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How big is the 15-inch MacBook Air screen? A 15.3-inch panel with exact dimensions

By TechCompare · Updated · How we check

A 15.3-inch MacBook Air screen (2880:1864 pixels) is about 32.6 cm (12.84 inches)12.84 inches (32.6 cm) wide and 21.1 cm (8.31 inches)8.31 inches (21.1 cm) tall. The shape works out to 1.55:1, a little taller than a true 16:10 panel.

The 15.3" MacBook Air panel next to a 13.6" MacBook Air reference

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

15.3" MacBook Air: 32.6 cm (12.8 in)12.8 in (32.6 cm) × 21.1 cm (8.3 in)8.3 in (21.1 cm) · 689 cm² (107 in²)107 in² (689 cm²)
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)
Width difference: 3.7 cm (1.4 in)1.4 in (3.7 cm) (11.2%) · Height difference: 2.3 cm (0.9 in)0.9 in (2.3 cm) (10.8%) · Area ratio: 0.79×
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 15.3″ vs 13.6″ overlay, pre-loaded. Swap the reference, change either panel, or flip units.
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Apple's 15-inch MacBook Air has a 15.3-inch screen that measures 32.6 cm (12.84 inches)12.84 inches (32.6 cm) wide by 21.1 cm (8.31 inches)8.31 inches (21.1 cm) tall, giving you about 689 cm² (107 square inches)107 square inches (689 cm²) of screen area. It's the bigger of the two Air sizes. Apple's footnote says the visible area is a little smaller than the full rectangle, because the top corners are rounded.

Dimensions
32.6 cm × 21.1 cm12.8" × 8.3"
12.8" × 8.3"32.6 cm × 21.1 cm
Screen area
107 sq in
689 cm²
Aspect ratio
1.55:1
38.9 cm (15.3") diagonal15.3" (38.9 cm) diagonal

How this is calculated

In metric, 32.6 cm wide by 21.1 cm tall, roughly 689 cm². The 2880×1864 panel works out to 224.2 PPI and holds 5.37 million pixels. That's 26% more pixels than the 13-inch Air, spread over a larger surface.

Verdict

Pick the 15-inch Air when you want the largest Air screen and can accept a bigger chassis than the 13-inch model. It measures 32.6 cm (12.84 in)12.84 in (32.6 cm) wide by 21.1 cm (8.31 in)8.31 in (21.1 cm) tall for about 689 cm² (107 in²)107 in² (689 cm²) of area. If it still feels cramped, the 16-inch MacBook Pro is the next size up.

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.
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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.
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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.
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Related guides

15.6" 1080p laptop PPI
Pixel density of a common 15.6-inch 1080p laptop panel.
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15.6" 16:10 laptop screen size
A 15.6-inch 16:10 panel at a close diagonal.
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16.2" MacBook Pro screen size
Apple's larger MacBook Pro panel, the next size up.
View guide
16:10 laptop ratio explained
Why 16:10 gives a laptop more height at the same width.
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Screen size chart
Width, height and area of common screen sizes, in inches and cm.
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Frequently asked questions

How big is a 15.3-inch MacBook Air screen in centimeters?
The screen is 32.6 × 21.1 cm (12.8 × 8.3 inches)12.8 × 8.3 inches (32.6 × 21.1 cm), which gives about 689 cm² (107 square inches)107 square inches (689 cm²) of area. Those figures cover the full rectangle Apple measures.
How does the 15-inch Air compare with the 16-inch Pro?
The 16-inch Pro has about 12% more area. Its pixel density is 254 PPI, against 224.2 here.
Is the 15-inch Air screen really 16:10?
Only roughly. The shape is 1.55:1, against 1.60:1 for true 16:10, so the panel is a little taller than a 16:10 panel of the same diagonal. Pixels blur together from about 39 cm (15 inches)15 inches (39 cm) away.

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