13" M1 Pro (2020) vs. 15" M2 Air -- is there ANY advantage to the older Pro now?

[RobbyIdol]

I've compared my current 13" M1 Pro purchased in 2020 upon launch of the first gen M1 chip to the latest 15" Air and I'm struggling to find the spot where this Pro exceeds the new Air, either in performance or general interaction (display, sound quality, etc). Am I missing something?

My current machine:
- 13" M1 Pro (2020)
- 8GB RAM
- 512 SSD

Possible Air upgrade:
- 15" M2 Air
- 16GB RAM
- 1TB SSD

Aside from obvious upgrades in RAM/storage, I'm curious if I'd be downgrading any other aspect of daily use from my Pro to the new Air? Are the 500 nit displays the same quality (aside from size)?

I'm waiting for Max Tech's detailed analysis of audio quality out of the 15" Air before buying. I know the 16" Pro has the best sound in a laptop today, but I'm not considering that model due to general overkill for my personal usage. I find the previous generation Air audio quality to be thin/tinny and I like the slightly fuller sound coming out of my 13" Pro. I'm hoping the 6-speaker system in the 15" Air makes up for that and sounds at least as decent as the 13" Pro.

 

[macbook123]

I think the display is better on the Pro, the bezels are smaller, and there are more useful ports.

 

[chrfr]

I've compared my current 13" M1 Pro purchased in 2020 upon launch of the first gen M1 chip to the latest 15" Air and I'm struggling to find the spot where this Pro exceeds the new Air, either in performance or general interaction (display, sound quality, etc). Am I missing something?

My current machine:
- 13" M1 Pro (2020)
- 8GB RAM
- 512 SSD

Possible Air upgrade:
- 15" M2 Air
- 16GB RAM
- 1TB SSD

Aside from obvious upgrades in RAM/storage, I'm curious if I'd be downgrading any other aspect of daily use from my Pro to the new Air? Are the 500 nit displays the same quality (aside from size)?

I'm waiting for Max Tech's detailed analysis of audio quality out of the 15" Air before buying. I know the 16" Pro has the best sound in a laptop today, but I'm not considering that model due to general overkill for my personal usage. I find the previous generation Air audio quality to be thin/tinny and I like the slightly fuller sound coming out of my 13" Pro. I'm hoping the 6-speaker system in the 15" Air makes up for that and sounds at least as decent as the 13" Pro.

You have the 2020 13" MacBook Pro, with the M1 chip, not a 14" MacBook Pro with M1 Pro chip, correct?
The M1 Pro is an entirely separate chip but wasn't sold with 8GB of RAM. The 15" M2 MacBook Air will almost certainly outperform whatever you're doing with the 13", but in general performance differences aren't so large from M1 to M2 that an upgrade would otherwise make sense.

 

[RobbyIdol]

You have the 2020 13" MacBook Pro, with the M1 chip, not a 14" MacBook Pro with M1 Pro chip, correct?
The M1 Pro is an entirely separate chip but wasn't sold with 8GB of RAM. The 15" M2 MacBook Air will almost certainly outperform whatever you're doing with the 13", but in general performance differences aren't so large from M1 to M2 that an upgrade would otherwise make sense.

Correct, 2020 13" M1 chip. The earliest version of the transition from Intel to M1 chips. It's amazing still, so no complaints. I just miss the larger screen without going overkill on specs like a 16" Pro would for my usage, and I love the starlight color option.

I do notice a huge quality difference between my wife's 13" M1 Air from 2020 vs. my 13" M1 Pro. The Air much dimmer than my Pro, and the color contrast is not as strong. So I worry even the latest 15" Airs won't have as good brightness/contrast/color display as my 13" Pro even if it's a larger screen.

 

[JPack]

Black level and contrast are better on the MBP 13. I'm not sure how actively cooled M1 vs. passively cooled M1 would turn out.

 

[deef]

I'm in the same boat, but with a heavily customized TouchBar which will keep my MBP going a long time...