M2 MacBook Air or M1 Pro MacBook Pro 14” dilemma

[GooseInTheCaboose]

For school programming classes, I think it is very highly likely that an M2 MBA would be more than sufficient. Also, the MBA is significantly more portable than a 14in MBP.

I would not recommend against the MBP because it is a great upgrade pick if you're willing to take the backpack weight gain. Given the performance of the M1 Pro/Max MBPs, it ought to last you well into your early post-collegiate days if you got it now. Additionally, the built in HDMI port is probably more useful for students than most might think. You won't have to keep a dongle around for presentation slide decks.

I've got a 16in M1 Max Macbook Pro for work and an M2 Macbook Air for personal (as of last Friday ha). They're both great computers. I love that the MBP can have a web, iOS, and Android app all running locally side by side along with a Remote Desktop session, Figma, and Pixelmator and it doesn't even get warm much less loud. I love that the MBA is lighter than a 12.9in iPad Pro + Magic Keyboard Case (my previous personal "laptop") but I could still pull down a repo and test one of my dev's projects in a pinch with no sweat.

How did you configure your Air? (Ram and ssd?)

Do you find the big difference is that the MBA can do the same tough stuff that the MBP can do almost as fast—but you just need to close everything else and let it run to avoid lag etc?

Whereas the MBP can do the tough stuff while you open 20 more tabs, a pdf, etc etc all at the same time?

(By tough stuff I mean like batch photo editing, video editing, your virtual desktops etc)

 

[rgwebb]

How did you configure your Air? (Ram and ssd?)

Do you find the big difference is that the MBA can do the same tough stuff that the MBP can do almost as fast—but you just need to close everything else and let it run to avoid lag etc?

Whereas the MBP can do the tough stuff while you open 20 more tabs, a pdf, etc etc all at the same time?

(By tough stuff I mean like batch photo editing, video editing, your virtual desktops etc)

I just did the base 10 core GPU model on the Air. The MBP is M1 Max w/ 32 GB of RAM.

The MBP can clearly multitask far better in terms of how many IDEs, debugging, etc I have running at once.

 

[GooseInTheCaboose]

I just did the base 10 core GPU model on the Air. The MBP is M1 Max w/ 32 GB of RAM.

The MBP can clearly multitask far better in terms of how many IDEs, debugging, etc I have running at once.

Interesting. With your Air, have you gotten any UI lag while doing intensive stuff?

I played with the base model in the store and got Lag while resizing and creating new tabs in safari when I had an iMovie saving/exporting in the background. This is concerning to me..

How much RAM is in your new MBA?

 

[fdw777]

I was also in the same boat as most of you in here.

I was up early in the morning of July 8th to place my order for my Midnight M2 MBA 8/512. Replacing my mint condition Mid-2012 MBP maxed out with IMO the best screen Apple ever offered on a laptop. I did NOT want to replace my computer at all but it was stuck in yesteryear (Catalina) OS and after 10 years of service the old girl need a nap (not a dirt nap). Now that Im much older and retired I figured the new M2 MBA would be plenty powerful enough for my needs...Until I decided to go to my local Apple store (Southlake) and take a hard look at the Pro models before my Air arrived the 15th. BIG mistake!

I ended up ordering from the Apple store refurbished, and using my veterans discount ordered a Space Grey 14" MBP base model for a whopping $1,619. Within a day or 2 after I ordered my M1Pro Apple sold out of all the refurbished.

I received my M1Pro order on July 13th had most everything setup on it by the 15th.

BTW, the MBA is still sealed in the box and plan to return and keep the MBP M1Pro.

 

[rgwebb]

Interesting. With your Air, have you gotten any UI lag while doing intensive stuff?

I played with the base model in the store and got Lag while resizing and creating new tabs in safari when I had an iMovie saving/exporting in the background. This is concerning to me..

How much RAM is in your new MBA?

just 8...I haven't noticed any significant lag thus far. The only visual difference I notice are that between the quality of the display panels themselves on each respective laptop.

Again, I realize I can't really peg this thing out like the MBP but it can adequately handle building and debugging an iOS app in simulator. I wouldn't try to have the web, android, and iOS apps all going at the same time on the MBA but even that may be me being abundantly cautious.

I think a 16 or 24GB model of the M2 MBA would be more than sufficient for any sort of undergraduate programming assignments imo.

 

[Imory]

I was also in the same boat as most of you in here.

I was up early in the morning of July 8th to place my order for my Midnight M2 MBA 8/512. Replacing my mint condition Mid-2012 MBP maxed out with IMO the best screen Apple ever offered on a laptop. I did NOT want to replace my computer at all but it was stuck in yesteryear (Catalina) OS and after 10 years of service the old girl need a nap (not a dirt nap). Now that Im much older and retired I figured the new M2 MBA would be plenty powerful enough for my needs...Until I decided to go to my local Apple store (Southlake) and take a hard look at the Pro models before my Air arrived the 15th. BIG mistake!

I ended up ordering from the Apple store refurbished, and using my veterans discount ordered a Space Grey 14" MBP base model for a whopping $1,619. Within a day or 2 after I ordered my M1Pro Apple sold out of all the refurbished.

I received my M1Pro order on July 13th had most everything setup on it by the 15th.

BTW, the MBA is still sealed in the box and plan to return and keep the MBP M1Pro.

So what made you change your mind and go for the 14" Pro?

 

[addictive]

I genuinely feel that if a person is considering the 14"MBP, then they are not the target consumer of the MBA.

I'm considering the 14 inch MBP and I'm very much the target consumer for the MBA. My needs are extremely light and non-intensive and the CPU and GPU will be total overkill for me but the superior display, additional ports and ability to use two external displays like I can on my current 2015 rMBP 13 inch.

I know for future proofing and as I plan to keep the new laptop for five years minimum I want my next Apple laptop to be 16GB/1TB and at the moment I can get the 14 MBP M1 Pro for cheaper than the MBA M2.

 

[DavidChoux]

I'm still on the fence about upgrading too. My current machine is the 2016 non touchbar base spec 13" Pro. It's works fine for my needs but it does run warm with YouTube and battery life isn't fantastic.

The 14" M1 Pro seems like the better value option. But then again I will rarely use that power. Maybe for editing the odd video in FCPX, but given my current MBP has no problems with that, the new Air shouldn't break a sweat and the 14" would probably be overkill. No point carrying around all that bulk if I'm not using all the performance. The screen is a big step up though.

The M2 Air does look great, and perhaps it's the one I should get. However, as far as I'm aware it essentially has the same screen tech as my nearly 6 year old MBP, and as this will be a significant purchase for me I want something that feels new and exciting.

At this point, I'm very tempted to wait for the 3nm chips. Hopefully the thermal requirements will be less and they'll use that to make something thin again. Hopefully a new display too. After all, my current machine is still going strong. Another year will be easy.

 

[lazygolfer]

I'm considering the 14 inch MBP and I'm very much the target consumer for the MBA. My needs are extremely light and non-intensive and the CPU and GPU will be total overkill for me but the superior display, additional ports and ability to use two external displays like I can on my current 2015 rMBP 13 inch.

I know for future proofing and as I plan to keep the new laptop for five years minimum I want my next Apple laptop to be 16GB/1TB and at the moment I can get the 14 MBP M1 Pro for cheaper than the MBA M2.

Same here, right now in the UK you can get both to the same price! The 14 MBP is indeed heavier but not a massive difference.

 

[taphil]

I ordered a M2 MBA (8/10 core, 512GB, 16GB) and it's still in transit, but I ended up getting the base 14" MBP instead and will return the MBA. The price difference isn't that big, the weight difference doesn't bother me for my use, and the screen is a lot better in terms of XDR/HDR, ProMotion, and DPI. The speakers are better too.

It will replace a base M1 MBA that's being handed down. I picked it up brand new for $800 at Microcenter last year and it's a excellent value, but the pricing for the M2 with the better 512GB SSD is too steep in comparison.

 

[fdw777]

So what made you change your mind and go for the 14" Pro?

After seeing the MBP M1Pro in person, I fell in love with the form factor (stamped in MacBook Pro), the screen, the keyboard, the amount of ports and the price at Apple refurbished. It was certainly a much bigger bang for my buck than the MBA M2, and hopefully I can keep this one for 10 years...So future proofing is a huge thing for me since I like keeping my Mac's a long time.

 

[macmus12]

Wait a couple months, pick up the M2 MBP when it’s released.

It will be probably in 2023.

 

[CTown03]

Still so torn here is what I am between.

MacBook Air M2 8/10 core, 16gb, 1TB

MacBook Pro M1Pro 8/14, 16gb, 1TB

Price is only 270 difference, not really concerning. I still really like the form factor of the air.

Main use of laptop is normal day to day word processing, spreadsheet, internet consumption with occasional 3d modeling TinkerCad/Auto and 3d Slicer programs for 3d printing.

Just make my decision for me.

 

[PaladinGuy]

Still so torn here is what I am between.

MacBook Air M2 8/10 core, 16gb, 1TB

MacBook Pro M1Pro 8/14, 16gb, 1TB

Price is only 270 difference, not really concerning. I still really like the form factor of the air.

Main use of laptop is normal day to day word processing, spreadsheet, internet consumption with occasional 3d modeling TinkerCad/Auto and 3d Slicer programs for 3d printing.

Just make my decision for me.

It’s so tough because they didn’t price them differently enough (intentionally, I’d wager to nudge up-sales). It was so much easier with the M1 MBA. Unless you just have to have the slim and slightly lighter M2 MBA, I think I’d go with the 14” MBP.

 

[Feisar]

Still so torn here is what I am between.

MacBook Air M2 8/10 core, 16gb, 1TB - $1899

MacBook Pro M1Pro 8/14, 16gb, 1TB - $2199

Price is only 270 difference, not really concerning. I still really like the form factor of the air.

Main use of laptop is normal day to day word processing, spreadsheet, internet consumption with occasional 3d modeling TinkerCad/Auto and 3d Slicer programs for 3d printing.

Just make my decision for me.

MBP M1 Pro 10/16, 16gb, 1TB is on sale at various retails from low as $2199 (Adorama via Apple Insider stacked discount), $2249 (Amazon), $2299 (Best Buy) and 8/14, 16gb, 512gb is still on sale for $1799.

I was vacillating between similar config and went MBP M1 Pro base (8/14, 16/512) on sale - for the mini-LED display (1512 x 982), multi-core and PCI4e SSD speeds, and additional TB4 port.

If the M1 Pro base wasn't on sale I'd probably would have picked up the M2 Air on launch day since I also own a MBP 16 M1 MAX 32gb/1TB.

Either models should be more than adequate for your needs. If you're aiming lightweight portability and fast single core speeds for everyday use, pocket $270 and go M2 Air.

 

[maka344]

I have the MBP 10/10/16/1TB and I'm thinking of swapping to the M2 Air 8/8/512GB - I only browse the net, YouTube, emails and the odd spreadsheet - I have an OLED TV for movies so don't really watch to game on my Mac.

I love the Midnight colour, size, weight of the M2 Air but the screen difference is the only thing stopping me...

 

[Stev150]

I have the MBP 10/10/16/1TB and I'm thinking of swapping to the M2 Air 8/8/512GB - I only browse the net, YouTube, emails and the odd spreadsheet - I have an OLED TV for movies so don't really watch to game on my Mac.

I love the Midnight colour, size, weight of the M2 Air but the screen difference is the only thing stopping me...

I have the M2 air and a 12.9 m1 with the mini led display. Personally if watching movies hdr etc at night or in direct sunlight u will be fine . Under normal use u can’t tell much difference,I would just point out of the promotion is a thing that u will miss as for myself it’s a none issue.

 

[throAU]

I have the MBP 10/10/16/1TB and I'm thinking of swapping to the M2 Air 8/8/512GB - I only browse the net, YouTube, emails and the odd spreadsheet - I have an OLED TV for movies so don't really watch to game on my Mac.

I love the Midnight colour, size, weight of the M2 Air but the screen difference is the only thing stopping me...

In your situation I'd sit on what you have. If you didn't already have the 14", sure, you'd save money on an m2 air.

But for you - you'll probably come out of that swap mostly even (money wise) due to the resale not being the same as new price on your 14" and ending up with pretty much half the machine - half the performance cores (sure they're slightly faster individual cores - for the limited window before thermal soak), around 60% of the GPU performance, half the storage and RAM, etc.

The air isn't THAT much lighter, really. And yes, I've held one in the real world. If you've currently got a 14, selling it now to swap to an M2 is nuts in my view.


Also. I'll bet dollars to donuts that the battery in the pro will last longer given the same workload as its power delivery is set up to run up to 60+ watts of CPU+GPU, whereas the Air's power delivery is configured to draw 30. Wear and tear on the battery will be less.


edit:
My 14" finally dropped to 99% battery health this week. I bought it on week of release.

 

[MICHAELSD]

The YouTuber consensus seems to be spend more to get the 14”, with the exception of the typical consumer.

However, it is downright compelling that a fully-loaded MacBook Air can be configured for $2,499 with 24GB of RAM and a 2TB—not that most buyers will need either.

It’s also intriguing to remember that the Air was introduced as a premium, ultra-compact $1,799+ laptop that was built for the lightest of workloads.

I envision life with a MacBook Air to be slightly different since I’ll be more tempted to take it places, which is what’s holding up my decision.

It also helps that it’s technically the newer of the two, and I’ve envisioned eventually replacing my MacBook Pro with a more powerful MacBook Air.

I may have to check it out this week and do a direct comparison before Apple ships my 14” MacBook Pro, or outstanding MacBook Air order created in case I change my mind.

 

[Stev150]

what's putting me off the pro model is the reports of speaker popping and sd card issues .

 

[GooseInTheCaboose]

The YouTuber consensus seems to be spend more to get the 14”, with the exception of the typical consumer.

However, it is downright compelling that a fully-loaded MacBook Air can be configured for $2,499 with 24GB of RAM and a 2TB—not that most buyers will need either.

It’s also intriguing to remember that the Air was introduced as a premium, ultra-compact $1,799+ laptop that was built for the lightest of workloads.

I envision life with a MacBook Air to be slightly different since I’ll be more tempted to take it places, which is what’s holding up my decision.

It also helps that it’s technically the newer of the two, and I’ve envisioned eventually replacing my MacBook Pro with a more powerful MacBook Air.

I may have to check it out this week and do a direct comparison before Apple ships my 14” MacBook Pro, or outstanding MacBook Air order created in case I change my mind.

Which year/configuration MBP are you thinking of replacing with the new MBA? I'm in a very similar predicament.

The idea that a lightweight fan-free computer can do all that my old powerhouse could is so appealing...I just wonder if it is realistic today, or if the 14" is still the closest thing.

 

[rgwebb]

The YouTuber consensus seems to be spend more to get the 14”, with the exception of the typical consumer.

However, it is downright compelling that a fully-loaded MacBook Air can be configured for $2,499 with 24GB of RAM and a 2TB—not that most buyers will need either.

It’s also intriguing to remember that the Air was introduced as a premium, ultra-compact $1,799+ laptop that was built for the lightest of workloads.

I envision life with a MacBook Air to be slightly different since I’ll be more tempted to take it places, which is what’s holding up my decision.

It also helps that it’s technically the newer of the two, and I’ve envisioned eventually replacing my MacBook Pro with a more powerful MacBook Air.

I may have to check it out this week and do a direct comparison before Apple ships my 14” MacBook Pro, or outstanding MacBook Air order created in case I change my mind.

Not being mean-spirited but your first sentence is phrased in a very peculiar way. Essentially it reads like: The consensus is to do some thing unless you are among the majority of the population.

So the consensus is really only to get the 14in MBP if you fit in a niche use case where an appropriately configured M2 MBA would price very closely with the base M1 Pro 14in MBP.

My question is just how significant is that exception and my best guess answer is: "not very."

The people who need a 14in MBP pretty much know they need it. The ones who are asking the internet if they should go M2 MBA or M1 Pro MBP probably actually only need the MBA.

 

[537635]

The people who need a 14in MBP pretty much know they need it. The ones who are asking the internet if they should go M2 MBA or M1 Pro MBP probably actually only need the MBA.

I think a lot of people (including me) do not see the difference between need and want.

Need a fast GPU.
Need the ports.
Want the ProMotion.
Want the better resolution.

Or vice versa. I think you your quote pretty much sums up everything. If you ponder between the two, you don't need the 14. You might want it though.

 

[MICHAELSD]

Which year/configuration MBP are you thinking of replacing with the new MBA? I'm in a very similar predicament.

The idea that a lightweight fan-free computer can do all that my old powerhouse could is so appealing...I just wonder if it is realistic today, or if the 14" is still the closest thing.

2012 15” Retina MacBook Pro.

It’s incredible to think that this computer has lasted nearly a decade and admittedly still feels perfectly modern. The display calibration is fantastic, and this model came with a 256GB SSD so it’s lightning quick.

That’s one reason I’m satisfied purchasing either the first-generation MacBook Pro or MacBook Air designed from the ground up for Apple silicon, since I know these products will provide the most bang for the buck possible until they’re refreshed again.

Apple had to start designing their own silicon, as otherwise there would have continued to be limited incentive to upgrade and models like the Air would be constrained by stagnated progress.

My next motivation to upgrade will likely be a flicker-free OLED display.

I’m fairly confident that the MacBook Air would be suitable for my current workflow, which consists primarily of blogging. However, I do occasionally use professional apps from Adobe and Apple—which the Air should handle as I’m not constantly exporting 4K video or typically doing what I’d consider to be demanding sustained tasks. However, the times I am using sustained workloads it may be worth having the additional performance of the Pro. I’m also a major display nerd so I’ll probably appreciate the Mini-LED display on the Pro, although the Air display seems like it could be surprisingly vibrant and high-end.

Admittedly the design and newness are what attract me most to the Air. The Midnight Air could be a blast to use and transport. If I could get a Midnight Pro with the M2 Pro today that would be a no-brainer, but I’ve already decided that I’d prefer not to wait.

 

[MICHAELSD]

Not being mean-spirited but your first sentence is phrased in a very peculiar way. Essentially it reads like: The consensus is to do some thing unless you are among the majority of the population.

So the consensus is really only to get the 14in MBP if you fit in a niche use case where an appropriately configured M2 MBA would price very closely with the base M1 Pro 14in MBP.

My question is just how significant is that exception and my best guess answer is: "not very."

The people who need a 14in MBP pretty much know they need it. The ones who are asking the internet if they should go M2 MBA or M1 Pro MBP probably actually only need the MBA.

I suppose it comes across as peculiar since I’m framing it from my own perspective: I don’t consider myself to be the average consumer that will be primarily using the Air for web browsing and stock apps.

That should answer my own question, although there’s been a definitive appeal to the Air even for pro users since its Manila-enrobed introduction.