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CSAppleFan

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Feb 26, 2025
13
19
Hi everyone,

Just wanted to put my thoughts out onto this forum.

I have been a lifelong MBA user all the way back to the 2011 11 inch model. I had that one for a loooooongtime then went M1, M2, M3, M4.

Had the disposable income and offset by selling/trading in. it was nice to get the newest model each year.

When I had the M3 I felt like the display felt dim/not bright enough and left me wanting more out of it.

M4 came out and that feeling still remained. About a week in I decided to return and I got a base 14in M4 MacBook Pro in Space Black.

Immediately I was blown away by the brightness of the screen and the pro motion display.

The keyboard feels more premium too and the speakers are a huge upgrade.

Overall, it's a better experience which is expected given the price difference. But, actually experieing it is very enjoyable.

I'm planning to hold this model for 3-5 years and upgrade to a new MBP at that time.

PS> anyone interested in starting an apple podcast? I'm not a "tech nerd" just a regular guy that loves Apple
 
Hi everyone,

Just wanted to put my thoughts out onto this forum.

I have been a lifelong MBA user all the way back to the 2011 11 inch model. I had that one for a loooooongtime then went M1, M2, M3, M4.
From M2 - M4 was there any noticeable difference with regular usage?


Had the disposable income and offset by selling/trading in. it was nice to get the newest model each year.
I did that with the iPhone for a while. I didn’t really get any satisfaction out of it. That’s why I’m still holding on to my 14 Pro Max.

When I had the M3 I felt like the display felt dim/not bright enough and left me wanting more out of it.
I hear this a lot but when I use my M2 Air it stays at about 50% brightness. Full brightness feels blinding to me but I only use it indoors. I can see outdoors in sunlight it would probably want brighter.


M4 came out and that feeling still remained. About a week in I decided to return and I got a base 14in M4 MacBook Pro in Space Black.

Immediately I was blown away by the brightness of the screen and the pro motion display.
I was very tempted to get a 14” MacBook Pro but after picking one up off the table at the Apple Store I changed my mind. I’ve been spoiled by how thin and light the Air is. I still might get a Pro but it wouldn’t replace my Air.


The keyboard feels more premium too and the speakers are a huge upgrade.
I didn’t test the keyboard and speakers on the Pro but I’ve heard they are much better. The Air keyboard travel feels too shallow for me.

Overall, it's a better experience which is expected given the price difference. But, actually experieing it is very enjoyable.

I'm planning to hold this model for 3-5 years and upgrade to a new MBP at that time.
That’s a fair upgrade cycle. At that point it should be a big enough improvement to notice.

PS> anyone interested in starting an apple podcast? I'm not a "tech nerd" just a regular guy that loves Apple
IDK about starting one but I’m always up for listening to a new podcast!
 
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From M2 - M4 was there any noticeable difference with regular usage?



I did that with the iPhone for a while. I didn’t really get any satisfaction out of it. That’s why I’m still holding on to my 14 Pro Max.


I hear this a lot but when I use my M2 Air it stays at about 50% brightness. Full brightness feels blinding to me but I only use it indoors. I can see outdoors in sunlight it would probably want brighter.



I was very tempted to get a 14” MacBook Pro but after picking one up off the table at the Apple Store I changed my mind. I’ve been spoiled by how thin and light the Air is. I still might get a Pro but it wouldn’t replace my Air.



I didn’t test the keyboard and speakers on the Pro but I’ve heard they are much better. The Air keyboard travel feels too shallow for me.


That’s a fair upgrade cycle. At that point it should be a big enough improvement to notice.


IDK about starting one but I’m always up for listening to a new podcast!
I personally didn't notice any difference in day to day use. I do light video editing of mainly family videos and that part I noticed an improvement
 
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I've also had various MBA models in the past past but when it came time to transition from a desktop to a laptop, even though the M4 MBA hadn't been released, I knew what I wanted. Better display, more ports and better speakers, so base model M4 MBP it was for me, enjoy yours, I am certainly enjoying mine!
 
I've also had various MBA models in the past past but when it came time to transition from a desktop to a laptop, even though the M4 MBA hadn't been released, I knew what I wanted. Better display, more ports and better speakers, so base model M4 MBP it was for me, enjoy yours, I am certainly enjoying mine!
awesome! For me it was just getting my head around the price lol. Apple refurbished and trading in my M3 MBA certainly helped.
 
I am coming from the MBP 15", which I have had for 9 years. This one was quite a change, amongst other things the battery life really blew me away, my iPad Pro can not even match it.

I am really enjoying it.
 
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