Mba m2 8gb vs 16gb vs mbp 13 pro or mbp 14pro

[UKBeast]

I am using an intel based 2018 early mba model with base configuration 8gm ram 256gb. I am not happy thr overall perofrmance thinking to upgrade cant decide which one.

Here is my case;

I am a heavy ms office suite user. I have at least 8-10 excel sheet open.

A lot of tabs on safari is open.

Have extensive emails daily. At least 150 emails i receive a day and need to keep them at least 5 years.

No video editing, no photoshop, no enginering or art creating application i use. I am basicly heavy ms office user.

Here what i need;

I need fast excel super fast to work, its cloggy with my current machine.
Fast switcing windows, not as fast now
Fast opening mails
Fast browsing experience
Fast application opening and closing
Portability and good battery life.

1. Does it make a difference on my use case to upgrade from 8gb ram to 16gb ram ?
2. Which one should go between two m1 air with 16gb ram or m2 air with 8gb ram
3. Mbp 13inch m2 vs mba m2 ?
4. Mba m2 16gb ram vs mbp 14inch base model ?

 

[maka344]

Given your portability requirement, the M2 Air would be perfect for your work flow however, go 16GB RAM.

 

[Dealmans]

And that there is the problem, pay apples fee for extra 8gb and no discount makes it same price as 14" 16/512

 

[wilberforce]

If you want portability and fast switching and opening, get MBA with 16GB RAM. Doesn't matter much which MBA, M1 or M2. I suggest 512GB SSD minimum.

Forget the fact that 14" MBP is not much more - it is not as lightweight and portable (and I have one). The MBA is made for being as portable as possible.

 

[maka344]

If you want portability and fast switching and opening, get MBA with 16GB RAM. Doesn't matter much which MBA, M1 or M2. I suggest 512GB SSD minimum.

Forget the fact that 14" MBP is not much more - it is not as lightweight and portable (and I have one). The MBA is made for being as portable as possible.

What are your thoughts re the M2 Air vs your Pro other than the weight and portability differences?

I have both (M2 Air 10/16GB/1TB) and the base 14” Pro and I cannot decide…

One is from Costco so in an extended return window and I have until the 2nd to initiate a return on the Air should I wish.

Both devices are within £50 of each other due to various discounts etc.

 

[wilberforce]

What are your thoughts re the M2 Air vs your Pro other than the weight and portability differences?

I think screen is important because you interact with it all the time, but how important depends on personal usage and preference.
I think by trying both out you are in the best position to decide which you prefer personally. I suggest give more weight to those things that affect you every day. Both are excellent machines, there is no wrong answer here.
However, I do believe it is a mistake to buy something solely because it is a "good deal." It is far more important, and leads to less regrets, to buy what you actually want.

 

[hans1972]

M1 or M2 MBA with 16Gb will be much faster than your current computer for Excel. Make sure you get the latest version which supports Apple silicon.

I use it for data filtering and it can handle at least 100 000 rows without any problems.

I also have one Excel file with close to 1 million rows without any formulas except a few to do filtering and my 2018 Intel MacBook Air struggled with that file but my M2 MacBook Air handles it much better.

 

[Technerd108]

I think the only way to make an educated choice is to get your hands on the devices you are considering and use them. Even if you just go to a Best Buy or other retailer or Apple store I think it is best to see them in real life. Pick them up and test the things as much as you can that you prioritize.

Then after you see them in the real world Buy one and test it out. After a week you should be able to tell if it will work for you. Maybe buy one and return it and buy the other one and use it for a week. Then you should have a pretty good idea if you keep it or return it and get the previous one.

Everything else is just people personal opinions and as such are going to vary a lot by what they prioritize and it may not be relevant to you.

 

[OasisNYK]

I have gone to the Apple Store and checked all three out a couple of times.

I think the Air has the best form factor / weight, but the 14 MBP is not much bigger / heavier. Both are very nice and portable. The 13 Pro is fine but I don’t love the old form factor (seems dated now).

The air comes in more color options, is slightly less expensive (unless you are buying a MBP on sale from another retailer).

The Pro has a better screen, speakers, ports, and capable of running 2 external monitors.

Then there is M1 vs M2 - seems like the M1 Pro is still better in some ways and under sustained load a MBP will outperform an Air because of the cooling system. M2 is no slouch and has solid performance for most computing needs.

I would pick a budget, line up the Air vs MBP you can get for what you want to spend, and make a decision. You can’t go wrong either way and it is a tough choice.

 

[ilikewhey]

are you in the us? for 1599 the mbp 14 base is really hard to beat consider its much superior screen, speakers, ports, and not to mention faster ssd. i kinda have similar workflow and when i went from the m1 to the mbp 14 everything was much more instantaneous.

you are absolutely right about the weight, it really isn't that much more than the m2 mba, alot of to mba owners will nitpick about it and overblown the weight issue but in fact its only .8lb.

 

[ilikewhey]

Forget the fact that 14" MBP is not much more - it is not as lightweight and portable (and I have one). The MBA is made for being as portable as possible.

really, i beg to differ, i carry my mbp 14 with me all the time, its as portable as my previous m1 mba that i was using. sure its a bit heavier, but the extra thickness and heft actually makes me grip it better.

 

[Technerd108]

.8 pounds on a device weighing either 2.7# or 3.5# is a big difference. It is 30% which is not insignificant. Compared to the almost 5# of the 16" the 14" is significantly lighter but on a smaller device close to a pound is significant.

How can you disagree that the air is designed more for portability and the 14" Pro is designed to be as portable as possible for a Pro level device being function more important than form?

Literally the main selling point of an MBA IS the lighter weight, thinner design, lack of fans and portability?

 

[Dealmans]

Some carry on like they are going to carry their MacBook running a marathon lol, as if .8lb matters when carrying to the car or into office, or from one room to another at home.

Don't bother answering I know the come backs.

 

[Technerd108]

Some carry on like they are going to carry their MacBook running a marathon lol, as if .8lb matters when carrying to the car or into office, or from one room to another at home.

Don't bother answering I know the come backs.

It isn't just when moving from one place to the other though? It is using it on your lap or in other situations where after a prolonged period of time the added weight is uncomfortable.

And of course everyone has a different experience so for some it probably isn't an issue if they just keep it on a desk and move it from one place to another.

Idk

 

[Dealmans]

If it's on your lap that long that the weight becomes a issue I would be more worried about my neck lol

 

[ilikewhey]

Some carry on like they are going to carry their MacBook running a marathon lol, as if .8lb matters when carrying to the car or into office, or from one room to another at home.

Don't bother answering I know the come backs.

lmaoo literally, some mba owners think we all going on some grand hiking experience where every ounce saving matters. like i said, certain percentage of mba owners will nitpick this .8lb in weight saving and overblown it, for comparison, a bottle of water is 1.1lb, when did we as a society got so lazy that carrying a bottle of water is consider significant?

 

[OasisNYK]

Don’t get me wrong - I prefer the Airs weight to the MBP. I think it is really amazing what they have been able to do.

 

[1BadManVan]

considering your use case and the fact that battery life and portability are also a selling point for you, the m2 air definitely makes a lot of sense. It will be a huge upgrade to your current set up.

 

[UKBeast]

Today tried computers in store heres what i think

Screen : on speed wise definitely mbp14 inch. It is so smooth scrooling and window switching applications. However i did not see much difference on colour richness between 14mbp and 13 air m2. Contast ratio on mbp 14 is slightly better though the difference negligable. 14inch is more eye pleasing size then 13 inch i struggle with excel tables.

System speed : both performed the same. I think you can only see speed difference with heavy load apps like like video encoding compression etc. which i will not use.

Build quality: this is where it gets tricky. Mbp pro has superb build quality, when you hold it its like a stone brick. Thick and durable giving you peace of mind. Whereas mba is lighter and easier to hold and carry, but the thinnes of the metal chase worries you gonna get it bended, damaged. Somehow it feels chunky and tacky.

With upgrading mba m2 to 16gb ram and 512gb drive the price getting closer to mbp 14.

 

[OasisNYK]

I almost pulled the trigger on the Air during the back to school promo but I think waiting for the October announcement to see if there are any MBP upgrades is the right move unless you need something now.

 

[rmadsen3]

I almost pulled the trigger on the Air during the back to school promo but I think waiting for the October announcement to see if there are any MBP upgrades is the right move unless you need something now.

Although it's understandable that non-Apple merchants will sell at a discount standard configurations of last year's model, is it fair to assume that BTO configurations (last year's model) won't be buyable at a discount? Thus, if one wants a maxed-out MBP it may well be cheaper to buy now than wait 'til the refresh?

 

[Technerd108]

Today tried computers in store heres what i think

Screen : on speed wise definitely mbp14 inch. It is so smooth scrooling and window switching applications. However i did not see much difference on colour richness between 14mbp and 13 air m2. Contast ratio on mbp 14 is slightly better though the difference negligable. 14inch is more eye pleasing size then 13 inch i struggle with excel tables.

System speed : both performed the same. I think you can only see speed difference with heavy load apps like like video encoding compression etc. which i will not use.

Build quality: this is where it gets tricky. Mbp pro has superb build quality, when you hold it its like a stone brick. Thick and durable giving you peace of mind. Whereas mba is lighter and easier to hold and carry, but the thinnes of the metal chase worries you gonna get it bended, damaged. Somehow it feels chunky and tacky.

With upgrading mba m2 to 16gb ram and 512gb drive the price getting closer to mbp 14.

That is why it is so important to put your hands on the device in question, use it and see what motivates your needs the most.

It seems like you are headed in a particular direction in what you prefer that I think discussions on this forum could have never done.

I wish you the best in finding what fits your needs the most as you are the one that will live with whatever you choose. And only you know what you want.

 

[OasisNYK]

Although it's understandable that non-Apple merchants will sell at a discount standard configurations of last year's model, is it fair to assume that BTO configurations (last year's model) won't be buyable at a discount? Thus, if one wants a maxed-out MBP it may well be cheaper to buy now than wait 'til the refresh?

BTO will always be more than other retailers selling at a discount unfortunately. Nobody knows if the new MBP will go up in price but it could. I don’t think they will but it’s a possibility.

 

[whizkid11]

Every day that I carry my M2 MBA compared to my MBP, I love it even more.

 

[whizkid11]

Today tried computers in store heres what i think

Screen : on speed wise definitely mbp14 inch. It is so smooth scrooling and window switching applications. However i did not see much difference on colour richness between 14mbp and 13 air m2. Contast ratio on mbp 14 is slightly better though the difference negligable. 14inch is more eye pleasing size then 13 inch i struggle with excel tables.

System speed : both performed the same. I think you can only see speed difference with heavy load apps like like video encoding compression etc. which i will not use.

Build quality: this is where it gets tricky. Mbp pro has superb build quality, when you hold it its like a stone brick. Thick and durable giving you peace of mind. Whereas mba is lighter and easier to hold and carry, but the thinnes of the metal chase worries you gonna get it bended, damaged. Somehow it feels chunky and tacky.

With upgrading mba m2 to 16gb ram and 512gb drive the price getting closer to mbp 14.

The MBA and MBP use the same aluminum with the same thickness. The MBP has more inside it's chasis and the solidity feeling is nothing more than the extra weight. They will both bend the same.