✦ SIDE-BY-SIDE COMPARE

MacBook Air 13 M4 vs MacBook Air M5 13-inch vs MacBook Pro 14 (M4 Pro) vs ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13: which is better?

MacBook Air 13 M4, MacBook Air M5 13-inch, MacBook Pro 14 (M4 Pro) and ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13 compared side by side across 107 specs and 15 scored categories — every winner highlighted, so the right pick is obvious.

4 PRODUCTS · 107 SPECS · 15 SCORED CATEGORIES · LIVE RE-RANKING

COMPARING

4 / 4

LAPTOPS

Add or remove products — every chart and spec row re-ranks live.

APPLE

MacBook Air 13 M4

$999

BEST VALUE

APPLE

MacBook Air M5 13-inch

$1,199

BEST FOR FEATURES

← TOP PICK

APPLE

MacBook Pro 14 (M4 Pro)

$1,999

BEST OVERALL

LENOVO

ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13

$1,399

STRONG CONTENDER

⚡ COMPARZONE VERDICT

The MacBook Pro 14 (M4 Pro) takes the overall win.

Highest composite at 9.3/10 — 0.1 ahead of the MacBook Air 13 M4. Tightest race: battery, just 0.1 apart. Scroll for the category-by-category breakdown.

View best price →

CATEGORY WINS · 15 SCOREDTIES SHOWN GREY

PERF

DISP

BATT

DESI

VALU

BATT

CONN

DESI

DISP

FEAT

MISC

PERF

BENC

BUIL

CONN

MacBook Air 13 M4×3

MacBook Air M5 13-inch×7

MacBook Pro 14 (M4 Pro)×5

ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13×0

Apple MacBook Air 13 M4BEST VALUE

Apple MacBook Air M5 13-inchBEST FOR FEATURES

Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch (M4 Pro, 2024)BEST OVERALL

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13STRONG CONTENDER

01 · SCORE RADAR

Performance profile

CLICK A PRODUCT TO ISOLATE ITS SHAPE

LARGEST GAPFEATURES — MacBook Air M5 13-inch leads by 9.5

TIGHTESTBattery — only 0.1 between the top two

02 · CATEGORY BREAKDOWN

Category showdown

13 M413 INCHM4 PROGEN 13

PerformanceiMacBook Pro 14 (M4 Pro) · +0.5

13 M49.0

13 INCH8.7

M4 PRO9.5

GEN 138.7

DisplayiMacBook Pro 14 (M4 Pro) · +0.6

13 M48.8

13 INCH8.0

M4 PRO9.6

GEN 139.0

BatteryiMacBook Air 13 M4 · +0.1

13 M49.6

13 INCH9.5

M4 PRO9.4

GEN 138.9

DesigniMacBook Air M5 13-inch · +0.2

13 M49.4

13 INCH9.6

M4 PRO0.0

GEN 139.3

ValueiMacBook Air 13 M4 · +0.4

13 M48.9

13 INCH8.5

M4 PRO7.8

GEN 138.0

BATTERYiMacBook Air 13 M4 · +0.1

13 M49.6

13 INCH9.5

M4 PRO9.4

GEN 138.9

CONNECTIVITYiMacBook Air M5 13-inch · +0.5

13 M40.0

13 INCH9.5

M4 PRO9.0

GEN 130.0

DESIGNiMacBook Air M5 13-inch · +0.2

13 M49.4

13 INCH9.6

M4 PRO0.0

GEN 139.3

DISPLAYiMacBook Pro 14 (M4 Pro) · +0.6

13 M48.8

13 INCH8.0

M4 PRO9.6

GEN 139.0

FEATURESiMacBook Air M5 13-inch · +9.5

13 M40.0

13 INCH9.5

M4 PRO0.0

GEN 130.0

MISCELLANEOUSiMacBook Air M5 13-inch · +9.5

13 M40.0

13 INCH9.5

M4 PRO0.0

GEN 130.0

PERFORMANCEiMacBook Pro 14 (M4 Pro) · +0.5

13 M49.0

13 INCH8.7

M4 PRO9.5

GEN 138.7

BENCHMARKSiMacBook Air M5 13-inch · +7.4

13 M40.0

13 INCH7.4

M4 PRO0.0

GEN 130.0

Build QualityiMacBook Pro 14 (M4 Pro) · +9.3

13 M40.0

13 INCH0.0

M4 PRO9.3

GEN 130.0

ConnectivityiMacBook Air M5 13-inch · +0.5

13 M40.0

13 INCH9.5

M4 PRO9.0

GEN 130.0

03 · VALUE MAP

Price vs performance

TOP-LEFT IS THE SWEET SPOT

SCORE PER $100 · RANKED

01MacBook Air 13 M40.92BEST DEAL

02MacBook Air M5 13-inch0.77

03ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 130.64

04MacBook Pro 14 (M4 Pro)0.47

Map shows current starting prices · trends show tracked street prices. Check live deals before deciding.

04 · THE FULL SHEET

Full specifications

107 SPECS · ALL SHOWN

SPECS

MacBook Air 13 M4$9991W9.2

MacBook Air M5 13-inch$1,1991W9.2

MacBook Pro 14 (M4 Pro)$1,9996W9.3

ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13$1,3993W8.9

Battery Typei

—

Lithium battery

—

Battery CapacityMAHi

—

4,660 mAh

—

Battery VoltVi

—

11.55 V

—

Included Adapter PowerWi

—

35 W

—

Charging Typei

—

USB-C, MagSafe 3

—

Fast Chargingi

—

Yes

—

Battery Replaceablei

—

Battery EnergyWHi

—

52.6 Wh

—

Charge TimeHRSi

—

2.5 hrs

—

Has sleep-and-charge USB portsi

—

Yes

—

Has a MagSafe Power Adapteri

—

Yes

—

Geekbench 6 Result (Single)iSAME

—

Battery LifeHRi

18 hr← TIED BEST

16 hr

USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports (USB-C)i

—

Yes

—

Supports WiFii

—

Yes

—

USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports (USB-A)i

2x Thunderbolt 4, MagSafe 3, 3.5mm

2x Thunderbolt / USB 4, MagSafe 3, 3.5mm headphone jack

3x Thunderbolt 5, HDMI 2.1, SDXC, MagSafe 3, 3.5mm

2x Thunderbolt 4, 2x USB-A, HDMI, 3.5mm

USB 4 20Gbps Portsi

—

USB 4 40Gbps Portsi

—

Thunderbolt 5 Portsi

—

Thunderbolt 4 Portsi

—

USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports (USB-C)i

—

-1

—

USB 3.2 Gen 1 Ports (USB-A)iSAME

—

Thunderbolt 3 PortsiSAME

—

Has an HDMI Outputi

—

Has USB Type-Ci

—

Has WiFi Versioni

—

Has an External Memory Sloti

—

Bluetooth Versioni

—

Yes

—

RJ45 Portsi

—

USB 2.0 PortsiSAME

—

Display Port Outputsi

—

Yes

—

Has AirPlayi

—

Yes

—

Mini Display Port OutputsiSAME

—

Has a VGA ConnectoriSAME

—

Portsi

2x Thunderbolt 4, MagSafe 3, 3.5mm

—

3x Thunderbolt 5, HDMI 2.1, SDXC, MagSafe 3, 3.5mm

2x Thunderbolt 4, 2x USB-A, HDMI, 3.5mm

Webcami

12MP Center Stage

1080p FaceTime HD

12MP Center Stage

1080p + IR

Warranty Periodi

—

1 year

—

Has a Backlit Keyboardi

—

Yes

—

Uses a Fanless Designi

—

Yes

—

VolumeCM³i

—

738 cm³

—

WidthMMi

—

304.1 mm

—

HeightMMi

—

215.9 mm

—

ThicknessMMi

—

11.3 mm

—

French Repairability IndexiSAME

—

Maximum Operating Temperature°CiSAME

—

Minimum Operating Temperature°CiSAME

—

Weather Sealed (Splashproof)iSAME

—

Is a Rugged BuildiSAME

—

Screen SizeINCHi

—

13.6 inch

—

Pixel DensityPPIi

—

224 ppi ppi

—

Display Typei

—

Liquid Retina

—

Has a Touch Screeni

—

Refresh RateHZiSAME

—

Contrast RatioiSAME

—

Has Anti-Reflecting CoatingiSAME

—

Supported Displayi

—

WeightKGi

1.24 kg

1,240 kg

1.6 kg

1.09 kg← 12% lighter

Display SizeINi

13.6 in

14.2 in← BEST +1%

14 in

Resolutioni

2560 x 1664

2560x1664

3024x1964

2880 x 1800 OLED

Panel Typei

IPS Liquid Retina

IPS LCD

Mini-LED (Liquid Retina XDR)

OLED

Refresh RateHZi

60 Hz

120 Hz← TIED BEST

BrightnessNITSi

500 nits

1,600 nits← BEST +220%

400 nits

Release Datei

—

03/11/2026

—

Has Stereo Speakersi

—

Yes

—

Has a Socket for a 3.5 mm Audio Jacki

—

Yes

—

Megapixels (front camera)MPi

—

2.1 MP

—

Has Front Camerai

—

Yes

—

Supports Ray TracingiSAME

—

Supports DLSSiSAME

—

Has a Dolby AtmosiSAME

—

Stylus IncludediSAME

—

Has a Fingerprint Scanneri

—

Yes

—

Number of Microphonesi

—

Uses 3D Facial RecognitioniSAME

—

Has Voice Commandsi

—

Yes

—

Has S/PDIF Out PortiSAME

—

Has a GyroscopeiSAME

—

Has GPSiSAME

—

Has an AccelerometeriSAME

—

Has a CompassiSAME

—

Has an Optical Disc DriveiSAME

—

Laptopi

—

Laptop

—

CPU Namei

—

Apple M5

—

Has an Unlocked MultiplieriSAME

—

Maximum Memory BandwidthGBiSAME

—

Supports ECC MemoryiSAME

—

Uses HMPi

—

Yes

—

Has TrustzoneiSAME

—

Has NX BitiSAME

—

RAMGBi

16 GB

8 GB

24 GB

32 GB← BEST +33%

StorageGBi

256GB / 512GB / 1TB SSD GB

256 GB

512GB SSD GB

512GB / 1TB SSD GB

Semiconductor SizeNMiSAME

—

Battery HealthiSAME

—

Has Xess(XMX)iSAME

—

Uses Flash Storagei

—

Yes

—

CPU ThreadsiSAME

—

CPU speedGHZi

—

4 GHz

—

Is a NVMe SSDi

—

Yes

—

Uses For Multithreadingi

—

Yes

—

Maximum Memory AmountGBi

—

24 GB

—

DDR Memory Versioni

—

LPDDR5X

—

Turbo Clock SpeedGHZi

—

4 GHz

—

Supports 64-Bitsi

—

Yes

—

Processori

Apple M4

Apple M5

Apple M4 Pro

Intel Core Ultra 7 165U

CPU Coresi

14← BEST +17%

Geekbench 6 (Multi)i

15,200

14,000

22,500← BEST +48%

11,200

Graphicsi

10-core Apple GPU

Yes

Apple M4 Pro 20-core GPU

Intel Graphics integrated

ROW WINS

05 · WHICH ONE IS FOR YOU

Pick by persona

RE-RANKS LIVE AS YOU ADD OR REMOVE PRODUCTS

THE ALL-ROUNDER

Best overall

MacBook Pro 14 (M4 Pro)APPLE9.3

ALL GROUPSEQUAL WEIGHT

Best total score across weighted category factors.

RUNNER-UP · MacBook Air 13 M4 (9.2)

FOR VALUE SEEKERS

Best bang for buck

MacBook Air 13 M4APPLE9.2

SCORE ÷ PRICELIVE PRICES

Strongest score-to-price ratio from the available price data.

RUNNER-UP · MacBook Air M5 13-inch (0.8)

PRIORITY · FEATURES

Best for features

MacBook Air M5 13-inchAPPLE9.5

FEATURES WEIGHTEDCONF 91%

Best visible score in the features category group.

RUNNER-UP · MacBook Air 13 M4 (0.0)

PRIORITY · MISCELLANEOUS

Best for miscellaneous

MacBook Air M5 13-inchAPPLE9.5

MISCELLANEOUS WEIGHTEDCONF 91%

Best visible score in the miscellaneous category group.

RUNNER-UP · MacBook Air 13 M4 (0.0)

06 · BOTTOM LINE

Why pick each

STRENGTHS · AND ONE HONEST TRADE-OFF

#2APPLE0.0

MacBook Air 13 M4

“Silent, featherlight ultrabook with the M4 chip, all-day battery, and a premium Liquid Retina display.”

Battery 9.6

Design 9.4

Wins Battery Life

TRADE-OFFOnly two Thunderbolt ports

BEST VALUEBest price →

#3APPLE0.0

MacBook Air M5 13-inch

“The Apple MacBook Air M5 13-inch is a highly portable and powerful laptop, perfect for everyday productivity and creative tasks with its adv”

DESIGN 9.6

BATTERY 9.5

Wins Battery Capacity

Wins Battery Volt

TRADE-OFFLimited port selection

BEST FOR FEATURESFull review →

#1APPLE0.0

MacBook Pro 14 (M4 Pro)

“A compact pro workstation pairing the M4 Pro chip with a stunning mini-LED display and class-leading battery life.”

Display 9.6

Performance 9.5

Wins Geekbench 6 (Multi)

Wins Display Size

TRADE-OFFHigh starting price and costly memory upgrades

BEST OVERALLBest price →

#4LENOVO0.0

ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13

“The benchmark business ultrabook: legendary keyboard, MIL-SPEC durability, full ports, and enterprise security.”

Design 9.3

Display 9.0

Wins RAM

Wins Weight

TRADE-OFFPremium pricing

STRONG CONTENDERBest price →

Still deciding? The MacBook Pro 14 (M4 Pro) is the safest pick.

COMPOSITE 9.3/10 · WINS 5 OF 15 CATEGORIES

Buy the winner →

Apple MacBook Air 13 M4 vs Apple MacBook Air M5 13-inch vs Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch (M4 Pro, 2024) vs Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13: which is best?

The Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch (M4 Pro, 2024) is our overall pick, scoring 9.3/10 against 9.2/10 for the Apple MacBook Air 13 M4 — a 1% edge. Current starting prices span $999–$1,999. The score weighs category-specific laptops attributes, spec wins, price signals, and data confidence — not sponsorships.

Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch (M4 Pro, 2024) leads overall with a 9.3 total score.
Apple MacBook Air M5 13-inch wins 48 comparable specs with a 44% weighted win rate.
Apple MacBook Air 13 M4 has the strongest high-impact advantage in Battery Life.
Apple MacBook Air 13 M4 has the best visible score-to-price balance based on available starting price.

Apple MacBook Air 13 M49.2/10

Silent, featherlight ultrabook with the M4 chip, all-day battery, and a premium Liquid Retina display.

Pros

+ ~18 hour battery life
+ Silent fanless design
+ Fast, efficient M4 performance
+ Excellent build, display, and trackpad

Cons

− Only two Thunderbolt ports
− 256GB base storage fills fast
− No high-refresh display

Best for: Students and professionals · Travel and battery life · Quiet everyday work

“The best everyday laptop for most people: silent, light, long-lasting, and quick. The limited port selection and modest base storage are the only real caveats.”

Apple MacBook Air M5 13-inch9.2/10

The Apple MacBook Air M5 13-inch is a highly portable and powerful laptop, perfect for everyday productivity and creative tasks with its advanced M5 chip and stunning Liquid Retina display.

Pros

+ Exceptional M5 performance
+ All-day battery life
+ Sleek, fanless design
+ Vibrant Liquid Retina display

Cons

− Limited port selection
− No touch screen
− Higher price point

Best for: Students · Creative professionals · Everyday productivity

“<p><strong>Verdict:</strong> The Apple MacBook Air M5 13-inch is poised to be an outstanding choice for those prioritizing a lightweight design, silent operation, and robust performance for daily tasks and creative work within the Apple ecosystem. Its…”

Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch (M4 Pro, 2024)WINNER 9.3/10

A compact pro workstation pairing the M4 Pro chip with a stunning mini-LED display and class-leading battery life.

Pros

+ Excellent sustained CPU and GPU performance for its size
+ Reference-quality 1600-nit mini-LED HDR display
+ Outstanding battery life under real workloads
+ Thunderbolt 5, HDMI, SD card, and MagSafe connectivity

Cons

− High starting price and costly memory upgrades
− Design and weight unchanged for several generations
− macOS-only, so limited for Windows-specific software

Best for: Video editors and content creators · Software developers running heavy builds · Photographers needing color accuracy

“If you need real horsepower for code, video, or 3D in a 14-inch body, the M4 Pro MacBook Pro is the one to beat. It is expensive and the design is unchanged, but the combination of sustained performance, display quality, and all-day battery is unmatched in…”

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 138.9/10

The benchmark business ultrabook: legendary keyboard, MIL-SPEC durability, full ports, and enterprise security.

Pros

+ Best-in-class keyboard
+ Light yet MIL-SPEC durable
+ Full port selection with optional 5G
+ Enterprise security and manageability

Cons

− Premium pricing
− Integrated graphics only
− Speakers are average

Best for: Business travelers · Heavy typists · Enterprise IT fleets

“The most complete business laptop: superb keyboard, durable light build, real ports, and long battery. You pay a premium and the integrated graphics are not for gaming.”

Frequently asked questions

Which is best: Apple MacBook Air 13 M4, Apple MacBook Air M5 13-inch, Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch (M4 Pro, 2024) or Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13?

By ComparZone's weighted scoring of category-specific laptops specs, the Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch (M4 Pro, 2024) scores highest overall (9.3/10, 0.1 points ahead of the Apple MacBook Air 13 M4). It is the better all-round pick, but the right choice depends on your priorities — the spec table above shows exactly where each one wins.

What are the main differences between these laptops?

The biggest measurable differences are Processor, Battery Life, Resolution. The grouped spec sheet above marks the winner of every comparable spec.

Can I compare other laptops on ComparZone?

Yes — ComparZone supports dynamic comparison pages for any 2 to 4 laptops from the same category, with verified specs, transparent scores, and live prices. See the related comparisons below or build your own from the category page.

More laptops comparisons

Apple MacBook Air 13 M4 vs ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 (2024, GA403)Apple MacBook Air 13 M4 vs Asus Zenbook 14 OLED (2025)Apple MacBook Air 13 M4 vs Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 13.8-inch (Snapdragon X Elite)Apple MacBook Air M5 13-inch vs ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 (2024, GA403)Apple MacBook Air M5 13-inch vs Asus Zenbook 14 OLED (2025)Apple MacBook Air M5 13-inch vs Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 13.8-inch (Snapdragon X Elite)Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch (M4 Pro, 2024) vs ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 (2024, GA403)Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch (M4 Pro, 2024) vs Asus Zenbook 14 OLED (2025)Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch (M4 Pro, 2024) vs Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 13.8-inch (Snapdragon X Elite)All laptops →Best laptops 2026