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Switch from MBP M3 Pro 14” to MBA M3 13”???
- Thread starter rj41978
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I have the same machine and debating the same swap but with a Studio Display with the M3 MBA. I browse, emails, YouTube, Excel etc. so feel the MPB is overkill but I do love the screen and speakers. I have 850gb in free space.
I have a Vision Pro so that’s why I’m not too worried about the lower display quality if switched.
My biggest concern is if there is wear on the ports like last year’s MBA models. I remembered users complained about the paint chipping off after so many usage of the ports.
Update:
Got my new MBA and did go with 512GB/16GB RAM. So far I'm loving the smaller form overall. I'm going to test drive this for the next week and make a final decision if I should sell my MBP M3 Pro or just return this. Right now I am 95% leaning on keeping the MBA.
Got my new MBA and did go with 512GB/16GB RAM. So far I'm loving the smaller form overall. I'm going to test drive this for the next week and make a final decision if I should sell my MBP M3 Pro or just return this. Right now I am 95% leaning on keeping the MBA.
I used MBA m2 (same form factor) for 2 years before moving to 14 inch Macbook Pro M3. I like the current machine, but MBA M2/3 is really a flawless notebook, and also very light one.
I'm lucky enough to have a 14" M1 Pro for business and 15" Air for personal use (I also had a 13" Air for a few months).
I really do prefer the Air's form factor. As personal laptop it's hard to improve upon the Air. My needs for the Pro were because I have a dual-display office setup, but now that M3 can handle that I really could just switch to an Air for everything.
I would miss HDMI (for the once a year I need it) and I would miss the SD card slot (every other month when I use it) but otherwise my needs are met with the Air.
Keep us posted on how you get along. There really aren't any bad options in the Apple line up right now and it's great to have difficult choices.
I really do prefer the Air's form factor. As personal laptop it's hard to improve upon the Air. My needs for the Pro were because I have a dual-display office setup, but now that M3 can handle that I really could just switch to an Air for everything.
I would miss HDMI (for the once a year I need it) and I would miss the SD card slot (every other month when I use it) but otherwise my needs are met with the Air.
Keep us posted on how you get along. There really aren't any bad options in the Apple line up right now and it's great to have difficult choices.
I have a 13" M2 Air which I love, but I like shiny new toys and can afford it so picked up the M3 Pro. They have an amazing screen, better speakers etc but I just prefer the air form factor so I returned it. I picked up a 15" M3 Air and I am extremely happy with it.
I recently traded in my M1 Pro 14" for an M3 MacBook Air 13".
I knew the weight would make some difference, but when living with it day-to-day, they really do feel like very different devices. I pick up the 13" and use it around the house more than the 14". I'm very happy with it.
For context, I also have a base model Mac mini that works well for graphic design.
I knew the weight would make some difference, but when living with it day-to-day, they really do feel like very different devices. I pick up the 13" and use it around the house more than the 14". I'm very happy with it.
For context, I also have a base model Mac mini that works well for graphic design.
I’m torn. I purchased a base M3 Pro MBP (18GB RAM and 512GB storage). I am using it for work but all of my work is productivity based, not coding or audiovisual. What I will have is multiple open tabs and windows of Safari, multiple calls and conversations in Teams, Slack, and Zoom, and some diagram building. I know that the MBP is overkill for those purposes but I have been able to push my 8GB M2 Mac Mini to lag and show me the beach ball doing a combo of those tasks, so I would need to get the 16GB MBA.
The issue for me is that I got the MBP on sale for $1749 at Best Buy, and if I exchange it for the 16 GB 13” M3 MBA, that is currently selling for $1449, so it’s only a $300 difference. And I feel like the additional niceties of the MBP might justify the cost, like the additional USB-C port, HDMI port and SD card reader, the HDR Mini LED screen with promotion, the fans used for cooling, etc. I’d also lose 2 GB of RAM and have a lower power chip with fewer cores which shouldn’t affect my day to day but could be useful for the longevity of the device.
I’ve gone back and forth on this and am mostly leaning in the direction of keeping the Pro, but the prospect of saving some money and getting a lighter machine as well are tempting.
The issue for me is that I got the MBP on sale for $1749 at Best Buy, and if I exchange it for the 16 GB 13” M3 MBA, that is currently selling for $1449, so it’s only a $300 difference. And I feel like the additional niceties of the MBP might justify the cost, like the additional USB-C port, HDMI port and SD card reader, the HDR Mini LED screen with promotion, the fans used for cooling, etc. I’d also lose 2 GB of RAM and have a lower power chip with fewer cores which shouldn’t affect my day to day but could be useful for the longevity of the device.
I’ve gone back and forth on this and am mostly leaning in the direction of keeping the Pro, but the prospect of saving some money and getting a lighter machine as well are tempting.
It’s a tough one for sure. Same position and unsure what to do. The money saving isn’t really a concern but the design of the Air is something else!
This would be a lot simpler if I thought I could make do with 8 GB of RAM. Then the price difference between the MBA and the MBP would be so significant I could easily justify losing all the extra features of the Pro. But since I have to pay the upcharge on the RAM (and consequently the storage), then I'm looking at a much closer gap.
Edit: Well, I already signed up for the annual subscription for Applecare on the MBP, which is $100 per year, and according to Apple's support documents the annual subscription cannot be refunded, only canceled before the next year's charge comes up. That means I'd have to eat the $100 AND pay for a new annual Applecare plan on the MBA. I'll be sticking with the MBP.
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They will allow you to cancel the AC subscription and receive a partial refund - you just have to call the AC line and ask. They did for me when moving from M2 to M3.
And you did the annual subscription option? I know they will give a partial refund if you cancel Applecare that you purchased for a set period like three years and you cancel before the end of the period.
I recently moved from a 2020 Intel MBP (1TB/32GB) to a MBA M2 15" (so not really the OP's situation) and have come to the conclusion that for people who just need a computer (like me), there is very little reason to use a MBP. I'm a modest user of computer based MS Office products, normal Apple apps (Notes, Preview, etc.), and 10-20 tabs in Brave. Prior to Apple silicon there were still usage reasons to go with MBP's if you wanted to never have issues. Unless I start getting into advanced coding (not happening at this point in life) or start doing serious photo/video editing, I can't see the MBP offering any advantages to people like me. You would really have to want the better display, speakers, ports, and multiple displays to justify it and all those are negligible to me for my use.
Apple has made the MBA the perfect computer for regular users IMO. The only minor quibble I have is that I would like a USB-C port on the other side just for ergonomic options.
Apple has made the MBA the perfect computer for regular users IMO. The only minor quibble I have is that I would like a USB-C port on the other side just for ergonomic options.
I had a maxed out M1 MBP 14" which was regrettably stolen mid-cycle. I replaced it with a maxed out M2 MBA 13". The size and weight was great, I didn't mind the lesser screen as I mostly used it with an external monitor anyhow, and everything else was mostly fine.
However, I saw a lot of beach balls, 24 GB was not enough, it just felt slower and the 2 TB SSD was really cramped. When the M3 MBP came out I instantly got one, and feel a lot happier. However, I do hate carrying it around, and if I could get an MBA with a bigger SAD and more RAM (and preferably in the 11-12" range) it would be an instant purchase.
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Out of curiosity, what is your usage that 24GB RAM wasn't enough for you?
At least I am not the only one. The form factor of the Mackbook Air is amazing, the Macbook Pro design feels like the older model, at least the physical body.
Obviously, the pro has a better display and speakers but sometimes it's more about the usability/portability of a device if your workload can handle it, which I believe most of us would be fine.
Obviously, the pro has a better display and speakers but sometimes it's more about the usability/portability of a device if your workload can handle it, which I believe most of us would be fine.
Mostly it was running a VM or two together with some Adobe and office apps that pushed me into swap.
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You really don't notice the better display unless you have them side by side. The Macbook Air display is still an excellent display. Colors pop. It just doesn't have the deep inky blacks of mini LED screens, but it's fine for almost everyone.
I have used both with a matte privacy filter, with which the MBA becomes borderline unusable, whereas the MBP is still sharp and bright enough. (Obviously not most people’s use case, of course.)
Since my last post I haven't looked back on my MBP since transitioning to MBA. I barely can tell the difference in quality of the screen that raises a red flag. There's something about closing this MBA up and carrying it around that I'm just amazed how thin and powerful this thing is.
After the weekend I'll probably make my decision on which one to keep.