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Weight differences of MBA with 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB SSDs?

Joking aside though: OP, if you are serious, your original post reads like you third partied the upgrade to 1TB. If so, maybe weigh the upgraded air and compare that weight to the original specs on Apple's site to see if the subjective feel of more weight is real. Then, check the supplier of the upgrade and see how much that upgrade drive weighs in their specs. It's hard to imagine it could be much more unless maybe the switch was from SSD to HDD... but maybe a third party upgrade drive is in a noticeably(?) heavier package for some reason.

I took a peek back at the both the 11" and 13" 2015 MBair teardown and see that there wouldn't be room for even a 2.5" HDD, so that kind of switch is a NO.

As to distribution differences, looking at the teardowns, the SSD connector is just about dead center on the board, so even if the 1TB was heavier, the weight should still be about center of the board. There does not appear to be any surrounding room for a heavier stick to stretch left, right, up or down in there, so I'd have to think that must be a tactile illusion.

This video shows the process of doing this exact upgrade to illustrate all of that...


...seemingly implying that any weight difference would have to be pretty slight and weight distribution would seemingly be minimally different... as opposed to say if the connector was at one edge of the MBair and the upgrade was say SSD stick to HDD.

It doesn't appear there are any other user upgrade options (like RAM) either that might play some role in your perception. My guess is you are comparing different MBair models instead of the same model with 256GB vs. 1TB SSD. If so, that seems 'best fit' to your perception... and makes perfect sense as model changes will likely move things around and vary in many ways (not so much having to do with 256GB vs. 1TB but simply internal layout, cases, keyboards, etc.)

To the question about the Silicon MBair, best thing for you to do is hit stores and feel it for yourself. Your uncanny sensitivity to weight is best addressed by you- as your own scale- getting a feel for both weight and distribution with your own hands.
  • 13.3 inch 2015 MBair specs say 2.96LBS (Intel)
  • 13.3 inch 2021 MBair specs say 2.80LBS (M1)
  • 13.6 inch 2022 MBair specs say 2.70LBS (M2)
So with weight very important to you, it looks like the M2 might be for you.
 
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Hey Now said:
they start off the same but get heavier as the hard drive fills up. This is why many people choose low capacity hard drives for the 16” MacBook Pro as it is already a heavy machine before any data is added
Click to expand...
Oddly enough, drives do actually get heavier with more data due to trapping more electrons - but the weight difference is in the attogram range, below viruses.
www.theguardian.com

Ian Sample: Kindle makes for heavy reading

It has been revealed that the Amazon e-book reader weighs more when it is fully loaded. How come?
www.theguardian.com www.theguardian.com
 
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Grey Area said:
Oddly enough, drives do actually get heavier with more data due to trapping more electrons - but the weight difference is in the attogram range, below viruses.
www.theguardian.com

Ian Sample: Kindle makes for heavy reading

It has been revealed that the Amazon e-book reader weighs more when it is fully loaded. How come?
www.theguardian.com www.theguardian.com
Click to expand...
that would explain why my macbook in fact feels attograms heavier, as i add data... 🤔
 
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OP, here. Glad I provided you all with some amusement! 😎

However, I was being serious. I don't troll and the difference wasn't subtle.

The problem was that I was comparing a 2015 MacBook Air with a 1TB 3rd party drive to my clearly faulty memory of a 2013 with an Apple supplied 256 GB — a very bad move — and was heavily (no pun intended) influenced by my concurrent use of a 2019 MBA with a 512 GB Apple drive. Which was mixing apples and oranges as the last MBA is from a different series.

The 2015, as expected, is noticeably heavier and more awkward to hold than the 2019.

Given the often clever retorts, I decided to test all this empirically. I dug up the 2013 MBA and weighed all three laptops. Here are the findings…

2013 MBA 256GB 47.25 ounces​
2015 MBA 1TB 46.90 ounces​
2019 MBA 512GB 43.60 ounces​

So, it turns out that the 2015 MBA with the 3rd party, “larger” drive actually weighed *less*, not more, than the 2013 MBA! The balance still felt off in some subtle way.

Also, it turns out that the the extra 3.3 ounces of the 2015, and its larger form factor, is definitely noticeable and the laptop trickier to handle than the 2019 revised form factor.

In other words, there are differences in handling, but they had nothing to do with the SSD installed, as you “veterans” already knew.

OTOH, I appreciate those who came to my defense, posted real differences in weights of SSDs, and declined to mock me!

——————————

Finally, I would be remiss if I didn't point out that the 2015 also had thousands more photos on it than the 2013 did, so that’s apparently not a factor in a MacBook Air's weight! 😎

/s

(Had to add the /s or, otherwise, we'd have another flurry of comments claiming I either believed that or was trolling!)

Happy 4th of July, all!
 
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Thought of one other thing about this. To any prospective naysayers, mockers, or satirists who might question whether 3 ounces can detected 😎, detecting even less than a 1 ounce difference is easy.

At least it is for anyone who mails cards and envelopes! Family members and I can readily tell whether a first-class letter or card weighs more than 1 ounce and requires extra postage. We check our suspicions with a digital scale and 9 times out of 10, we're right on target. The exceptions are invariably ones right on the borderline of one ounce.

So, detecting a 3 ounce difference is easy — and, when combined with a much different form factor — the smaller, more easily held one of the 2019 MBA — it's little wonder that the classic silver MacBook Air series is heavier feeling and more awkward to hold than the butterfly keyboard, later ones.
 
Saturn007 said:
Thought of one other thing about this. To any prospective naysayers, mockers, or satirists who might question whether 3 ounces can detected 😎, detecting even less than a 1 ounce difference is easy.

At least it is for anyone who mails cards and envelopes! Family members and I can readily tell whether a first-class letter or card weighs more than 1 ounce and requires extra postage. We check our suspicions with a digital scale and 9 times out of 10, we're right on target. The exceptions are invariably ones right on the borderline of one ounce.

So, detecting a 3 ounce difference is easy — and, when combined with a much different form factor — the smaller, more easily held one of the 2019 MBA — it's little wonder that the classic silver MacBook Air series is heavier feeling and more awkward to hold than the butterfly keyboard, later ones.
Click to expand...
The weight is negligible. It would be negligible to carry for a 90 year old woman. If this negligible difference is difficult for you, maybe a gym membership would be something to get this year.
 
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Cognizant. said:
The weight is negligible. It would be negligible to carry for a 90 year old woman. If this negligible difference is difficult for you, maybe a gym membership would be something to get this year.
Click to expand...
Sure, it's negligible if it's the only thing you're carrying, and it's tucked under your arm and against your hip, with its center of gravity as close to your own as possible.

In other situations, however, small increases in weight do matter. My work laptop (Windows) weights 3 lbs. It's trivial to carry it closed and against my hip like a notebook, of course. But the other day, I took it to a meeting in a conference room. When I left the meeting, I opted not to close the lid and held it with three fingers along the edge, necessarily a bit away from my body. That's where lever force or torque comes into play - holding the laptop away from its own center of gravity and also away from mine made the downward force considerably higher than 3 lbs. It also didn't help that I was holding a wireless mouse, small notebook, pen and espresso cup at the same time.

It also matters for travel. I travel around the world for both work and play, and only do carry-on bags. Every ounce matters in that situation.
 
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Chateaunole-du-Pape said:
Sure, it's negligible if it's the only thing you're carrying, and it's tucked under your arm and against your hip, with its center of gravity as close to your own as possible.

In other situations, however, small increases in weight do matter. My work laptop (Windows) weights 3 lbs. It's trivial to carry it closed and against my hip like a notebook, of course. But the other day, I took it to a meeting in a conference room. When I left the meeting, I opted not to close the lid and held it with three fingers along the edge, necessarily a bit away from my body. That's where lever force or torque comes into play - holding the laptop away from its own center of gravity and also away from mine made the downward force considerably higher than 3 lbs. It also didn't help that I was holding a wireless mouse, small notebook, pen and espresso cup at the same time.

It also matters for travel. I travel around the world for both work and play, and only do carry-on bags. Every ounce matters in that situation.
Click to expand...
Again, gym membership.
 
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2013 MBA 256GB 47.25 ounces
2015 MBA 1TB 46.90 ounces
2019 MBA 512GB 43.60 ounces

has NOTHING to do with the size of the SSD in each one.... Has EVERTHING to do with Apple advancing the technology used in designing and building each one..... Pardon the pun, but compare Apples to Apples (the same year/model with different SSD)
 
Chateaunole-du-Pape said:
Sure, it's negligible if it's the only thing you're carrying, and it's tucked under your arm and against your hip, with its center of gravity as close to your own as possible.

In other situations, however, small increases in weight do matter. My work laptop (Windows) weights 3 lbs. It's trivial to carry it closed and against my hip like a notebook, of course. But the other day, I took it to a meeting in a conference room. When I left the meeting, I opted not to close the lid and held it with three fingers along the edge, necessarily a bit away from my body. That's where lever force or torque comes into play - holding the laptop away from its own center of gravity and also away from mine made the downward force considerably higher than 3 lbs. It also didn't help that I was holding a wireless mouse, small notebook, pen and espresso cup at the same time.

It also matters for travel. I travel around the world for both work and play, and only do carry-on bags. Every ounce matters in that situation.
Click to expand...
Three additional ounces of weight (a pack of chocolate basically) has never mattered to me for my carryons, not that any airline I ever flew with would have cared either.
 
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Cognizant. said:
The weight is negligible. It would be negligible to carry for a 90 year old woman. If this negligible difference is difficult for you, maybe a gym membership would be something to get this year.
Click to expand...

The weight isn't negligible. If it were, people would never have flocked to the Airs in the first place! Or, we'd all still be carrying around 6-7 pound early MacBook Pros! I'm sure you meant the weight *difference* is “negligible”.

Yet, who ever said the weight or weight difference was “difficult”? I certainly didn't. That wasn't the point. The difference in weight, balance, and handling, however, are strikingly obvious and lead to a different experience. It's a matter of comfort, the size, the handling, the ease of picking it up quickly, not having to think about balance, etc.

It's part of the reason that many of us, tens of millions in fact, enjoy using the iPad. We prefer its lightweight, ease of handling, and comfort for many computing and consumption tasks. Form factors matter. Many people, of all ages, prefer sitting in an easy chair or on a bed with their iPad, or slipping it into their bag or coat pocket at work or doing rounds. They certainly are able to carry a 3-pound laptop or even a 5-pound one, but enjoy the handling and feel of the iPad. It certainly doesn't mean they need to go to a gym.😎

We could make the same point about the 12” Retina MacBook. Its lightweight at about 2 pounds was phenomenal. Many preferred it exactly for that reason. Not because they were out of shape or couldn’t carry a roughly 2 1/2 pound MBA.

I wish people would skip the snark especially when it focuses on something that was never stated. 🔥 🙈 Earlier posters did a much better job with their clever retorts…👍🏼

——————————————

Next, here's one where the commenter obviously skimmed my post and must not have read much of the thread! You can tell because he's reiterating exactly what I stated!

DaveSanDiego said:
2013 MBA 256GB 47.25 ounces
2015 MBA 1TB 46.90 ounces
2019 MBA 512GB 43.60 ounces

has NOTHING to do with the size of the SSD in each one.... Has EVERTHING to do with Apple advancing the technology used in designing and building each one..... Pardon the pun, but compare Apples to Apples (the same year/model with different SSD)
Click to expand...

Please re-read my post!

I explicitly concluded, based on the empirical evidence, that the SSD capacity had nothing to do with the overall weight — and even noted that the 2015 MacBook Air with a larger 1 TB SSD weighed *less* than the 2013 with only a 256 GB! Those two are in the same series, with the same case, basic weight, etc.

In addition, I explicitly stated that my error was due to comparing them (2013 vs. 2015) from memory and having been influenced by using two devices from two different series — 2015 vs. 2019. So, I had already made your Apples to Apples point.

On the other hand, as several posters reported, some 3rd party SSDs do vary in weight by capacity.

I wish people would read posts — and threads, especially short ones — more carefully before offering as a “critique” the same point that was already made in the very post they are responding to!

——————————

In any case, the 2019 MacBook Air is more comfortable to handle and carry than the physically larger and comparatively more awkward 2015 MBA. And, that was a happy discovery!

Happy 4th of July!
 
Saturn007 said:
The weight isn't negligible. If it were, people would never have flocked to the Airs in the first place! Or, we'd all still be carrying around 6-7 pound early MacBook Pros! I'm sure you meant the weight *difference* is “negligible”.

Yet, who ever said the weight or weight difference was “difficult”? I certainly didn't. That wasn't the point. The difference in weight, balance, and handling, however, are strikingly obvious and lead to a different experience. It's a matter of comfort, the size, the handling, the ease of picking it up quickly, not having to think about balance, etc.

It's part of the reason that many of us, tens of millions in fact, enjoy using the iPad. We prefer its lightweight, ease of handling, and comfort for many computing and consumption tasks. Form factors matter. Many people, of all ages, prefer sitting in an easy chair or on a bed with their iPad, or slipping it into their bag or coat pocket at work or doing rounds. They certainly are able to carry a 3-pound laptop or even a 5-pound one, but enjoy the handling and feel of the iPad. It certainly doesn't mean they need to go to a gym.😎

We could make the same point about the 12” Retina MacBook. Its lightweight at about 2 pounds was phenomenal. Many preferred it exactly for that reason. Not because they were out of shape or couldn’t carry a roughly 2 1/2 pound MBA.

I wish people would skip the snark especially when it focuses on something that was never stated. 🔥 🙈 Earlier posters did a much better job with their clever retorts…👍🏼

——————————————

Next, here's one where the commenter obviously skimmed my post and must not have read much of the thread! You can tell because he's reiterating exactly what I stated!
Click to expand...
Dude what?
 
Cognizant. said:
Dude what?
Click to expand...

Cognizant, be cognizant! 😎

Medical research shows that exercise improves cognitive ability and even reading skills…

So, heed thine own advice — and get thee to a gym!

Then afterwards, such a comment won't weigh you down so much… 😎

You'll be able to handle it as easily as people do iPads, 12” Retina MacBooks, and 13” MacBook Airs, especially 2019-2020 ones as opposed to those from 2013-2017!

LOL!
 
Saturn007 said:
Cognizant, be cognizant! 😎

Medical research shows that exercise improves cognitive ability and even reading skills…

So, heed thine own advice — and get thee to a gym!

Then afterwards, such a comment won't weigh you down so much… 😎

You'll be able to handle it as easily as people do iPads, 12” Retina MacBooks, and 13” MacBook Airs, especially 2019-2020 ones as opposed to those from 2013-2017!

LOL!
Click to expand...
Again ... what?
 
Right on! This thread inadvertently solved my current issue with my iPhone.
As the debt racked up on the cards in my  Pay account it became so heavy it would pull my pants down when I put it in my pocket. That explains it.
86
 
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