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Upgrading my Air - M1 or M2? Base?

martin2345uk

martin2345uk

macrumors 68000
Original poster
Jan 6, 2013
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Essex
I’m thinking about (though not yet decided to) replace my Air (2013 model, 4GB RAM, 128GB) with a more up to date model…

I’m leaning towards the M1 to be honest as I don’t know if the extra £200 for the M2 is worth it for me - I use it to browse the web in bed, some light Excel stuff, no more than 4 or 5 tabs open in Edge…

Would a base M1 be okay? I have to say its sub-£1k price point is very appealing…
 
M2 CPU performance boost isn't really earth-shattering compared to M1, which means you aren't really missing out much performance-wise by going for M1. Unless you heavily value the new Midnight color, thinner bezel and being able to charge your MacBook Air and use more than 1 accessory at the same time without using dongles, go with M1.
 
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The M1 base is absolutely great! The processor and integrated graphics are extremely good for all the use cases you described and many higher end tasks as well.

The M2 ends up being more like a £400 price difference; because with the M2 it is best to avoid any model with 256GB storage as it is extremely performance limited (SSD is about half the speed of the M1 256GB). This causes the M2 to become laggy when using more than 8GB RAM (swapping to SSD); which can occur when using a large number of tabs and other apps.

So the base M1 is very well made and great performance. I agree that it is a great choice. It should serve you for many years to come.
 
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IMHO the M1 is perfect for your needs: I run the base M1 air with 4-10 office products in play concurrently, 1-2 PDFs for referencing, Teams open always, 10-15 tabs open in Microsoft Edge and an external monitor for a dual screen setup.

The Air never gets warm to the touch, multitasking is always super snappy and beach balls are a thing of the past (95%).

8-10 hours a day, unplugged yet it still has +50% battery at EOB.

Lightweight, slim form factor that fits in any bag, easy to bring to meetings for Minutes and presentations.

Suggest you bag the £249 difference up to the M2 Air or use that cash to bump the M1 Air to 16GB 🥳
 
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martin2345uk said:
Do you think 16GB would make a meaningful difference in my usage case?
Click to expand...

It’s tough to say. I think you could probably get by worth either. However, the more memory you have the more you will use, so it won’t go to waste but will avoid some swapping.
 
martin2345uk said:
I’m thinking about (though not yet decided to) replace my Air (2013 model, 4GB RAM, 128GB) with a more up to date model…

I’m leaning towards the M1 to be honest as I don’t know if the extra £200 for the M2 is worth it for me - I use it to browse the web in bed, some light Excel stuff, no more than 4 or 5 tabs open in Edge…

Would a base M1 be okay? I have to say its sub-£1k price point is very appealing…
Click to expand...
The base M1 model would be more than adequate for several years to come for your needs.
 
I don't use Microsoft Office or Edge, but I regularly open Excel files in Libre Office and haven't encountered any issues with 8GB of RAM and that's with multiple files and programs open at the same time. If you've been able to do what you want on the 2013 model with 4GB of RAM, the base M1 will be more than enough for you.

In terms of value for money, the M1 Air is better than the M2. You can also get some great deals at the moment. For example, Apple sells refurbished ones for £849 and you can get a bit of cashback through TopCashback.
 
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M1 MBA sounds like a good choice. Use the savings to buy Apple Care+.

Well worth it for many people, especially if they are on the go, or have small children or pets that could inadvertently drop or hit the device, or get tangled in the cord, etc. It will also protect you in case of manufacturing defects… or, reduce your out of pocket expenses greatly in cases such as screen cracking!

See this other thread

 
There are currently no Airs in Apple's refurb store, how often do these things show up in there does anyone know? Is it totally random?
 
martin2345uk said:
There are currently no Airs in Apple's refurb store, how often do these things show up in there does anyone know? Is it totally random?
Click to expand...
They were last in stock 4 to 6 days ago and appear fairly regularly. You can track them using the following website and it will send you an email when they're next in stock -
www.refurb.me

Refurbished MacBook Air sold by Apple Store

Compare and buy certified refurbished MacBook Air among 28 offers from Apple Store and much more.
www.refurb.me www.refurb.me
 
martin2345uk said:
There are currently no Airs in Apple's refurb store, how often do these things show up in there does anyone know? Is it totally random?
Click to expand...

In Canada they come in and out pretty quickly. I was checking every day for 10 days or so. Don't hesitate too long when you see the right one.
 
martin2345uk said:
I’m thinking about (though not yet decided to) replace my Air (2013 model, 4GB RAM, 128GB) with a more up to date model…

I’m leaning towards the M1 to be honest as I don’t know if the extra £200 for the M2 is worth it for me - I use it to browse the web in bed, some light Excel stuff, no more than 4 or 5 tabs open in Edge…

Would a base M1 be okay? I have to say its sub-£1k price point is very appealing…
Click to expand...
I couldn't possibly recommend an Air M1 with M2 being out if you can at all afford it. Why not spend the extra and get something that is better? Secondly and especially if you're going to keep it longer, go with at least 512GB for storage. I don't know anyone who does not regret getting more.
 
canadianpj said:
I couldn't possibly recommend an Air M1 with M2 being out if you can at all afford it. Why not spend the extra and get something that is better? Secondly and especially if you're going to keep it longer, go with at least 512GB for storage. I don't know anyone who does not regret getting more.
Click to expand...

Many people have recommended the M1 so don’t worry, you don’t have to :)
 
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Several reasons.

1. The wedge.

2. The lack of the notch.

3. A proven track record.

4. Lower price and good savings even without a “huge” discount.

5. The “new tech” isn't all that new! Or, to put it another way, the “old” tech isn't that old and certainly isn't passé.

6. MagSafe isn't necessary for a laptop that can get up to 20 hours of usage for many people before recharging.

7. The M2 looks dated; a clone of the MacBook Pro design from ages ago. It's a mini-version of the big MBPs, not an authentic Air. It's the M1 MBA that looks “sleek and modern”.

In short, the latest isn't always the greatest!

For sure, there are pros and cons, and trade-offs with both models, but these matters are not so black-and-white as some think and highly depend on people's personal preferences and budgets.
 
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My 2015 Retina MBP's battery has been on its last legs for a couple of years now (about an hour's worth on a good day) and I have been waiting for the M2 for over a year thinking I'd purchase it. With the underwhelming response it got plus a good deal on a refurb M1 ($919 for the 512/8) I decided to pull the trigger on the M1MBA. Still have time to return it and who knows - I might once I have hands on the M2 in the metal. That said - saving $680 on the M2 spec I'd like seems like a decent future proofing tactic to me.
 
I have a 16gb/1tb refurbed M1 and it has been great. My only complaint at all is that sometimes it isn't bright enough. I've got to the local Apple store numerous times to test both the M1 and M2 side by side. My conclusion is that my M1 is fine. There really isn't anything I can't do on the m1 that I could do on the m2. It's cheaper and fine.
 
martin2345uk said:
Do you think 16GB would make a meaningful difference in my usage case?
Click to expand...
The base M1 would be fine for your mentioned uses. However if you can you should consider upping the RAM to 16 GB if you think those Spreadsheet are going to grow in size and number of sheets or you foresee your future uses growing significantly.
 
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