MacBook Screen Specifications 2026

Complete MacBook screen size and display specifications for 2026. Find exact resolutions, pixel density (PPI), and display technologies for all MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models.

Quick Reference

Model Screen Size Resolution PPI Display Type
MacBook Air 13" 13.6" diagonal 2560×1664 px 224 PPI Liquid Retina
MacBook Air 15" 15.3" diagonal 2880×1864 px 224 PPI Liquid Retina
MacBook Pro 14" 14.2" diagonal 3024×1964 px 254 PPI Liquid Retina XDR
MacBook Pro 16" 16.2" diagonal 3456×2234 px 254 PPI Liquid Retina XDR

MacBook Air Specifications

MacBook Air 13-inch (M4, 2026)

Screen Size: 13.6 inches (diagonal)
Resolution: 2560×1664 pixels
Pixel Density: 224 PPI
Display Type: Liquid Retina (LED-backlit IPS)
Brightness: 500 nits
Color Support: 1 billion colors, P3 wide color
Aspect Ratio: ~16:10.4
Pro Tip: The 13.6" MacBook Air offers Retina-quality display at 224 PPI, making text and images incredibly sharp. P3 wide color gamut provides 25% more colors than sRGB—ideal for photo editing and creative work.

MacBook Air 15-inch (M4, 2026)

Screen Size: 15.3 inches (diagonal)
Resolution: 2880×1864 pixels
Pixel Density: 224 PPI
Display Type: Liquid Retina (LED-backlit IPS)
Brightness: 500 nits
Color Support: 1 billion colors, P3 wide color
Aspect Ratio: ~16:10.4
Pro Tip: The 15.3" MacBook Air maintains the same 224 PPI density as the 13" model, ensuring consistent sharpness. The larger screen provides more workspace without sacrificing portability—only 3.3 lbs.

MacBook Pro Specifications

MacBook Pro 14-inch (M4/M5, 2026)

Screen Size: 14.2 inches (diagonal)
Resolution: 3024×1964 pixels
Pixel Density: 254 PPI
Display Type: Liquid Retina XDR (mini-LED)
Brightness (SDR): 1000 nits sustained
Brightness (HDR): 1600 nits peak
Refresh Rate: 120Hz ProMotion
Contrast Ratio: 1,000,000:1
Color Support: 1 billion colors, P3 wide color
Pro Tip: The Liquid Retina XDR display uses mini-LED backlighting with thousands of individual LEDs for incredible contrast and HDR performance. ProMotion (120Hz) provides buttery-smooth scrolling and responsiveness.

MacBook Pro 16-inch (M4/M5, 2026)

Screen Size: 16.2 inches (diagonal)
Resolution: 3456×2234 pixels
Pixel Density: 254 PPI
Display Type: Liquid Retina XDR (mini-LED)
Brightness (SDR): 1000 nits sustained
Brightness (HDR): 1600 nits peak
Refresh Rate: 120Hz ProMotion
Contrast Ratio: 1,000,000:1
Color Support: 1 billion colors, P3 wide color
Pro Tip: The 16" MacBook Pro offers the same 254 PPI density as the 14" model, ensuring consistent sharpness across sizes. 1600 nits peak brightness makes HDR content stunning—ideal for video editing.

Display Technology Comparison

Liquid Retina vs Liquid Retina XDR

Feature Liquid Retina (Air) Liquid Retina XDR (Pro)
Backlight Technology LED-backlit (edge-lit) Mini-LED (full-array local dimming)
Brightness (Standard) 500 nits 1000 nits sustained
Brightness (Peak HDR) N/A 1600 nits
Contrast Ratio ~1,000:1 (typical IPS) 1,000,000:1
Refresh Rate 60Hz fixed 120Hz ProMotion (adaptive)
HDR Support No Yes (HDR10, Dolby Vision)
Local Dimming Zones None Thousands of mini-LEDs
Color Gamut P3 wide color P3 wide color
True Tone Yes Yes
When to Choose Pro vs Air:
  • Choose MacBook Air for everyday use, office work, web development, and light photo editing. The 500-nit Liquid Retina display is excellent for most tasks.
  • Choose MacBook Pro for professional video editing, color grading, HDR content creation, or any work requiring extreme brightness and contrast (XDR display).

Understanding Retina Display & PPI

What is Retina Display?

Apple's "Retina" branding refers to displays with high enough pixel density that individual pixels are imperceptible to the human eye at typical viewing distances. For laptops (viewed at ~20-24 inches away), this threshold is around 220 PPI.

  • MacBook Air: 224 PPI (exceeds Retina threshold)
  • MacBook Pro: 254 PPI (significantly exceeds Retina threshold)

Pixels vs Points on macOS

macOS uses a concept called "points" for UI scaling, separate from physical pixels:

  • MacBook Air 13": 2560×1664 physical pixels = 1280×832 points (@2x scaling)
  • MacBook Air 15": 2880×1864 physical pixels = 1440×932 points (@2x scaling)
  • MacBook Pro 14": 3024×1964 physical pixels = 1512×982 points (@2x scaling)
  • MacBook Pro 16": 3456×2234 physical pixels = 1728×1117 points (@2x scaling)

This means 4 physical pixels render 1 UI point, resulting in razor-sharp text and graphics. Users can choose scaled resolutions for more or less screen real estate.

Available Scaled Resolutions

macOS allows choosing different scaled resolutions to adjust workspace size:

MacBook Model Default (Looks Like) More Space (Looks Like)
Air 13" 1280×832 (default) 1680×1092, 1440×936
Air 15" 1440×932 (default) 1920×1248, 1680×1092
Pro 14" 1512×982 (default) 1728×1117, 1800×1169, 2240×1452
Pro 16" 1728×1117 (default) 1920×1242, 2056×1329, 2560×1664
Pro Tip: "More Space" resolutions provide more workspace but smaller text/UI elements. Developers and designers often prefer these settings. All scaled resolutions maintain Retina sharpness through macOS's rendering engine.

ProMotion Technology (MacBook Pro Only)

What is ProMotion?

ProMotion is Apple's adaptive refresh rate technology, available only on MacBook Pro models. It dynamically adjusts the display refresh rate from 24Hz to 120Hz based on content:

  • 24Hz: Matches cinema frame rate for smooth film playback
  • 30Hz/60Hz: Standard video content
  • 120Hz: Scrolling, animations, Apple Pencil input (on iPad)

Benefits of ProMotion

  • Smoother Scrolling: Web pages and documents scroll with no stutter at 120Hz
  • Better Responsiveness: Cursor movement and UI animations feel more fluid
  • Improved Gaming: Games can run at up to 120 FPS for smoother gameplay
  • Battery Efficiency: Lower refresh rates (24-30Hz) during static content save power
  • Frame Rate Matching: Eliminates judder in 24fps movies
Note: ProMotion is a premium feature exclusive to MacBook Pro. MacBook Air displays use a fixed 60Hz refresh rate, which is still excellent for most users but lacks the ultra-smooth motion of 120Hz.

Display Size Comparison

Which MacBook Size is Right for You?

Model Best For Pros Cons
Air 13" Students, travel, everyday use Ultra-portable (2.7 lbs), excellent battery life, affordable Smaller screen, no XDR/ProMotion
Air 15" Content consumers, casual creators Larger screen, still lightweight (3.3 lbs), great value No XDR/ProMotion, limited to 2 external displays
Pro 14" Developers, photo editors, creators XDR display, ProMotion, powerful chips (M4 Pro/Max), portable Heavier (3.4-3.6 lbs), more expensive
Pro 16" Video editors, 3D artists, power users Maximum screen space, longest battery, best performance Heaviest (4.7-4.8 lbs), most expensive, less portable

Physical Dimensions

Model Width Depth Height (Closed) Weight
Air 13" 11.97" (30.41 cm) 8.46" (21.5 cm) 0.44" (1.13 cm) 2.7 lbs (1.24 kg)
Air 15" 13.40" (34.04 cm) 9.35" (23.76 cm) 0.45" (1.15 cm) 3.3 lbs (1.51 kg)
Pro 14" 12.31" (31.26 cm) 8.71" (22.12 cm) 0.61" (1.55 cm) 3.4-3.6 lbs (1.55-1.62 kg)
Pro 16" 14.01" (35.57 cm) 9.77" (24.81 cm) 0.66" (1.68 cm) 4.7-4.8 lbs (2.14-2.16 kg)

Designing for MacBook Displays

Design Resolutions for macOS

When designing apps or websites for MacBook users, consider these @2x Retina resolutions:

  • Target @2x canvas sizes: Design at 2× the point resolution (e.g., 2560×1664 for Air 13")
  • Export @1x and @2x assets: Provide standard and Retina versions of images
  • Use vector graphics: SVGs scale perfectly at any resolution
  • Test scaled resolutions: Users may choose "More Space" settings

Common Breakpoints for Responsive Design

  • 1280×832 points: MacBook Air 13" (default)
  • 1440×932 points: MacBook Air 15" (default)
  • 1512×982 points: MacBook Pro 14" (default)
  • 1728×1117 points: MacBook Pro 16" (default)
Web Development Tip: macOS reports screen dimensions in points, not pixels. Use CSS pixels (which match points) for layouts. Images should be served at @2x resolution (e.g., 100×100 CSS pixels = 200×200 physical pixels).

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