MacBook Air M4 32GB is as expensive as my MacBook Air M1 8GB was

[iHorseHead]

Hi!
I bought M1 MacBook Air when it was really new and difficult to find and there was no 16GB even sold. I was checking on prices today and was surprised to find out that 32GB RAM version would cost me as much as my M1 MacBook Air did with 8GB.
I don't really need a new MacBook Air and 8GB is still enough for my tiny Xcode project, but I thought just checking on it and was surprised to find out it'd be as expensive as my M1 MacBook Air was when it first was released. I've been thinking of waiting till MBA M5 though, but I'm afraid it'll be much more expensive due to tariffs (not even sure if it influences me) and this MacBook Air is still cheaper than 16GB MacBook Pro. Wouldnt it make more sense to get MacBook Air with 32GB rather than 16GB MacBook Pro? Because the base model MacBook Pro is
8499zl. Is the MacBook Pro really so much better than the M4 MacBook Air with 32GB of RAM?

 

[splifingate]

make more sense

What makes sense for me, does not necessarily make sense for you (and vice versa).

"nosce te ipsum, temet nosce" and all that . . . only you are able to decide how-best to balance your efforts with your rewards

 

[bzgnyc2]

Hi!
I bought M1 MacBook Air when it was really new and difficult to find and there was no 16GB even sold. I was checking on prices today and was surprised to find out that 32GB RAM version would cost me as much as my M1 MacBook Air did with 8GB.
I don't really need a new MacBook Air and 8GB is still enough for my tiny Xcode project, but I thought just checking on it and was surprised to find out it'd be as expensive as my M1 MacBook Air was when it first was released. I've been thinking of waiting till MBA M5 though, but I'm afraid it'll be much more expensive due to tariffs (not even sure if it influences me) and this MacBook Air is still cheaper than 16GB MacBook Pro. Wouldnt it make more sense to get MacBook Air with 32GB rather than 16GB MacBook Pro? Because the base model MacBook Pro is
8499zl. Is the MacBook Pro really so much better than the M4 MacBook Air with 32GB of RAM?

When comparing Apple laptops of the same generation, I wouldn't consider one better than the other but rather better suited to a use case.

In the case of the MacBook Air 13" versus MacBook Pro 14", the latter has features that are particularly good for A/V work (e.g. video editing). The MacBook Pro can also go higher end (e.g. M4 Pro, Max, etc).

At the base, these are the key differences:
-Better, slightly larger screen: 14.2" (Promotion, XDR, etc) versus 13.6" screen
-Better audio
-3xThunderbolt 4 versus 2xThunderbolt 4 ports
-Builtin HDMI (so 3 available TB4 ports while be plugged into an HDMI display versus 1 available TB4 port if one is used for a USB-C to HDMI adapter)
-Better heat dissipation (including a fan to keep performance up during sustained CPU/GPU usage)

On the other hand, the MacBook Air is somewhat thinner and lighter. And cheaper at the same CPU, memory, SSD configuration.

When looking at these for a family member picking out a new computer, and in the back of my mind thinking about what I would get for myself (doing work more like yours), a MacBook Air is better than a MacBook Pro. Being able to use the lower entry-level price to increase RAM (which can significantly improve performance and/or capacity if you work with large projects/datasets/etc) makes it an even better option. All the above benefits of the MacBook Pro sound nice but the thinner, lighter, and lower entry-level price win out for me (when it comes to a laptop). For other use cases, especially common among Mac users on this forum, the MacBook Air wouldn't even be considered.