MBA 15 inch vs 14 inch MBP vs 13 inch MBA comfort

[lJoSquaredl]

I'm so torn on what to get now. The old 13" M1 def is too small for me, I've learned that over the last few years. If the 15" MBA just came with the epic contrast ratio it'd be perfect, but of course Apple gives me a 15" with greyish blacks, or a 14" with what I want but what may be too small of a size. Honestly if they just had a 16" MBP that was lighter I'd probably go for that.

Since this 13" has always been far too small for me tho, I wonder if since I'm going up no matter what maybe the 14" will feel like enough anyways? Anyone with a 14" feel like they're always wanting more even at the expense of better contrast for content consumption and editing?

 

[NeonNights]

Neon, much thanks! Much appreciated your response on the palm rest and going the extra mile in providing a new set of comparative photos!

It’s interesting how the difference in some photos is subtle, while it's quite distinct in others…

Which color did you end up getting?

If you get the chance, it'd be great to hear more about your experience with the 15” after you've used it a bit under home conditions!

Hey, Saturn! I picked up the Starlight but already returned it.

I do some amateur photo/video editing, just as a hobby for personal use (not YouTubing). The MBA 15 easily handles photo editing but it's not enough power for my basic video editing projects.

Technically, yes as YouTubers point out, you can edit 4K video on the M2 MBA but it definitely takes some patience. I am still a beginner at Final Cut Pro but am learning fast about the requirements for video editing. For smooth playback of the timeline I have to "render" clips, which is different than the final export. I thought video editing just involved manipulating the source file but it's too hard for the M2 to process effects and transitions on the fly, thus rendering to an intermediate file format is required.

Even with the ProRes encoder/decoder on the M2 the wait to render takes equally as long as the real-time clip. So a 1-minute clip will take 1-minute to render to ProRes 422 before you can play it back smoothly without dropping frames. Extrapolate this to a longer video project and it's going to be a long process to edit 4K video. At first I made the noobie mistake of selecting the "uncompressed" render option and that takes 4x longer to render a timeline! Unfortunately, I'm too impatient for all this "waiting to render" and basically doomed the MBA 15 for me. So yes, the MBA 15 can edit 4K but not at the pace I'd like to work at, and that's with nothing else running in the background aside from 3 Safari tabs open.

I currently have an M2 Max MBP 14 and that thing flies! It doesn't even have to render files to an intermediate format and can process the same 4K project timeline on the fly without any dropped frames. Not only that, the M2 Max MBP 14 barely got warm underneath whereas the MBA 15 was hot to the touch after a 4-minute render (and I didn’t even export the final output yet). I am seriously impressed by the MBP 14, even if I prefer the larger 15" screen of the MBA. I don't know if I'll keep the M2 Max MBP 14 because for almost the same price I can get a base M2 Max Mac Studio plus a base MBA 15. I just know the 16GB/1TB MBA 15 can't be my sole machine (sadly), like the MBP 14 can.

 

[Steelhead1957]

I sold my 16 MBP and don't regret it at all! That thing was a best! My new 15" air is amazing.. sure screen may be little worse but still super nice. The quality is great its a perfect compromise to me!

I agree, I have been going back and forth all day at work and at home (and actually both next to me now comparing every few minutes) with my 16" M1 Pro 16/1TB, and my 15" Air 16?1TB. The Pro 16 color profile has much better contrast and it's just better to look at side by side. But the Air form factor, ease of use and weight loss for travel, has me just a few minutes away from packing up the Pro 16.

 

[lJoSquaredl]

I agree, I have been going back and forth all day at work and at home (and actually both next to me now comparing every few minutes) with my 16" M1 Pro 16/1TB, and my 15" Air 16?1TB. The Pro 16 color profile has much better contrast and it's just better to look at side by side. But the Air form factor, ease of use and weight loss for travel, has me just a few minutes away from packing up the Pro 16.

If I get the 15" Air I'm basically sacrificing watching movies on it at all, my TV def has better contrast than the Air but it's already a compromise. Gonna have to rely on my TV or phone if I get the Air, cuz I cannot unsee good contrast now that I've played with a 16" MBP lol

Sucks I can't even get rich to solve the problem, Tim Apple why couldn't you have just made a 15" MBA with mLED?!

 

[thejadedmonkey]

I’m really digging the old school MacBook look. I just wish they put speaker holes on the sides, even if they would only be cosmetic.

I have an Intel 15" Macbook Pro, and find to to be uncomfortable - both in terms of weight and keyboard. I stopped by the Apple store tonight, and the 15" Air is much lighter. The 14" Pro feels too heavy, even heavier than a 15" Macbook Pro, although it is actually .5lbs lighter. I'll probably get a 15" Air, although I'm not completely sold on it.

I have a 16" MBP for work, and it's quite nice. although I prefer smaller devices, so I'm not convinced that the 15" is the one I want yet.

 

[Saturn007]

Neon, thanks for the follow-up! Sounds like you're moving into movie creation — look out Hollywood! 😎

Seriously, your run-down on what you use it for (4K video editing) and how that taxed the 15” (taking lots of time; heating up the laptop) was helpful.

Fortunately, my photography pursuits are decidedly low-end, editing still photos from Canon digital cameras… and I spend more time writing, working with financial spreadsheets, running astronomy apps, creating greeting cards & ebooks, and doing email than anything else. So, the 15” shouldn't have any problems!

In any case, how did you like the Starlight color in the home environment with home lighting, natural lighting, etc.?

Beyond the speed and temp benefits of the 14”, how did you find the 14” and 15” screens compared?

 

[Iron Curtains]

Switched from Pro 14 to 15 Air.

Screen size is practically like 16 with the weight of 14.Huge difference compared to 14. Similar to 16 without the heft. Very comfortable on the lap, sofa or just to carry around

Speakers are fine, but 14 has the edge, I don't have 16.

Screen for the content that I watch and applications that I use, I see no difference between them

Overall, very happy with 15 air, and recommend it

Thank you for actually answering the question posed by the OP. Very helpful.

I swear macrumors forum threads always devolve into conversations that have nothing to do with the original question lol

 

[NeonNights]

Neon, thanks for the follow-up! Sounds like you're moving into movie creation — look out Hollywood! 😎

Seriously, your run-down on what you use it for (4K video editing) and how that taxed the 15” (taking lots of time; heating up the laptop) was helpful.

Fortunately, my photography pursuits are decidedly low-end, editing still photos from Canon digital cameras… and I spend more time writing, working with financial spreadsheets, running astronomy apps, creating greeting cards & ebooks, and doing email than anything else. So, the 15” shouldn't have any problems!

In any case, how did you like the Starlight color in the home environment with home lighting, natural lighting, etc.?

Beyond the speed and temp benefits of the 14”, how did you find the 14” and 15” screens compared?

The MBA 15 will definitely serve you well, Saturn. My 16GB M1 13" MBA was able to handle all my photography needs, office productivity, a Win11 VM, and some app development. I still find the base M1/M2 chips remarkably resilient and more than adequate for a lot of creative work. The M1/M2 Airs can edit 1080 video pretty easily but 4K video reveals their limits, and that's okay. I'm probably asking too much of the MBA.

I was worried the Starlight would exhibit too strong of a gold or sandy hue but it's really subtle and I still like it best out of the color options.

Having more time with the MBP 14, I do notice the improved color reproduction over the MBA, mostly with HDR photos and videos. I really don't notice the ProMotion 120 Hz as much as I do on previous iPhones and my current Z Fold 4. Honestly, the MBP 14 makes me miss the MBA 15" display. Zone of Tech pointed out that despite the 14 MBP having a higher total resolution, the native "show more" setting actually has a lower resolution than the same setting on the 15 MBA. You really do view more on the MBA 15 display and it's easier to see/read too. In this case, quantity (bigger display) of the 15 Air trumps quality of the 14 MBP display. If the MBA 15 meets all your performance needs than you're going to love the laptop. It really is a great balance of size, performance, portability, and price. I would still configure it with at least 16GB/512GB. Sure, pricing gets closer to the 14 MBP but the 14 screen feels noticeably more cramped. On the flipside, you can connect the 14 MBP to a larger monitor but you can't ask the MBA to give you more power.

 

[lJoSquaredl]

The MBA 15 will definitely serve you well, Saturn. My 16GB M1 13" MBA was able to handle all my photography needs, office productivity, a Win11 VM, and some app development. I still find the base M1/M2 chips remarkably resilient and more than adequate for a lot of creative work. The M1/M2 Airs can edit 1080 video pretty easily but 4K video reveals their limits, and that's okay. I'm probably asking too much of the MBA.

I was worried the Starlight would exhibit too strong of a gold or sandy hue but it's really subtle and I still like it best out of the color options.

Having more time with the MBP 14, I do notice the improved color reproduction over the MBA, mostly with HDR photos and videos. I really don't notice the ProMotion 120 Hz as much as I do on previous iPhones and my current Z Fold 4. Honestly, the MBP 14 makes me miss the MBA 15" display. Zone of Tech pointed out that despite the 14 MBP having a higher total resolution, the native "show more" setting actually has a lower resolution than the same setting on the 15 MBA. You really do view more on the MBA 15 display and it's easier to see/read too. In this case, quantity (bigger display) of the 15 Air trumps quality of the 14 MBP display. If the MBA 15 meets all your performance needs than you're going to love the laptop. It really is a great balance of size, performance, portability, and price. I would still configure it with at least 16GB/512GB. Sure, pricing gets closer to the 14 MBP but the 14 screen feels noticeably more cramped. On the flipside, you can connect the 14 MBP to a larger monitor but you can't ask the MBA to give you more power.

I've never had issues editing 4k on my Air, do most people not make proxies and edit with them and just export in better quality at the very end? Doing it like that and it's a breeze, can playback easier and keep the insides a lot cooler while editing too.

 

[NeonNights]

I've never had issues editing 4k on my Air, do most people not make proxies and edit with them and just export in better quality at the very end? Doing it like that and it's a breeze, can playback easier and keep the insides a lot cooler while editing too.

You're right, I must be doing it wrong.

No animosity or sarcasm directed at you, I'm genuinely poking fun at my own user error and lack of video editing skills.

While transcoding to proxies helps performance, it takes more time, more storage, and sacrifices resolution to make things workable. Maybe I'm too green to know any better but those compromises are not how I expect(ed) to work with source files. I want to see everything the way I originally recorded it (in 4K or more) and I can't faithfully reproduce it with the MBA. My phone or mirrorless camera can record in 4K HDR, 4K60, and even up to 8K24. Fortunately the M2 Max allows me to edit video at native resolution without the need to render or use proxies. It's just how I expected video editing to work and don't mind paying for the necessary power to do it. Thank you for sharing how we can make 4K edits work on a MBA as that will benefit a lot of folks. I just don't have the patience for it and see my projects only getting more demanding as I gain experience.

 

[lJoSquaredl]

You're right, I must be doing it wrong.

No animosity or sarcasm directed at you, I'm genuinely poking fun at my own user error and lack of video editing skills.

While transcoding to proxies helps performance, it takes more time, more storage, and sacrifices resolution to make things workable. Maybe I'm too green to know any better but those compromises are not how I expect(ed) to work with source files. I want to see everything the way I originally recorded it (in 4K or more) and I can't faithfully reproduce it with the MBA. My phone or mirrorless camera can record in 4K HDR, 4K60, and even up to 8K24. Fortunately the M2 Max allows me to edit video at native resolution without the need to render or use proxies. It's just how I expected video editing to work and don't mind paying for the necessary power to do it. Thank you for sharing how we can make 4K edits work on a MBA as that will benefit a lot of folks. I just don't have the patience for it and see my projects only getting more demanding as I gain experience.

No worries, most people are just editing basic YouTube videos so low or high resolution proxies aren't really needed for that stuff. My old gaming montages had like 10 layers of clips with 20 effects on each tho, I could almost choke a Mac Pro with those edits so you look for any break you can get at that point lol proxies for editing faster but I did grade in "better quality" for accuracy. Def takes a lil longer upfront but SSD storage is cheap these days and you don't have to sacrifice resolution...but understandable people don't do it as it's another step.

 

[mysticmanix]

I think this is because people watch garbage YouTube channels like max tech where it's just negativity on how bad Apple products are. I have the 13" Air and I've compared it to the 14" Pro in person at the Apple store.

While I think the 14” screen is better and obviously brighter, that doesn't make the Air screen garbage. If I was going to use it outside, I might consider getting the Pro because of the brighter screen. Indoors I keep my Air at about half brightness, so the extra brightness of the Pro wouldn't do anything for me. Of course the screen might be better if you were doing photo editing but for doing things like browsing the web and general computing work I find the screen really good.

My main takeaway from comparing the 13” Air to the 14” Pro was even though the specs don't make it seem like the weight is significantly different, in person there is a huge difference on how it feels picking it up. I suspect a similar comparison will be true with the 15” Air versus 16” Pro

Maxtech is literally an Apple fanboy channel that does nothing but Apple videos

 

[Longplays]

Maxtech is literally an Apple fanboy channel that does nothing but Apple videos

Like Mac Break Weekly podcast.

Or Mac World... the publication

 

[NeonNights]

No worries, most people are just editing basic YouTube videos so low or high resolution proxies aren't really needed for that stuff. My old gaming montages had like 10 layers of clips with 20 effects on each tho, I could almost choke a Mac Pro with those edits so you look for any break you can get at that point lol proxies for editing faster but I did grade in "better quality" for accuracy. Def takes a lil longer upfront but SSD storage is cheap these days and you don't have to sacrifice resolution...but understandable people don't do it as it's another step.

I was curious what the file size hit would be transcoding to proxies. It isn't too bad for older 1080 vacation videos, requiring 3x the original file size but 4K source transcoded to same resolution needs almost 9x the file size. You're right, I may possibly need to invest in some cheaper external storage.

Thank you for pointing out "you don't have to sacrifice resolution". I didnt realize that was an option before. The file size hit is pretty substantial but I much prefer it over loss of resolution and clarity. The M2 Max MBP 14 took 20 minutes to finish transcoding 3.75 hours worth of Maui vacation videos at native 1080, a mix of 30 and 60 fps. It seems to take roughly 10% of the real video length to transcode to ProRes and keep the same original resolution. I imagine a MBA will take longer but definitely doable. The fans on the MBP 14 were kicking into high gear too during the transcode so the MBA is going to get toasty.

I really do miss the MBA's larger screen compared to the MBP 14. I am still debating which direction to go:

1. Get the 16GB/1TB MBA 15 again and come to terms with the need to render and use proxies while editing video.

2. Keep the M2 Max MBP 14, which will mainly stay docked anyways most of the time.

3. Return the MBP 14 and, for about the same cost, get a base Mac Studio for heavy lifting and a separate MBA 15 for lighter workloads and portability.

 

[russell_314]

Maxtech is literally an Apple fanboy channel that does nothing but Apple videos

Yeah, I like Louis Rossman. I heard he does a lot of apple fan videos and he's a big Apple fan 🤦‍♂️

I used to watch their videos until they became more clickbait with taking one aspect of a product and then sensationalize it to make it sound like it's a huge issue without any context. It works and it increased subs so strictly when it comes to making money what they're doing is working. I would put the channel in the entertainment rather than informational category. I don't really find their videos entertaining but if you do then by all means watch them. I wouldn't consider it a credible source for information on Apple products no more than I would consider a tabloid TV show a credible information for news.

 

[DHagan4755]

3. Return the MBP 14 and, for about the same cost, get a base Mac Studio for heavy lifting and a separate MBA 15 for lighter workloads and portability.

That's the play, right there. #3.

 

[Misheemee]

.

 

[lJoSquaredl]

I was curious what the file size hit would be transcoding to proxies. It isn't too bad for older 1080 vacation videos, requiring 3x the original file size but 4K source transcoded to same resolution needs almost 9x the file size. You're right, I may possibly need to invest in some cheaper external storage.

Thank you for pointing out "you don't have to sacrifice resolution". I didnt realize that was an option before. The file size hit is pretty substantial but I much prefer it over loss of resolution and clarity. The M2 Max MBP 14 took 20 minutes to finish transcoding 3.75 hours worth of Maui vacation videos at native 1080, a mix of 30 and 60 fps. It seems to take roughly 10% of the real video length to transcode to ProRes and keep the same original resolution. I imagine a MBA will take longer but definitely doable. The fans on the MBP 14 were kicking into high gear too during the transcode so the MBA is going to get toasty.

I really do miss the MBA's larger screen compared to the MBP 14. I am still debating which direction to go:

1. Get the 16GB/1TB MBA 15 again and come to terms with the need to render and use proxies while editing video.

2. Keep the M2 Max MBP 14, which will mainly stay docked anyways most of the time.

3. Return the MBP 14 and, for about the same cost, get a base Mac Studio for heavy lifting and a separate MBA 15 for lighter workloads and portability.

Here's a link to the versions of ProRes you can transcode to and what the data rates are of each. File sizes I obviously can't tell you cuz I don't know how big they are, but seems like if you wanna keep the resolutions/quality high 422 or 422 LT is the way to go. (More seems overkill but here's 2 recommendation run downs from Larry Jordan and Andrew Gormley) I edit from an external too, was taught that when I learned anyways but it's worked well for me and keeps the wear and tear off my internal while keeping it safer from a failure. (tho in a pinch internals are fine) Again I baby my machines tho.

And I'm in the same position as you but I'm on a 13" MBA M1 presently. Definitely dying to upgrade but can't decide between a 14" MBP or 15" MBA. I can make do with a MBA for most stuff outside of live streaming or heavy gaming, but I do miss the power sometimes, the ports even more often, and the screens on those MBPs are hard to ignore. Still, another inch and lighter weight is what it is, so I'm figuring out what would work best for me.

Man when you hit a dark scene in a movie on a MBA tho, screen just turns to grey mush it's really off-putting, 14" MBP looks better everyday despite the slightly smaller screen. (tho still much better than what I have now, it's all upside for me)

 

[lJoSquaredl]

If I get the 15" Air I'm basically sacrificing watching movies on it at all, my TV def has better contrast than the Air but it's already a compromise. Gonna have to rely on my TV or phone if I get the Air, cuz I cannot unsee good contrast now that I've played with a 16" MBP lol

Sucks I can't even get rich to solve the problem, Tim Apple why couldn't you have just made a 15" MBA with mLED?!

I just burned thru the Black Mirror episodes on my MBA and that scene where they run thru the woods was basically unwatchable, it's definitely either watching on my phone or TV unless I get a MBP. MBA is a poor middle ground unless someone is watching a movie all shot in the daytime...or they just don't care I guess.

If only they offered a Pro level Air version, "MacBook Air Pro Max" maybe? Please? Tim Apple?

 

[Misheemee]

That's the play, right there. #3.

at double the expense

 

[Saturn007]

… You really do view more on the MBA 15 display and it's easier to see/read too. In this case, quantity (bigger display) of the 15 Air trumps quality of the 14 MBP display. If the MBA 15 meets all your performance needs then you're going to love the laptop. It really is a great balance of size, performance, portability, and price…

Appreciated your detailed post. The part I’m quoting here is particularly relevant in my case! Thanks.

 

[ilikewhey]

Man when you hit a dark scene in a movie on a MBA tho, screen just turns to grey mush it's really off-putting, 14" MBP looks better everyday despite the slightly smaller screen.

yep, thats the one thing my wife noticed on her mba and wants me to swap with my 14inch when she finds a good movie.

 

[richard371]

Im a huge fan of HDR. I take a lot of pics and vids on my 14 pro max and love the HDR on my 2023 14 MBP. Ive installed the vivid app. While the vivid app is not good for HDR it's great for sitting in an extremely bright room etc. I also find the 120hz scrolling a nice little bonus. I really like these mini led screens until apple goes OLED. I looked at the 15" air this weekend and it's nice but for me once you go HDR it's hard to go back. Maybe the M3 airs will have mini led.

 

[NeonNights]

Here's a link to the versions of ProRes you can transcode to and what the data rates are of each. File sizes I obviously can't tell you cuz I don't know how big they are, but seems like if you wanna keep the resolutions/quality high 422 or 422 LT is the way to go. (More seems overkill but here's 2 recommendation run downs from Larry Jordan and Andrew Gormley) I edit from an external too, was taught that when I learned anyways but it's worked well for me and keeps the wear and tear off my internal while keeping it safer from a failure. (tho in a pinch internals are fine) Again I baby my machines tho.

And I'm in the same position as you but I'm on a 13" MBA M1 presently. Definitely dying to upgrade but can't decide between a 14" MBP or 15" MBA. I can make do with a MBA for most stuff outside of live streaming or heavy gaming, but I do miss the power sometimes, the ports even more often, and the screens on those MBPs are hard to ignore. Still, another inch and lighter weight is what it is, so I'm figuring out what would work best for me.

Man when you hit a dark scene in a movie on a MBA tho, screen just turns to grey mush it's really off-putting, 14" MBP looks better everyday despite the slightly smaller screen. (tho still much better than what I have now, it's all upside for me)

Man, now you're making me consider keeping the MBP 14, lol. I may need to go watch something dark to test this but I don't have a MBA to compare to. Oh, actually I did put on the LG 4K HDR YouTube demo (the one with the honey) and watched it on the new MBA 15 and MBP 14 side-by-side, and honestly I couldn't see a huge difference. Trust me, I care a fair degree about dark blacks (having a 77" LG C2 at one point), but I'm not super impressed by the display of the MBP 14 (relative to the MBA 15) nor that of my 5th gen iPad Pro 12.9 that has a similar display to the MBP 14.

Before this whole revolving door of laptops I was using a 13" M1 MBA, like you, and loved that wedgebook. I had no complaints about the M1 MBA other than wishing it was a little brighter, which the MBA 15 achieves (500 vs 400 nits of the smaller MBA). What's disappointing in a way is the MBP 14, in stock form, is no brighter than the MBA when watching SDR content. You only see a difference with HDR content or manually control of brightness with the Vivid app.

 

[lJoSquaredl]

Im a huge fan of HDR. I take a lot of pics and vids on my 14 pro max and love the HDR on my 2023 14 MBP. Ive installed the vivid app. While the vivid app is not good for HDR it's great for sitting in an extremely bright room etc. I also find the 120hz scrolling a nice little bonus. I really like these mini led screens until apple goes OLED. I looked at the 15" air this weekend and it's nice but for me once you go HDR it's hard to go back. Maybe the M3 airs will have mini led.

Aren't the miniLED screens better than OLED? Brighter and no burn in issues, not sure about color accuracy but I thought they were better in that regard as well.