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M2 Air to M3
- Thread starter dizmonk
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I upgraded to a 14" M3 Pro, just because of the size. The 15" Air was great, but size became an issue for me. I had upgraded to the 15 from 13 Air.
I upgraded because I stupidly thought I wouldn't need more storage. I have a mac Mini M2 That I bought with the base storage and 16GB of Ram. As I got deeper into the Mac Ecosystem I started filling it. Because some applications require installation on the system drive and won't work otherwise. The other reason I upgraded to the M3 was switching over to a laptop to have a 2nd monitor as I connect to a 65" TV as my main monitor. My computer is purely for entertainment, shopping, occasional business related activity like emails and writing a resume. So I don't need the absolute horsepower. But it's only what's currently available with these specific configurations. If they weren't releasing this I was contemplating getting the M2 Macbook Pro or Mac Mini M2 Pro. I also have Macbook Air M2. In hindsight I should have gotten 16GB of ram on that one. I only use that as my backyard laptop and if I want to actually sit at my computer desk(WIndows Gaming Setup) vs the main TV/Entertainment system.
Why did you switch from the 15 to the 14? Did you need the additional horsepower?
When you say the 15 was too big, was it because you're on airplanes a lot? I briefly had the 16 but that was too big. The size of the 15 I don't find to be a problem. The horsepower is great but there are times I wish it had a little more juice. Do you miss the fanless aspect?
I decided I didn’t need the bigger screen and also preferred the smaller screen size.
The footprint and where I use my Mac, the space was cramped with the 15.
The M2 was more than enough for my task. I had opted for 512 vs 16gb of ram, I had no issues.
I'll be honest since I've had the M3 Pro, I've only heard the fans kick on once.
The 15 was given to my partner, and his old 2016 15" MBP was sold.
I'm wanting a little bigger display than my M1 MBA, so will be looking to replace next Spring/Summer with either the base 14" M3 Pro MBP or 15" M3 MBA. I don't have an Apple Store in my area but the local Best Buy has a many Apple laptops so finally got to see the Space Black 14" MBP and 15" MBA in Midnight which was actually right next to it. I like the size of both. I am a big fan of the color of both as well. My usage is for residency as we can use our own laptops for outpatient work.
The only issue that I have seen with going from a MB Air to MB Pro is the weight ... I think the MB Pros are 3.5 lbs.
My muscles are so atrophied that I went down to an iPad ... 1.5 lbs! I know I know I have to start pumping some iron!
Working on that exact setup now. Want the 14” M3 Pro for full time music creation, and my M2 Air 13” as my couch and take with me everywhere notebook.
I had the 13” M2 Air for the last 1.5 years and just bought the 14” M3 Pro MacBook Pro. The faster SSD and faster single core performance are noticeable to me. That said, there was nothing wrong with the M2 and most people shouldn’t take the financial hit for the upgrade from M2 to M3 (I paid about $1,800 for my M2 24GB/1TB and sold it for $1,290 net of fees). I got a decent Black Friday weekend deal on an open box M3 Pro 18GB/1TB model from Best Buy.
While the Air is noticeably lighter I don’t travel with it as much as I used to. On short trips I use remote connect apps such as Jump Connect to access my Mac from my iPad. Since I can also access work email, corporate Microsoft 365 and other apps from my iPad it’s a more versatile travel device for me.
If you are considering upgrading from 15" MBA M2 to MBP M3 or M3 Pro. Just ask yourself why are you thinking of upgrading. Is the 15" M2 not fast enough for your use? Do you need more ports, a higher-resolution screen, or something else the MBP offers over MBA? Do you have the money to upgrade and/or feel it's worth it for those extra benefits?
I just like having the latest and greatest. If Apple offered an upgrade program for the Mac I’d sign up for it.
The Air is perfectly fine. I had an M1 14 and my attraction to the M3 is the improved battery life since it is now equivalent to the 15 Air. Given that I think the smaller size might be appealing. If I sold the Air on Swappa my net cost might be about $300 or so.