Apple MacBook Pro or Apple MacBook Air? If you’ve never owned either, they might sound like the same laptop with minor differences. 

Both are highly sought-after: the MacBook Pro is considered top-tier among Apple’s laptop range, and the MacBook Air is its best-seller. Both are excellent options, and choosing between them is a tough decision. 

What’s less difficult is deciding between buying new and purchasing a refurbished MacBook Air or a refurbished MacBook Pro in Australia.

Powered by Apple’s silicon chip, both the Pro and the Air are in even tougher competition thanks to the various models on the market. While the new M2 chip has turbocharged the latest MacBook Pro 13-inch with boosted CPU and GPU, models only a couple of years old but almost identical in power are going for far cheaper rates. A refurbished Apple 13-inch MacBook Pro 2020 or Apple 13-inch MacBook Pro 2019 will still offer you all the benefits of a fantastic, high-quality MacBook for a fraction of the price you’d pay in stores.

If you’ve never bought a refurbished device, it’s the perfect time to discover the benefits. Refurbished devices are laptops, smartphones etc., that a professional has tested for a certain level of quality and checked for faults, as well as restored and repaired if necessary. Buying refurbished has a lot of benefits for you, your pocket and the environment. You save money (sometimes a lot), keep a perfectly good device from ending up in a landfill, reduce the demand for another to be manufactured, and receive a product covered under warranty.

It’s a safe way to buy quality products such as an Apple MacBook Air second hand or a demo MacBook Air (a demo or ex-demo laptop has only been taken out of its box to be displayed in a retail store).

The MacBook Air and the MacBook Pro have different pros, cons and selling points. To help you get started on deciding which to buy, here’s a brief comparison between the pair.

 

Benefits of a Refurbished MacBook Pro

The MacBook Pro looks, feels and performs like a dream. Reasons you might choose this model laptop over other brands include

The high-definition screen display

With its LED-backlit Retina display; the Pro offers a spectacular screen with high resolution and pixel density that’s perfect for creative professionals.

The macOS operating system

Apple’s high-grade, intuitive and secure operating system is a strong selling point for all its devices. The iOS makes your new refurbished MacBook Pro Australia easy to use in tandem with other Apple devices.

Battery life

Want a laptop that lasts for hours running off the battery? Instead of a mere few hours, try a laptop that lasts up to 20 hours between charges. Get more work done while you’re out and about without scrambling around for a power point to charge in.

Professional-quality cameras and mics

Whether you’re recording a podcast or just want your voice to sound crisp on a Zoom call, the MacBook Pro’s cameras and microphones are recording studio-level quality.   

 

Benefits of a Refurbished MacBook Air

There are many compelling reasons Apple’s MacBook Air is its highest seller. When you need a laptop that does everything you could possibly want but don’t want to pay too high a price, it’s perfect. Benefits of buying an Apple MacBook Air second hand include

Powerful performance

Fuelled by the M1 chip, packed with 16 billion transistors, the MacBook Air delivers power efficiency and speed that few laptops can claim to match.

Highly portable

Its compact design and all-day battery life make the Air a logical choice if you plan to use it on the go. Travelling, long study sessions, remote working and lengthy business meetings are all easier when you have an easy-to-transport laptop with a battery that won’t let you down.

Broadcast-quality mics and cameras

The M1 chip’s image signal processor helps you look sharp every time you’re on a video call, and three in-built microphones will ensure that the other participants can hear you loud and clear. The cameras capture detailed, sharp, clear images and the face detection feature helps skin tones look natural with tone mapping.

Touch ID makes things easy

With Touch ID, you can use one tap of your finger to accomplish a range of tasks like unlocking your laptop, using Apple Pay, making purchases and opening password-protected documents.

 

What’s The Difference Between The Two?

There are definitely similarities between the Pro and the Air. And as we’ve already established, both are excellent laptops. To help make the decision easier, here are some key differences between what you’ll get with a refurbished or demo MacBook Air vs. MacBook Pro.

The MacBook Pro is brighter

While both the Air and the Pro are vivid and sharp, the Pro is generally a little further ahead in brightness.

The MacBook Pro has a (slightly) longer battery life

This is another area in which both models are pretty much neck-and-neck. The Air and the Pro have generous battery lives that make them great choices of laptops if you’re always on the go.

The MacBook Air is cheaper

The MacBook Air usually goes for a slightly more affordable price when you buy new. Of course, if you want significant savings, your best bet is to buy refurbished, regardless of the model.  

The MacBook Pro has a Touch Bar

One MacBook Pro feature you won’t find on the Air is the Touch Bar, a thin strip of touch-enabled shortcuts above the keyboard. If you have apps, features or functions you often use or on the spur of the moment, you can access them as quickly as a flash with this OLED display.

The MacBook Air is silent

The Air’s fanless design makes it noiseless, which is helpful in quiet environments and a blessing if noisy laptops annoy you.  

The MacBook Pro is (slightly) faster

While both the pro and the Air operate at a speed that’s above and beyond many other computers, the Pro is just that little more ahead when it comes to speed.

The MacBook Air has a bigger screen

Despite being a smaller laptop, the MacBook Air actually comes with a screen that’s a tiny bit larger: 13.6 inches compared to the Pro’s 13.3.  

 

Which is Better for You?

While there’s no disputing the quality of either laptop, it’s impossible to answer which one is better for you. 

Different users want different things. While the MacBook Air suits most people just fine, those who want a little more speed, battery, brightness and power will be thrilled with a MacBook Pro, especially if they can find a refurbished MacBook Pro in Australia!  

 

Where to Purchase Refurbished MacBook Pros & MacBook Airs

OzMobiles is the easiest place to find refurbished laptops and smartphones and have them delivered straight to your door. We send laptop models like the refurbished MacBook Pro Australia-wide so you can get them fast at prices you won’t find elsewhere.

All of our refurbished devices are tested at our Melbourne headquarters using our 72-point checking process. We ensure all the different parts of our devices, including their battery lives, are fully functional and meet high Australian standards. We offer 12 months of warranty and a 30-day money-back guarantee in case anything goes wrong, and we offer free and fast shipping.

We want you to get as much value for money as possible. So if you find a better deal elsewhere online, we’ll beat that price by $10 (terms and conditions apply). We also offer the opportunity to pay in instalments through services like ZipPay and AfterPay.

To find out more about our selection of refurbished laptops, including refurbished MacBook Pros in Australia, Apple MacBook Airs second hand and demo MacBook Airs, get in touch with OzMobiles!