Apple MacBook Pro 16-inch M3 Max (36GB Unified Memory, 1TB SSD) vs Apple MacBook Air 15-inch M2 Chip (16GB RAM, 512GB SSD)
What separates them
These two differ on 12 recorded specifications. The Apple MacBook Pro 16-inch M3 Max (36GB Unified Memory, 1TB SSD) is ₹1,95,000 dearer.
Apple MacBook Pro 16-inch M3 Max (36GB Unified Memory, 1TB SSD) vs Apple MacBook Air 15-inch M2 Chip (16GB RAM, 512GB SSD)
Apple
Apple MacBook Pro 16-inch M3 Max (36GB Unified Memory, 1TB SSD)
₹3,49,900
The specification that separates this from every x86 competitor is not peak performance but where it holds: about 78 W sustained on battery as well as on mains.
Full details →
Apple
Apple MacBook Air 15-inch M2 Chip (16GB RAM, 512GB SSD)
₹1,54,900
Two hard limits on the M2 that no listing states plainly.
Full details →Who the Apple MacBook Pro 16-inch M3 Max is for
Buy it if: Professionals doing sustained heavy work away from mains power.
Avoid it if: Anyone whose work is light -- the Air does the same everyday tasks for a third of the price.
Who the Apple MacBook Air 15-inch M2 Chip is for
Buy it if: Anyone wanting genuine all-day silent battery life for writing, browsing and light creative work.
Avoid it if: Anyone needing two external monitors, or sustained heavy rendering.
Specifications, side by side
12 of 14 rows differ. Differences first.
| Specification | Apple MacBook Pro 16-inch M3 Max | Apple MacBook Air 15-inch M2 Chip |
|---|---|---|
| Price | ₹3,49,900 | ₹1,54,900 |
| Battery | 100 Wh -- the legal maximum for aircraft cabin baggage | 66.5 Wh, genuinely 15 hours of light work |
| Brightness | 600 nits sustained full screen, 1600 nits peak HDR | 500 nits sustained |
| Display size | 16.2 inch | 15.3 inch |
| External displays | Up to 4 | One only. The M2 cannot drive two external monitors |
| Form factor | 16 inch professional laptop | 15 inch fanless ultrabook |
| Memory | 36 GB unified, soldered | 16 GB unified, soldered -- not upgradeable at any point |
| Panel type | Liquid Retina XDR mini-LED, 3456 x 2234, 120 Hz ProMotion | Liquid Retina IPS, 2880 x 1864, 60 Hz |
| Ports | 3 x Thunderbolt 4, HDMI, SDXC, MagSafe 3, headphone | 2 x Thunderbolt / USB 4, MagSafe 3, headphone. No HDMI, no card reader |
| Processor | Apple M3 Max, 14 core CPU, 30 core GPU | Apple M2, 8 core CPU, 10 core GPU |
| Storage | 1 TB SSD, soldered | 512 GB SSD, soldered |
| Sustained TDP | About 78 W, and it holds there on battery as well as on mains, which x86 laptops do not | About 20 W. Fanless, so long heavy loads throttle where a fanned M2 Pro does not |
| Weight | 2.16 kg | 1.51 kg |
| Warranty | 1 Year Official Brand Warranty | 1 Year Official Brand Warranty |
| Performance on battery | Full performance unplugged, unlike every x86 gaming laptop | not published |
Every row is a figure one or both products record. A blank is a figure the catalogue does not hold, not a zero.
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