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MacBook Air M1 vs MacBook Pro M1

S

SpeedyBird

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Nov 8, 2021
1
0
Hi everyone,
I am planning to buy a MacBook and am not quite sure which model to choose.

I intend to use the laptop mainly for programming in programs such as: Xcode, Android Studio, Unity

Apple MacBook Air 13,3" M1 2020
Apple MacBook PRO 13,3" M1 2020

Official comparison: https://www.apple.com/uk/mac/compare/?modelList=MacBookPro-13-M1,MacBook-Air-M1,MacBook-Pro-16-2021

And as the comparison shows, the only difference between them is the battery and the brightness of the screen. Both of these things do not matter much to me.

I also found this benchmark, which shows that there is no difference: https://browser.geekbench.com/mac-benchmarks

My question is: is there any other difference between them that makes PRO more suitable for programming? Or can you recommend any other MacBook up to £2000

Thank you for your help :)
[I apologise for any mistakes]
 
bsamcash said:
I would not under any circumstances get the 13" Pro. It is objectively a poor deal when compared to the Air. The Air is amazing machine and I have used it for programming and photo editing with zero hiccups. If you feel you may need more power, pony up for the 14" Pro.
Click to expand...
these machines are very similar

it ultimately comes down to price, what you pay for the 13" pro

I just got one new for less than the air
 
Last edited:
SpeedyBird said:
. . . the only difference between them is the battery and the brightness of the screen. Both of these things do not matter much to me. . . .
Click to expand...
I recently purchased an M1 Air after spending considerable time debating about getting a new MacBook Pro (14" model) and finally concluding that the Air was much more suitable for my own needs as well as considerably less expensive.

The differences between the two models (13" Air vs Pro), as far as I know, are:

- Pro has Touch Bar (if you like that feature)
- Pro has active cooling, as mentioned by @maerz001
- Pro has (perhaps) slightly better speakers & microphone (?)
- Pro has slightly greater screen brightness capability (500 nits vs 400 nits)
- Pro has slightly larger battery (58.2 watt-hr vs 49.9 watt-hr) and includes larger power adaptor (61W vs 30W)
- Pro is physically thicker and very slightly heavier

My opinion is to get the Air unless you require more power, memory or storage, in which case I think you should consider the 14" Pro which is a big step beyond the Air (and can be purchased for £2000, for the base model with 16GB RAM, slightly more if you want 1TB or more storage).
 
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MikeDr206 said:
I’m frankly surprised Apple didn’t immediately discontinue the 13 Pro with the introduction of the 14. It’s definitely a dead end product...
Click to expand...
I suspect there are plenty of 13-inch MacBook Pros on the shelf. Rumors are that the improved and updated MacBook Air will be more expensive when it is introduced next year. That's when the 13-inch MacBook Pro is likely to go away. I'm trying to decide whether to buy an Air now or just wait until next year. I have a working iMac and 11-inch iPad Pro.
 
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Biro said:
I suspect there are plenty of 13-inch MacBook Pros on the shelf. Rumors are that the improved and updated MacBook Air will be more expensive when it is introduced next year. That's when the 13-inch MacBook Pro is likely to go away. I'm trying to decide whether to buy an Air now or just wait until next year. I have a working iMac and 11-inch iPad Pro.
Click to expand...
Hold off. You’ll regret getting it this late in its lifecycle with what you already have.
 
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Phil77354 said:
I recently purchased an M1 Air after spending considerable time debating about getting a new MacBook Pro (14" model) and finally concluding that the Air was much more suitable for my own needs as well as considerably less expensive.

The differences between the two models (13" Air vs Pro), as far as I know, are:

- Pro has Touch Bar (if you like that feature)
- Pro has active cooling, as mentioned by @maerz001
- Pro has (perhaps) slightly better speakers & microphone (?)
- Pro has slightly greater screen brightness capability (500 nits vs 400 nits)
- Pro has slightly larger battery (58.2 watt-hr vs 49.9 watt-hr) and includes larger power adaptor (61W vs 30W)
- Pro is physically thicker and very slightly heavier

My opinion is to get the Air unless you require more power, memory or storage, in which case I think you should consider the 14" Pro which is a big step beyond the Air (and can be purchased for £2000, for the base model with 16GB RAM, slightly more if you want 1TB or more storage).
Click to expand...
Bit confused as the first sentence is about Air vs 14" MBP, then compares Air with 13" MBP ......but anyway small correction to the latter: Air has same max memory and storage as 13" Pro 16GB and 2TB.
 
Mike Boreham said:
Bit confused as the first sentence is about Air vs 14" MBP, then compares Air with 13" MBP ......but anyway small correction to the latter: Air has same max memory and storage as 13" Pro 16GB and 2TB.
Click to expand...
In my own case, I did not consider the 13" MBP and ultimately purchased the Air. I only considered the Air and the newer and larger 14" MBP.

Yes the Air has the same max memory and storage as the 13" Pro. I didn't write anything otherwise, no correction required. My statement regarding memory and storage was to consider the 14" Pro if more is required than what the Air offers. I was pointing out differences between the Air and 13" Pro in my list, and since memory and storage are not different there was no need to include that.
 
Phil77354 said:
In my own case, I did not consider the 13" MBP and ultimately purchased the Air. I only considered the Air and the newer and larger 14" MBP.

Yes the Air has the same max memory and storage as the 13" Pro. I didn't write anything otherwise, no correction required. My statement regarding memory and storage was to consider the 14" Pro if more is required than what the Air offers. I was pointing out differences between the Air and 13" Pro in my list, and since memory and storage are not different there was no need to include that.
Click to expand...

Thanks for clarifying.
 
Phil77354 said:
I recently purchased an M1 Air after spending considerable time debating about getting a new MacBook Pro (14" model) and finally concluding that the Air was much more suitable for my own needs as well as considerably less expensive.

The differences between the two models (13" Air vs Pro), as far as I know, are:

- Pro has Touch Bar (if you like that feature)
- Pro has active cooling, as mentioned by @maerz001
- Pro has (perhaps) slightly better speakers & microphone (?)
- Pro has slightly greater screen brightness capability (500 nits vs 400 nits)
- Pro has slightly larger battery (58.2 watt-hr vs 49.9 watt-hr) and includes larger power adaptor (61W vs 30W)
- Pro is physically thicker and very slightly heavier

My opinion is to get the Air unless you require more power, memory or storage, in which case I think you should consider the 14" Pro which is a big step beyond the Air (and can be purchased for £2000, for the base model with 16GB RAM, slightly more if you want 1TB or more storage).
Click to expand...
Many added advantages, in my opinion! And the Touch Bar is magical, when you know how to configure it.
 
I'm in two minds as to what I will replace my 2017 13" MacBook Pro with.

The 2021 14" MacBook Pro or the 2022 13" MacBook (Air). Really wish the next (Air) was 14".
 
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