I just dont like the look of the 15 inch. The keyboard looks weird with all that space on the sides. Plus with the 13 inch it is $200 cheaper so more room for upgrades.
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Did you go for the 15” or 13” MacBook Air and why?
- Thread starter helloapple1
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but with a cramped display
15” because the 2017 MBP was my favorite size ever. Basically the same thing.
I'd upgrade to a 15" screen. The 13" is too cramped and nearly unusable, IMHO.
I upgraded from the 13.3 inch M1 MBA 8/512 to a 15 inch skyblue M4 16/512. BB matched the 15% off Microcenter pricing that was running last month. 95% of the time the MBA was at home, and that will be the case for the new one.
I also upgraded my M1 IPP to the M4, so I have 13 inch size with the magic keyboard if I want a smaller package to transport.
The 15 inch display is much easier on my almost 72 year old eyes. I considered the 14 inch MBP, but the M4 IPP has a better display than the MBP, and I really don't need fans or more ports than the MBA has.
If we travel, my wife has an M2 MBA and an 11 inch M1 IPP. She didn't want to upgrade, nor was there any real need given her usage.
Very happy with the 15 inch.
I also upgraded my M1 IPP to the M4, so I have 13 inch size with the magic keyboard if I want a smaller package to transport.
The 15 inch display is much easier on my almost 72 year old eyes. I considered the 14 inch MBP, but the M4 IPP has a better display than the MBP, and I really don't need fans or more ports than the MBA has.
If we travel, my wife has an M2 MBA and an 11 inch M1 IPP. She didn't want to upgrade, nor was there any real need given her usage.
Very happy with the 15 inch.
I went back and forth and agonized over which size to get. Ultimately I decided I much prefer the form factor of the 13". I did use that $200 savings and upgraded my storage.
The only way I could know is by going to an Apple Store or Best Buy or other retailer and try each model out for yourself.
Have a set budget. Then see what you like in your budget. If you can spend a little more over budget to get something well spec but in the middle range of cost then you should just slightly spend more. Meaning if it is like $50 to get double the ram then you should do it. Just don't overspend either on the flip side.
Size is personal. Some like smaller and lighter just for the feel of it. Some don't care. Some want more power or largest screen available even at the cost of weight or portability. So there is no answer I can give other than buy what fits in your priorities and budget. Never future proof but get in the middle, not cheap but not crazy expensive either.
Use what you have either as long as you can or replace it every 3 years or so. Either way overspending will not buy you much time anyway. But if cost is similar say for an air 15" and a 14" MBP and it is a need to upgrade then that may be a more relevant discussion to consider a 14" Pro for a variety of reasons over an air 15" IMHO.
Otherwise the 13.6" is pretty much the sweet spot for a thin and light laptop. I love mine but everyone who loves the 15" is right or the MBP 14" or 16" or on and on. Everyone is right and it is nice we have so many options to get exactly want someone wants within a certain parameter.
Have a set budget. Then see what you like in your budget. If you can spend a little more over budget to get something well spec but in the middle range of cost then you should just slightly spend more. Meaning if it is like $50 to get double the ram then you should do it. Just don't overspend either on the flip side.
Size is personal. Some like smaller and lighter just for the feel of it. Some don't care. Some want more power or largest screen available even at the cost of weight or portability. So there is no answer I can give other than buy what fits in your priorities and budget. Never future proof but get in the middle, not cheap but not crazy expensive either.
Use what you have either as long as you can or replace it every 3 years or so. Either way overspending will not buy you much time anyway. But if cost is similar say for an air 15" and a 14" MBP and it is a need to upgrade then that may be a more relevant discussion to consider a 14" Pro for a variety of reasons over an air 15" IMHO.
Otherwise the 13.6" is pretty much the sweet spot for a thin and light laptop. I love mine but everyone who loves the 15" is right or the MBP 14" or 16" or on and on. Everyone is right and it is nice we have so many options to get exactly want someone wants within a certain parameter.
It's good to have options. Neither of the sizes are unusably small for everyone or unbearably massive for everyone. If you need or want something bigger than the 13", there's the 15". If you need or want something more portable than the 15", there's the 13". I myself have a 13" M4 that I use for work to bring between home and my classroom every day. I appreciate the smaller size, lighter weight, and smaller footprint on my crowded desk at school. At home I have a 15" M3. I enjoy the larger screen in an environment where I'm not toting it around every day and have more room on my desk for it. It's a solid balance, and like @Technerd108 said, everyone is right in their own preference
You can't get a 15" into a hotel room safe.
If you are using it at home on a desk, the 15" is fine.
Anytime you need to put it in a backpack, school bag, hand luggage etc, then go with the 13".
If you are using it at home on a desk, the 15" is fine.
Anytime you need to put it in a backpack, school bag, hand luggage etc, then go with the 13".
Picked mine up today. A few more thoughts
Overall, very happy with this machine, and I plan to use it for years...
- In the Apple Store, the 13 inch looks significantly smaller than the 15 inch to the point you think "Is the 13 inch too small?" But when you are sitting down actually using the 13 inch, the screen size and form factor is definitely large enough.
- Sky Blue is a great color. IMO, the best colors they have released with these MacBooks are Sky Blue, Starlight, Silver or Space Grey in either order, then Midnight. Midnight still gets too many fingerprints.
- It is definitely cool to be able to comfortably pick up the MacBook Air with one hand, while the MacBook is open, from the lower left or right corner to move it around. That was somewhat difficult with the 15 inch.
- Also - I am starting with the "more space" display setting - it makes text look crisper to me, and gives the screen a bit more space.
Overall, very happy with this machine, and I plan to use it for years...
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Your 14" MBP is .2 lbs heavier.
The 13" MBA is .5 lbs lighter.
My wife carries her 15" MBA around in her larger purse.
Curious as to what you use to transport your laptop.
I went for a 14-inch M4 Pro MacBook Pro after almost buying a 15-inch MBA. And while I am very happy with my purchase, there is no question that the 15-inch Air is lighter than my Pro. In fact, it feels like more than .2 lbs. Either Air is no problem in terms of weight.
To me the 14 Pro feels a lot lighter than the 15 Air. This is what I transport it in.
I got the 13 inch. When I at home, it's hooked up to 2 monitors. When I am on the go, it's easier to open up on a car.
The other week I switched from a 15” M3 to a 13” M4. I’m kind of regretting it because of how cramped the screen feels. It feels like half the screen is gone lol. Not sure if I’m going to return it and go back to the 15”. I do love how portable the 13 is though.
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its a very confusing situation but thats sort of how I felt.
I also just didn't want to pay anything when my M2 15" was working fine for my uses. I ended up returning my 13" and going back to 15" with a newfound appreciation for it. But glad to have experimented..
For whatever reason, I think my 15" has quite a bit better battery life. I think I saw it go down quicker on my m4 13" even a week or so after 'settling' / indexing
I have both now that I "panic bought" a US stock 15" MBA M4 before the new tariffs affect prices. I have always had 13" for travel but these MBAs in 15" size, while noticeably bigger, should still travel pretty well. But If I find it to be a hassle, I'll go back to taking the 13" M2 and mostly use the 15" at home. We'll see when I toss the 15" in my weekend backpack or laptop tote bag for an airline trip. BTW, it is only day one with the 15" M4 and the battery life seems to be crazy good. I am old enough to remember traveling with 7 pound laptops that had an hour and a half of battery life. So, these MBAs are all good!
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I hear this rationale from people & it doesn’t make sense to me. The font size isn’t any bigger on the 15” thanks to Apple’s retina DPI spec, just the amount of things you can fit on the screen at once. So I don’t understand how this helps aging eyes.
With browsers and other apps you can set the default zoom to something bigger then 100%. I use 125% on my 15".
Back in the pre-Retina days, Apple sold the iBook G4 in 12- and 14-inch sizes — but both had the same resolution. So the larger model didn’t give you more screen real estate, just bigger text and icons. Fast forward to today: both sizes of the MacBook Air have the same pixel density (around 224 PPI), so the larger screen doesn’t blow things up — it just feels more immersive.
Yes, the font in the OS operating menus seems to be the same size which seems small on the 15". But in the apps where you live 99% of the time you can usually make font and size settings that take advanatage of the biger screen.
The 15" Air weighs 270g more than the 13" Air, that's an extra 22%. In a daily commute bag that makes a noticeable difference. For me, the smaller footprint of the 13" is also much more pleasant and less unwieldy – on the couch, in the car, in an airplane etc. For desk-only use I'd probably get a big fat 16" MBP. Or a mini
Now, I've lived with large laptops for many years, I had the 17" unibody MBPs and the aluminium one before that. It's not like I couldn't handle those. But times and priorities change. Comparing the 13" and 15" Airs side by side at the Apple Store I had no doubt that the 13" was the right size for me. If both cost the same it would have been a tighter race, but with the 15" being substantially more expensive the 13" was the clear winner for me.
that's your laptop case and you're worried about the less than a pound difference of weight in the laptop?
Well, if you're holding the laptop with the screen open or at the corner, the larger 15" MBA can seem heavier, based on weight distribution.
But transporting them closed, the 14" MBP definitely is heavier to me.
Do you walk around with your screen open or hold it by the corner a lot?