If your on the fence: This is why I chose the M2 MBA over 14" or 16" M1 MBP

[Technerd108]

I thought I would add my personal perspective on the age old debate of why buy an air over a MacBook Pro specially since the M1 MacBook Pro 14" and 16" can be found at heavy discounts. Sometimes cost alone and specs are not the only reason to buy a laptop and sometimes what seems better on paper isn't better in real life.

I want to preface this post by saying I have owned a M1 14" MBP and 2 16" MBP the latter for almost a year before I sold it to get the M2 MBA. I have in depth personal experience with all three of these models and am not just giving a slanted opinion based on some agenda of owning a particular device. I am posting here not to convince anyone to buy anything but simply offering my experience with all of these devices and why I ended up with a MBA M2.

As soon as the 14" and 16" MBP's were announced I knew I wanted one. Having owned a few of the older Intel MBP I always had a problem with the performance and ports. Apple was going to solve every complaint I has with previous MBP in one leap. I had at the time a 13" M1 MBP and I loved that laptop but a few things bothered me. The bezels and lack of ports and I really don't like charging a device with USB C because I always felt like I was going to yank out the cord and break the laptop. But the 13" had amazing battery life that had spoiled me. It was not too heavy although it was not as light as the m1 air. It was a great laptop but the design was showing its age. So I sold it even before the new MBP's were released hoping to get as much money for my 13".

I waited a few months and then pre-ordered the 14" with 10 core cpu and 16 core gpu and base ram and ssd. It was the $2500 model. When I got it I was surprised how small it felt looking at the screen. The battery life was much shorter than my 13" and the single core score was identical to my 13". Yes it was faster in multi-core but in day to day use it felt exactly the same as my 13" and for all the extra money I was expecting a difference. It was also too heavy to be comfortable for me. I use my laptops, well, in my lap. However I loved the new design and MagSafe and the extra ports. However, I just wasn't satisfied. The speakers were the last straw for me as they just did not get very loud. They had a great rich and bass filled sound but I struggled to hear voice content in movies. Since I only have one tv and barely use it this was an issue for me. So I decided since I was in the last week or my return period I would return and exchange it for a base 16".

Once I got the 16" I was so happy. The screen was noticeably larger. I listened to the speakers and they were louder. But it was very heavy compared to my old 13" and even the 14". I thought so what, this is the price for the performance and I am okay with that. But the performance again wasn't that much different so I decided to get an M1 Max model in the least expensive config I could get with a discount. I ordered the BTO and kept the base 16" until it arrived then returned it. I tested out the M1 Max and again for my use I didn't notice any huge difference. I even put it in high performance mode and this model had 32gb ram. What I did notice is the M1 Max had much worse battery life than my base 16" and it ran hot doing menial tasks like streaming video. It wasn't Intel fans blasting hot but it was definitely toasty.

I decided to keep it anyway because it was the nicest Mac I had ever bought myself and surely this was the one. Over time though I started using it less and less because it was uncomfortable unless I was sitting at a desk. I would try to stream content at the end of the day and it was really uncomfortable and would slide around. Okay it was a sacrifice but I had the fastest Mac. Then after a while I was using a smaller PC I had because it was just more comfortable for me to use. I barely touched the extreme performance or GPU capability. I thought to myself why did I spend so much on something I am not even using to its capacity and I would justify my decision by repeating all the specs in my head. But those specs were basically meaningless to me because unlike previous Intel models in the m series chips I just didn't really need a Pro and there were no real benefits to me as single core speed would have been more useful to me then multi-core.

Then the M2 Air came out and I really liked the new design and new colors. I saw the M2 chip was faster and had better gpu and efficiency cores which meant it probably was fast yet had better battery life-something that was important to me. The better gpu in the M2 meant I could get away with a regular M series chip and not need a Pro. The new air had MagSafe, much better bezels, brighter display and better color accuracy. I still had my Anker dongle from my 13" but now I had two ports I could use while plugged in.

But this was an air meant for average users who just check their email and browse the web not power users. The ram bandwidth was half that of the M1 Pro, It didn't have Pro-Motion or mini-Led? No I could not live without the laptop I have now. Yet I didn't use it because of the reasons I stated.

Then the M1 MBP 14" went on sale. I thought to myself well I could buy an M2 air or get a M1 14" base model on sale? At least the 14" would be more manageable? Then Apple had the gift card sale and I could get the M2 air with a student discount. If I got a middle spec model this made the cost of the air much less than the base model 14" MBP on sale. So I decide I would order a M2 MBA BTO and then if it didn't fit my needs I could return it and get the 14". I decided to sell my M1 Max 16" and was able to sell it within a couple hundred of what I initially paid. I was able to order the M2 MBA and have several hundred left over. I felt good about this because everything is costing more and I could use some extra money and at the same time I have a device configured the way I want it.

BUT would I be disappointed with the inferior speakers and screen and the just overclocked m1? Would it thermally throttle into hell? Would I be able to live with this serious downgrade??? All of the YouTube videos and all of the posts on MR complaining about build quality, poor screens and so many other things had I made a terrible choice? But then I remember looking at the base model in Best Buy and the Apple Store and being impressed with the screen and sound? I liked the new color options. I heard battery life was really good.

Then it finally came in the mail. The M2 MBA with 16gb ram and 512gb ssd and no other extras but the fast charger.

It was such a small laptop. So thin and light but at the same time it felt super solid. No flex anywhere. The keyboard was a dream. The screen was bright and color accurate. Streaming content was impressive. The sound was clear and loud. Performance was better than my previous Pro models. No it was not Earth shaking like coming from Intel to M but there is a noticeable difference in speed and the M2 was faster. I was getting battery life like my old 13" Pro. It has the slim bezels and design I love about the Pro models and MagSafe.

But surely I was going to notice the lack of Pro-Motion? No not really. I was so surprised all of the things I was worried about just faded away because they were not issues at all. But then the fan-less processor made itself apparent as I could use the device anywhere and any way I wanted and didn't have to worry about blocking vents. The speed of the M2 was really impressive and it has not even gotten hot to the touch even when doing stress testing or benchmarks.

I had been so used to Intel based laptops that I had it in my head that I needed a Pro machine because anything less would just be a terrible experience waiting on a slow and unresponsive device as my experience with Intel based ultrabooks had always been frustrating to say the least. M chips have come to a point that what I thought was only possible in an expensive device had to be re-thought. Now I had a device that actually matched my use case and wasn't slow and underpowered.

I find myself using my M2 MBA all the time. Even in cases I wouldn't before because the laptop was too cumbersome or I was afraid I would damage it by blocking airflow. I do some things that tax the cpu and gpu at times but I have never felt like I didn't have enough power and in fact it has been the opposite experience. Battery life has been amazing using the laptop for several hours with screen brightness up and for two or three days before I need to charge it. Battery life is very similar to my old M1 13 MBP and that was a laptop that redefined laptop to me.

So in my experience not only has the choice to own a M2 MBA over a 14" or 16" MBP been a better decision it has actually increased my ability to use the laptop in scenarios I wouldn't before. It has increased my enjoyment of using a Mac on almost every level. The screen is big enough and the weight is perfect being light without feeling cheap or delicate.

So I am not here to convince you to buy a M2 MBA or that the M1 MBP 14" on sale s not a heck of a buy because it is a great deal and a great laptop. It has better specs and more ports. But in the end for me none of that mattered. I like having a laptop that is dead silent ALL the time, that goes days on battery, that I can use anywhere with ease, that has a really great and bright screen, that has in my opinion the best keyboard I have used on ANY Mac. I am not going to lie and say the screen is better than the 14" or 16". The one thing I do miss about the the mini Led was the black values and higher contrast but those come with a cost. Some people notice certain things about the mini led that bothers them and I was one of them. That being said for most people the benefits of min led outweigh any of the negatives but for me I honestly don't miss it.

So if you are on the fence between an M2 MBA or a M1 MBP 14/16" or maybe are waiting for the M2 MBP 14/16" you have a lot of choices right now. The past thinking that a regular chip from Intel would leave you with an underpowered device in a year or so is no longer the case. The integrated GPU and unified ram make a big difference in M series chips, not to say you need less ram or a Nvidia 3080 is not as good but rather to say with enough ram the device is very fast and the integrated GPU in the air is probably as fast as the Intel MBP with dGPU from AMD. With Pro res encoders built into the chip as well it can do a lot. So if you are a Professional who uses your laptop for certain use case then a MBP is the only way to go but if you are just a power user and don't push the gpu or cpu as much as specific use cases then you don't need a Pro laptop anymore. Maybe you want the mini led or larger screen? Maybe you want the sd card slot? But maybe you value speed and portability? Maybe you want the latest and fastest m series chip but don't want to spend over 2 k to get it? Then the M2 MBA is a really good choice. Don't underestimate it. Air means flying not amateur or slow at least not anymore!

So if I were on the fence I would honestly try to evaluate what I actually need in a laptop and how I use it vs my wants and then determine what I can afford and what works best for me. Any m series Mac, any of them are excellent choices. It is just a matter of priorities.

 

[badgerbadgerx2]

thanks for the insight. if you were a person that needs the portability and is constantly on the move, lighter and smaller makes sense.

Although Im not a laptop user, if it were to purchase a MPB as a primary mac, anything less than 32 GB would kill my workflow. Heck, Id be hesitant with 32 GB -- might not be enough, since I regularly stress the 128 GBs in my 2020 Intel iMac. I know M chips use ram different, both wife and kids have base MBAs and minis, but not a chance with me =)

 

[russell_314]

Wow, that’s a long write up. I have the M2 MacBook Air and while I haven’t purchased any of the new MacBook Pro models, I have played around with them at the Apple Store. The one thing I remember is the 14” MacBook Pro felt noticeably heavier and of course the larger 16” did but that’s to be expected.

I like that I can just easily carry it in one hand. Sure I could carry a larger laptop in one hand, but it would not feel so light.

The screen on the MacBook Pro looked a little better, but it was not important enough for me to sacrifice size and weight. I know it has a higher maximum brightness, but I’m usually under 50% on my Air so that wouldn’t be important to me.


You mentioned performance was better on the M2, but how are you judging that? What is your use case for a laptop? Are you talking about actual use or some artificial benchmark number? I didn’t notice any difference while testing any of the Air or Pro models.

It feels like so many people get hung up on these artificial benchmark numbers as some judge of performance. They’re out there thinking they have the M15 Plus Ultra Max Uber with the benchmark score of 178,916 and it’s so much better to use than the M15 Plus Ultra Max without the Uber that only gets a score of 156,312.

I’m not saying that you, but just people in general in these forms. They’ll talk about benchmark numbers but if you ask what they use the laptop for it’s usually some very light use like watching movies or browsing the Internet. I have yet to find someone say they work for a video production company and they have to edit 8K video.

It just feels like people are basing a hardware choice on some artificial standard that doesn’t mean anything to whatever they’re actually doing with the computer. I saw another poster talk about how the the Air was easier to bend than the Pro. Who buys a laptop to bend? It’s not a bench to put a vise on. If a rugged laptop is needed, none of the MacBook models are good for that purpose.

If I was going to advise someone as to what laptop to purchase I would inquire about three factors.

Are you going to travel and carry the laptop around or is it going to be sitting at a desk 99% of the time? How much is it going to bother you when it comes to carrying heavier laptop when you travel? If it’s never going to move off the desk, then perhaps an iMac or Mac mini would be better. I’m not sure why but I’ve seen people use laptops in clamshell mode for their entire life. My laptop is rarely on the desk, so that’s why this is really important for me.

What are you going to do with the laptop on a daily basis? Are you browsing the web and typing office documents or are you editing videos, gaming and doing other tasks that require lots of power. That’s something people are often unrealistic about. You can edit a 4K video with a MacBook Air but it’s just going to take longer. If it’s something you do once every few months then that really doesn’t matter unless it’s for a job where you need it right now. For tasks like browsing the web, a maxed out MacBook Pro isn’t going to be any faster than a base model MacBook Air. I use it for light computing, so I was realistic when I comes to that.

Screen size or screen real estate. That’s a big factor. If you’re doing multiple things on your screen at once, a larger screen is very helpful. With my MacBook Air I can have two things open side by side but with more than that it’s getting a little cramped. That’s all I need so perfect for what I use it for.

 

[BeatCrazy]

Screen size or screen real estate. That’s a big factor. If you’re doing multiple things on your screen at once, a larger screen is very helpful. With my MacBook Air I can have two things open side by side but with more than that it’s getting a little cramped. That’s all I need so perfect for what I use it for.

And that's the crux. I have a 16" MBP, but I don't need the power. I like the screen real estate. When you put two windows side-by-side on the smaller Macs, you often get the 'mobile' version of a website. Very annoying.

 

[Technerd108]

Wow, that’s a long write up. I have the M2 MacBook Air and while I haven’t purchased any of the new MacBook Pro models, I have played around with them at the Apple Store. The one thing I remember is the 14” MacBook Pro felt noticeably heavier and of course the larger 16” did but that’s to be expected.

I like that I can just easily carry it in one hand. Sure I could carry a larger laptop in one hand, but it would not feel so light.

The screen on the MacBook Pro looked a little better, but it was not important enough for me to sacrifice size and weight. I know it has a higher maximum brightness, but I’m usually under 50% on my Air so that wouldn’t be important to me.


You mentioned performance was better on the M2, but how are you judging that? What is your use case for a laptop? Are you talking about actual use or some artificial benchmark number? I didn’t notice any difference while testing any of the Air or Pro models.

It feels like so many people get hung up on these artificial benchmark numbers as some judge of performance. They’re out there thinking they have the M15 Plus Ultra Max Uber with the benchmark score of 178,916 and it’s so much better to use than the M15 Plus Ultra Max without the Uber that only gets a score of 156,312.

I’m not saying that you, but just people in general in these forms. They’ll talk about benchmark numbers but if you ask what they use the laptop for it’s usually some very light use like watching movies or browsing the Internet. I have yet to find someone say they work for a video production company and they have to edit 8K video.

It just feels like people are basing a hardware choice on some artificial standard that doesn’t mean anything to whatever they’re actually doing with the computer. I saw another poster talk about how the the Air was easier to bend than the Pro. Who buys a laptop to bend? It’s not a bench to put a vise on. If a rugged laptop is needed, none of the MacBook models are good for that purpose.

If I was going to advise someone as to what laptop to purchase I would inquire about three factors.

Are you going to travel and carry the laptop around or is it going to be sitting at a desk 99% of the time? How much is it going to bother you when it comes to carrying heavier laptop when you travel? If it’s never going to move off the desk, then perhaps an iMac or Mac mini would be better. I’m not sure why but I’ve seen people use laptops in clamshell mode for their entire life. My laptop is rarely on the desk, so that’s why this is really important for me.

What are you going to do with the laptop on a daily basis? Are you browsing the web and typing office documents or are you editing videos, gaming and doing other tasks that require lots of power. That’s something people are often unrealistic about. You can edit a 4K video with a MacBook Air but it’s just going to take longer. If it’s something you do once every few months then that really doesn’t matter unless it’s for a job where you need it right now. For tasks like browsing the web, a maxed out MacBook Pro isn’t going to be any faster than a base model MacBook Air. I use it for light computing, so I was realistic when I comes to that.

Screen size or screen real estate. That’s a big factor. If you’re doing multiple things on your screen at once, a larger screen is very helpful. With my MacBook Air I can have two things open side by side but with more than that it’s getting a little cramped. That’s all I need so perfect for what I use it for.

I am basing it on web browsing, opening and closing applications, mail app syncing.

I agree with most of what you are saying. Yeah, I have heard of the bending too which is ridiculous as the laptop is very solid.

I wish Apple would make a larger screen air. I like larger screens but also light weight.

I agree that most peoples needs and what they are sold they need are two different things. I was certainly sold on the idea I needed a Pro. I have learned that I was wrong. I also don’t mind a fast device but the way the m1 pro/max is engineered the speed is given by adding more p cores and more gpu cores and there is a diminishing return when compared with cost/battery life. I like the M2 non pro because the efficiency cores are better and there are more of them adding to performance but also keeping battery life high. Kind of the best of both worlds for a laptop.

It seems like high school on these forums where it turns into a bragging contest rather than intelligent discussion about the pros and cons of different devices and approaches to solving a problem.

 

[russell_314]

And that's the crux. I have a 16" MBP, but I don't need the power. I like the screen real estate. When you put two windows side-by-side on the smaller Macs, you often get the 'mobile' version of a website. Very annoying.

I’ve never noticed that. Now I’m going to have to look. Are you using Safari?

 

[BeatCrazy]

I’ve never noticed that. Now I’m going to have to look. Are you using Safari?

Yes, safari. I'll see if I can find examples (I'm on the 16" right now..)

 

[GMShadow]

And that's the crux. I have a 16" MBP, but I don't need the power. I like the screen real estate. When you put two windows side-by-side on the smaller Macs, you often get the 'mobile' version of a website. Very annoying.

Same, if they had a 15" Air I'd buy it. But they don't, so I have to pony up for the big Pro.

 

[heretiq]

Great write-up. Thanks for sharing it. I have the 16” M1 Max MacBook Pro with 32G Ram and 1TB SSD. I use it largely for engineering, analytics and general business use cases — though the engineering apps I use (discrete event simulation and data visualization) are windows-based and run on a Parallels windows 11 VM, so I’m not getting the full benefits of the M1 Max. However, the simulation app runs faster under Parallels emulation than it does natively on my business partner’s HP Core I7 pc, and the visualization apps run slightly slower on my Mv M1 Max.

Net-net: I love the quiet, cool, fluid performance, display and general utility of the 16” M1 Max MacBook Pro; but am not a fan of the bulkiness and heaviness. The more I use it, the more I’m convinced that it is overkill even for my engineering workstation use case and therefore the performance does not offset the heft. I considered the M2 Air — I like the performance and light weight, but the screen size is just too small. As such, I’m holding out for a 15“ M2 Air which I suspect will provide a perfect balance of power and heft for my use case.

 

[BeatCrazy]

I’ve never noticed that. Now I’m going to have to look. Are you using Safari?

I tried these two pages side-by-side on the following MacBooks:
13" M1 Air
14" M1 MBP
^^^ these had the same "small screen" scaling, seen in the top image below.
16" M1 MBP (bottom image)

 

[egodspeed]

That was an excellent book! Jk

However, as much as you say you were not trying to sell anyone, I’m kinda wondering now if the M2 MB Air would better serve my use case. I have a BTO 16” MacBook Pro with M1 Pro, 32GB RAM, and 2TB drive. The larger screen size is AMAZING. However, I find myself not wanting to take my laptop anywhere because it’s heavy (for a laptop). I’m looking into getting a M2 MB Air now. Thanks!

 

[1BadManVan]

That was an excellent book! Jk

However, as much as you say you were not trying to sell anyone, I’m kinda wondering now if the M2 MB Air would better serve my use case. I have a BTO 16” MacBook Pro with M1 Pro, 32GB RAM, and 2TB drive. The larger screen size is AMAZING. However, I find myself not wanting to take my laptop anywhere because it’s heavy (for a laptop). I’m looking into getting a M2 MB Air now. Thanks!

I would definitely give it a shot! My first ever 13' laptop, always owned a 15' before this but the portability is definitely a major selling point for me. Plus, these are very fast laptops

 

[ThomasJL]

Thank you for taking the time to write out all those details, OP.

Since I’m still using a non-Retina mid-2012 13-inch MacBook Pro, I’m considering a maxed-out 13-inch M2 MacBook Air. But since that price crosses into the entry level larger screen M1 MacBook Pro prices, I was having second thoughts. But your post, combined with my dislike of heaviness (my non-Retina mid-2012 13-inch MacBook Pro is uncomfortably heavy for me to carry around), has helped me make a more informed opinion in favor of the M2 MacBook Air.

 

[1BadManVan]

Thank you for taking the time to write out all those details, OP.

Since I’m still using a non-Retina mid-2012 13-inch MacBook Pro, I’m considering a maxed-out 13-inch M2 MacBook Air. But since that price crosses into the entry level larger screen M1 MacBook Pro prices, I was having second thoughts. But your post, combined with my dislike of heaviness (my non-Retina mid-2012 13-inch MacBook Pro is uncomfortably heavy for me to carry around), has helped me make a more informed opinion in favor of the M2 MacBook Air.

You’ll definitely love it!

 

[Shirasaki]

What a long post. And dare I say better than some blog posts out there. ^_^

Anyway, my take on M1/M2 debate and performance is for majority of people buying those MacBooks (regardless of model, storage/RAM and size), they are much less likely fully utilising the SoC than those with specific workflow in mind and know very well those transistor clusters will speed up their work Considerably, or enable new possibilities. And for majority of tasks, it all boils down to the general purpose CPU portion of the silicon. And that portion in M1 is not as fast as I’d hope. Currently my M1 MacBook Pro runs at 70 Celsius almost half of the time, and that 20W charger I use to charge it can barely keep up with the power demand. Is it better than Intel MacBook? I bet it does, and much better. But far from living the hype and praise in YouTube community and forum posts.

Will M2 improve the situation? Maybe. But I won’t hold my breath. As such, I like OP’s take on debunking the myth and craze to actually experience those options himself. Sure, it is extremely costly, and one would have to be financially capable to afford those machines back to back and able to eat the cost of selling used MacBook. But, if you have the option, actually try it and provide logic feedback If you want to. What I don‘t like, or even hate, is comments praising products/companies for no end and deny any and all shortfalls claimed by other people. We all need to think critically, clearly and collectively so that reasoning and intuition can strike a nice balance.

 

[Zest28]

In my case, the M2 MBA seems to never get used. At home, I use the 16" M1 Max MacBook Pro pretty much 99% of the time. And if I go outside, it's always the M1 12.9 iPad Pro. I simply prefer the touch screen and the superior display of the iPad over the M2 MBA when I'm outside. In an airplane, the iPad Pro work much better also than the M2 MBA also (unless you fly business class).

If I didn't have the M1 12.9 iPad Pro, I would have probably used my M2 MBA alot more.

And if I actually have to do something that requires me to use a laptop outside, I take the 16" MBP with me because the screen of the M2 MBA is too small for me to work on.

 

[Sheepish-Lord]

16” MBP is my desktop replacement so it never leaves the desk. M2 MBA is my home tablet/travel computer because it’s that light and flexible enough I can balance it on pillows or have it on my lap without feeling much of anything.

 

[Alex Cai]

Note that the M2 have limited GPU power compared to the CPU (M2 have 8300 on Cinebench while M1 Max have 9500)
Video editing is enough but it can only run 40fps on resident evil village with standard settings. Next time I upgrade I'm looking forward to a M? Pro

 

[Ifti]

16” MBP is my desktop replacement so it never leaves the desk. M2 MBA is my home tablet/travel computer because it’s that light and flexible enough I can balance it on pillows or have it on my lap without feeling much of anything.

Same setup!!

16" M1 Max is my desktop replacement, used mainly for FCPX only.
M2 MBA is my portable, used day-to-day around the house and as my portable machine.

Bit of a waste really as I could probably use my MBA for the FCPX editing I do anyways, but I like it and it works for me! lol

 

[leifp]

Great write-up. Thanks for sharing it. I have the 16” M1 Max MacBook Pro with 32G Ram and 1TB SSD. I use it largely for engineering, analytics and general business use cases — though the engineering apps I use (discrete event simulation and data visualization) are windows-based and run on a Parallels windows 11 VM, so I’m not getting the full benefits of the M1 Max. However, the simulation app runs faster under Parallels emulation than it does natively on my business partner’s HP Core I7 pc, and the visualization apps run slightly slower on my Mv M1 Max.

Net-net: I love the quiet, cool, fluid performance, display and general utility of the 16” M1 Max MacBook Pro; but am not a fan of the bulkiness and heaviness. The more I use it, the more I’m convinced that it is overkill even for my engineering workstation use case and therefore the performance does not offset the heft. I considered the M2 Air — I like the performance and light weight, but the screen size is just too small. As such, I’m holding out for a 15“ M2 Air which I suspect will provide a perfect balance of power and heft for my use case.

Don’t know if you already have software to measure the actual used performance of your device to determine whether you require more or less, but I’ve found that very useful particularly as I‘m responsible for nine people’s purchase decisions (personal, not professional) and it tells me RAM load, CPU load, etc. (I use iStat menus but others exist https://mac-optimization.bestreviews.net/best-mac-system-monitoring-apps/ ) [you can figure out most of these things within macOS itself, if you want. I like the convenience of the always-on and visible task bar interface]

Thanks to it, I knew the M1 Mac mini I had did not have enough RAM, the CPU was generally powerful enough but the GPU was not. My M1Max MBPro has never ”swapped” and the GPU has not hit anywhere near 100%. Since Apple Silicon has relatively linear scaling between same gen processors (at least for the first gen) you can calculate your minimum requirements based on your present use case and processor.

 

[MauiPa]

Quick read: M2MBA is lighter and good enough

 

[PaladinGuy]

I’ve been tempted by the new M2 MBA since it came out. The one thing that stands out to me from playing around with them at the store is that the speakers sound inferior to my M1 MBA. I know they’re improved on paper, but I think moving them under the keyboard and firing them under the screen impacts the sound.

Also, I was not happy about the price point of the M2 MBA, especially since I never buy the base model but go with something in the middle.

I really love that they brought back MagSafe and the reduced bezels.

How much better do you find battery life on the M2 MBA compared to the 14” MBP?

 

[Fruit Stand]

Not reading that essay of a post to find out what you figured out to be good for your needs.

Glad you figured out what’s good for you though.

 

[Tyler O'Bannon]

Stellar review. I need the replacement for the M2 MBP. I don’t need MX Pro/Max/Ultra/Extreme/Plaid. I need M2 + a fan. That’s it. But I won’t get it on a years old design. I’m already past that design and I’m not going back. That will be my next Mac.

 

[snak-atak]

There are definitely lots of pros and few cons to either of these models. As for myself, I think I’ll wait for the M3 15” Air. It’ll be a couple more years before we see it, but I think my current 2019 MBP can handle andequately until then.