Had no idea about the MagSafe adapters. I am loving my M2 MBP even more now with that added! Thanks!
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
M1 vs. M2 MacBook Air Buyer's Guide: Is It Worth Upgrading?
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Question: What is the difference between the Liquid Retina Display and the Retina Display? Is it nothing more than how much bezel there is?
TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️
Suspended
You should because they will all be back-ordered right away. Especially the Mid-Night version.
Good luck selling your M1. They are not bringing great prices as the market is satuatered in the usual places (eBay)...
Anyone who uses it for work and even people who use Macs at home. Practical means buying something that makes sense for what you need it for. For example me buying a Mac Studio Ultra would be cool but also very impractical. Me buying a close to base model MacBook Air would be very practical. Practical means not buying 16 GB of RAM when all you ever have open is three Safari tabs and notes open. Practical doesn’t mean you have to buy a junk Windows PC or Chromebook.
I have been doing exactly that analysis. My answer is no, because going from MBP to MBA is a downgrade, not an upgrade.
Sure 2022 has strengths 2016 lacks (duh), but pro hardware is pro hardware. My top end 2016 MBP still solidly drives three 4K displays plus the MBP display in a challenging workflow - - at 6 years old. My analysis says to wait for the higher end M2 MBPs and then do a true upgrade.
That said, the M-series chips are so strong that even the low end like the MBAs can meet many folks' needs just fine. But I would not go with the now-replaced M1 generation just to save a few $hundred; that makes no sense at all.
Just my $0.02.
The new MBA lacks the beautiful tapered profile of the model and light weight. Without it, it’s just an under-spec’d MBP13. I was trying to decide between an m2 or waiting for an m3, but after throwing what made the MBA unique out, I see no reason for there to even be an MBA at all. It ends at m1. MBA: 2010-2022
The trouble is, it’d be taking a load off the maxed out i9 16” MBP which has been relegated to windows duties. The m1 benchmarks look great, but I have a feeling that after the thrill is gone in a week, I’m going to be questioning why I spent $1500 of a used, redundant personal machine whose performance difference I can’t even discern, bc the i9 is already powerful enough i don’t see dropped frames or other glitching using it.
The trouble is, it’d be taking a load off the maxed out i9 16” MBP which has been relegated to windows duties. The m1 benchmarks look great, but I have a feeling that after the thrill is gone in a week, I’m going to be questioning why I spent $1500 of a used, redundant personal machine whose performance difference I can’t even discern, bc the i9 is already powerful enough i don’t see dropped frames or other glitching using it.
Last edited:
Me too. Honestly I think the next generation processor with 3nm technology will be another 10 year model. M2 is incremental over M1. M3 or whatever they call it will be a much bigger jump in performance and efficiency
Getting a Mac for my high schooler (soon to be senior). He is using a windows surface pro right now which has actually held up pretty well over the past 3-4 years. Leaning toward the M1 Air. Is there any compelling reason that the M2 Air would make a better choice?
With all advantages aside, judging by the thermals from Max Tech's M2 13" Pro stress tests, the M2 Air is a bit worrisome to me. While it may be moderately faster for every-day tasks (unless you have the base 256gb 1SSD model), it could very well be much slower when doing extended cpu/gpu intensive tasks, like videogames. There is a very good chance that, if you were playing LoL or any game, the M1 Air actually performs better than the M2 Air past 5 minute mark because of the insane thermal throttling. That's pretty funny to think about, right? Can't wait to see the reviews.
It looks to be just about identical to the Magic Keyboard with Touch ID for Apple silicon Macs.
Magic Keyboard with Touch ID for Mac models with Apple silicon US English - Apple
Apple Store Search Results
www.apple.com
So maybe they're aiming for some kind of look-n-feel continuity / familiarity between their desktop-class systems and their portables going forward...? ¯\(ツ)/¯
I think only possible on the 256GB version, and honestly that is just too little space.
MagSafe is why I’ll be buying an M2! My (non MagSafe) MacBook was working fine until I accident pulled the charger cord… the laptop went flying and, long story short, the screen completely died. Actually, not a long story, it took all of a few seconds.
I think I was unlucky though - the M1 is a great computer and very suitable for a student (assuming obviously that you get specs that match their degree requirements).
2020 M1 MacBook Pro (Touch Bar) verses 2022 MaBook Air in similar specs… Worth the money to upgrade?
There's nothing "much more modern" about the M2 Air design (except the notch, which isn't a good thing) - it's basically the same design as every MacBook Pro Apple has ever made. Both the wedge and the uniform thickness have been around a long time; neither looks "modern," but both look good. That said, the wedge design was the Air's signature, and I'm sorry it's gone.
Depends on if you like the Touch Bar. If you do, then you don’t have a choice. If you don’t, then you don’t have a choice. If you’re indifferent, upgrade is a no brainer — 0.3 lb lighter, bigger screen (with signature notch
), better camera, MagSafe, M2, better color choices.BTW, MaBook has a nice ring to it. Apple should consider rebranding the MacBook.
The only upgrade that would convince to let go my full speced MPB M1 would be the M3 MBA 15inch. I loved my old 15 MBP large screen. M3 should have the increased performance without the heat M2 generates and that's the only way to consider a slim laptop without a fan.
To save this planet's life (including ours) no one should buy a new computer every two years.
It's insane from an energy and materials consumption standpoint.
Just get a device and keep it till it's unusable for your needs.
It's insane from an energy and materials consumption standpoint.
Just get a device and keep it till it's unusable for your needs.