Why is everything on MacBook Air screen larger than on MacBook Pro?

[CutePenguin06]

I own an M1 MacBook Pro for my personal use, my work gave me an M1 MacBook Air recently, and I've noticed everything on the screen of the MacBook Air is significantly larger than on the Pro model. Why is this? The screens have the same resolution size, it's kind of like the whole display on the Air is just zoomed in.

I've attached below screenshots so that it can be seen better.

 

[IngoX]

Yes, the native resolution is the same on those models. But they are set to different scaled resolutions. Compare in System Preferences > Display

Using a Retina display - Apple Support

The pixel density of Retina displays is so high that your eyes can't detect individual pixels at a normal viewing distance. This gives content incredible detail and dramatically improves your viewing experience.

support.apple.com

 

[CutePenguin06]

Yes, the native resolution is the same on those models. But they are set to different scaled resolutions. Compare in System Preferences > Display

Using a Retina display - Apple Support

The pixel density of Retina displays is so high that your eyes can't detect individual pixels at a normal viewing distance. This gives content incredible detail and dramatically improves your viewing experience.

support.apple.com

I completely forgot about this! I actually changed the scale on my Pro when I received it. This is a facepalm moment ?‍♀️ Thank you, user!

 

[mr_roboto]

Another factor: the 2021 14" and 16" MacBook Pros use 254 pixel-per-inch displays, while all older retina MBPs have 220 to 226 PPI displays. At non-scaled resolutions, things will look smaller on the 14" and 16".

 

[jdb8167]

Another factor: the 2021 14" and 16" MacBook Pros use 254 pixel-per-inch displays, while all older retina MBPs have 220 to 226 PPI displays. At non-scaled resolutions, things will look smaller on the 14" and 16".

They were comparing an M1 MacBook Air to an M1 MacBook Pro which have the same display PPI. The mini LED displays aren’t relevant to their question which is now resolved anyway.