I adore my M2 Air. I fully thought I'd return it but it's far more powerful than people realize. For travel I found the Air + 11 inch iPad Pro is perfect. Both together are about the thickness of a MacBook Pro and I have dual screens now.
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If your on the fence: This is why I chose the M2 MBA over 14" or 16" M1 MBP
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I skimmed it.
In summary, "good enough" is "great". Hates USB-C charging.
Doesn't use all the bells and whistles (or, rather the resources) that a MBP offers.
14" screen too small on MBP. No fan is great.
Here's what I use to measure used performance:
Does my computer make me upset, or does it run adequately? Does the fan come on unnecessarily.
And wow that is a long sentence.
Great write up. I own the base model M1 MacBook Air with upgraded RAM to 16GB and it’s just an amazing laptop. It truly feels like something special. To get so much performance and battery life out of something so thin and portable is a real accomplishment by Apple. I likely won’t trade it any time soon. I just have no use case to justify anything more than a MacBook Air. However, I may spring for the Pro models to get the ProMotion display and better speakers, two features I notice that lack in my M1 MBA compared to my M1 12.9 iPad Pro.
Your setup is the one I going to get from tomorrow as I bought a M2 12.9 iPad Pro.
Frankly if one is not running at least 30% of their time on heavy computation that can use a M1 Pro or Max I think there is much to be content with a dual setup between iPad 12.9 and base Air M1.
It will cost about as much as MacBook Pro 16'' but it can provide more advantages on versatility, different forms of computation (pen input) and a dual screen setup which for some may be better than three more inches on only one screen.
I could have written a lot more, Lol.
For the one person who uses their 16” even when traveling but feels the MBA M2 screen is too small but uses a 12.9” iPad Pro more because of Promotion I find your statement a bit of a head scratcher? Like if 13.6” is too small then how is 12.9” okay?
Also it seems that you really don’t like your M2 MBA so why don’t you just sell it and your M1 iPad Pro and buy a new M2 iPad Pro 12.9” and then your problems are solved? You would have the best new large iPad which you like better than your M2 MBA.
Honestly the idea that you use the iPad more because of ProMotion doesn’t make much sense. If that was really the case then you wouldn’t use your 16” much either because the ProMotion is hampered by a slow screen response time?
But in any case you do what makes you happy. My experience seems a lot different than yours. I would find a 12.9” tablet to be unwieldy and if I really wanted a large tablet I would probably get a Samsung S8 ultra with a 14” Amoled screen with 120hz because 14” is a much better size if I wanted a large tablet.
I would never use the 16” traveling because it is just too heavy and I would be afraid of damaging it.
Also if 13.6” is too small probably 16” would be too small and I would need a larger display to connect the laptop to.
But hey we get to use what we like the way we like.
For the one person who uses their 16” even when traveling but feels the MBA M2 screen is too small but uses a 12.9” iPad Pro more because of Promotion I find your statement a bit of a head scratcher? Like if 13.6” is too small then how is 12.9” okay?
Also it seems that you really don’t like your M2 MBA so why don’t you just sell it and your M1 iPad Pro and buy a new M2 iPad Pro 12.9” and then your problems are solved? You would have the best new large iPad which you like better than your M2 MBA.
Honestly the idea that you use the iPad more because of ProMotion doesn’t make much sense. If that was really the case then you wouldn’t use your 16” much either because the ProMotion is hampered by a slow screen response time?
But in any case you do what makes you happy. My experience seems a lot different than yours. I would find a 12.9” tablet to be unwieldy and if I really wanted a large tablet I would probably get a Samsung S8 ultra with a 14” Amoled screen with 120hz because 14” is a much better size if I wanted a large tablet.
I would never use the 16” traveling because it is just too heavy and I would be afraid of damaging it.
Also if 13.6” is too small probably 16” would be too small and I would need a larger display to connect the laptop to.
But hey we get to use what we like the way we like.
ProMotion in the MacBook Pros doesn’t function the same as the iPad Pros?
I think most people don’t use all the resources in the new MBP even if they think they do except for a small minority of professionals who edit videos or do 3d animations for a living.
The odd thing is coming from the 13.3” M1 MBP the 14” didn’t seem much larger and the notch was rather noticeable and with the MBA M2 the screen is smaller than the 14” yet it feels larger to me and I don’t know why? The notch is also less noticeable on the M2 MBA even with a lower contrast ratio?
I always thought no fan was really a killer in terms of performance. That is why I never wanted such a laptop but the M2 barely breaks a sweat. You have to really push it for it to warm up and I haven’t experienced throttling once since I bought it. Compare that to fan cooled Intel laptops that throttle pretty quickly and this is why it is a big deal to me.
No it doesn’t. Depends if we are talking 11” or 12.9”. I will have to check the response time on the iPad but I am pretty sure even the mini led on the 12.9” has a better response time which means text doesn’t tear or blur in motion like it does on the MBP’s.
Also you face is usually closer to the iPad and you scroll with your hand which means that you notice the Pro Motion a lot more than a laptop. Animations are different in iPadOS vs MacOS too. They are very different but if you take an iPad Air next to an iPad Pro the difference between non ProMotion and ProMotion displays are very noticeable.
If you put the 16” and 13.6” screens next to each other you can tell a difference but it is not as apparent and if they are not side by side you would be hard pressed to tell the difference.
The contrast ratio and black levels are much more apparent on the mini led displays compared to MBA than Pro Motion.
I also find the color saturation to be stronger on the mini led closer to OLED than regular IPS. The IPS display looks more natural to me but the color just “Pops” on the mini led. The mini led has great color but personally I find the blooming to detract in certain situations. Most people don’t even notice the blooming though unlike the iPP 12.9”.
2021 Apple 12.9-inch M1 iPad Pro with mini LED display shows poor display characteristics including reduced PWM and response times
We tested the PWM and display response times in our 2021 12.9-inch iPad Pro with M1 and found that there are some downsides to Apple's transition to mini LED tech this year. The 2021 12.9-inch iPad Pro not only shows lower PWM compared to the 2020 model but also has noticeably higher response...
I also want to point out that I am not saying the MBP mini led screens are bad. They are beautiful. I just wasn’t impressed with the ProMotion. That is all.
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I’m glad to hear that you’re now happy!
I also took kind of the same route and always went back to the mba in the end .m1 for me
It brings me to the point that as long as the performance and battery is good enough, you should always go for what feels best to you.
Don’t go for the 14 because of the better screen and speakers , if you just can’t stand using it , or if the battery doesn’t last enough
And don’t overbuy with the 16-sinxe I’m already spending so much eh?- , it’s even more uncomfortable , and unless you’re a pro, you may not like it …which would be a pity for such a lot of money
I also took kind of the same route and always went back to the mba in the end .m1 for me
It brings me to the point that as long as the performance and battery is good enough, you should always go for what feels best to you.
Don’t go for the 14 because of the better screen and speakers , if you just can’t stand using it , or if the battery doesn’t last enough
And don’t overbuy with the 16-sinxe I’m already spending so much eh?- , it’s even more uncomfortable , and unless you’re a pro, you may not like it …which would be a pity for such a lot of money
Ah, good to know. I have to be honest, during the day I don’t notice the blooming at all on my 12.9 M1 iPad Pro, but in darker rooms or at night, it’s quite noticeable and makes some content almost look blurry at times.No it doesn’t. Depends if we are talking 11” or 12.9”. I will have to check the response time on the iPad but I am pretty sure even the mini led on the 12.9” has a better response time which means text doesn’t tear or blur in motion like it does on the MBP’s.
Also you face is usually closer to the iPad and you scroll with your hand which means that you notice the Pro Motion a lot more than a laptop. Animations are different in iPadOS vs MacOS too. They are very different but if you take an iPad Air next to an iPad Pro the difference between non ProMotion and ProMotion displays are very noticeable.
If you put the 16” and 13.6” screens next to each other you can tell a difference but it is not as apparent and if they are not side by side you would be hard pressed to tell the difference.
The contrast ratio and black levels are much more apparent on the mini led displays compared to MBA than Pro Motion.
I also find the color saturation to be stronger on the mini led closer to OLED than regular IPS. The IPS display looks more natural to me but the color just “Pops” on the mini led. The mini led has great color but personally I find the blooming to detract in certain situations. Most people don’t even notice the blooming though unlike the iPP 12.9”.
2021 Apple 12.9-inch M1 iPad Pro with mini LED display shows poor display characteristics including reduced PWM and response times
We tested the PWM and display response times in our 2021 12.9-inch iPad Pro with M1 and found that there are some downsides to Apple's transition to mini LED tech this year. The 2021 12.9-inch iPad Pro not only shows lower PWM compared to the 2020 model but also has noticeably higher response...www.notebookcheck.net
I also want to point out that I am not saying the MBP mini led screens are bad. They are beautiful. I just wasn’t impressed with the ProMotion. That is all.
Yes exactly! I noticed the blurry effect on my 16” MBP and it really bothered me. I’m nice it even happened on a bright background during the day and it was like looking at the screen through fog.
It doesn’t always happen but when it does it’s really distracting and there is nothing you can do about it.
Yeah, now that Apple has OLED panels that can get super bright (2,000 nits) I wonder if OLED is coming down the pipeline for iPad Pros and MacBook Pros. There's talk of burn in, but that doesn't seem to be a problem on PC laptops and Samsung tablets who've been using OLED panels. I do love the display overall on my iPad Pro, but mini LED feels like a transitional. The blooming, while not significant for most people, is quite noticeable.
Did a similar thing. Went from an Intel 2015 13" MBP to the M1 MBA with 16/512. Super happy with the Air and do not regret not going "Pro".
Different aspect ratios and scaling. For many websites, the 12.9" iPad can render pages better than even the 14" MBP.
@Technerd108,
I enjoyed reading your highly informative OP.
I have a question for you:
Do you think you would feel the same positive way about your Apple Silicon MacBook Air if it only had 8GB of RAM?
I enjoyed reading your highly informative OP.
I have a question for you:
Do you think you would feel the same positive way about your Apple Silicon MacBook Air if it only had 8GB of RAM?
I never buy any laptop if I have a choice with less than 16gb ram.
That being said I have had a couple over the years that were not AS macs with only 8gb ram and never had a problem.
I am not sure to be honest to answer your question. I would like to say it wouldn’t be an issue but I would always ask myself what if I had 16gb would it be faster? Sometimes I wonder if I should have gotten the 10 core GPU or 24gb ram? But in the end I bought what I thought would fit my needs best.
I would only buy an 8gb laptop if it was heavily discounted like the M1 air.
Thanks for the tools suggestions — I’ll take a look. Due to the Windows-based tools that I rely on I think GPU performance will likely be the limiting factor for me — hopefully one of the tools you suggested will provide an objective way to assess what I can expect from the AppleSilicon ecosystem for my business use case.
I also enjoy multitasking, but in my case I just bought a MacBook Air and also bought a separate iPad Air and use sidecar. It’s cheaper to buy both of these than a 16”pro. Now I travel with just the iPad or just the Air depending on my needs, and just as easily carry both if I really need to.
Yeah I felt the same. This use case isn’t about any full-time creative professional workflow, so it comes down to classic size & budget. Other features are just details.
Personally I got the M1 Air for my web browsing needs. It’s perfect actually.
Glad you like the M2 Air. I do agree they're special machines, (but then again so are all of the Apple Silicon Laptops IMHO) and being fan-less is really cool (although a MBP is also going to be effectively "fan-less" running in the same performance envelope.)
IMHO, it really comes down to your priorities and how you choose to order them:
Portability
Performance
Price
Screen real estate
Form Factor
Features
If portability is your main concern, you're not too price/value conscious, and you want the latest and greatest design the M2 Air is an amazing choice.
OTOH, if you value portability but what more value for your money while keeping costs down the M1 MBA is still a "great" choice (the only reason I put great in quotes is because it really feels like a two year old laptop should be cheaper...)
If you need (or want) maximum performance with Apple's finest laptop chassis, a MBP is your best choice. If you still want portability the 14" is still a very thin and light laptop and can give a Mac Studio a run for its money if configured with the M1 Max. Of course, if you want a bit more (GPU) performance, or just want a bigger screen and don't care as much about portability then the 16" is your answer.
You really can't go wrong with Apple's current laptop lineup. Even the 13" MBP... is... a good enough choice at the right price.
IMHO, it really comes down to your priorities and how you choose to order them:
Portability
Performance
Price
Screen real estate
Form Factor
Features
If portability is your main concern, you're not too price/value conscious, and you want the latest and greatest design the M2 Air is an amazing choice.
OTOH, if you value portability but what more value for your money while keeping costs down the M1 MBA is still a "great" choice (the only reason I put great in quotes is because it really feels like a two year old laptop should be cheaper...)
If you need (or want) maximum performance with Apple's finest laptop chassis, a MBP is your best choice. If you still want portability the 14" is still a very thin and light laptop and can give a Mac Studio a run for its money if configured with the M1 Max. Of course, if you want a bit more (GPU) performance, or just want a bigger screen and don't care as much about portability then the 16" is your answer.
You really can't go wrong with Apple's current laptop lineup. Even the 13" MBP... is... a good enough choice at the right price.
I have to say, I loved my 14" MacBook Pro. But after replacing it with an M2 Air, every time I go to a Costco, Best Buy, Apple Store, etc. and pick up the 14", I am amazed at how much heavier and bulkier it is. I love my portability!