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How big is the 13-inch MacBook Air screen? A 13.6-inch panel, measured diagonally

By TechCompare · Updated · How we check

A 13.6-inch MacBook Air screen (2560:1664 pixels) is about 29.0 cm (11.40 inches)11.40 inches (29.0 cm) wide and 18.8 cm (7.41 inches)7.41 inches (18.8 cm) tall. Its shape is 1.54:1, so it's a little taller than a true 16:10 panel.

The 13.6" MacBook Air panel next to a 14.2" MacBook Pro reference

Drawn to scale so you can see the size difference at a glance

13.6" MacBook Air: 29.0 cm (11.4 in)11.4 in (29.0 cm) × 18.8 cm (7.4 in)7.4 in (18.8 cm) · 545 cm² (85 in²)85 in² (545 cm²)
14.2" MacBook Pro: 30.2 cm (11.9 in)11.9 in (30.2 cm) × 19.6 cm (7.7 in)7.7 in (19.6 cm) · 594 cm² (92 in²)92 in² (594 cm²)
Width difference: 1.3 cm (0.5 in)0.5 in (1.3 cm) (4.4%) · Height difference: 0.8 cm (0.3 in)0.3 in (0.8 cm) (4.4%) · Area ratio: 1.09×
Both panels share a corner and are drawn at the same scale, so the extra width and height of the larger screen are true to size. Open these two in the full Screen Size Comparison ›
This exact 13.6″ vs 14.2″ overlay, pre-loaded. Swap the reference, change either panel, or flip units.
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Apple's 13-inch MacBook Air has a 13.6-inch screen that measures 29.0 cm (11.40 inches)11.40 inches (29.0 cm) wide by 18.8 cm (7.41 inches)7.41 inches (18.8 cm) tall, with about 545 cm² (85 square inches)85 square inches (545 cm²) of screen area. Apple measures the diagonal as a plain rectangle, and the visible area loses a little to the rounded top corners.

Dimensions
29.0 cm × 18.8 cm11.4" × 7.4"
11.4" × 7.4"29.0 cm × 18.8 cm
Screen area
85 sq in
545 cm²
Aspect ratio
1.54:1
34.5 cm (13.6") diagonal13.6" (34.5 cm) diagonal

How this is calculated

In metric, that's 29.0 cm wide by 18.8 cm tall, roughly 545 cm². The 2560×1664 panel works out to 224.5 PPI. Individual pixels stop being visible from about 39 cm (15 inches)15 inches (39 cm) away, so text stays smooth at normal laptop distances.

Verdict

Pick the 13-inch Air if you want the smaller of Apple's two Air screens and a panel that's sharp for text. It measures 29.0 cm (11.40 in)11.40 in (29.0 cm) wide by 18.8 cm (7.41 in)7.41 in (18.8 cm) tall for about 545 cm² (85 in²)85 in² (545 cm²) of area.

The 15-inch Air has about 26% more screen area, so it's the step up when this one feels cramped. The 14-inch MacBook Pro panel has about 9% more area than this one.

More Screen Size scenarios

24" 16:9 monitor
The classic desktop size: big enough for a browser plus sidebar, and it fits on any desk.
View details
27" 16:9 monitor
A 27-inch 16:9 monitor measures 23.53 inches (59.8 cm) wide by 13.24 inches (33.6 cm) tall, giving you about 312 square inches (2010 cm²) of screen area, excluding the bezel.
View details
32" 16:9 monitor
A 32-inch 16:9 monitor measures 27.89 inches (70.8 cm) wide by 15.69 inches (39.8 cm) tall, giving you about 438 square inches (2823 cm²) of screen area.
View details

Related guides

13.6" MacBook Air PPI
Pixel density of this exact 2560×1664 panel.
View guide
15.3" MacBook Air screen size
The larger Air panel, the step up from this one.
View guide
14.2" MacBook Pro screen size
The Pro panel at a close diagonal, with a similar shape.
View guide
13.3" 16:10 laptop screen size
A 13.3-inch laptop in a true 16:10 shape.
View guide
Screen size chart
Width, height and area of common screen sizes, in inches and cm.
View guide

Frequently asked questions

Is the 13-inch MacBook Air screen 16:10?
Not exactly. The panel's shape is 1.54:1, while true 16:10 works out to 1.60:1. That leaves it about 3% taller than a 16:10 panel of the same diagonal.
Is the 13-inch Air screen big enough for two windows side by side?
Yes. The panel is 11.4 inches wide, so a split view gives each app roughly half of that. That's enough room for a browser and a document at the same time, though neither gets much space.
How does the 13-inch Air compare with the 15-inch Air?
The 15-inch panel has about 26% more area, and it's 12.8 inches wide against 11.4 inches for this one. Its pixel density is 224.2 PPI, against 224.5 here.

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