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2019 MBA Air vs 2017 MacBook Pro Non TouchBar

G

Grubster

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jun 25, 2010
185
33
So, I've been buying and selling MacBooks as a fun little hobby. Mostly 2017 MacBook Pro models (13"). I kept one and I have been loving it. I just ordered a 2019 MBA Air for what I believe is a steal and it still has active apple care+. It's a base model, with 128ssd/8gb RAM, where mine is a base model with 16GBRam/128GB SSD. I just use it for stuff like MS Teams, Virtual Desktop for work, iMessages, web browsing, video chats etc.. Basically a computer I can use in bed or around the house, and when I travel for work occasionally.

I see the main difference is the lighter weight, True Tone display, newer gen keyboard and slightly smaller trackpad on the Air vs. Pro. I do see the pro has a Wide Color Gamut p3. Any thought on which I should keep and which I should sell? I got a little click happy on e-bay and now have 4 laptops, but only will keep 1.. 3 2017 Pro's and 1 Air!
 
Didn't get any feedback from the group, but I'll share a bit. I ended up getting a couple benefits with the MBA I didn't expect. It has remaining AppleCare+ which I can extend, has 16gb RAM and I'm finding the touchID very handy! Side by side, they are VERY similar, with the Pro having better sound, but not by much. The touchpad feels snappier to me on the Air, maybe due to it being newer. So far I don't hear the fans as much on the air and it doesn't seem to get as hot, but I haven't done too much yet. The keyboard is a tad quieter. I probably will keep the air. The space bar is a bit mushy, but will see if it bothers me more or have the apple care take care of it.
 
Sorry the air has 16gb ram? Your original post was a bit confusing, made it sound like your pro had 16gb but your second post makes it seem like it’s the air. Whichever has more ram will be more future proof.
 
1BadManVan said:
Sorry the air has 16gb ram? Your original post was a bit confusing, made it sound like your pro had 16gb but your second post makes it seem like it’s the air. Whichever has more ram will be more future proof.
Click to expand...
So, they both have 16gb of RAM. when I ordered the air, the listing said 8GB, but when it showed up, it had 16gb.
 
Keep the Air. the non-touchbar Pro had 2 big issues for me:

1) flaky keyboard
2) there's a design flaw in that generation of MBPs where if you charge it from any port on the left side, it will overheat and the battery will degrade faster. The solution is to charge on the right side. Oh but this MBP only has ports on the left side. Mine has gone through a battery replacement every 1.5 year as a result...
 
owidhh said:
Keep the Air. the non-touchbar Pro had 2 big issues for me:

1) flaky keyboard
2) there's a design flaw in that generation of MBPs where if you charge it from any port on the left side, it will overheat and the battery will degrade faster. The solution is to charge on the right side. Oh but this MBP only has ports on the left side. Mine has gone through a battery replacement every 1.5 year as a result...
Click to expand...
thanks for the feedback. I have bought a number of the 2017’s and sold them. They mostly all had some problem that I fixed, Bad Ssd, bad keyboard, bad battery etc. mine I replaced the battery and Ssd myself and the keyboard is solid. Couple I bought I got apple to replace keyboard under th keyboard program which also gave me a new battery. Maybe I’ll try to sell it now while it’s working perfect! The air is really nice so maybe I’ll do that.
 
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