Trade Macbook ProM1 for M4 Air?

[macbanda]

I have a McBook ProM1 but have contemplated trading it for a new MacBook Air M4. The main reason other than future-proof the chip, is portability -the weight mainly when I travel. Other than the fact that I will have to pay the difference after trade, and the loss of nits, lesser quality speakers and ports such as an SD Card, I would love to hear your thoughts on this option of trading a perfectly working computer for one that has benefits but also downsides.
I would love to hear what makes more sense, the 13 or the 15" option if I decide to do this.

Thank you in advance!

 

[IJustWannaTalk]

I have a McBook ProM1 but have contemplated trading it for a new MacBook Air M4. The main reason other than future-proof the chip, is portability -the weight mainly when I travel. Other than the fact that I will have to pay the difference after trade, and the loss of nits, lesser quality speakers and ports such as an SD Card, I would love to hear your thoughts on this option of trading a perfectly working computer for one that has benefits but also downsides.
I would love to hear what makes more sense, the 13 or the 15" option if I decide to do this.

Thank you in advance!

I have a 14" M2 Pro (so not quite yours but close) and my wife has a 15" MBA M4.

I've used both these past few days, helping her get it set up.

First things I noticed:
The screen is VERY different. Even though I do like her screen size, the MBP screen quality is way better. She has an excellent external monitor and uses it most of the time, so it's not an issue for her—but it looks...lesser to me.

The lack of ports is annoying. While we have adapters that make it easy, unplugging things to get a hard drive connected for Time Machine took slightly longer. Not a big deal to many, annoying for me.

I have no need for an SD card but I like that it is there.

The MBP speakers are noticeably better, but I listen to headphones 75% of the time and so does she, so that will solely depend on your preference.

The weight of the MBA is LIGHT. Very obvious, even with the larger size.

The M4 feels a little snappier, but neither of us regularly push the limits of the machine.

Caveat: I had to set up my wife's MBA because she recently traded in her M2 MBA because she wanted the 16/512 instead of 8/256. With the "added" trade-in value, it was worth it.

But I still have no desire to give up my MBP, but I travel seldom. She does and would never go MBP again.

If I HAD to go MBA, I'd absolutely go with the 15", as a 13" would feel like a downgrade.

 

[Howard2k]

You could also consider a refurb M4 Pro, those seem good value to me. Then you're keeping your premium screen, speakers, and ports.

 

[macbanda]

I have a 14" M2 Pro (so not quite yours but close) and my wife has a 15" MBA M4.

I've used both these past few days, helping her get it set up.

First things I noticed:
The screen is VERY different. Even though I do like her screen size, the MBP screen quality is way better. She has an excellent external monitor and uses it most of the time, so it's not an issue for her—but it looks...lesser to me.

The lack of ports is annoying. While we have adapters that make it easy, unplugging things to get a hard drive connected for Time Machine took slightly longer. Not a big deal to many, annoying for me.

I have no need for an SD card but I like that it is there.

The MBP speakers are noticeably better, but I listen to headphones 75% of the time and so does she, so that will solely depend on your preference.

The weight of the MBA is LIGHT. Very obvious, even with the larger size.

The M4 feels a little snappier, but neither of us regularly push the limits of the machine.

Caveat: I had to set up my wife's MBA because she recently traded in her M2 MBA because she wanted the 16/512 instead of 8/256. With the "added" trade-in value, it was worth it.

But I still have no desire to give up my MBP, but I travel seldom. She does and would never go MBP again.

If I HAD to go MBA, I'd absolutely go with the 15", as a 13" would feel like a downgrade.

Great information! appreciate the response. I'd love to hear a few other comments on this.

You could also consider a refurb M4 Pro, those seem good value to me. Then you're keeping your premium screen, speakers, and ports.

That's a good idea, thank you for the input. I really want to take advantage of the lower weight for the ease of carrying it while traveling

 

[blen]

I’m thinking of the same since I ordered an M4 Max Studio for my main machine, replacing my M1 Pro MBP. Air would be better for everyday, couch, travel, etc.

 

[macbanda]

I’m thinking of the same since I ordered an M4 Max Studio for my main machine, replacing my M1 Pro MBP. Air would be better for everyday, couch, travel, etc.

I also recently replaced my old iMac 27" Intel (2015ish) for a Mac Mini which is super fast! but I need the portability, hence my question about replacing the MacBook M1 which I love and works great but need something lighter to carry on trips and in the classroom.

 

[CalMin]

I have a 14” M1 Pro and have had low spec 13 and 15 MBA as couch machines. Screen quality is better on the Pro but I think the screen on the 15 is more suitable for productivity because it’s tangibly larger for multitasking.

I’ve said a few times that if the MacBook Air could support my 2x external display setup I would switch to it as my main computer. That day is here with M4. My M1Pro is still crushing it and my only issue is that 1TB it’s starting to feel tight for the stuff I like to have with me, so I’m genuinely hovering over the buy button for a 2TB M4 Air.

My problem with trading is that the M1 Pro still does everything I need it to but apple’s trade in value is peanuts. Future proofing only makes sense if there is some new feature that I can’t do on the old chip - but I see no evidence of that yet. So my only impetus to upgrade is technolust. That’s not compelling enough yet but time will tell. It’s only money right??

 

[macbanda]

I have a 14” M1 Pro and have had low spec 13 and 15 MBA as couch machines. Screen quality is better on the Pro but I think the screen on the 15 is more suitable for productivity because it’s tangibly larger for multitasking.

I’ve said a few times that if the MacBook Air could support my 2x external display setup I would switch to it as my main computer. That day is here with M4. My M1Pro is still crushing it and my only issue is that 1TB it’s starting to feel tight for the stuff I like to have with me, so I’m genuinely hovering over the buy button for a 2TB M4 Air.

My problem with trading is that the M1 Pro still does everything I need it to but apple’s trade in value is peanuts. Future proofing only makes sense if there is some new feature that I can’t do on the old chip - but I see no evidence of that yet. So my only impetus to upgrade is technolust. That’s not compelling enough yet but time will tell. It’s only money right??

Very good points. I will visit the apple store and "feel" both mabook air sizes to see if it makes sense since I will be giving up a few things and forking over money if I decide to upgrade. I know it's hard to make a bad choice regardless of which one I pick but I know I won't be buying another laptop for a few years given my work-related needs.

 

[Salty Pirate]

I went from 16 MBP M1Pro 16/512 to the new 15 MBA 24/512.

It rocks. It is noticeably faster than the M1 Pro.

I don't even notice the screen nits or 120HRz stuff.

I love the MacBook Air 15.

Very happy with the upgrade. The M1 was a drag to take places.

 

[macbanda]

I went from 16 MBP M1Pro 16/512 to the new 15 MBA 24/512.

It rocks. It is noticeably faster than the M1 Pro.

I don't even notice the screen nits or 120HRz stuff.

I love the MacBook Air 15.

Very happy with the upgrade. The M1 was a drag to take places.

Ah, great to hear! Thank you for posting. That’s exactly what I’m trying to figure if it’s more “manageable” to carry around. I love my M1 but it’s heavy and I will be traveling internationally and carrying it around has been a bit much weight wise The MBAir looks fantastic - though I haven’t seen it in person yet.

 

[Student of Life]

I have a McBook ProM1 but have contemplated trading it for a new MacBook Air M4. The main reason other than future-proof the chip, is portability -the weight mainly when I travel. Other than the fact that I will have to pay the difference after trade, and the loss of nits, lesser quality speakers and ports such as an SD Card, I would love to hear your thoughts on this option of trading a perfectly working computer for one that has benefits but also downsides.
I would love to hear what makes more sense, the 13 or the 15" option if I decide to do this.

Thank you in advance!

I guess the first question is, your current M1 Pro not sufficient for the things you do? Is it not up to the task? If so then a replacement might be the right answer. If it meets all of your current needs, save yourself the money and just enjoy it until it dies out or it no long suits your needs. Portability, the weight is negligible between the 14 pro and the 15 air. If you want to reduce weight, you would need to look into the 13 inch air but then you start to lose that screen real estate which is gold for traveling.

 

[izzy0242mr]

I have a McBook ProM1 but have contemplated trading it for a new MacBook Air M4. The main reason other than future-proof the chip, is portability -the weight mainly when I travel. Other than the fact that I will have to pay the difference after trade, and the loss of nits, lesser quality speakers and ports such as an SD Card, I would love to hear your thoughts on this option of trading a perfectly working computer for one that has benefits but also downsides.
I would love to hear what makes more sense, the 13 or the 15" option if I decide to do this.

Thank you in advance!

I have a 14" M1 Pro MacBook Pro. The newer Airs look nice and are faster in some respects, but I think the weight point is the strongest factor in their favor. I have stopped carrying my 14" MBP on shorter trips (I actually recently got a used 12" MacBook for like $150—it's slow and old, yes, but VERY portable, and I like having macOS and can live with a slower computer for a short trip; I will bring my 14" on longer trips). But when the 12" goes, I may buy an older used M___ MacBook Air as a travel laptop. One day—not something I want to spend $400 on right now. The Air will have better battery than the Pro though, I will say that.

Anyways, my 14" MBP is still my daily driver. I use it mostly at home, but I love it and would not replace it with an Air. Speakers are great. I watch a lot of movies/videos on it. I use the ports a lot. I have the base model, so 512 GB of storage, but I also use the JetDrive I think it's called that has the flush microSD card adapter so I can put a microSD card into my Mac, keep it flush with the chassis, and I can expand my storage. It's not very fast, but it lets me offload media like videos and audio files that I don't need to access at high speeds, and I can potentially expand my Mac's storage as much as I'm willing to pay for a microSD card. I currently have a 128 GB in that but am thinking about a 256 or 512 GB in the near future.

If I had to choose, I'd probably keep my 14" MBP rather than switch to a 13" Air, even though the Air is better for traveling, but I think the "little things" about the MBP make it a winner for me.

 

[macbanda]

I have a 14" M1 Pro MacBook Pro. The newer Airs look nice and are faster in some respects, but I think the weight point is the strongest factor in their favor. I have stopped carrying my 14" MBP on shorter trips (I actually recently got a used 12" MacBook for like $150—it's slow and old, yes, but VERY portable, and I like having macOS and can live with a slower computer for a short trip; I will bring my 14" on longer trips). But when the 12" goes, I may buy an older used M___ MacBook Air as a travel laptop. One day—not something I want to spend $400 on right now. The Air will have better battery than the Pro though, I will say that.

Anyways, my 14" MBP is still my daily driver. I use it mostly at home, but I love it and would not replace it with an Air. Speakers are great. I watch a lot of movies/videos on it. I use the ports a lot. I have the base model, so 512 GB of storage, but I also use the JetDrive I think it's called that has the flush microSD card adapter so I can put a microSD card into my Mac, keep it flush with the chassis, and I can expand my storage. It's not very fast, but it lets me offload media like videos and audio files that I don't need to access at high speeds, and I can potentially expand my Mac's storage as much as I'm willing to pay for a microSD card. I currently have a 128 GB in that but am thinking about a 256 or 512 GB in the near future.

If I had to choose, I'd probably keep my 14" MBP rather than switch to a 13" Air, even though the Air is better for traveling, but I think the "little things" about the MBP make it a winner for me.

Thank you for the posting and after doing some price comparison, thinking about what I would be using my computer for and how long a new one would last, seems like specking out a Macbook Air will get you within $200 of a Macbook Pro 14 which weight wise is almost the same as the Macbook Air 15". I would get $750 or so in trade for my Macbook Pro M1.
Your idea of buying a cheap used one is a great one and one I will consider as well