11-inch MBA vs 2016 13-inch MBP (image)

[fxbeta]

During Apple's presentation they compared the new 13" MBP against the 13" Air to show it was smaller. But I am used to the 11" Air and could not find any direct comparison between it and the new MBP. So I did a screengrab of the part where they overlaid the two 13-inchers and scaled a comparison image of the 11 and 13 inch airs so they would line up. This should give anyone who is interested a good representation of how the new MBP compares size-wise with the 11" Air:

 

[Nick11Mac]

Great comparison screen shots. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Pugly]

Very revealing comparison thanks for that. These new MBP are really quite small, it's hard to tell in still pictures of the computer by itself. The taper keeps the MBA from feeling very large. The footprint is kinda ridiculous compared to other Macs.

That MBP is a good replacement I think, not much bigger than the 11, good cpu, battery life and whatnot. Two ports, so at least I can charge it and attach things without a dongle.

It's just the $1500 price that's hard to take. The price with upgrades of my comparable 11" MBA was $1350 (256GB, 8GB, i7... which is very close in performance to this i5 as far as I can tell.)

Hidden in these prices is the default 256GB, which was about a $200 upgrade up and down the lineup before. Of course the price of flash should be coming down over years, but Apple choses to put ridiculously fast SSDs into these computers which makes it an even harder comparison.

At $1300 it would be one sweet computer. $1400 would be an okay price. $1500 is the painful price. But new models always have high prices for Apple. (except when they want to hit a 'magic' price point like an iPad or 2010 11" MBA)

 

[ccrgt]

Thanks so much for those pics. I ordered and paid for a 13 inch MBA on the weekend and when I went to pick it up and then saw the littler 11 inch next to it, the 13 inch looked huge ! So i returned the 13 inch and got the 11 inch MBA - a nice sidekick to my iPP 12.9, my 6S and my AW series 2. Loving the combo

 

[RPhoto]

Thanks for doing this. Quick question though, what 11" MBA did you use for the comparison? My 2012 is around 11.8" wide with more bezel between the keyboard and edges, making it almost the same width as the new 13" MBP.

 

[Boyd01]

My 2012 is around 11.8" wide with more bezel between the keyboard and edges, making it almost the same width as the new 13" MBP.

Good catch. It was a good exercise, but something is definitely wrong with the OP's image of the MBA. It seems to have a bit cropped off the left and right sides. That may be a problem with the source of his image? But my 2013 MBA has more space between the keyboard and left/right edges. And the other odd thing about the 11" MBA image is it appears to have a rounded edge at the bottom (below the trackpad). That area is completely flat on top.

I tend to agree that in reality, the 11" MBA is about the same width as the new MBP. If you are concerned about how the size compares, it's probably best to wait for a real photo. AFAIK there have been no design changes in the 11" MBA for a number of years. Here's a better shot that I found at pcworld.co.uk

 

[chabig]

At the Apple store near me, the 11" Air was next to the new MBP. I placed the Air on top for comparison. As an 11" Air owner, I am satisfied by the new smaller size of the 13" Pro. I will get one.

 

[RPhoto]

Good catch. It was a good exercise, but something is definitely wrong with the OP's image of the MBA. It seems to have a bit cropped off the left and right sides. That may be a problem with the source of his image?

The function keys look a little square as well, rather than thin and long plus the screen hinge is wrong. Maybe a really old model, the one with the hinge for ports at the side? Can't entirely remember what that one looked like now.

Very pleased with the reduced footprint on the new 13 MBP though as I love my 11" Air for the portability.

 

[Boyd01]

The function keys look a little square as well

Yes, definitely. Now that you mention it, the function keys on my MBA look skinnier than the ones in the photo I posted also. The real function keys aren't even half as tall as the QWERTY keys. I suppose a shadow could account for this though.

The OP definitely gets points for attempting the comparison, but unfortunately it's very misleading.

 

[RPhoto]

Yes, definitely. My 11" MBA looks like the photo I posted. The OP definitely gets points for attempting the comparison, but unfortunately it's very misleading.

Yep, credit where it's due to anyone who takes the time to knock up these things