh
- MacBook Pro 15-inch, Intel, early 2011: 77.5 Wh
- MacBook Pro 15-inch, Intel, late 2011: 77.5 Wh
- MacBook Pro 15-inch, Intel, 2012: 77.5 Wh
- MacBook Pro 15-inch, Intel, Retina, 2012: 95 Wh
- MacBook Pro 15-inch, Intel, 2 Retina, 2013: 95 Wh
- MacBook Pro 15-inch, Intel, Retina, 2014: 95 Wh
- MacBook Pro 15-inch, Intel, Retina, 2015: 99.5 Wh
- MacBook Pro 15-inch, Intel, 2016: 76 Wh
- MacBook Pro 15-inch, Intel, 2017: 76 Wh
- MacBook Pro 15-inch, Intel, 2018: 83.6 Wh
- MacBook Pro 15-inch, Intel, 2019: 83.6 Wh
16-inch MacBook Pro (Intel)
- MacBook Pro 16-inch, Intel, 2019: 98.8 Wh
17-inch MacBook Pro (Intel)
- MacBook Pro 17-inch, Intel, early 2009: 95 Wh
- MacBook Pro 17-inch, Intel, mid-2009: 95 Wh
- MacBook Pro 17-inch, Intel, mid-2010: 95 Wh
- 17-inch MacBook Pro, Intel, early 2011: 95 Wh
- MacBook Pro 17-inch, Intel, late 2011: 95 Wh
13-inch MacBook Pro (M series)
- MacBook Pro 13-inch, M1: 58.2 Wh
- MacBook Pro 13-inch, M2: 58.2 Wh
14-inch MacBook Pro (M series)
- 14-inch MacBook Pro, M1 Pro: 69.6 Wh
- 14-inch MacBook Pro M2 Pro: 69.6 Wh
- 14-inch MacBook Pro M2 Max: 69.6 Wh
- 14-inch MacBook Pro M3: 69.6 Wh
- 14-inch MacBook Pro M3 Pro: 72.4 Wh
- 14-inch MacBook Pro M3 Max: 72.4 Wh
- 14-inch MacBook Pro M4: 72.4 Wh
- 14-inch MacBook Pro M4 Pro: 72.4 Wh
- 14-inch MacBook Pro M4 Max: 72.4 Wh
- MacBook Pro M5 14-inch: 72.4 Wh
16-inch MacBook Pro (M series)
- MacBook Pro M1 Pro 16-inch: 99.6 Wh
- MacBook Pro M1 Max 16-inch: 99.6 Wh
- MacBook Pro M2 Pro 16-inch: 99.6 Wh
- MacBook Pro M2 Max 16-inch: 99.6 Wh
- MacBook Pro M3 Pro 16-inch: 99.6 Wh
- MacBook Pro M3 Max 16-inch: 99.6 Wh
- MacBook Pro M4 Pro 16-inch: 99.6 Wh
- MacBook Pro M4 Max 16-inch: 99.6 Wh
How long does my MacBook battery last?
Now that you know the numbers for your model, how does battery Wh capacity translate into actual usage? Here are Apple’s claims about the operating potential of its M-series MacBook Pro and Air batteries. All MacBook Air models, whether equipped with a 13- or 15-inch display, M1, M2, M3, or M4 chip, last the same amount of time, according to Apple.
There’s more diversity with the Pro models, which range in screen size from 13 to 16 inches.
13-inch MacBook Air (M series)
- MacBook Air 13-inch, M1: Up to 18 hours of movie playback with Apple TV app; Up to 15 hours of wireless web battery life
- MacBook Air 13-inch, M2: up to 18 hours of movie playback with Apple TV app; Up to 15 hours of wireless web battery life
- MacBook Air 13-inch, M3: up to 18 hours of movie playback with Apple TV app; Up to 15 hours of wireless web battery life
- MacBook Air 13-inch, M4: up to 18 hours of movie playback with Apple TV app; Up to 15 hours of wireless web battery life
15-inch MacBook Air (M series)
- MacBook Air 15-inch, M2: Up to 18 hours of movie playback with Apple TV app; Up to 15 hours of wireless web battery life
- MacBook Air 15-inch, M3: up to 18 hours of movie playback with Apple TV app; Up to 15 hours of wireless web battery life
- MacBook Air 15-inch, M4: Up to 18 hours of movie playback with Apple TV app; Up to 15 hours of wireless web battery life
13-inch MacBook Pro (M series)
- MacBook Pro 13-inch, M1: Up to 20 hours of movie playback with Apple TV app; Up to 17 hours of wireless web battery life
- MacBook Pro 13-inch, M2: up to 20 hours of movie playback with Apple TV app; Up to 17 hours of wireless web battery life
14-inch MacBook Pro (M series)
- MacBook Pro 14-inch, M1 Pro: up to 17 hours of movie playback with Apple TV app; Up to 11 hours of wireless web battery life
- 14-inch MacBook Pro M2 Pro: Up to 18 hours of movie playback with Apple TV app; Up to 12 hours of wireless internet battery life
- 14-inch MacBook Pro M2 Max: Up to 18 hours of movie playback with Apple TV app; Up to 12 hours of wireless internet battery life
- 14-inch MacBook Pro M3: Up to 22 hours of movie playback with Apple TV app; Up to 15 hours of wireless web battery life
- 14-inch MacBook Pro M3 Pro: Up to 18 hours of movie playback with Apple TV app; Up to 12 hours of wireless internet battery life
- 14-inch MacBook Pro M3 Max: Up to 22 hours of movie playback with Apple TV app; Up to 15 hours of wireless web battery life
- 14-inch MacBook Pro M4: Up to 24 hours of movie playback with Apple TV app; Up to 16 hours of wireless internet battery life
- 14-inch MacBook Pro M4 Pro: Up to 22 hours of movie playback with Apple TV app; Up to 14 hours of wireless internet battery life
- 14-inch MacBook Pro M4 Max: Up to 18 hours of movie playback with Apple TV app; Up to 13 hours of wireless web battery life
- MacBook Pro M5 14-inch: Up to 24 hours of movie playback with Apple TV app; Up to 16 hours of wireless internet battery life
16-inch MacBook Pro (M series)
- MacBook Pro M1 Pro 16-inch: Up to 21 hours of movie playback with Apple TV app; Up to 14 hours of wireless internet battery life
- MacBook Pro M1 Max 16-inch: Up to 21 hours of movie playback with Apple TV app; Up to 14 hours of wireless internet battery life
- 16-inch MacBook Pro M2 Pro: Up to 22 hours of movie playback with Apple TV app; Up to 15 hours of wireless web battery life
- MacBook Pro M2 Max 16-inch: Up to 22 hours of movie playback with Apple TV app; Up to 15 hours of wireless web battery life
- MacBook Pro M3 Pro 16-inch: Up to 22 hours of movie playback with Apple TV app; Up to 15 hours of wireless web battery life
- MacBook Pro M3 Max 16-inch: Up to 22 hours of movie playback with Apple TV app; Up to 15 hours of wireless web battery life
- MacBook Pro M4 Pro 16-inch: Up to 24 hours of movie playback with Apple TV app; Up to 17 hours of wireless web battery life
- MacBook Pro M4 Max 16-inch: Up to 21 hours of movie playback with Apple TV app; Up to 14 hours of wireless internet battery life
Does MacBook Pro have a better battery than MacBook Air?
As you can see from the battery capacities above, the MacBook Pro has higher capacity batteries than the MacBook Air, but not by a really significant margin.
For example, the 13-inch MacBook Air M3’s battery was rated at 52.6 Wh, while the 13-inch MacBook Pro M2 had a 58.2 Wh battery.
The larger the laptop, the higher the battery power, as it typically requires more power to run larger, brighter screens. The Air has a Liquid Retina display with 500 nits of brightness while the Pro has a superior 1,000 nits Liquid Retina XDR display.
Newer MacBooks with more efficient processors will also benefit from extra battery life by not putting as much demand on the batteries to accomplish the same tasks.
Apple claims that the current 13-inch MacBook Air M4 (53.8 Wh) offers up to 18 hours of movie playback with the Apple TV app. The 14-inch MacBook Pro M5 has a larger capacity battery of 72.4 Wh and can continue for 24 hours to play movies. The 16-inch M4 Pro has the same claim to 24-hour video playback despite its nearly 100Wh battery, but it has to run a larger screen.
Battery life depends on many factors, including what apps you’re running and how many apps you’re running at the same time.
For more information on the differences between Apple laptop models, read our article MacBook Air vs Pro: Which Mac Laptop is Right for You.
When you want to charge the MacBook battery, make sure you use the correct charger. Check out our recommendations for the best USB-C charger for your MacBook.
