Switching from a dying Chromebook to a Macbook (Air)? What size and features

[Mediuum65]

Hello, I am currently using an Acer Chromebook CB515 from 2018 (Full HD). It's reaching its limits with the latest Chrome updates. When I open more than 2 tabs, it stutters and the battery lasts a maximum of 60-90 minutes.


As my main computer I have a Win desktop on a 34 inch monitor which I use for gaming and other office things. Since I already use an iPhone and was given an iPad Pro by my employer, I would like to switch to a MacBook and retire the Acer.


A colleague had lent me his Macbook M2 Pro 16 inch... very nice but definitely too heavy for me. Here in the electronics store (I live in Germany) I looked at the 13 and 15 Airs and also the 14 Pro. In terms of lightness, the 13 Air M2 is a dream; the Acer weighs 1.75 kg. The 15 Air has a nice, large monitor and is also lighter than the 14 Pro, although I think it's only 100 grams, it feels much more airy.


I want to use the device for YouTube, watching Twitch streams, Netflix, Disney+, Apple TV, etc., web browsing, emails, office work and editing my iPhone photos, nothing more and nothing less (all things that Acer can't do) oh and in order to manage/edit my many Goodnotes notes on the iPad.

When it comes to size, I vacillate between all 3 devices...although the 14 Pro seems significantly oversized for me.

I would like to "hold" the screens next to each other to compare them with my Acer 15 inch. Unfortunately, so far I have only ever found the dimensions of the diagonals and never the physical dimensions:

Width + height of the visible area for 13 / 15 Air and 14 Pro.

Does anyone know a site where I can find the values? I would then like to build the individual areas with paper so that I can compare them better.

Now I also have the question of how much RAM and storage is necessary, I was thinking of 16GB RAM and a 512 HD:

The 13 comes with 16 GB RAM and 512 GB HD at around € 1699.00,

The 15 with the same features is already priced at € 1,999.00,

The 14 PRO with M3 PRO at € 2399.00

Or simply a 13 Air mM1 with basic configuration 8GB/16GB new for € 869 would be enough (and again the question of the physical size)

There are no devices in this configuration currently available in the Rebfurbished Store for Germany, but I can wait, similar devices will definitely come again. A 13 M2 Air with 24GB/!TB in silver almost triggered me but before I could order it it was gone.

As for the device color, I prefer Oldskool -> Silver and because I think there is no wear on the ports.

Greetings from Hesse in Germany

 

[tensixturtle]

Hi

I couldn't find a site either that gives the dimensions of the screens, although I found a site that lists many other useful dimensions (linked below). So I used the diagonal length and made a ratio from the screen resolution and estimated the dimensions of the screen itself. I only have the M2 15" Air but it seems to be consistent.

M1 MacBook Air (https://www.dimensions.com/element/apple-macbook-air-3rd-generation)
Screen dimensions (height x width): 17.9 cm x 28.6 cm

M2 MacBook Air 13" (https://www.dimensions.com/element/apple-macbook-air-4th-gen-2022)
Dimensions: 18.8 cm x 28.9 cm

M2 MacBook Air 15" (https://www.dimensions.com/element/apple-macbook-air-15-inch-5th-gen)
Dimensions: 21.1 cm x 32.6 cm

M3 MacBook Pro 14" (https://www.dimensions.com/element/apple-macbook-pro-14-5th-gen-2021)
Dimensions: 19.7 cm x 30.3 cm

As for which device to get, I'm sure everyone has different opinions but here is mine:

As for specs, the M1 or M2 are probably more than enough for most users' needs. I have an M1/8GB Mac mini and it currently has over 100 tabs open in Firefox and probably at least seven other apps, and it runs just fine. I've even been able to do more demanding things like Xcode Simulator and building Xcode projects on it. The things you listed should all be fine on the M1 or M2, and M3 is likely overkill. As for storage, Chromebooks tend to have smaller storage capacities so unless you plan to start storing large files such as videos from your iPhone on the MacBook, I'd imagine 256GB or 512GB is adequate.

The M1 MacBook Air, as good of a deal it is, is also over 2 years old at this point, so if you spend that much already, if possible maybe consider a newer option. The M3 MacBook Pro is likely way more powerful than necessary, especially the M3 Pro model, although you might consider the base M3 model for the size and the extra ports compared to the MacBook Air. That leaves the two M2 MacBook Airs. I used the 15" model and like the large screen very much. However, I do also find that in terms of portability, I don't find that it lives up to its name because of its size and weight. Whenever I use my 13" Intel MacBook Pro, it's lighter and a lot easier to carry around. But you miss out on the bigger screen, of course, which is always nice.

I agree with you about the colour -- every aluminium Mac of mine is silver.

Hopefully some of this is of help to you.

 

[Mediuum65]

Hello, thanks for the information,
I'll see if I can get a 15" Air at the refurbished store. 15 inches because of my age ;-) I appreciate every inch more with my progressive lenses.

 

[Isamilis]

Base model should be enough, but I recommend to get 8/512 if you’re lazy to bring external disk or 16/256 if you plan to use it heavily.
For the size, 15” is much better experience. Only it’s heavier than MBA 13” (but not necessarily heavier than regular non-Apple 13”). Also, it’s thinner, I still can use 14” sleeve.
For battery, I would say 13” is better (even though on paper it said the same), but you shouldn’t be too concern as they’re still longer than regular laptop.