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Macbook Air M4 vs Macbook Pro M1
- Thread starter sweet160
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Depends on the computing activities. Browsing the web, email, creating documents, etc... basic use... nope. What computing activities will be performed?
the M1 macbook pro has been selling for less than 1400 so its a real consideration .The M4s are great but so pricy for what i would use it for which is surfing ,video and music.I wonder how the M1 speakers compare to newer macbook pros and the M4 macbook air.
You didn't mention the M1 MBP screen size -- you looking at a 14" or a 16"?
In general, this is a feature decision, not a computing decision. Both will be "close enough" in performance,
with the edge to the M4 due to newer architecture, faster neural processing power, and single core performance. There are some video codecs that the newer M series handle better also, plus faster wifi.
The screen size difference between an 14" and 15" is quite substantial. The 16" is in another league, though.
Do you want 120HZ refresh rate? Better screen resolution? Better speakers? Not mind heavier weight? If so, go Pro. I have an M1 Pro 16" that is still going strong.
However, I wouldn't drop a lot of money on one now, TBH--maybe only a smokin' deal for an M1 Max. Personally, if spending over $1K -- I want the latest chip or minimum M3 series. I just think there's too much advancement with Apple silicon and that we are at the precipice of the M1-series losing its edge--not that it won't be supported, but the neural processing power of the M1 series is a weak link that is going to show up more and more.
In general, this is a feature decision, not a computing decision. Both will be "close enough" in performance,
with the edge to the M4 due to newer architecture, faster neural processing power, and single core performance. There are some video codecs that the newer M series handle better also, plus faster wifi.
The screen size difference between an 14" and 15" is quite substantial. The 16" is in another league, though.
Do you want 120HZ refresh rate? Better screen resolution? Better speakers? Not mind heavier weight? If so, go Pro. I have an M1 Pro 16" that is still going strong.
However, I wouldn't drop a lot of money on one now, TBH--maybe only a smokin' deal for an M1 Max. Personally, if spending over $1K -- I want the latest chip or minimum M3 series. I just think there's too much advancement with Apple silicon and that we are at the precipice of the M1-series losing its edge--not that it won't be supported, but the neural processing power of the M1 series is a weak link that is going to show up more and more.
I just moved from M3 Macbook Pro 14 inch to 15 inch M4 Air (Apple Store-in trade-in)
Reasons:
1. all my screens including large Dell are 60 hz and I don't game on Macs. I use only SDR content and in anyway, content looks great on M4 with RGB profile - I did not notice any difference with Macbook Pro screen
2. 8GB RAM seems limited so I moved to 16GB of RAM. It is a bit more future proof, though I have to say that 8GB on Macbook Pro never bothered me in any way.
3. SSD is 512GB. This was necessity since MBP also had 512GB.
4. I chose MIdnight as it is closest to black in Macbook Airs.
5. CPU and GPU are leading in its class, so I am happy with that.
The main advantage that it is slightly lighter as I carry it all the time. Also while on mobile, 15 inch is more useful than 14 inch and I have to use bigger text *eyesight aging.
Conclusion: m4 is a modern chip and architecture. Actually, M1 is still very good today as well but I just wanted mignight Air
Reasons:
1. all my screens including large Dell are 60 hz and I don't game on Macs. I use only SDR content and in anyway, content looks great on M4 with RGB profile - I did not notice any difference with Macbook Pro screen
2. 8GB RAM seems limited so I moved to 16GB of RAM. It is a bit more future proof, though I have to say that 8GB on Macbook Pro never bothered me in any way.
3. SSD is 512GB. This was necessity since MBP also had 512GB.
4. I chose MIdnight as it is closest to black in Macbook Airs.
5. CPU and GPU are leading in its class, so I am happy with that.
The main advantage that it is slightly lighter as I carry it all the time. Also while on mobile, 15 inch is more useful than 14 inch and I have to use bigger text *eyesight aging.
Conclusion: m4 is a modern chip and architecture. Actually, M1 is still very good today as well but I just wanted mignight Air
Define ‘much.’ My M4 MBA is definitely ’snappier’ than my M1 ultra on just day to day things. The interface is noticeably faster for example. But when I benchmark cpu intensive tasks the M1 ultra usually wins out. But yes you will notice a speed increase for most things. But ‘much?’