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Help deciding MacBook Air 15 inches or MacBook Pro 14? M5 chip

eco7777

eco7777

macrumors regular
Original poster
I currently use a MacBook Pro m1 and I have always used MBP computers.

I understand that the MB Air M5 with a few twists would work perfectly for the things I am doing nowadays, just a couple of games thru Steam, War Thunder and normal Office and musician's apps.

Can the 15 inch deliver? I supposed it will be better than the M1 I currently own.

Any ideas and thank you in advance!
 
I’m switching from M3 Air to M5 Pro because my laptop gets hot and seems to have issues with my 32” 4K external monitor. There’s input lag and GUI lag. Copilot tells me my issues will be solved with a laptop that doesn’t throttle and has a fan and higher memory bandwidth. Who knows but I got a great deal on it. Good luck with your decision.
 
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I had a 13" M2 MBA. I liked it but got an M4 MBP which I loved but someone stole it. Went back with an M5 MBP. Both are extremely capable machines for most users. From what your use cases sound like, I'm sure the M5 MBA would be just fine but I might opt for 24GB on RAM. I mostly picked the MBP because of the HDMI port, bigger battery, and the 14" size is the sweet spot for me. Easier to fit in my backpack and use on a plane when needed and easier to set up and use in my truck when I have to. It doesn't hurt that the speakers are great as well. I don't think you can go wrong with either to be honest.
 
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aggie99 said:
I had a 13" M2 MBA. I liked it but got an M4 MBP which I loved but someone stole it. Went back with an M5 MBP. Both are extremely capable machines for most users. From what your use cases sound like, I'm sure the M5 MBA would be just fine but I might opt for 24GB on RAM. I mostly picked the MBP because of the HDMI port, bigger battery, and the 14" size is the sweet spot for me. Easier to fit in my backpack and use on a plane when needed and easier to set up and use in my truck when I have to. It doesn't hurt that the speakers are great as well. I don't think you can go wrong with either to be honest.
Click to expand...
TY, I am going MBA just for the 15 and my MBP M1 works like a charm so the MBA m5 should suffice for my needs for now.
 
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I am in the same dilemma.

I have the M1, 16gb/1tb model. I also have a gaming PC that sees most of my gaming action. However, there are games I play a lot of that have Mac versions (World of Warcraft). Gaming isn't a big reason I want to upgrade, but it's a use case.
I'm in general starting to feel the slowness from a 6 year old laptop and am looking to upgrade. In WoW, I can feel the performance hit when it throttles.
Option 1: Just get the new M5 Air. I figure even when it throttles, it's still faster than my M1 Air. And I can get the 15" version. I will be trading in my old M1 so I need to see which 1tb models they stock in stores for this.
Option 2: Get the base MacBook Pro M5 , but go for 24/1tb. This gives me the extra port I need and some active cooling. Only one fan though and I think the base M5 Pro and Air benchmark close to each other.
Option 3: Get the MacBook M5 Pro. Since I'm upgrading the RAM/SSD on the base Pro, the difference isn't much. Am I correct in thinking I should either go budget on the M5 Air, or just get the MacBook M5 Pro for the extra cooling and juice?
 
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I am coming from a 13" M2 MBA and I just got a 14" M5 MBP (base model). I could have gotten the Air but I really wanted that screen. Not regretting it so far. But the Air is just equally capable.
 
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Brammy said:
I am in the same dilemma.

I have the M1, 16gb/1tb model. I also have a gaming PC that sees most of my gaming action. However, there are games I play a lot of that have Mac versions (World of Warcraft). Gaming isn't a big reason I want to upgrade, but it's a use case.
I'm in general starting to feel the slowness from a 6 year old laptop and am looking to upgrade. In WoW, I can feel the performance hit when it throttles.
Option 1: Just get the new M5 Air. I figure even when it throttles, it's still faster than my M1 Air. And I can get the 15" version. I will be trading in my old M1 so I need to see which 1tb models they stock in stores for this.
Option 2: Get the base MacBook Pro M5 , but go for 24/1tb. This gives me the extra port I need and some active cooling. Only one fan though and I think the base M5 Pro and Air benchmark close to each other.
Option 3: Get the MacBook M5 Pro. Since I'm upgrading the RAM/SSD on the base Pro, the difference isn't much. Am I correct in thinking I should either go budget on the M5 Air, or just get the MacBook M5 Pro for the extra cooling and juice?
Click to expand...
Yeap but I am not doing more than some music, war thunder and office work, browsing on the new Mac.
So my real question is: Is the MBA M5 more capable than my MBP M1?
 
ManuCH said:
I am coming from a 13" M2 MBA and I just got a 14" M5 MBP (base model). I could have gotten the Air but I really wanted that screen. Not regretting it so far. But the Air is just equally capable.
Click to expand...
I own a 14 M1, great machine it has been. Just almost hitting it's 5th or 6th year.
 
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I am in the same situation as you are. I will be upgrading now before 2027. I think that I may stay in the MBP lane at the end of the day because of, among other nitpicks, the brighter screen, the ports and the fan. I'll be trading in my trusty M1 Pro to get a little credit into the transaction.

Good luck!
 
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pakupakuman said:
I am in the same situation as you are. I will be upgrading now before 2027. I think that I may stay in the MBP lane at the end of the day because of, among other nitpicks, the brighter screen, the ports and the fan. I'll be trading in my trusty M1 Pro to get a little credit into the transaction.

Good luck!
Click to expand...
Yeap, I am taking a trip to an Apple Store but think I am going to go MBP again. I'll see if I cn make it before the end of the World.
 
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eco7777 said:
I currently use a MacBook Pro m1 and I have always used MBP computers.

I understand that the MB Air M5 with a few twists would work perfectly for the things I am doing nowadays, just a couple of games thru Steam, War Thunder and normal Office and musician's apps.

Can the 15 inch deliver? I supposed it will be better than the M1 I currently own.

Any ideas and thank you in advance!
Click to expand...

I imagine the new Air is more powerful. I have a personal MacBook Pro 14”. My previous job gave me a MacBook Air M2 15”. I thought the Air was perfect for my everyday work, including its weight, screen size, and power (I don’t play games). I wish the Pro 14” were a bit lighter because, prior to my 14”, I had a 16”, and for me it felt way too big and heavy.
 
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Brammy said:
I am in the same dilemma.

I have the M1, 16gb/1tb model. I also have a gaming PC that sees most of my gaming action. However, there are games I play a lot of that have Mac versions (World of Warcraft). Gaming isn't a big reason I want to upgrade, but it's a use case.
I'm in general starting to feel the slowness from a 6 year old laptop and am looking to upgrade. In WoW, I can feel the performance hit when it throttles.
Option 1: Just get the new M5 Air. I figure even when it throttles, it's still faster than my M1 Air. And I can get the 15" version. I will be trading in my old M1 so I need to see which 1tb models they stock in stores for this.
Option 2: Get the base MacBook Pro M5 , but go for 24/1tb. This gives me the extra port I need and some active cooling. Only one fan though and I think the base M5 Pro and Air benchmark close to each other.
Option 3: Get the MacBook M5 Pro. Since I'm upgrading the RAM/SSD on the base Pro, the difference isn't much. Am I correct in thinking I should either go budget on the M5 Air, or just get the MacBook M5 Pro for the extra cooling and juice?
Click to expand...
If u feel already limited by M1 for gaming you should get a MBP with active cooling
 
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ISKOTB said:
I imagine the new Air is more powerful. I have a personal MacBook Pro 14”. My previous job gave me a MacBook Air M2 15”. I thought the Air was perfect for my everyday work, including its weight, screen size, and power (I don’t play games). I wish the Pro 14” were a bit lighter because, prior to my 14”, I had a 16”, and for me it felt way too big and heavy.
Click to expand...
as you use both - do you notice a difference between the 14 and the 15 inch in terms of weight when using for normal everyday life? and do you notice a difference with the screen?

from my experience (i had an m1 pro in the past) the screen didn't make a big difference to me but the speakers were better on the 14 inch.
 
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TorontoSS said:
as you use both - do you notice a difference between the 14 and the 15 inch in terms of weight when using for normal everyday life? and do you notice a difference with the screen?

from my experience (i had an m1 pro in the past) the screen didn't make a big difference to me but the speakers were better on the 14 inch.
Click to expand...
I no longer have the Air, and yes, my 14/Pro is heavier. Regarding the screen, I put a matte screen protector on the Air since my 14 has the nano-texture display, and they pretty much looked the same. The nano-texture display or the matte protector ARE much easier to clean.

Yes, the Pro line has better speakers, but the Air was a work laptop, so I mostly used a headset for meetings, etc., so I didn’t really use the speakers much.

If I was you I will go to the  Store and check them. If you can’t, order an Air and a Pro and return the one you don’t want. Save your money and get a refurbished one from Apple.
 
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eco7777 said:
I currently use a MacBook Pro m1 and I have always used MBP computers.

I understand that the MB Air M5 with a few twists would work perfectly for the things I am doing nowadays, just a couple of games thru Steam, War Thunder and normal Office and musician's apps.

Can the 15 inch deliver? I supposed it will be better than the M1 I currently own.

Any ideas and thank you in advance!
Click to expand...

If you're on the fence - go Pro.

You will hate the screen on the air due to its crappy contrast ratio and grey blacks. You'll also lose pro-motion which means the screen won't be able to sync properly to all common video frame-rates.

Seriously, you're going to be going from one of the best laptop displays ever made to something that was fine 5 years ago and is still.... fine for a cheap ish laptop. Don't do it. You'll hate it. Especially if you use it for watching movies at all.

You'll also get worse speakers, worse wifi, and passive cooling only.
 
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Well I bought the MBA 5 but after only 4 days of using and getting frustrated with the editing I am doing with photography, I had to return it and go for he MBP 5. After only one day of getting everything moved back to the MBP I could not be happier. Wanted the form factor of the MBA but too many issues to be able to put up with the slightly lighter machine. MBP for me.
 
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pakupakuman said:
Thanks. I increased the memory to 24GB and left the storage at 1TB, which should be enough for me.
Click to expand...
That is configuration that I would like to get. I also would be moving from an M1. Did you order from Apple and use their trade in service?
 
pakupakuman said:
Thanks. I increased the memory to 24GB and left the storage at 1TB, which should be enough for me.
Click to expand...
I Have this machine also . you'll love it. Ive been trying to find a reason to justify me updating to a M5 PRO CHIP and I can't seem to find one how god this machine is.
 
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