There's monitors for that. May not be better screen quality and brightness but it's huge real estate.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
M2 MacBook Air or M1 Pro MacBook Pro 14” dilemma
- Thread starter symphony
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
My non scientific battery test. Low power mode, 100% brightness on Base model MBP 14".
3 hours 20 minutes = 100% -> 50%.
Playing YT nonstop and a few browsers open on Firefox.
3 hours 20 minutes = 100% -> 50%.
Playing YT nonstop and a few browsers open on Firefox.
I use my screen at about half brightness as well - it's not that I'm not using the features, it's that it's too bright for me. I tried setting it at the brightness you mentioned and it's blinding LOL, however I would turn up the brightness in lighter environments for screen visibility.
Finally someone with an honest opinion and with a use case that I suspect is more common than not.
Lets be real, most of the people who bought or will buy the "Pro" machine or MacBook Pro 14" are NOT Pro users but want the "Pro" specs. I was one of those people. I am a power user by my use is not graphically intensive-at least not on a Mac. So the CPU is more important to me. I do like the Pro-Motion and Mini Led to a point. I like the great speakers-who wouldn't? I like the extra ports and Magsafe.
So as the person who posted above he probably uses his machine more like I did when I had my 16" MBP. I was wasting so much of that devices potential power. The large screen was great but it was very heavy. So it was not a very practical device for me.
The thing is as I have tried to explain before value really has to do with how you will actually use your device. A lot of us get tempted by specs and may even want those specs but don't need ALL of them.
This is where Apple is so crafty at the upsell. They know everyone wants a ProMotion 120hz screen with Mini LED. They know everyone wants a rich loud 6 speakers system. They know everyone wants the fastest CPU with good graphics. They know a lot of users want more ports. So they pack ALL of those features into their most expensive machines.
I bet they have sold more 14" and 16" Macbook Pro's than any previous MBP in a long time. Rightly so because they are truly amazing laptops. BUT a lot of people who bought them really don't need them. A lot of people who bought them ALSO prioritize battery life and weight.
But all you will hear is 14" MBP is the BEST value. According to who? Whose values?
If you compare many Windows ultra thin and light laptops that are high end all of them will cost similar to the new MBA M2 and most of them start at 8gb ram and an i5- 1230u or 1240p. Some of them will offer an OLED screen but they will cost more than the MBA. If you get the middle spec(1230u 16gb ram) Dell XPS 13" and compare it to the MBA M2 (512gb ssd/16gb ram) with middle specs the Dell not on sale costs more.
So the value of the latest and greatest ultra thin laptops is certainly present in MBA.
I think a lot of people are expecting too much of the air. Everyone says it costs too much yet they want all the features of the Pro machines in the Air and at a lower price.
You can find deals on Windows laptops that are midrange and not light and thin for about 60-80% of the air at midrange specs but it is not an Air design or quality and it runs windows.
Dell XPS is the best comparison but it gets even worse if you look at the Microsoft Laptop 4 with an old design, huge bezels and ancient hardware. A Laptop 4 with 11th gen Intel i7, 512gb SSD, and 16 gb ddr4 ram is $1399 on sale- A Macbook air with M2, 512 gb ssd, and 16gb ddr5 ram is $1499 with education discount-which do you think is a better value????
Everyone shouts get a MBP 14" because they are better value at $1599 and then all the specs are regurgitated for the billionth time.
A better value is a device that fits your needs and costs as little as possible. Battery life and weight are really important and it is also really nice to have a very powerful processor and fast ram and ssd(512gb model and up) in the Air M2 with a bright and great IPS screen. All at a reasonable-not cheap-price for what you get in a great design and well built laptop.
well said. I can care less about value or saving a few hundred dollars. I want which is best the m2 air or 14 inch pro. Problem is the air is better than the pro at being small and light, which is important to me. What I really want ia pro with a mini led screen in a thin and light with long battery life.
I want a 15" air with pro-motion and mini led and long battery life yet still being close to 3 pounds! That would be a dream machine but I would be happy with that mini led screen and pro-motion in the air 13". Another dream would be OLED screens but they have their issues too. Still OLED would be really nice.
Actually thinking about it I would be happy with JUST pro-motion in the IPS 500 nit screen on the air.
Mini LED is great but the poor response time/not refresh rate and blooming is an issue. I think pro-motion on a regular IPS with really good contrast would be the sweet spot.
For now I will be happy with a compromise of just 60hz IPS.
Last edited:
Like 13 pro and iPad Pro lol, pro just means better features not that your a pro haha
My non tech wife has 2015 13" mpr, 2018 11" iPad Pro and and 12 max pro, wouldn't have clue they are pro's.
People are sucked into if you buy the pro you must be a pro power user.
you keep going on about blooming, I never saw it, where's your proof? I know the iPad 12.9 mini led has it.
Proof? What is this a court of law. Wow. I owned a 16”MBP and saw it with my own eyes on various content. Also had a 14” and had two 16” with M1 pro before I settled on M1max configuration. I saw this effect on all of them. All you need to do is look at bright content on a black background and in some video content. I didn’t take pictures of it but that was my personal experience. There are also YouTube videos on the subject.
iPad 12.4” uses same technology?? The MBP 14” and 16” screens are better than the iPad and the effect is not as pronounced but it is there. Hopefully they will continue to improve the technology and eliminate it. They are still beautiful screens and even with the blooming I prefer them to OLED.
Also the pixel response time is like 20ms which effectively reduces the performance of the 120hz refresh rate. Apple needs to improve both which in time I am sure they will.
The truth is that the mini led technology is still very new and it is not perfect just like OLED is not perfect nor is IPS. Some people get headaches with mini LED and OLED. Some people hate the lack of contrast in IPS. No technology is perfect and they all have flaws. It just depends on what you as an individual prefer and what bothers you. Lot of people don’t notice any of the things I mentioned but it doesn’t mean they don’t exist.
Last edited:
It means made for average consumer and not pro level.
However I am not a fan of the “air” moniker. Wish they dropped it and had just MacBook and MacBook Pro.
I replied earlier in this thread but I think it is worth reiterating. This decision truly comes down to: Portability & Battery Life VS Sustained Performance & Ports.
You have a 50% improvement in battery life (15 hours vs 10 hours) in favor of the Air (for everyday tasks).
A 33% reduction in weight in favor of the Air.
But you also have ~2x sustained performance difference in favor of the Pro.
SD Reader, HDMI, and 2 external monitor support in favor of the Pro.
Everything else IMHO is fairly negligible - even the screen. Yes, the 14" Promotion XDR is fantastic for HDR video, but in normal office work it is pretty hard to tell the difference vs the M2 Air. Why do I say that? Color accuracy, vibrancy, and brightness are top of the line in daily tasks on both, and if you put your 14" in low power mode it drops the frame rate down to 60hz anyway.
For any of you who are on the fence and debating between the two, it sounds like you can afford either model. Therefore, my advice is: ignore the retail price, the sales price, and whatever perceived value you think there is on paper. Instead just weigh your priorities: Portability & Battery Life VS Sustained Performance & Ports.
Go with whichever model best fits you. You will not be disappointed with either one.
You have a 50% improvement in battery life (15 hours vs 10 hours) in favor of the Air (for everyday tasks).
A 33% reduction in weight in favor of the Air.
But you also have ~2x sustained performance difference in favor of the Pro.
SD Reader, HDMI, and 2 external monitor support in favor of the Pro.
Everything else IMHO is fairly negligible - even the screen. Yes, the 14" Promotion XDR is fantastic for HDR video, but in normal office work it is pretty hard to tell the difference vs the M2 Air. Why do I say that? Color accuracy, vibrancy, and brightness are top of the line in daily tasks on both, and if you put your 14" in low power mode it drops the frame rate down to 60hz anyway.
For any of you who are on the fence and debating between the two, it sounds like you can afford either model. Therefore, my advice is: ignore the retail price, the sales price, and whatever perceived value you think there is on paper. Instead just weigh your priorities: Portability & Battery Life VS Sustained Performance & Ports.
Go with whichever model best fits you. You will not be disappointed with either one.
There have been. Anyway if it doesn’t bother you then that is all that matters to you.
It did bother me and it is a known issue with these screens and mini led in general.
So go figure.
But I am sure whatever your opinion is, is the most valid and of course the amount of MR threads on the subject not objective facts.
Prove me wrong that blooming doesn’t occur on mini led even though you said it was a known issue on the 12.4” iPad.
Yeah that video was fun and there are more. Lol You said proof. Lol
There is a forum search function.
I know you will dismiss this too.
How do you know my Lol’s are fake? Just trying to be lighthearted because none of this is really important since it is just one person’s opinion or another person opinion.
Anyway think as you will as your mind is already made up.
It was a joke, you’re right that thread is not convincing, who uses it with 100% brightness in the dark.