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M2 MacBook Air or M1 Pro MacBook Pro 14” dilemma

M2 MacBook Air vs M1 Pro MacBook Pro 14”

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Beau10 said:
Just FYI, the screen brightness of the 14" is theoretically 3x as much... I use an an app called Vivid which doubles it to 1000 nits. This is pretty killer functionality to have for my use case as I like to work outside.
Click to expand...

Yeah out of the box it will only crank to 1600 nits for HDR content.

If you compare vs. the Air screen without viewing HDR content they both top out at 500 nits, which is why some people are claiming they can't tell the difference.

If you view HDR (either photos or videos) the difference is huge.
 
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1rottenapple said:
Yup I agree I’ve never heard the fans. The laptop is pretty cool to the touch I wonder how the mba is
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My M2 Air is cool to touch for what I use it for. I really don’t think it’s in the same use category as the Pro. It’s kind of like comparing a car to a pickup truck. Sure both will get you to the store but if you’re going to pick up lumber then you probably need the truck.

If you think you might need to pick up lumber at the store then you probably want to buy the truck 😂
 
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Funny enough the pricing has got me holding off.

I don't want to spend $1800 on a laptop for casual use. The 14-inch pro at best buy is a relatively good deal but it is still a pricey machine. I had a 16 inch m1 pro I returned because i didn't need all that it was just a waste of money.

When I price out the MBA m2 it is close to $1600 plus tax. Pretty pricey for what should be a base unit 16gb 512gb. So close to the pro pricing, the screen alone and pro motion on the pro is enough to sway that purchase but again I don't want to spend that much on a base unit.

The MB1 is cheaper but the screen is dim and on the small side. It's also 2-year-old tech. I can pick up one of those for $1400.

So essentially, I get get 2020 tech for 1400
The replacement slightly upgraded for $200 more, $1600
or the beefy "pro" version for 300 over the middle, 1800

They are removing the value of the air and bringing the price close enough to the pro and making the pro a contender. Then again, the pro is still an expensive machine even with the discount at best buy. Do i really need to spend that much on a machine for simple tasks? I've had all three in my bag multiple times over the last two days and I just can't bring myself to pull the trigger.

Macos is fun and all but it is pretty limiting. Used to be the Air was worth the entry price, I'm not so sure anymore. I'm actually thinking a cheap windows laptop would serve me better I can pick one up for a third of the cost.

The air used to be one of the best sellers. I'm sure it will sell but I noticed today that even this close after release I can order and get one within 10 days. I was expecting a month plus at least wait. I'm going to think on it some more but I'm not jumping right out and throwing money at these units. I'm not sure I can articulate it any better but this pricing and the upgrade costs are rubbing me the wrong way.
 
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I haven't owned a MacBook for years. I was tired of PC Desktops and since my kids are older now, I wanted something for me. So I told my wife I was gonna go out and buy a Apple MacBook. I ended up going to the Apple store and buying the new midnight MBA M2. So far I love it, the speed, the screen, the keyboard, the battery life and the usability with my iPhone and Apple Watch. I now understand why people stay with Apple Ecosystem, all their devices work so smooth together.

With that being said, I forgot about the education promotion and was thinking about exchanging my MBA M2 for the MBP M2 13in which was the same price as the base MBA M2 without the education promotion. But I didn't want to go through the hassle. Due to the fingerprints, I ordered a Dbrand Skin to pop on this beauty.

But I'm happy with my choice.
 
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Fatus_Asticus said:
Funny enough the pricing has got me holding off.

I don't want to spend $1800 on a laptop for casual use. The 14-inch pro at best buy is a relatively good deal but it is still a pricey machine. I had a 16 inch m1 pro I returned because i didn't need all that it was just a waste of money.

When I price out the MBA m2 it is close to $1600 plus tax. Pretty pricey for what should be a base unit 16gb 512gb. So close to the pro pricing, the screen alone and pro motion on the pro is enough to sway that purchase but again I don't want to spend that much on a base unit.

The MB1 is cheaper but the screen is dim and on the small side. It's also 2-year-old tech. I can pick up one of those for $1400.

So essentially, I get get 2020 tech for 1400
The replacement slightly upgraded for $200 more, $1600
or the beefy "pro" version for 300 over the middle, 1800

They are removing the value of the air and bringing the price close enough to the pro and making the pro a contender. Then again, the pro is still an expensive machine even with the discount at best buy. Do i really need to spend that much on a machine for simple tasks? I've had all three in my bag multiple times over the last two days and I just can't bring myself to pull the trigger.

Macos is fun and all but it is pretty limiting. Used to be the Air was worth the entry price, I'm not so sure anymore. I'm actually thinking a cheap windows laptop would serve me better I can pick one up for a third of the cost.

The air used to be one of the best sellers. I'm sure it will sell but I noticed today that even this close after release I can order and get one withing 10 days. I was expecting a month plus at least wait. I'm going to think on it some more but I'm not jumping right out and throwing money at these units. I'm not sure I can articulate it any better but this pricing and the upgrade costs are rubbing me the wrong way.
Click to expand...
You’re priced out. Just get the M1 MacBook Air. You’re lusting for something you can’t just ape into right now. If you had the money to burn then sure, but it sounds like you’re a very reasonable, maybe conservative, consumer, unlike many others. The M1 MacBook Air is a great device.
 
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RyanC1384 said:
I have a Studio in my home office and my MacBook Pro (Late 2016) with 16gb and 1TB SSD has gone to crap. Really struggling with what to replace it with?

Should I get an M2 Air for more casual work around the house / surfing / email / basics while relaxing on the couch - or get the M1 Pro because of the better screen and quality? I also have the 12.9 iPad Pro, so the screen drop could be a deal breaker.

What should I do?
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I have a MBP 14”, a M1 MBA and an iPad Pro 12.9” with keyboard. (Don’t ask 🤣)

I feel l that the MBA and the IPP with keyboard are very similar devices for me in terms of sizing, portability, use-ability, use cases etc.

Have you considered a keyboard for your iPad Pro?
 
Misheemee said:
I have a MBP 14”, a M1 MBA and an iPad Pro 12.9” with keyboard. (Don’t ask 🤣)

I feel l that the MBA and the IPP with keyboard are very similar devices for me in terms of sizing, portability, use-ability, use cases etc.

Have you considered a keyboard for your iPad Pro?
Click to expand...
I have, but I strongly prefer MacOS To iPadOS...
 
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Beau10 said:
Just FYI, the screen brightness of the 14" is theoretically 3x as much... I use an an app called Vivid which doubles it to 1000 nits. This is pretty killer functionality to have for my use case as I like to work outside.
Click to expand...
I heard about that actually. I never really work outside... soooooo.
 
537635 said:
This.

The display on the 14 is so good compared to the downgraded Air M2 (lower PPI than previous model).

I use laptop screen only most of the time and having such a great display made for an easy choice for me. Also almost the same price, which probably won't be true anymore come autumn.

My only issue is that my home LG ultrafine 5k looks like crap. ProMotion and HDR have the same effect here than they do on phones. They ruin the experience on less capable devices.

And 27 or 32 inch Promotion HDR display and/or iMac is going to be crazily expensive.
Click to expand...
the display on the MBP 14 or 16 is crazy honestly... if for daily work, or serous work, lawyer, doctor, engineer etc.... I advise 14" for sure!
 
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cygy2k said:
Well if you can wait 18 months the M3 should be out. Or in 30 months the M4. Waiting 3-6 months unless you need more than the current version can provide means you're always going to regret what you have.
Click to expand...
Seriously this.. I bought the M1 Air when it came out in 2020 - what a beast it has been! I'm keeping it in the family and I'm getting an M2 Air now. If you need something now, buy it now. This is tech, it is always going to keep getting better.
 
pirarre said:
I haven't owned a MacBook for years. I was tired of PC Desktops and since my kids are older now, I wanted something for me. So I told my wife I was gonna go out and buy a Apple MacBook. I ended up going to the Apple store and buying the new midnight MBA M2. So far I love it, the speed, the screen, the keyboard, the battery life and the usability with my iPhone and Apple Watch. I now understand why people stay with Apple Ecosystem, all their devices work so smooth together.

With that being said, I forgot about the education promotion and was thinking about exchanging my MBA M2 for the MBP M2 13in which was the same price as the base MBA M2 without the education promotion. But I didn't want to go through the hassle. Due to the fingerprints, I ordered a Dbrand Skin to pop on this beauty.

But I'm happy with my choice.
Click to expand...
Glad to hear a pc user having a positive experience. I haven’t owned a desktop or laptop for a number of years now, I use my wife’s windows pc from time to time but I went out and ordered a midnight air after using for awhile in store

I’m using my step sons new aero 13 for the next couple weeks which is nearly identical in size to the air but a little thicker and I love the size for just sitting on the couch.
 
Dealmans said:
don't believe anyone that doesn't own one, never heard the fans on my 14"
Click to expand...
I've had the fans on my 14" M1 Pro kick-in when doing Handbrake encoded and also when playing games. The exact same things on a 16" M1 Pro don't need the fans.

They're only a fraction of the noise level of Intel Macs, so its all relative, but they will come on depending on what you do.
 
throAU said:
Yeah out of the box it will only crank to 1600 nits for HDR content.

If you compare vs. the Air screen without viewing HDR content they both top out at 500 nits, which is why some people are claiming they can't tell the difference.

If you view HDR (either photos or videos) the difference is huge.
Click to expand...
What content on the internet is hdr? Will web pages be hdr?
 
Misheemee said:
I think you’ll find a price increase with the new pro which will cement the pricing gap between the m2 mba and M2 pro, and would influence a decision. It’s a tough choice right now because of the pricing structure and how closely matched the m2 air and m2 pro are

I think the decision to wait for the M2 pro lies with the use case
Click to expand...
Wait for the new M2 pro release, to buy the refurbished M1 Pro. Refurbished price is more justified and less confusing than the new one.
 
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more and more im thinking off the 14 m1 pro , what's the battery life like for light use ?
 
Stev150 said:
more and more im thinking off the 14 m1 pro , what's the battery life like for light use ?
Click to expand...
Great so far for me. I think one of the youtubers measured it as a little over 8 hours for mixed app usage on the 14 M1 MBP, compared to 10 hours for the M2 MBA. I consider that a win for either laptop. Plus, the 14 M1 MBP charges fast, so long days on battery are even easier if you can top up quickly a few times in the day.

I cancelled my M2 MBA order this morning, and I'm leaning into using the 14 M1 MBP. It's a little chonky compared to the M2 MBA, but at 1.6kg/3.5lb, no big deal to me. Holy cow is the screen nice, and the speakers are excellent.
 
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