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Air or Pro as Replacement for 12" MacBook

Air or Pro?

  • Air

    Votes: 33 75.0%

  • Pro

    Votes: 11 25.0%
  • Total voters
    44
A

Apples555

macrumors regular
Original poster
Mar 4, 2012
188
26
I quite liked the 12" MacBook, mostly for its size and minimalist portable design while still retaining full MacOS functionality. I waited for an update since 2018, and now it's discontinued. Is the new Air a proper replacement? The Air is bigger, and I feel that at 13.3" Apple is suggesting I get the Pro. I'm comparing only the entry-level (cheapest) machines in each style.

Which is the better machine do you think, coming from that perspective? I'm referring to excellent portability (the 12" MB was so thin), decent power, great battery life. I love working outside. I've heard all kinds of negative things about the reliability of new Pros, both online and in-person.
 
The way I see it get what you can afford, there is not a big difference in weight and portability between the 2. I just got a 2018 MacBook Air 2 weeks ago and im very happy with it but with the new base model MBP I think it is the sweet spot for most people. It has a brighter screen, more powerful quad core and significantly better GPU.
 
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I'm in a similar situation as you. And right now I'm leaning towards the Pro!

I bought the baseline 12'' in 2015 and the last few months it's been a chore to use (battery is shot, sluggish app performacnce). I have a 2017 13'' pro at work that I love, and the recently updated model is getting great reviews. Air is the same machine from last year w/TrueTone.

Is it overkill to do 16gb ram on the Air? Thinking $1299 16gb air vs. $1499 16gb pro.
 
You are confused. The 2019 Air uses the same processor as the 2018 Air. There is no change there.
 
You're right, that same CPU shipped in the 2018 MacBook Air. I guess the Intel site is wrong.
 
Well now I'm not so sure lol. How about the reliability?

How much of a power downgrade am I looking at with the Air? The price difference is small.
 
Apples555 said:
Well now I'm not so sure lol. How about the reliability?

How much of a power downgrade am I looking at with the Air? The price difference is small.
Click to expand...

In multi core tasks the Pro will rip off the Air’s head and poo down it’s throat. But single core the difference will be less. What tasks will you be using it for?

I guess that’s the hard part though. The Pro 1.4 is not much more, and for those dollars you get a quad core. That’s pretty decent. But then another relatively small step up and you get the 2.4 with faster CPU, graphics, wifi, and SSD. But then add a few more dollars...

I think the 1.4 is the best value. I’d probably lean to the 2.4 because of the faster wifi, but my use isn’t typical. And in reality, my 2015 is still running well so I’m not going to go for either. Ultimately it’s a question of how much you are ok with an “ideal” spend and a “stretch” spend and go from there. Would I stretch to the 2.4. I think I probably would. But the 1.4 is right in my “ideal” spend range.
 
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If you're replacing the MacBook, you're good either way. Depending on your requirements, get most storage on an Air instead of the power of the Pro for the same price.
 
AustinIllini said:
If you're replacing the MacBook, you're good either way. Depending on your requirements, get most storage on an Air instead of the power of the Pro for the same price.
Click to expand...

Noted!

Do you think it's overkill to do 16gb ram on the Air? If I end up spending that much on upgrades, it pushes me into Pro pricing.
 
Apples555 said:
I quite liked the 12" MacBook, mostly for its size and minimalist portable design while still retaining full MacOS functionality. I waited for an update since 2018, and now it's discontinued. Is the new Air a proper replacement? The Air is bigger, and I feel that at 13.3" Apple is suggesting I get the Pro. I'm comparing only the entry-level (cheapest) machines in each style.

Which is the better machine do you think, coming from that perspective? I'm referring to excellent portability (the 12" MB was so thin), decent power, great battery life. I love working outside. I've heard all kinds of negative things about the reliability of new Pros, both online and in-person.
Click to expand...
Get the Pro. If you are going to lug around a heavy laptop, at least carry one around with power. The 13” Pro has a quad-core processor and brighter screen in the same size package as the Air.
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Apples555 said:
Well now I'm not so sure lol. How about the reliability?

How much of a power downgrade am I looking at with the Air? The price difference is small.
Click to expand...
The Air’s processor is about the same speed as the 2017 MacBook i7. Don’t be fooled by Intel’s “8th Generation” marketing. The Air is Apple’s laziest notebook design ever. It is not a worthy replacement for the innovative 12” MacBook. Get the MacBook Pro. If you need to carry around a brick, at least make sure it is powerful. The Air is an underpowered brick.
 
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