11" or 13"

[johndoejohndoes]

I'm having a massive debate inside...I first wanted an iPad for on the go but I decided to go for an Air.

All these new bumps are awesome and I'm debating between 2.

High End 11 or Low end 13

Only $100 difference...and that's not an issue.

The 11" is more portable and has better viewing Angels (from what I've read)

But the 13" has a larger trackpad, 1.7 GHZ, longer battery, and supposed worse viewing angles?

I sit in front of my laptop (don't look from the side or anything) but just want to make sure the 13" is nice to look at.

Help me! :D

Vote and tell me why - You hold the power!

EDIT - I'm going 11! :D

[jessica.]

13" imo.

[johndoejohndoes]

This (http://youtu.be/31g0YE61PLQ) is how I feel having to make this tough decision.

[rayyu882]

11" for me. I already have a 13" MBP which it is too big and heavy for my travel use.

[fkhan3]

13" is the lowest screen size I'll buy. Viewing angle is negligible IMO.

[Jobsian]

It depends on your use.

If you are truly going to be carrying the thing around, even around the house I find the 11" absolutely delightful and hands down the best notebook created. Noticeably lighter, so practical. I have recommended the 11" Air to most people I know. I think there was a thread about it here but from memory most of those that used both the 11" and the 13" ended up preferring the 11".

But it's all about needs as well. If you need to push the CPU a lot or you need extra battery eg frequent long flights, then 13" is the one to go for.

You can't go wrong either way :)

[Starfyre]

If this were the previous generation macbook air, then 13'' is more likely due to availability of higher specced processors. Since the 13'' and 11'' have the same CPU and disk space options and only different is battery....

11'' makes more sense to me for portability.

[deadlystriker]

Ultimate 11" is a no brainer if you have a cinema display, or even better, plan to get the new thunderbolt display.

If it will be your sole computer, 13".

[mac jones]

I've had both, and used both for quite a while.

I like the 11", but that's just me.

It's a toss up in the end though.

I like to use it in bed and on the couch on my lap, and the 11" is very good for this (obviously).

They are both very nice, but some people have problems with the 11" i hear.

Don't know why, seems more than fine for me.

Note: I tried the 13" MBP and it was terrible for me. The resolution with this version is too low for this day and age. They need to upgrade it.

[johndoejohndoes]

It depends on your use.

If you are truly going to be carrying the thing around, even around the house I find the 11" absolutely delightful and hands down the best notebook created. Noticeably lighter, so practical. I have recommended the 11" Air to most people I know. I think there was a thread about it here but from memory most of those that used both the 11" and the 13" ended up preferring the 11".

But it's all about needs as well. If you need to push the CPU a lot or you need extra battery eg frequent long flights, then 13" is the one to go for.

You can't go wrong either way :)

These new ones are 2.5 lbs....were they that light before? I thought they were 3.5lbs.

[Jobsian]

Ultimate 11" is a no brainer if you have a cinema display, or even better, plan to get the new thunderbolt display.

If it will be your sole computer, 13".
11" sole user here, couldn't be happier :)

[Starfyre]

These new ones are 2.5 lbs....were they that light before? I thought they were 3.5lbs.

The previous 11 incher was:
2.3 pounds (1.06 kg)

So the new ones are slightly heavier.

[johndoejohndoes]

The previous 11 incher was:
2.3 pounds (1.06 kg)

So the new ones are slightly heavier.
Their 2.38 exact...so probably around the same.

I was saying 2.5 because that's their average lol

[johndoejohndoes]

I read the battery life is down to 4:45 when it was 5:15 last year...the 13" is around 6:15...

Is the $100 worth it?!

[WardC]

What, what!?!? Where is your option for "both" -- I own both of them!! :D

[DaveOZ]

I couldn't decide when they first came out so I ended up with both.

After a month or so I gave the 11" to my mum and kept the 13".

1. Screen - the 11" is great and almost worked for me but there are a couple of Windows applications that I use in VM Fusion that did not fit on the screen. This became very annoying.

2. SD slot. I use it a lot. I have now taken to syncing all my docs on a 16GB SD card which I keep in my wallet. This means I use the slot on my Air a lot to keep it synced with my work Mac. It's amazing how fast the SD card is for this and how convenient it is to carry. Using a USB reader is just too much of a pain for me.

These are the only two reasons for me. Other than that the 11" is a very capable computer ........ I might even buy a new one. ;)

[PaulWog]

I love how even the voting is.

[shurcooL]

If you're gonna use it just for media consumption and some light document writing, 11" is fine.

If you wanna get some serious work done, I'd recommend 13". Bigger screen, much higher resolution, it's more comfortable to work in for longer time.

[shurcooL]

2. SD slot. I use it a lot. I have now taken to syncing all my docs on a 16GB SD card which I keep in my wallet. This means I use the slot on my Air a lot to keep it synced with my work Mac. It's amazing how fast the SD card is for this and how convenient it is to carry. Using a USB reader is just too much of a pain for me.
I used to do that too, until I discovered this (http://db.tt/uINDg6O). :)

[KPOM]

I switched to the 11" earlier this year and won't look back. It's a great form factor.

Note that the 1.7GHz i5 in the 13" turbo boosts to 2.7GHz (vs 2.3GHz for the 1.6GHz in the 11"), so the 13" does have a nicer base processor. However, if you opt for the Core i7, you get the same one in the 11" as you do in the 13".

[miamialley]

None. How about a 15" MBA?

[xkmxkmxlmx]

Sweet I am the current tying vote! Go 13!

(typing this from an 11, though).

[bp1000]

Great poll, 35 a piece at the time of posting this.

I would image the 11" is an awesome laptop for school and college/university users, perfect even.

For the business user like myself i will be on it for 12 - 14 hours a day so the bigger screen and palm rests come in handy, in contrast to being on and off it during lectures/lessons.

So depends how mobile you are.

If i'm not in the office i'm in a hotel or another office or on trains/planes so the 13" is a great inbetween as the 15" MBP is too big.

Both are awesome and hit the spot perfectly and this poll shows that, so far.

[reputationZed]

I went for the 13" despite theapael of the 11"s portability. The deciding factor for me wasn't so much the screen size as verical resolution, 768 pixels in hieght just feels a bit to squashed to me.

[MattZani]

I went for the 13", but then I'm going to use it for productivity.

[h00ligan]

Sd card , extra battery, and exta pixels for 100 more, with just over half a pound penalty. No brainer! :D

[Big D 51]

I went with 13" bc I use it as main computer with no external screen. Still compact enough for planes.

[nexsta]

I have a workstation hackintosh at home and first wanted the 11" as a secondary computer, the form factor was the main reason I choosed it over the 13".

Now after a lot of thinking I think I go with the 13"

I know after using the Macbook Air with his fast SSD, all the Lion gestures, the "you can work everywhere feeling" the whole futuristic experience will never want me to go back to my old big loud power-hungry static machine to work, I will still use my workstation to play the latest games, but it's very rare that I play a game. I want my Macbook Air to be my main computer, the 11" isn't capable to be a main computer, it's better looking and is more portable but I think the screen is just to small to work many hours on it. I will still check them both out at a store before I order the 13" :)

[Xaron]

Quite difficult, I have to make the same decision.

I'll go for a 11" ultimate. Currently I have a Samsung N510 (11.6", same resolution) and it's quite nice beside the Atom CPU. Even though it's rather small I'm comfortable with it and will use it as my main book for traveling and at home as well.

[Chopstick217]

Sd card , extra battery, and exta pixels for 100 more, with just over half a pound penalty. No brainer! :D

My thoughts exactly :)

[norsemen]

My thoughts exactly :)

And from the initial test results, the SSD (at least the 256 GB) is better in the 13"

[mac jones]

A very difficult thing this. I have the 11" and like it lots and lots, But i'm torn. But as everyone say's, you can't go wrong, either way.

flip a coin? :D

[arctic]

And from the initial test results, the SSD (at least the 256 GB) is better in the 13"

I hope we can get an elaborate AnandTech findings about this. Also some posters are saying that despite the same i5, the 13" turbo boosts to 2.7 GHz while the 11" boosts only to 2.3 GHz. :confused:

[KPOM]

I hope we can get an elaborate AnandTech findings about this. Also some posters are saying that despite the same i5, the 13" turbo boosts to 2.7 GHz while the 11" boosts only to 2.3 GHz. :confused:

It's a 1.6GHz Core i5 in the 11" and a 1.7GHz Core i5 in the 13". The 1.7GHz model is more advanced and has a higher turbo boost. The Core i7s are identical in both models.

[strwrsfrk]

I used to do that too, until I discovered this (http://db.tt/uINDg6O). :)

Dropbox is great, but like many people, I don't like putting my documents on the cloud. I also try to avoid write operations on my device if possible. I bought a 64GB SDXC class 10 card on eBay for about $75 that holds all of my iTunes media, handles my downloads, and keeps my Xcode project files for my 13" MBA. Even if I utilized cloud storage, I prefer not to keep my iTunes media on the local SSD.

Th SDXC slot is great not just for moving around documents from machine to machine, but it's the only practical way at the moment to upgrade the storage on the MBA's. Paying $700+ to go from 256GB to 340GB is too rich for many people. But $70-$120 for an extra 64GB SDXC card (or more for up to 128GB) for document/media storage is a great deal in comparison.

[johndoejohndoes]

It's pretty close.

If this question is answered it will decide which one I get.

Does the viewing angle on the 13" suck compared to the 11"

Supposedly it does according to this guy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zy9tJJuExr0&feature=relmfu
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXVcASL5v7s&feature=relmfu

[SaintsMac]

I went with the 11 as I travel a lot and will be getting a monitor as well for the home use.

[urkel]

I'm flip flopping all over the place trying to figure out which is right for me. My only heavy App is Aperture and Sandy Bridge handles it even better than my 09 MBP ever did so I'm not worried about performance. It's more about how it fits in my life,

The 11" has a smaller footprint, cheaper price and more portability, but as an IPad user then if I travel I'm more likely to take my iPad than Air.

The 13" has a bigger screen and SD which both are useful for portable photo work.

So my final decision is more longterm. The Pros are due for a hardware redesign so I'm not getting that and I'm leaning towards the 13 for the more usable size... But my opinions change every hour so who knows.

[charpi]

I like the 13", but I always asked myself, if thats the case, why shouldn't I go for the 13" MBP? The size is roughly the same, just that the MBP is thicker, but still thin enough to fit in most cases, and it has better specs (thats debatable tho).

So I went for the 11" LOL. I know this may not be a good reason, but thats my train of thought :)

[smeade]

Sd card , extra battery, and exta pixels for 100 more, with just over half a pound penalty. No brainer! :D

I don't know processors so I have to ask: One thing that makes it not a no-brainer for me was the cpu. Does it make any difference in deciding between high-end 11 and low-end 13 that the 11 has 1.8GHz i7 w/ 4MB cache while the 13 has 1.7GH i5 w/ 3MB cache? Is there not enough performance bump between the i7 and i5 to make it a consideration or is the i5 plenty of power?

edited: nm - I see by the "Only $100 difference..." that OP's not asking about ultimate 11" vs. base 13". By "high end" the OP means the 128 GB model. Thanks.

[newdeal]

when I look at the two side by side the 13" looks much better. for the extra money you get a lot more but for me the biggest thing is longer battery life, larger trackpad for easier gestures, better (imo) aspect ratio on the screen. the only problem is its hard to justify it over the pro. only thing I like better than the pro is the screen res and the fact that the palm rest on the air doesn't slice into your wrist (which for me is worth getting the air over the pro) its hard to spend a grand though when my iPad 2 does everything I need lol.

[kilonet]

For me 11" was a no braner:

Most of the time I use it in school or at home on my lap. So the lighter and smaller the better.

I have also old 19" display where I can connect it if I need to have a bigger picture (LOL!).

I went for 11", i7, 128gb. The 13" is still not as portable or fun being bigger. If I need more real power I would rather opt for mini or imac.

[solowmodel]

If you have other main computers and portability is the main concern, I'd recommend the 11".

The footprint is great, about the size of a pad of A4 paper/magazine which makes carrying it around extremely convenient.

The lightness and the footprint are just top notch. The screen real estate is actually surprisingly comfortable, and if you have another main computer I guess it won't be a problem as you could carry out your heavy duty tasks on your main.

I'd recommend the 11" without any reservations :)

[Chilulu]

I was really torn as well, but here are the reasons I went with the 11-inch model, along with reasons which neutralize some benefits for the 13-inch people have raised. I know these mostly apply to my specific situation, and many may not apply to most readers, but I'll share just in case...


Enhanced portability - I already have a 13-inch MBP among other laptops which are portable, but only the 11-inch Air provides significant additional portability.
Footprint - I live in Japan, where space is a premium. Cafe tables are usually small and if I bring this to work, my desk space is quite limited as well.
Touchpad - the smaller surface area of the touchpad as compared to the 13-inch model is more than sufficient for my small hands/fingers.
Screen size - I don't plan on doing anything on the Air, which requires/benefits significantly from having more than the 11-inch offers. (I have other machines for gaming, drawing/diagramming, etc.)
Battery life - My 2010 MBP currently lasts for 5 hours when I'm actively using it, and I've never found myself draining it to zero as per my usage patterns. I believe the Air will eventually be its replacement for me. According to initial reports, the 11-inch will last for 4.75 hours, which is not too different from the MBP.
SSD Speed - The 13-inch SSD is reportedly much faster than the 11-inch model, but based on my experiences using a wide range of SSDs (all my Windows/Mac machines use SSD) I doubt I'll notice/miss the speed difference.
Reduced Keyboard Size - Again, small hands/fingers, so not an issue.
CPU - I got the i7 for the 11-inch, which is the same CPU in the high-end 13" mode.
RAM - Maxed out 4GB, which is the same limit on the 13" model.
SSD Capacity - Maxed out to 256GB, which is the same limit on the 13" model.
Wow Factor - I think the 11-inch model tends to turn more heads than the 13" model.
Overall Performance Difference - This will probably only be evident (if at all) in resource intensive applications like games. I don't plan or want to game on an Air. I have a dedicated gaming rig, PS3, PSP, etc. for that.


So, all these factors (which could have gone either way) led me to the 11-inch model.

Anyway, In the end, I think both models are awesome computers. Any Air is awesome actually.

[flight24]

The 13"

At this point this refreshed MBA 13 could realistically replace the MBP 13 for a lot customers. It's powerful enough to do that currently.

Of course if you are a heavy video/pics editor...you probably would even be buying a 13" to begin with.

For me personally, as a medical student the 13" MBA is perfect! This will be my main computer for many of the reasons people already mentioned in this thread.

[johndoejohndoes]

Random Question...but is there a way to Edit The Poll!

Btw - I'm going 11 :D

[shurcooL]

I used to do that too, until I discovered this (http://db.tt/uINDg6O). :)
Dropbox is great, but like many people, I don't like putting my documents on the cloud. I also try to avoid write operations on my device if possible. I bought a 64GB SDXC class 10 card on eBay for about $75 that holds all of my iTunes media, handles my downloads, and keeps my Xcode project files for my 13" MBA. Even if I utilized cloud storage, I prefer not to keep my iTunes media on the local SSD.

Th SDXC slot is great not just for moving around documents from machine to machine, but it's the only practical way at the moment to upgrade the storage on the MBA's. Paying $700+ to go from 256GB to 340GB is too rich for many people. But $70-$120 for an extra 64GB SDXC card (or more for up to 128GB) for document/media storage is a great deal in comparison.
But people are saying the SD cards stick out from the slot quite a bit. How much is it, and can you get away keeping the card there 24/7? Or do you take it out.

I hear what you mean about Xcode project files. I usually make a ram-drive and copy my projects that I work on in there, so I can recompile all without using HDD/SSD.

P.S. Thanks to the two guys who've used my referral to Dropbox. I hope you enjoy your free extra 250 MB (or 500 MB if you're a student) of storage there. :)