MBP 13, 16GB, I5 8th vs MBA 16gb I5 10th----both 1TB- $80 difference

[MSUspartn]

Hi,
Confused more than ever and didn't see this comparison. I was about to by the air and then the refresh happened. The MBP is $1689 vs MBA is $1599 so negligible in cost at that point. From what I understand the differences below which is better for my use case? I am coming from a 2009 MBP which is at the point of unusable. Mostly use for basic word processing and photos. Not a photographer but the wife uses Apple Photos a lot for kids and family photos. Looking for something that is going to last as this is a big investment.

Quite a few thoughts / questions:

• For that simple use case which is going to run Apple Photos better?
• Does Apple Photos need more processing power of the MBP or will the MBA work fine?
• Will one computer last longer? MBA new chips but throttled or old MBP chips
• Is the screen Nits that much of a difference?

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

MBP:
Better screen, slower memory, TB, old chip, faster for intensive tasks

MBA
Faster Grpahics and Ram but slower for intensive tasks.

 

[KPOM]

Both should work fine, but the Pro has a better screen for photo editing (it displays more colors), and a faster processor, despite being the 8th generation. Regarding nits, for indoor use it shouldn’t make much difference.

 

[Alex W.]

Pro 100%, thermal design on the air is a joke to do any real work with it, its always limited.
Memory speeds are negligible to be honest. MBA doesn't have faster graphics -- it throttles so any long use will instantly turn it slower.

 

[MSUspartn]

Thank you Alex and Kpom. appreciate your insights!

 

[ilikewhey]

the air has poor thermal as previously mentioned, that alone should push you towards the pro. not to mention 2x usb port and higher nit screen.

you should check out the thread i made in the air section, the air is a toy, the pro is more of a real laptop.

 

[MSUspartn]

the air has poor thermal as previously mentioned, that alone should push you towards the pro. not to mention 2x usb port and higher nit screen.

you should check out the thread i made in the air section, the air is a toy, the pro is more of a real laptop.

Thanks for the response. To just verify though. The base 13 pro has the same ports as the air with 2 correct. I thought you need to Uograde to the 10th gen for 4. I’ll check out you thread. Thanks!!

 

[KPOM]

Thanks for the response. To just verify though. The base 13 pro has the same ports as the air with 2 correct. I thought you need to Uograde to the 10th gen for 4. I’ll check out you thread. Thanks!!

True. The base Pro with the 8th gen chip has 2 TB ports. The higher end model has 4 TB ports. CPU performance is actually pretty similar between the 8th and 10th gen i5 chips (the 10th gen is about 10-15% faster). The larger benefit is with the GPU.

 

[Appledoesnotlisten]

Once you try 15"/16", you will never go 13".

(unless you are tiny or always on the go)