M2 MacBook Air or M1 Pro MacBook Pro 14” dilemma

[537635]

It’s thinner but it’s still perfectly solid lol. Considering how thin and light it is, it still feels surprisingly dense

I'm not saying it's a plasticky cheap laptop.

But nowhere near the quality feeling of the previous gen laptops. Sorry. I have M1 Air, 13'' Pro and 14'' Pro to compare. While the 14'' Pro is really great, with gorgeous screen and crazy performance/portability ratio, it still lacks that "premium" feeling.

 

[Toratek]

I really feel my M2 air is a fantastic machine, which fits my needs very well, but anyone who claims it to be objectively better than the 14” Pro in any way other than portability and perhaps battery is either delusional or just plain lying.

Those two factors are why I chose it- if portability were less important to me then I would have easily selected the 14” Pro.

As far as build quality, mine feels as solid as any other Apple notebook, including five pros and three airs.

 

[DaveOZ]

Why?

I’d choose the 14” because I need the Max power and lots of RAM for the CAD work I do. The Air is fine but runs out of puff on large projects. I love my 16” but it does get a bit heavy at times. As I said, for me, the perfect one computer setup would be a 14” Pro with Studio Display at work and home. The 14” is very usable on the go and on the lap. Obviously I’m not the same use case as everyone and for most people the Air will be a perfect choice.

 

[rmadsen3]

I wish they'd make both MBA and MBP in small-screen versions!

 

[Infinitewisdom]

I have both the 14” M1 MBP and a maxed out M2 MBA. Hands down the MBA is what I like the most. It’s a beast in a tiny package. Best laptop Apple has ever made.

Comments like this are why I'm probably going to get the M2 MBA as well, even though I'm enjoying my 14" m1 MBP.

 

[erasr]

I’m only on my second day with the M2 Air.

It flies, don’t get me wrong, but I watched a movie on it in bed last night - something I didn’t do much with my last Pro - and could clearly see the notch.

The black borders are not black.

I probably only noticed because I only watch stuff on my LG OLED TV. Don’t tend to watch stuff on a laptop in bed.

I’m assuming the 14” M1 Pro has deeper blacks but are they true black and will they hide the notch?

 

[537635]

I’m assuming the 14” M1 Pro has deeper blacks but are they true black and will they hide the notch?

Yes, you don't see the notch, nor the edges of the screen if you have black wallpaper.

 

[erasr]

Yes, you don't see the notch, nor the edges of the screen if you have black wallpaper.

Wait what? Black wallpaper?

I’m just comparing like for like, not changing the wallpaper.

On a normal bright Apple wallpaper, does the M1 MBP have much deeper blacks, so much so that the notch blends in (watching in a dark room)?

 

[unrigestered]

not by default, as either the menu bar, or if auto hidden, the desktop images are shown around the notch, but you could manipulate the desktop wallpaper in a photo editor and make those lines in the notch area black.

black is black on those XDR screens - ok there's blooming in certain conditions, but in this case it shouldn't make a big difference to an OLED screen

there are also some apps that put the menu bar below the notch, making it invisible all the time.
but of course you will be losing the additional screen space that the area around the notch provides

 

[537635]

Wait what? Black wallpaper?

I’m just comparing like for like, not changing the wallpaper.

On a normal bright Apple wallpaper, does the M1 MBP have much deeper blacks, so much so that the notch blends in (watching in a dark room)?

Obviously you'll see the notch if wallpaper and menubar are not black. If they are, you don't see any edge of the screen.

When watching movies, it's the same, because there is no menubar.

On a wallpaper with no blacks, you cannot say the black are "deeper".

For MiniLED screen imagine how a normal screen looks like, when the device is off. There is absolutely no light coming from that part of the screen.

 

[dizmonk]

Comments like this are why I'm probably going to get the M2 MBA as well, even though I'm enjoying my 14" m1 MBP.

I'm working with the 14 right now during my two-week return window. Love the screen but the form factor is chunky... That's the only way I can describe it....

 

[erasr]

For MiniLED screen imagine how a normal screen looks like, when the device is off. There is absolutely no light coming from that part of the screen.

This is actually what I was referring to. I would prefer the black bars on movies to be truly black. On the Air they aren’t.

Sounds like the Pro is closer to what my LG OLED tv is like. True black.

 

[537635]

This is actually what I was referring to. I would prefer the black bars on movies to be truly black. On the Air they aren’t.

Sounds like the Pro is closer to what my LG OLED tv is like. True black.

In terms of "blackness" I don't really see much difference between miniLED (Macbook Pro 14) and OLED (iPhone 13 Pro Max). With a black menu bar the notch is invisible, also when watching movies.

 

[petvas]

There is no comparison between the two displays. I have both laptops at home and the difference is big. Of course, there will be consumers who don't see a big difference or don't really care. A typical example is my wife, which likes the Air display.

 

[kngelv]

I’m only on my second day with the M2 Air.

It flies, don’t get me wrong, but I watched a movie on it in bed last night - something I didn’t do much with my last Pro - and could clearly see the notch.

The black borders are not black.

I probably only noticed because I only watch stuff on my LG OLED TV. Don’t tend to watch stuff on a laptop in bed.

I’m assuming the 14” M1 Pro has deeper blacks but are they true black and will they hide the notch?

I was on the fence with the MBA 2 and the 14" Pro to replace my mid 2015 15" MBP. Last week I was traveling with my son and his friend and they brought a PS5 with them for the hotel. Watched a couple of things on Netflix for the first time ever on my two year old 12.9 iPad Pro. I noticed the dark gray non-black letterbox bars immediately. I too have an LG OLED at home. If the Air 2 had a Mini LED screen I would be all over it. I like it's form factor more than the Pro but the screen and 120HZ were the tipping points for me.

James

 

[0906742]

i'd get the M2 air, new technology... thats just my opinion.

Exactly why you think MBA M2 is new technology vs MBP 14” or 16”? The only thing the MBA M2 has ”new technology” is a little updated CPU mainly bumped up clock rate and some internal changes that CPUs get every year.

Everything else in MBP 14” and 16” in newer technology than that of in MBA M2. Just to name few of them: Mini LED display with real blacks, better speakers, studio quality microphones, 2 x faster RAM and many times faster SSD.

 

[0906742]

Flimsy?… how? Typing on one as we speak

Yeah, it is the most flexible MacBook I have ever laid my hands on. Just to clarify term flexible in this case is not positive thing. The way how much chassis flex under slight torsion and how much keyboard deck flexes. Also keyboard made funny vibrating noises when hitting middle keys with moderately high force.

Anyway, I would not consider both MBA M2 or MBP 14” anything I would want to carry with me, not at least in soft case.
They are not nearly not as solid as MBA M1 or MBP 13” are. I think mostly from that flat aluminium is not as solid as one with slightly rounder shaped that reinforces structure. But in MBA M2 weight loss is most likely IMHO gained from using less metal on chassis making it even less solid. MBP 14” seems not so thin metal but from the flat design top and bottom plates are still a bit too flexible for my taste.

 

[1BadManVan]

Exactly why you think MBA M2 is new technology vs MBP 14” or 16”? The only thing the MBA M2 has ”new technology” is a little updated CPU mainly bumped up clock rate and some internal changes that CPUs get every year.

Everything else in MBP 14” and 16” in newer technology than that of in MBA M2. Just to name few of them: Mini LED display with real blacks, better speakers, studio quality microphones, 2 x faster RAM, many times faster SSD.

The m2 has higher clock speed, extra video encoders, it also has the same ddr5-6400 memory as the m1 pro. You dont have to like it, but the m2 air is faster in day to day tasks. If you need something for heavy duty multi tasking and encoding, get a pro. But for an everyday user who wants portability, the pro doesn't make a whole ton of sense.

I was in this boat for the past several weeks and looked at the pros many times and tried them many times. Side by side, the m2 air was snappier. Also videos out here to prove its snappier in anything single core which is what the majority people use them for.

 

[Chateaunole-du-Pape]

Exactly why you think MBA M2 is new technology vs MBP 14” or 16”? The only thing the MBA M2 has ”new technology” is a little updated CPU mainly bumped up clock rate and some internal changes that CPUs get every year.

Everything else in MBP 14” and 16” in newer technology than that of in MBA M2. Just to name few of them: Mini LED display with real blacks, better speakers, studio quality microphones, 2 x faster RAM and many times faster SSD.

I spend most of my time browsing the web with Safari, something that is demonstrably faster on the M2 Air vs. the M1 Pro. Clearly it's the right machine for me.

 

[0906742]

This is actually what I was referring to. I would prefer the black bars on movies to be truly black. On the Air they aren’t.

Sounds like the Pro is closer to what my LG OLED tv is like. True black.

Yes, Pro is about the same as LG OLED - true black.

 

[0906742]

I spend most of my time browsing the web with Safari, something that is demonstrably faster on the M2 Air vs. the M1 Pro.

Where does that speed actually show other than that one benchmark test? Can you see it side by side?

 

[Apple Knowledge Navigator]

I sympathise will all the difficult decisions here, Apple is really blurring the lines now that the SoC is no longer a dealbreaker (for most).

I've yet to decide between the M2 Air and 14 Pro, but I am leaning towards the Air.

I have a wide variety of tasks including photography, education, business admin and client presentations for another business (plenty of hustling!) - all of which are visually demanding. The 14 Pro would appear to make the most sense if only for the display, yet the truth is that I would barely make the SoC sweat. Most of my work is done at a desk at home, meaning I don't really need high specs on the go. Even M1 would be enough.

So, here's 'Apple Knowledge Navigators Bullet-Proof Plan' (patent pending)

I'm (probably) going to order the M2 Air in 8/8 cores with 16/512. Upgrading to 16/512 from the base model rather than the higher model means you save a lot of money from choosing 8 GPU cores rather than 10. With the Edu discount that's 10% off and I'll get the gift card as well.

I'll then order a Studio Display and get the discount for that too in addition to using my gift card, and that display can be my main 'headless iMac' for at home. And if I do get concerned about battery draining or performance in the future, I can hold out for the inevitable 'pro' Mac mini variant.

I think the biggest headache for me is whether the extra £180 is worth it for the 14 Pro upgrades, or whether I'll benefit more from the lightness of the Air. There's also the extra screen real estate that, after comparing in my local Apple Store, is more noticeable than I imagined. Coming from a 13" 2018 Pro, I worked out that the screen is virtually the same size as my current plus the thick black bezel, which is a big improvement.

 

[537635]

Also think about resolution of the display, not just colors.

Personally I cannot use scaling on displays. If you use 2x retina mode on Air, screen elements are too large and screen realestate is quite small. Airs and 13 Pros all run a scaling mode by default to counteract this and offer more working space, but the result is a blurry display.

14/16 Pro on the other hand by default runs 2x retina mode and higher PPI allows for normal screen realestate.

 

[kp98077]

Exactly why you think MBA M2 is new technology vs MBP 14” or 16”? The only thing the MBA M2 has ”new technology” is a little updated CPU mainly bumped up clock rate and some internal changes that CPUs get every year.

Everything else in MBP 14” and 16” in newer technology than that of in MBA M2. Just to name few of them: Mini LED display with real blacks, better speakers, studio quality microphones, 2 x faster RAM and many times faster SSD.

I said that is just my opinion it would be hard for me to justify buying an M1 device anything right now. thus, I decided M2 Air which is fine for me... and more portable... beautiful device..

 

[petvas]

I spend most of my time browsing the web with Safari, something that is demonstrably faster on the M2 Air vs. the M1 Pro. Clearly it's the right machine for me.

Can you post some links that show that?