The 15" Air screen is beautiful.

[Iron Curtains]

This will be a quick one, but wanted to share some thoughts on the 15 inch MacBook Air screen.

I am currently in the middle of living with both a 14 inch MacBook Pro and the 15 inch Air to make a final decision on which one to keep.

The screen on the 15 inch Air is a wonderful display.

Of course without question, if you have both of them side by side, you can see the differences between the IPS panel and the mini LED

But the 15 inch is no slouch, and that extra screen space is noticeable. I was watching a 4k video on youtube and in a dark room it looked great at half brightness.

I just wanted to give props to this screen, I know some people absolutely must have the mini LED, but wanted to share these thoughts for those who might be on the fence and dont think they absolutely need the pro screen. You will not be disappointed with the 15 inch Air screen.

 

[Harmonious Zen]

I absolutely agree. It’s a beautiful screen. Is it quite as nice as the miniLED on the 14? No, but it’s no slouch, as you say. If you don’t have the two side by side every day (and why would you), chances are you’ll be perfectly happy.

Btw, I have both and I use the 15 as my main laptop. The extea real estate wins for me.

 

[FrankySavvy]

I have always said this. I have a MacBook Pro 14" for work and own the M2 MBA since last year and TBH I don't even see a difference for what I do (Graphic Design). I can't tell any meaningful difference with the refresh rate, brightness, color accuracy. Apple Displays are so good..

 

[GMShadow]

From the time I had with it in an Apple Store last week, the 15" Air really does feel like the successor to the 2012-2015 Retina MBP, in a good way.

 

[Resident Guru]

I think it looks great. Sharper than my 2018 MBP 15". Ain't no shame in this screen at all. I say this as someone who really cares about screen quality as I have two OLED's in my house. a 77" and 65".

 

[UltimateSyn]

OP, I am about to be in the exact same situation as you - I own a 14" MBP and have a 15" MBA on order.

I went into my local Apple Store to try to see the 15" Air just out of curiosity, because it's a product I've thought Apple should make for a really long time and I was excited to see it come to fruition. I loooooove the mini-LED and ProMotion on my MBP, so I didn't anticipate putting any serious thought into switching, but when I saw it in person... Wow! The screen looks considerably larger than the 14"'s, and it's beautiful. Enough of a significant difference in screen real estate to make me consider one.

It's funny, when you look at a DisplayWars comparison of the 14" MBP vs. 15" MBA they really don't look significantly different. And "16% larger area" doesn't sound like all *that* much. But again, the difference in person was noticeably discernible. Keep us posted with what your decision ultimately ends up being.

 

[dizmonk]

This will be a quick one, but wanted to share some thoughts on the 15 inch MacBook Air screen.

I am currently in the middle of living with both a 14 inch MacBook Pro and the 15 inch Air to make a final decision on which one to keep.

The screen on the 15 inch Air is a wonderful display.

Of course without question, if you have both of them side by side, you can see the differences between the IPS panel and the mini LED

But the 15 inch is no slouch, and that extra screen space is noticeable. I was watching a 4k video on youtube and in a dark room it looked great at half brightness.

I just wanted to give props to this screen, I know some people absolutely must have the mini LED, but wanted to share these thoughts for those who might be on the fence and dont think they absolutely need the pro screen. You will not be disappointed with the 15 inch Air screen.

Have you seen a difference in battery life and if so, how much? I'm considering the switch.

 

[IJBrekke]

OP, I am about to be in the exact same situation as you - I own a 14" MBP and have a 15" MBA on order.

I went into my local Apple Store to try to see the 15" Air just out of curiosity, because it's a product I've thought Apple should make for a really long time and I was excited to see it come to fruition. I loooooove the mini-LED and ProMotion on my MBP, so I didn't anticipate putting any serious thought into switching, but when I saw it in person... Wow! The screen looks considerably larger than the 14"'s, and it's beautiful. Enough of a significant difference in screen real estate to make me consider one.

It's funny, when you look at a DisplayWars comparison of the 14" MBP vs. 15" MBA they really don't look significantly different. And "16% larger area" doesn't sound like all *that* much. But again, the difference in person was noticeably discernible. Keep us posted with what your decision ultimately ends up being.
View attachment 2221073

Definitely not the first time I’m posting this to this forum, but: The biggest difference is in the scaling. The 14” uses the same default scaling as the 13” models, so it “feels” like an XL small laptop to me. The 15” uses the same scaling as the 16” MBP (and previous 15” and 16” Macs) so it seems more spacious.

When I had the 14” I tried a custom scaling to match the 15”/16” models, but it was a touch too small. I’m sure Apple experimented with this and found the same.

 

[UltimateSyn]

Definitely not the first time I’m posting this to this forum, but: The biggest difference is in the scaling. The 14” uses the same default scaling as the 13” models, so it “feels” like an XL small laptop to me. The 15” uses the same scaling as the 16” MBP (and previous 15” and 16” Macs) so it seems more spacious.

When I had the 14” I tried a custom scaling to match the 15”/16” models, but it was a touch too small. I’m sure Apple experimented with this and found the same.

Yup, that's definitely a major contributor. I went and looked up the default scaling on the 15" MBA (1710 x 1107) and compared it to my 14" (1512 x 982). I tried to see if my MBP had any better scaling options, but 1512 x 982 doesn't feel like enough space, and the elements become too small in 1800 x 1169! That 15" size + its default scaling option are such a sweet spot.

 

[Love-hate 🍏 relationship]

Yup, that's definitely a major contributor. I went and looked up the default scaling on the 15" MBA (1710 x 1107) and compared it to my 14" (1512 x 982). I tried to see if my MBP had any better scaling options, but 1512 x 982 doesn't feel like enough space, and the elements become too small in 1800 x 1169! That 15" size + its default scaling option are such a sweet spot.

Too bad it's not 2* scaling like the new MacBook pros...I had high hopes the redesign would bring integer scaling along with bigger/different displays altogether (bigger and taller)

 

[UltimateSyn]

Too bad it's not 2* scaling like the new MacBook pros...I had high hopes the redesign would bring integer scaling along with bigger/different displays altogether (bigger and taller)

I'm sure there's still an option for native 2x, but it wouldn't show as much content so I get your point. Would've been nice to get the 1700x1100 effective area at native 2x. Everything is so ridiculously crisp on my MBP and I run it with the default 2x scaling... might notice a slight loss in clarity using the MBA at its default non-integer scaling.

 

[Love-hate 🍏 relationship]

I'm sure there's still an option for native 2x, but it wouldn't show as much content so I get your point. Would've been nice to get the 1700x1100 effective area at native 2x. Everything is so ridiculously crisp on my MBP and I run it with the default 2x scaling... might notice a slight loss in clarity using the MBA at its default non-integer scaling.

Yeah that's what I meant , have the current res at native , which would require more pixel

Jist like the MBP went from 226 to 246 ppi, allowing for high res and 2*! MBA are still 226

You say you might notice it...do you not have it yet?

 

[UltimateSyn]

Yeah that's what I meant , have the current res at native , which would require more pixel

Jist like the MBP went from 226 to 246 ppi, allowing for high res and 2*! MBA are still 226

You say you might notice it...do you not have it yet?

Totally agreed. 246ppi + OLED + 3nm processor in the 15" MBA would be the dream machine for me. As for having it, no I don't have it yet. I used one for a few minutes at an Apple Store and put in an order last night. I did BTO so it won't be in until July 5th - although I guess that's right around the corner! For now I'm using my MBP 14".

 

[NeonNights]

Totally agreed. 246ppi + OLED + 3nm processor in the 15" MBA would be the dream machine for me. As for having it, no I don't have it yet. I used one for a few minutes at an Apple Store and put in an order last night. I did BTO so it won't be in until July 5th - although I guess that's right around the corner! For now I'm using my MBP 14".

What config did you order?

 

[h.gilbert]

Definitely not the first time I’m posting this to this forum, but: The biggest difference is in the scaling. The 14” uses the same default scaling as the 13” models, so it “feels” like an XL small laptop to me. The 15” uses the same scaling as the 16” MBP (and previous 15” and 16” Macs) so it seems more spacious.

When I had the 14” I tried a custom scaling to match the 15”/16” models, but it was a touch too small. I’m sure Apple experimented with this and found the same.

So UI elements and text are smaller on the 15 compared to the 14 Pro (at default scalings)?

 

[h.gilbert]

Totally agreed. 246ppi + OLED + 3nm processor in the 15" MBA would be the dream machine for me. As for having it, no I don't have it yet. I used one for a few minutes at an Apple Store and put in an order last night. I did BTO so it won't be in until July 5th - although I guess that's right around the corner! For now I'm using my MBP 14".

Yep as much as I want to upgrade my 2016 13" Pro, it does everything I need for now. When the M3 comes out I'll get it. Looking forward to the giant leap forwards.

 

[MindYourMind]

This will be a quick one, but wanted to share some thoughts on the 15 inch MacBook Air screen.

I am currently in the middle of living with both a 14 inch MacBook Pro and the 15 inch Air to make a final decision on which one to keep.

The screen on the 15 inch Air is a wonderful display.

Of course without question, if you have both of them side by side, you can see the differences between the IPS panel and the mini LED

But the 15 inch is no slouch, and that extra screen space is noticeable. I was watching a 4k video on youtube and in a dark room it looked great at half brightness.

I just wanted to give props to this screen, I know some people absolutely must have the mini LED, but wanted to share these thoughts for those who might be on the fence and dont think they absolutely need the pro screen. You will not be disappointed with the 15 inch Air screen.

Apple displays are just great, even the ones with 400 nits. As someone who’s very happy with his 14” M1 MBP, I have never thought for a moment the 15” MBA screen will be significantly less than the 14” MBP screen. As you say, you need to see them side by side to recognize a difference, but it would not surprise me if not many would recognize immediately the difference; I am sure the 15" screen is that good. If it was the right moment for me to pick up another Mac, it would very likely have been the 15”, but it’s way too soon to trade in my 14” MBP. Good luck to you with your final decision!

 

[adrianlondon]

I run my 13" MBA at 1680x1050 and wear cheap reading glasses to see the detail; cheaper than upgrading the laptop

(I have to wear reading glasses anyway.)

 

[G46&Fbnth5]

Definitely not the first time I’m posting this to this forum, but: The biggest difference is in the scaling. The 14” uses the same default scaling as the 13” models, so it “feels” like an XL small laptop to me. The 15” uses the same scaling as the 16” MBP (and previous 15” and 16” Macs) so it seems more spacious.

When I had the 14” I tried a custom scaling to match the 15”/16” models, but it was a touch too small. I’m sure Apple experimented with this and found the same.

14 and 16 MBPs have the same 2x scaling:

- 3024 x 1964 rendered at 1512 x 982
- 3456 x 2234 rendered at 1728 x 1117

They also have a higher pixel density (more space) compared to the 15 Air.

 

[dizmonk]

Apple displays are just great, even the ones with 400 nits. As someone who’s very happy with his 14” M1 MBP, I have never thought for a moment the 15” MBA screen will be significantly less than the 14” MBP screen. As you say, you need to see them side by side to recognize a difference, but it would not surprise me if not many would recognize immediately the difference; I am sure the 15" screen is that good. If it was the right moment for me to pick up another Mac, it would very likely have been the 15”, but it’s way too soon to trade in my 14” MBP. Good luck to you with your final decision!

I'm kinda with the second poster on this one. My 14 is less than a year old. I love it but am waffling about whether or not to switch. I don't think I will but it's worth considering.

 

[senttoschool]

I can't tell any meaningful difference with the refresh rate,

If you have an external monitor that is 60hz, try moving your mouse on your ProMotion display and then quickly moving it on the 60hz display. The difference is quite drastic. But on a day to day basis, it's hard to notice.

 

[Spaceboi Scaphandre]

If it wasn't for the fact I need ports and performance, I would have a 15 inch Macbook Air.

 

[KaiFiMacFan]

Too bad it's not 2* scaling like the new MacBook pros...I had high hopes the redesign would bring integer scaling along with bigger/different displays altogether (bigger and taller)

Wait, there’s no option for 2x scaling on the 15” Air?

Because that would be a dealbreaker for me. I only use 2x scaling, always have. Maybe I have sensitive vision, but I can see the subtle blurriness that happens when you don’t use 2x scaling.

 

[Bcn]

I want to update my MacBook Pro 2014 15inch in the next year, but even though I like 3 machines, air 15, pro 14 and pro 16, I must say not one of them is my perfect machine and I might wait to next year and m3.
I compared the 3 machines several times in the apple shop and must say promotion is a much bigger deal to me than I thought. For my brain it feel smooth and effortless and the 60 herz is just not and feels old fashioned and not great when scrolling. Also the pro screens are so much sharper in its colours.
If the pro comes out in 15inch I would buy without hesitation. 14 is a little small and 16 too big. Anyway my 2014 machine is still fine with 16gb ram and 256HD.

 

[Love-hate 🍏 relationship]

Wait, there’s no option for 2x scaling on the 15” Air?

Because that would be a dealbreaker for me. I only use 2x scaling, always have. Maybe I have sensitive vision, but I can see the subtle blurriness that happens when you don’t use 2x scaling.

There probably is but it's not default, it's gonna be a smaller scaling (or bigger,depends on your pov) . Less elements on screen basically

Yeah people mock me but I too am able to notice it