M2 Air for fulltime coding vs 14" Pro

[Dave13]

I can't decide between M2 Air 16+/500 and M1 14" Pro. It will be my primary machine for every day coding at home and on the go. I usually run at the same time:
2× PhpStorm, two browsers, VS Code, SQL manager, Webpack (+ 10 deps such as React, Vue..), Outlook + plan to start using Docker + occasional video editing.

I understand that Apple CPUs are so performant, but I've seen

He shows the M2 temperatures are constantly around 80°C during programming more complex projects. Isn't it too much for long term use?

I wanna become a digital nomad for a short time, that means these are the deciding factors for me:

- usability without external monitor - larger display is better, I also use scaling (Pro)
- performance with sufficient cooling (Pro?)
- weight in a backpack (Air)

I think the Pro is a safer option for a creator, but the Air is soo light. What do you think?

 

[jdb8167]

I’m using a 24 GB/1 TB M2 MacBook Air for development (mostly react right now) and it is just about perfect. Battery easily exceeds a full day of work and performance is stellar. I have no worries about temperatures. They go up and down quite rapidly depending on what is running. The system seems to handle it all very smoothly.

 

[Toutou]

Unless the M2 Air is actually worse at anything than the M1 Air, I can’t see it being a bad dev machine.

I’m a Rails dev and I use the M1 Air, my normal workload is RubyMine, Puma, MySQL, Redis, some Spotify and browsing on the side, driving a 6k (4k scaled) monitor. The temps usually hover at or below 30 degC, occasionally spiking to maybe 60 when running a Vite or Webpack build or hitting the DB with a migration.

 

[ilikewhey]

how big is the sql database you working with, one thing i noticed is the extra memory bandwidth on the 14 comes in very handy. given that the 14 base is actually cheaper than same spec m2 while not being much heavier nor larger, i would just go for the 14 due to all the nicer bells and whistles the m2 mba lacks, such as speaker, screen, ports, oh and the ability to drive 2 external.

 

[eyalben]

Hey Dave, I've faced the same decision as you few days ago (I'm also starting my digital nomad journey next month)
I ended up buying the MacBook Air M2 24GB 512GB upgrading from my previous MacBook Pro 16" i9.

I've seen all of the reviews and was also considering paying the difference for the Pro 14", but I'm happy I didn't.

My first impressions are:

Performance are amazing comparing to the i9 from three years ago, everything is snappier, have no concern, this machine is really capable for programming and everything works extremely fast.

Considering the fact that the M2 is between 50-90% faster than Intel's i9, I'm pretty sure the performance would be enough

I've setup all of my projects (typescript / go) and neither of them bothered the CPU so I wouldn't be afraid of getting anywhere near a throttling temperature.

Heating is a non issue if you're not planning on editing videos, most of the time it's cold, and the CPU is so capable that it is pretty hard to overload the machine.

I've installed Windows 11 ARM using Parallels, just for the experiment - installation went extremely fast (few minutes) and the CPU temperature never went over 75 celcius while the machine was not warm to touch (performance wise, the virtualization works amazing, I was surprised of how fast a windows vm runs).

Display is actually the only issue I have with this machine, It's not bad, and comparing to my previous 2019 16" - it pretty much the same with one present issue: the screen resolution.

Apple has spared with the resolution resulting in a rendered display that doesn't match the retina screen resolution, that means the mac is actually rendering the display for a larger resolution and downscales the image in real time - resulting in a little bit less crispier text

In terms of display real estate for coding - it's ok when coding in full screen but I do consider having my iPad with me to be used as a second display (can be easily done if on the same wifi).

----

The rest of the advantages are here, amazing battery life, lightweight device and a great keyboard.

Instead of paying the difference for the 14" Pro and carrying this weight, you should get an external keyboard, mouse and a laptop stand (like moft)

 

[ilikewhey]

Hey Dave, I've faced the same decision as you few days ago (I'm also starting my digital nomad journey next month)
I ended up buying the MacBook Air M2 24GB 512GB upgrading from my previous MacBook Pro 16" i9.

I've seen all of the reviews and was also considering paying the difference for the Pro 14", but I'm happy I didn't.

My first impressions are:

Performance are amazing comparing to the i9 from three years ago, everything is snappier, have no concern, this machine is really capable for programming and everything works extremely fast.

Considering the fact that the M2 is between 50-90% faster than Intel's i9, I'm pretty sure the performance would be enough

I've setup all of my projects (typescript / go) and neither of them bothered the CPU so I wouldn't be afraid of getting anywhere near a throttling temperature.

Heating is a non issue if you're not planning on editing videos, most of the time it's cold, and the CPU is so capable that it is pretty hard to overload the machine.

I've installed Windows 11 ARM using Parallels, just for the experiment - installation went extremely fast (few minutes) and the CPU temperature never went over 75 celcius while the machine was not warm to touch (performance wise, the virtualization works amazing, I was surprised of how fast a windows vm runs).

Display is actually the only issue I have with this machine, It's not bad, and comparing to my previous 2019 16" - it pretty much the same with one present issue: the screen resolution.

Apple has spared with the resolution resulting in a rendered display that doesn't match the retina screen resolution, that means the mac is actually rendering the display for a larger resolution and downscales the image in real time - resulting in a little bit less crispier text

In terms of display real estate for coding - it's ok when coding in full screen but I do consider having my iPad with me to be used as a second display (can be easily done if on the same wifi).

----

The rest of the advantages are here, amazing battery life, lightweight device and a great keyboard.

Instead of paying the difference for the 14" Pro and carrying this weight, you should get an external keyboard, mouse and a laptop stand (like moft)

what price difference? the 14 have been on heavy discount for months now, the 64gb 1tb BTO was being offered for 2500, which is a massive 1300 discount. even base 14 is currently offered at 1599.

 

[eyalben]

what price difference? the 14 have been on heavy discount for months now, the 64gb 1tb BTO was being offered for 2500, which is a massive 1300 discount. even base 14 is currently offered at 1599.

Since I don't live in the US I don't get access to those amazing Amazon discounts.
You're right, with the current Amazon discounts I might've chosen differently.

The weight though is still a factor if he plans travelling (I prefer having external keyboard/mouse with the weight difference)

 

[rmadsen3]

Apple has spared with the resolution resulting in a rendered display that doesn't match the retina screen resolution, that means the mac is actually rendering the display for a larger resolution and downscales the image in real time - resulting in a little bit less crispier text

Would you talk about this more, please? I'm fascinated by this topic. The macOS default mode for this device isn't a whole-number multiple of the display's physical resolution?

 

[eyalben]

Would you talk about this more, please? I'm fascinated by this topic. The macOS default mode for this device isn't a whole-number multiple of the display's physical resolution?

Apple's implementation for HiDPI is to simply render twice the amount of pixels from the "looks like" resolution, you can see that by taking a screenshot and look at the pixels in the picture.

The Air M2 physical resolution is 2560x1664 which means you should be getting an effective resolution ("looks like") of 1280x832 (half the size).

The problem is that 1280x832 is really low and everything looks huge - Apple's solution is to set the display setting to "More Space" which makes it "looks like" it was a 1470x956.

When I take a screenshots, the files I get have 2940x1912 pixels, that's the amount of pixels the Mac actually renders.
Of course it doesn't match the display native resolution (2560x1664) - so Apple's must downscale the rendered image down to match it.

 

[rmadsen3]

Great explanation! Thanks!

 

[CalMin]

I have both. The M2 Air is wonderful, but if I had to have only one, then the 14" MBP is spectacular. The weight differences and handling aren't as different as the marketers would have you believe. Check them out side by side in a store and you will immediately see that.

Put it this way. If you get the M2 Air you will always wonder if you should have stepped up to more power. If you get the M1Pro, you will not.

 

[ilikewhey]

Since I don't live in the US I don't get access to those amazing Amazon discounts.
You're right, with the current Amazon discounts I might've chosen differently.

The weight though is still a factor if he plans travelling (I prefer having external keyboard/mouse with the weight difference)

i upgraded from a m1 mba to the 14 and i always take my laptop home instead of leaving it in the office. from my experience the weight isn't really a factor, its less than a lb of difference.

 

[richinaus]

I have both. The M2 Air is wonderful, but if I had to have only one, then the 14" MBP is spectacular. The weight differences and handling aren't as different as the marketers would have you believe. Check them out side by side in a store and you will immediately see that.

Put it this way. If you get the M2 Air you will always wonder if you should have stepped up to more power. If you get the M1Pro, you will not.

totally agree. The power and display are both worth it. I have absolutely nothing negative to say about the 14" and use it daily running pro graphic apps.

 

[Dave13]

I usually code backend+frontend of one or two projects at the same time, that is the reason why I am worried about overheating.

I hate huge native resolution, 1500-1600 is perfect for 14". But I am not sure about the screen size, 13.6" seems to me too small, there is not much space for a sidebar.

Tomorrow I am going to check it out at the store.

 

[benobi]

I might be the first to say that I definitely notice the thickness and weight differences between these two machines. Granted, I often use my laptops on my lap, so desk warriors may not feel it in the same way. I find the typing experience much more comfortable on the M2 Air. The thinness helps wrist comfort and I find the keys more tactile than on the 14”. However, in my experience, the biggest difference is battery life. I consistently get 14-16 hours on the Air. Only 9-11 hours on the Pro

 

[eyalben]

I might be the first to say that I definitely notice the thickness and weight differences between these two machines. Granted, I often use my laptops on my lap, so desk warriors may not feel it in the same way. I find the typing experience much more comfortable on the M2 Air. The thinness helps wrist comfort and I find the keys more tactile than on the 14”. However, in my experience, the biggest difference is battery life. I consistently get 14-16 hours on the Air. Only 9-11 hours on the Pro

Coming from the 16" Pro - I must say that the typing experience on the Air is not as good.

The problem with the Air (and probably with the 14" as well) is that the palm rest area is much smaller, both vertically and horizontally - resting my hands on the laptop places them much closer and therefore enhance the tension on the wrist.

 

[ilikewhey]

I might be the first to say that I definitely notice the thickness and weight differences between these two machines. Granted, I often use my laptops on my lap, so desk warriors may not feel it in the same way. I find the typing experience much more comfortable on the M2 Air. The thinness helps wrist comfort and I find the keys more tactile than on the 14”. However, in my experience, the biggest difference is battery life. I consistently get 14-16 hours on the Air. Only 9-11 hours on the Pro

lol i have a stark contrast experience than yours, after using 14inch and switching to my colleges m2 mba, the m2 mba's keyboard feels alot less tactile and a bit mush. the travel depth for keys is also alot shallower due to the thinness of the mba chassis. in fact the m2 mba's keyboard almost reminds me of apple's horrid time with their butterfly, in a sense the mba's keyboard's feel is between scissor switch and butterfly.

 

[jdb8167]

lol i have a stark contrast experience than yours, after using 14inch and switching to my colleges m2 mba, the m2 mba's keyboard feels alot less tactile and a bit mush. the travel depth for keys is also alot shallower due to the thinness of the mba chassis. in fact the m2 mba's keyboard almost reminds me of apple's horrid time with their butterfly, in a sense the mba's keyboard's feel is between scissor switch and butterfly.

To me the M2 MacBook Air’s keyboard feels the same as the M1 MBA. Nothing at all like the butterfly keyboard on the 2018 MacBook Pro.

 

[ilikewhey]

To me the M2 MacBook Air’s keyboard feels the same as the M1 MBA. Nothing at all like the butterfly keyboard on the 2018 MacBook Pro.

the m1 mba feels ok, but the m2 definitely feels less travel. the bottoming out actuation happens alot quicker than the m1, not butterfly per se but if i have to put it on a spectrum its like between the butterfly and a regular scissor. again some folks likes it and some don't. i just happen to have a cherry mx brown and blue so i like the more tactile feedback.

 

[jdb8167]

the m1 mba feels ok, but the m2 definitely feels less travel. the bottoming out actuation happens alot quicker than the m1, not butterfly per se but if i have to put it on a spectrum its like between the butterfly and a regular scissor. again some folks likes it and some don't. i just happen to have a cherry mx brown and blue so i like the more tactile feedback.

Side by side the M1 and M2 MacBook Air keyboards feel nearly the same to me. Same travel depth as far as I can tell. I don’t have a 14” MacBook Pro so I can’t compare with that.

 

[chrfr]

the m1 mba feels ok, but the m2 definitely feels less travel. the bottoming out actuation happens alot quicker than the m1, not butterfly per se but if i have to put it on a spectrum its like between the butterfly and a regular scissor. again some folks likes it and some don't. i just happen to have a cherry mx brown and blue so i like the more tactile feedback.

I can’t feel a difference between M1 and M2 Air keyboards either. Neither are anything like Apple’s butterfly keyboard implementation.

 

[ilikewhey]

I can’t feel a difference between M1 and M2 Air keyboards either. Neither are anything like Apple’s butterfly keyboard implementation.

Side by side the M1 and M2 MacBook Air keyboards feel nearly the same to me. Same travel depth as far as I can tell. I don’t have a 14” MacBook Pro so I can’t compare with that.

and i'm not surprised, this is a highly subjective topic, even on reddit this topic is a mix bag, some claim there is a huge drastic difference while others are stating its a placebo effect. hell even between same m2 mba models the keys feels slight off from one another. all i can say from my ancetodal is the m2 mba i used feels the travel is more shallow compare to my 14inch, and the key feels more mush. again, some ppl prefer that.

 

[TSE]

I have both. The M2 Air is wonderful, but if I had to have only one, then the 14" MBP is spectacular. The weight differences and handling aren't as different as the marketers would have you believe. Check them out side by side in a store and you will immediately see that.

Put it this way. If you get the M2 Air you will always wonder if you should have stepped up to more power. If you get the M1Pro, you will not.

I originally had a 32-core M1 Max, 64 GB of RAM, 1TB 14" MacBook Pro that my old company provided. My new company provided me a 8-core M2 MacBook Air with 16 GBs of RAM and a 512GB SSD. I love both of them dearly - the 14" screen and speakers blow the M2 MacBook Air out of the water. But the weight and thickness difference is noticeable for me because I travel a lot, and the battery life difference is huge (I do realize the M1 Max in my 14" sucks way more juice than the M1 Pro does).

 

[ilikewhey]

I originally had a 32-core M1 Max, 64 GB of RAM, 1TB 14" MacBook Pro that my old company provided. My new company provided me a 8-core M2 MacBook Air with 16 GBs of RAM and a 512GB SSD. I love both of them dearly - the 14" screen and speakers blow the M2 MacBook Air out of the water. But the weight and thickness difference is noticeable for me because I travel a lot, and the battery life difference is huge (I do realize the M1 Max in my 14" sucks way more juice than the M1 Pro does).

i squeeze a solid 10-12 hours out of mine with battery saver on. ofcourse compared to my previous mba the battery isn't all there, but so far i still end the day with 20-30% battery instead of 40% on the mba.

 

[hoo-man-b-ing]

From a compute perspective, either should be fine for your needs. When faced with these ambiguous situations, I often optimize for what I’ll be doing most. So in your case, for example, you might consider how much of your day you will be carrying your laptop vs actively using it.

Personally, I would opt for the pro (assuming the cost difference were comfortable) for the following reasons:
- higher quality screen and speakers for non-work time since I assume this will be your primary/everything device as a digital nomad. (If not, could it be? That might offset your size/weight concern)
- active cooling for when you have to run poorly optimized and/or Electron apps (few things would speed up the fans on my work issued M1 Pro 14” MacBook Pro like the dumpster fire that is Microsoft Teams)
- to me, the size/weight (0.36kg) difference is negligible. Having held both at the same time, I didn’t notice a substantial difference and I imagine that difference would disappear once I put it in a backpack/laptop bag.
- the slightly larger screen would be beneficial for coding/debugging

I think you’ll be happy with either device and I hope you enjoy being a digital nomad. I did that for a 1.5 years pre-pandemic and it was glorious.