MBP M3 14” same $$$ (almost) as 15” MBA M2….

[SebCohen]

I’m looking for a Mac laptop and I’ve come across an issue that’s peculiar/annoying to me….and don’t just reply “so just take the xxx or the xxx”…I will, eventually.


Just my thoughts on my storage needs : 8GB memory is not enough and I want my entire photo+music+doc library with me without an external drive. So 512GB too small, 2TB too insanely expensive but the right choice, 1TB enough but not a lot of wiggle room for video editing etc.

So it’s 16GB & 1TB.

Screen size : The 13” Air is too small for comfortable home office use and I already have a 12.9 iPad. 15” is a very good screen size, but slightly less portable (but doable). 14” is kind of in a sweet spot there. But I still like the 15”. The 16” is just too big for lugging around.

So this is what I find irksome…So when I play around with configurations, the M2 15” MacBook Air 16GB/1TB is more or less the same price as the M3 MacBook Pro 14” 16GB/1TB.

For one, I’m not getting an M2 now. Sure, it is AMAZING, but this will be my laptop 4-5 years and in my book, that extra M will be beneficial the last 2 years.

Second, I’d actually like the Air and the 15” screen size over 14” or 16”. But I’m not paying “the same” for an M2 Air as an M3 Pro.

In my head, there is too little price differentiation between these two. Either the Air is WAY too expensive or the Pro price too low. And I’d be fine with the M2 if I knew only the pro’s would get it. Not knowing creates a insecure customer experience.

Apple needs to be clearer with their intentions honestly and it’s 2024…we don’t have to be this coy with our roadmap.

 

[Flowstates]

They put non pro sillicon in a pro chassis, hence your confusion. Understandable as the old chassis will be retired and there remains a necessity for affordable EDU/Corpo purchases.

In your case, I'd get the pro. The screen, albeit a bit smaller is not comparable with the one on the air.

Both devices are overpriced.

 

[geta]

Except the M2 vs M3, and device size/weight, the other difference will be the screen size and quality, speakers and the M3 MBP also having 1 fan.

 

[1096bimu]

I think the M3 "Pro" is a very dishonest product from Apple. The M2 Air was already dishonest in that if you buy the base spec 8+256gb M2, it literally performs worse than M1 with the SAME specs or significantly worse than M1 with upgraded specs and same cost. AND, the 10c GPU spec is like totally useless because there's not enough cooling for it to make a difference.

Same thing with the M3 "Pro" there is basically nothing you can do with 8GB RAM that would also benefit from an M3 chip.

But on top of that, it's also not like Apple to put a 20w chip in a chassis designed to support 100w chips. I mean that's simply a gigantic waste of space and mass. The previous example of something like this happening would be the 2019 Intel 13" MacBook Pro being fitted with M1, but that was only going to 15w from 30w, half the original.

There is NOTHING "Pro" about the M3 MacBook Pro other than that screen, but that's only if you want to be watching HDR video on it, if not then all it's got going for it is a built-in HDMI dongle I guess.

For one, I’m not getting an M2 now. Sure, it is AMAZING, but this will be my laptop 4-5 years and in my book, that extra M will be beneficial the last 2 years.

That's just not true, extra M doesn't make any difference. There's nothing wrong with M2 what so ever.
In fact if you get an M2 Pro 14" it's just straight up better than M3 14" in every way.

 

[dizmonk]

I’m looking for a Mac laptop and I’ve come across an issue that’s peculiar/annoying to me….and don’t just reply “so just take the xxx or the xxx”…I will, eventually.


Just my thoughts on my storage needs : 8GB memory is not enough and I want my entire photo+music+doc library with me without an external drive. So 512GB too small, 2TB too insanely expensive but the right choice, 1TB enough but not a lot of wiggle room for video editing etc.

So it’s 16GB & 1TB.

Screen size : The 13” Air is too small for comfortable home office use and I already have a 12.9 iPad. 15” is a very good screen size, but slightly less portable (but doable). 14” is kind of in a sweet spot there. But I still like the 15”. The 16” is just too big for lugging around.

So this is what I find irksome…So when I play around with configurations, the M2 15” MacBook Air 16GB/1TB is more or less the same price as the M3 MacBook Pro 14” 16GB/1TB.

For one, I’m not getting an M2 now. Sure, it is AMAZING, but this will be my laptop 4-5 years and in my book, that extra M will be beneficial the last 2 years.

Second, I’d actually like the Air and the 15” screen size over 14” or 16”. But I’m not paying “the same” for an M2 Air as an M3 Pro.

In my head, there is too little price differentiation between these two. Either the Air is WAY too expensive or the Pro price too low. And I’d be fine with the M2 if I knew only the pro’s would get it. Not knowing creates a insecure customer experience.

Apple needs to be clearer with their intentions honestly and it’s 2024…we don’t have to be this coy with our roadmap.

I hope this is helpful. I had a 15" Air which I thoroughly liked. I didn't even plan on getting an Air but when the 15 was announced I was intrigued so I bit. It is very capable and a very good machine.

Fast forward a few months and I wasn't particularly interested in going back to the Macbook Pro. When Apple introduced a non-Pro version I looked into it. The main reasons I bought the 14 M3 (non-Pro) were a) the increased battery life (which on paper either matches or exceeds the 15 Air) b) the price, and c) the better speakers and screen.

I completely agree with both the OP and the other poster that Apple has made this incredibly confusing and is being a bit manipulative with the specs of the M3 14. No MBP should start with 8Gb.

I'm working now with the same machine you want (16GB/1TB) M3. Generally, I'm impressed with it, so far. I do like the better speakers and screen but if I had to do it all over again, I'd probably keep my 15 Air because of the better form factor.

 

[Apple_Robert]

I think the M3 "Pro" is a very dishonest product from Apple. The M2 Air was already dishonest in that if you buy the base spec 8+256gb M2, it literally performs worse than M1 with the SAME specs or significantly worse than M1 with upgraded specs and same cost. AND, the 10c GPU spec is like totally useless because there's not enough cooling for it to make a difference.

Same thing with the M3 "Pro" there is basically nothing you can do with 8GB RAM that would also benefit from an M3 chip.

But on top of that, it's also not like Apple to put a 20w chip in a chassis designed to support 100w chips. I mean that's simply a gigantic waste of space and mass. The previous example of something like this happening would be the 2019 Intel 13" MacBook Pro being fitted with M1, but that was only going to 15w from 30w, half the original.

There is NOTHING "Pro" about the M3 MacBook Pro other than that screen, but that's only if you want to be watching HDR video on it, if not then all it's got going for it is a built-in HDMI dongle I guess.


That's just not true, extra M doesn't make any difference. There's nothing wrong with M2 what so ever.
In fact if you get an M2 Pro 14" it's just straight up better than M3 14" in every way.

Your definition of "pro" is made up and not one that Apple has defined. The name is a sales moniker and nothing more.

 

[Apple_Robert]

I’m looking for a Mac laptop and I’ve come across an issue that’s peculiar/annoying to me….and don’t just reply “so just take the xxx or the xxx”…I will, eventually.


Just my thoughts on my storage needs : 8GB memory is not enough and I want my entire photo+music+doc library with me without an external drive. So 512GB too small, 2TB too insanely expensive but the right choice, 1TB enough but not a lot of wiggle room for video editing etc.

So it’s 16GB & 1TB.

Screen size : The 13” Air is too small for comfortable home office use and I already have a 12.9 iPad. 15” is a very good screen size, but slightly less portable (but doable). 14” is kind of in a sweet spot there. But I still like the 15”. The 16” is just too big for lugging around.

So this is what I find irksome…So when I play around with configurations, the M2 15” MacBook Air 16GB/1TB is more or less the same price as the M3 MacBook Pro 14” 16GB/1TB.

For one, I’m not getting an M2 now. Sure, it is AMAZING, but this will be my laptop 4-5 years and in my book, that extra M will be beneficial the last 2 years.

Second, I’d actually like the Air and the 15” screen size over 14” or 16”. But I’m not paying “the same” for an M2 Air as an M3 Pro.

In my head, there is too little price differentiation between these two. Either the Air is WAY too expensive or the Pro price too low. And I’d be fine with the M2 if I knew only the pro’s would get it. Not knowing creates a insecure customer experience.

Apple needs to be clearer with their intentions honestly and it’s 2024…we don’t have to be this coy with our roadmap.

I don't think there is anything confusing from Apple. You just don't like the pricing between the models. If you don't want to pay to spec up the Air, then that leaves you the M3, M3 Pro, or M3 Max.

 

[1096bimu]

Your definition of "pro" is made up and not one that Apple has defined. The name is a sales moniker and nothing more.

it doesn't matter what it means
8gb with M3 is not any better than 8GB with M2 or even M1, but it is more expensive
and it certainly is not better than M2 with 16GB, hence it's a deceptive product, it asks for more money but gives you the same or worse performance.

 

[chrfr]

it doesn't matter what it means
8gb with M3 is not any better than 8GB with M2 or even M1, but it is more expensive

In this thread, the OP is considering both a 16GB M3 MacBook Pro and a 16GB M2 MacBook Air, so I'm not sure why you're bringing 8GB into the discussion, as it's irrelevant here.

 

[Flowstates]

Your definition of "pro" is made up and not one that Apple has defined. The name is a sales moniker and nothing more.

It used to mean (at the very least in the somewhat short lifespan of this ontology) multi-monitor support and better screen and connectivity.

But indeed, it is only a sales moniker at the moment, although I discoverd somewhat recently that the non "pro/max" silicon will ship with one less usb-c port with all of them sporting lower speeds.

 

[Allen_Wentz]

it doesn't matter what it means
8gb with M3 is not any better than 8GB with M2 or even M1, but it is more expensive
and it certainly is not better than M2 with 16GB, hence it's a deceptive product, it asks for more money but gives you the same or worse performance.

Nonsense. Apple makes lots of RAM available, buy what you need. Do not hypothesize about how if you choose inadequate RAM it will be inadequate RAM...

 

[ErzWolf]

When Apple kept the 13" MBP for years and refreshed it still with the M2, everybody was mocking.
Apple doing a new entry level MBP with the M3 and nearly all features of the 14" MBP - the whining about not being "PRO-ish" enough starts ...

The base M3 Pro is a great machine that has some advantages over the 13/15 Air. It's nearly perfect for business users that don't need the power of a pro chip for their office stuff but prefer a better display, larger battery and better speakers over the look-at-me-i-am-so-thin Air livestyle ...

If you define "Pro" with your need of power: just get a Pro chip machine ffs - and dont put your definition as the universal agreement.

In the end, I wouldn't get a MBA with M2 at the moment. Will be more interesting with the M3 coming to the air and where the prices will go to. I guess 15" Air / Base 14" Pro will still be close price wise. From my point of view it's a question of personal taste then for private users. Base 14" M3 will be the winner of the business sales I guess though.

 

[chrfr]

although I discoverd somewhat recently that the non "pro/max" silicon will ship with one less usb-c port with all of them sporting lower speeds.

There’s no difference in USB-C/Thunderbolt port speeds between the base/Pro/Max CPUs even though the base models are listed as only Thunderbolt 3. The Thunderbolt 4 spec requires video out on all ports and since the base chip only supports one external display on the MacBook Pro, those ports have to be called Thunderbolt 3.

 

[geta]

The difference between M2 13” MBA vs M3 14” MBP, both with 24GB/1GB is €350, except the M2 vs M3, you also getting better (and bigger) screen, better speakers, one cooling fan and two extra connection (HDMI & SD card). On the other hand the MBA is a bit smaller, thiner and lighter.

So unless one of these extras is a must for you, i think the extra cost is a waste of money.

That been said, im curious to see what will be the price difference once the 13” MBA will get M3 chip…

 

[Allen_Wentz]

The difference between M2 13” MBA vs M3 14” MBP, both with 24GB/1GB is €350, except the M2 vs M3, you also getting better (and bigger) screen, better speakers, one cooling fan and two extra connection (HDMI & SD card). On the other hand the MBA is a bit smaller, thiner and lighter.

So unless one of these extras is a must for you, i think the extra cost is a waste of money.

That been said, im curious to see what will be the price difference once the 13” MBA will get M3 chip…

MBP provides better display, better speakers, more ports, more available RAM (a huge plus), more memory bandwidth, AV1 decode, up to 8 TB SSD, WiFi 6E (quite relevant in my world) and supports up to four external displays instead of just one. M3 brings Dynamic Caching, hardware-accelerated mesh shading, etc. that dramatically improve apps like Maya, Blender, gaming, etc., and M3 MBP life cycles will be longer (if equipped with proper RAM, not just the least available). And app performance differences M3 over M2 will accentuate over the 4-6 year life cycle of any new box as OS/app devs design versions to take fuller advantage of M3 competence.

The MBP is a far more competent computer than an MBA, so it costs more. MBP cons are that the MBP weighs 0.65 kg more and has only two colors available.. The MBA is never equal, it is only lighter and cheaper while remaining adequate for lesser needs.

Edit: Also MBP has fans that can kick in to prevent the throttling MBAs are subject to if heavy loads are presented to the computer.

 

[Adelphos33]

MBP provides better display, better speakers, more ports, more available RAM (a huge plus), more memory bandwidth, AV1 decode, up to 8 TB SSD...

Remember, we are talking about the base M3 Macbook Pro, which has the same RAM (24GB) and storage (2 TB) bandwidth as the Macbook Airs. It also provides the same external display support, and eventually, the same exact chip

Due to Apple not selling any of the "base" M2 or M3 computers with 16 GB RAM, it has created a situation where the 13" Macbook Air, 15" Macbook Air, and 14" M3 Macbook Pro are all priced somewhat similarly. For most use cases in this class of computer, M2 vs M3 vs M3 Pro are somewhat irrelevant as most consumers won't be pushing any of the chips. So I would argue all of these computers will also perform similarly. So it really comes down to things like form factor, battery life, etc.

1) Buy the 13" M2/M3 Macbook Air if you value a compact, mobile laptop
2) Buy the M3 Macbook Pro if you value screen quality, speaker quality, ports
3) Buy the 15" M2/M3 Macbook Air if you want the largest screen of these three options

When you look at it as three very similar computers with slightly different form factors, it makes more sense

To the OP - I would also guess performance differences between the M2 and M3 MacBook Airs will be negligible

 

[Allen_Wentz]

Remember, we are talking about the base M3 Macbook Pro, which has the same RAM (24GB) and storage (2 TB) bandwidth as the Macbook Airs.

You may be talking about hamstringing computer purchases by only evaluating choices with low RAM, but I consider intentionally crippling expensive computers by installing lesser available RAM to be inappropriate.

However you are correct that on many apps the 3 boxes today will perform similarly (i.e., fast). It is on specific apps and also likely in the future on a wider variety of apps that M3 will outperform, and higher levels of chip (base v. Pro v. Max) will additionally outperform.

 

[Adelphos33]

You may be talking about hamstringing computer purchases by only evaluating choices with low RAM, but I consider intentionally crippling expensive computers by installing lesser available RAM to be inappropriate.

However you are correct that on many apps the 3 boxes today will perform similarly (i.e., fast). It is on specific apps and also likely in the future on a wider variety of apps that M3 will outperform, and higher levels of chip (base v. Pro v. Max) will additionally outperform.

The OP was specifically discussing the M3 Macbook Pro - and this question has been common since the the debut of the machine

 

[Allen_Wentz]

You may be talking about hamstringing computer purchases by only evaluating choices with low RAM, but I consider intentionally crippling expensive computers by installing lesser available RAM to be inappropriate.

The OP was specifically discussing the M3 Macbook Pro - and this question has been common since the the debut of the machine

Yes the OP was specifically discussing the M3 Macbook Pro. To me M3 Macbook Pro references the line of computers called M3 Macbook Pro with its three chip choices: base, Pro and Max. When/if y'all are considering "M3 Macbook Pro" to only reference the Pro chip, y'all are incorrect.

Yes the question has been common but (IMO) the question itself stems from wrong-headed thinking. IMO the Pro chip level is seldom appropriate because once one is spending that much money to compute, it is illogical to constrain the life cycle of a pricey box bought to compute with to the much lesser chip as well as to its limited available RAM.

Just my $0.02 and many others disagree.

 

[Flowstates]

There’s no difference in USB-C/Thunderbolt port speeds between the base/Pro/Max CPUs even though the base models are listed as only Thunderbolt 3. The Thunderbolt 4 spec requires video out on all ports and since the base chip only supports one external display on the MacBook Pro, those ports have to be called Thunderbolt 3.

Thank you for the correction, it makes sense.

 

[OrenLindsey]

The Pro has a wayyyyyy nicer screen (higher resolution, higher PPI, higher refresh rate, higher contrast, etc) and a couple extra ports. Not to mention the newer chip and fans. I would say it's the better choice if they're the same price.

 

[dizmonk]

Remember, we are talking about the base M3 Macbook Pro, which has the same RAM (24GB) and storage (2 TB) bandwidth as the Macbook Airs. It also provides the same external display support, and eventually, the same exact chip

Due to Apple not selling any of the "base" M2 or M3 computers with 16 GB RAM, it has created a situation where the 13" Macbook Air, 15" Macbook Air, and 14" M3 Macbook Pro are all priced somewhat similarly. For most use cases in this class of computer, M2 vs M3 vs M3 Pro are somewhat irrelevant as most consumers won't be pushing any of the chips. So I would argue all of these computers will also perform similarly. So it really comes down to things like form factor, battery life, etc.

1) Buy the 13" M2/M3 Macbook Air if you value a compact, mobile laptop
2) Buy the M3 Macbook Pro if you value screen quality, speaker quality, ports
3) Buy the 15" M2/M3 Macbook Air if you want the largest screen of these three options

When you look at it as three very similar computers with slightly different form factors, it makes more sense

To the OP - I would also guess performance differences between the M2 and M3 MacBook Airs will be negligible

I think this is a very good analysis of them...

 

[geta]

MBP provides better display, better speakers, more ports, more available RAM (a huge plus), more memory bandwidth, AV1 decode, up to 8 TB SSD, WiFi 6E (quite relevant in my world) and supports up to four external displays instead of just one. M3 brings Dynamic Caching, hardware-accelerated mesh shading, etc. that dramatically improve apps like Maya, Blender, gaming, etc., and M3 MBP life cycles will be longer (if equipped with proper RAM, not just the least available). And app performance differences M3 over M2 will accentuate over the 4-6 year life cycle of any new box as OS/app devs design versions to take fuller advantage of M3 competence.

The MBP is a far more competent computer than an MBA, so it costs more. MBP cons are that the MBP weighs 0.65 kg more and has only two colors available.. The MBA is never equal, it is only lighter and cheaper while remaining adequate for lesser needs.

Edit: Also MBP has fans that can kick in to prevent the throttling MBAs are subject to if heavy loads are presented to the computer.

Before jump, learn to read.

I was comparing the correct M2 13” MBA and the base 14” MBP with M3 chip, not MBP with M3 Pro/Max chip.

 

[lcseds]

Before jump, learn to read.

I was comparing the correct M2 13” MBA and the base 14” MBP with M3 chip, not MBP with M3 Pro/Max chip.

You could do without the first line.

 

[3SQ Machine]

I’ve been watching the M2 Air and MBP prices for the last couple months. I’m pretty convinced Apple sales are way down as I’ve never seen these discounts before. Unfortunately, getting a deal on a 1TB model—besides the 8g M3 MBP 1TB that frequently dips to 1499, is very hard to do because it is usually CTO.

If you don’t mind the larger footprint, you could always get a discounted or refurb M1 or M2 Pro 16” 1TB. They pop up on the Apple Store regularly and some retailers stock Apple refurb (with the Apple warranty), like MicroCenter. I’m rocking an M1 Pro 16 and it is more than capable and will be for many years.