Why Pick a MBA over a MBP?

[Rodneyp]

I am looking to move away from Windows to Mac. It seems like the going recommendation is the M2 chip with 16 GB of ram and 512 Gb SSD. I will be doing some photo editing and processing, but it looks like the MBA would fit my needs for my usage. I will travel with it, but I will mainly use this at home on my couch or my desk with one monitor connected to it.

So here is my dilemma

All 3 of these prices are for 16 GB of ram and 512 Gb SSD I have found for a new system with the M2 10 Core or M2 Pro

MBA M2 13” price 1599.00
MBA M2 15” Price 1699.00
MBP M2 Pro 14” Price 1749.00-1799.00

The pros I can think of for the MBA is weight/Portability and battery life. The MBP seems like a substantial leap in hardware and performance for minimal cost difference. I have had 15” laptops in the past and feel like the 14” is the sweet spot for me size wise, but I would be okay with the the MBA in either size.

I am leaning towards the MBP but am I missing something here? Is there a reason I have not mentioned to buy a MBA over the Pro for such a small difference in price?

 

[Longplays]

Price, weight, size. I'd go with cheaper/lighter/smaller.

Any PC at the same parameters will not align with a Mac.

Any PC laptop from 2019 & earlier who pale by comparison.

Before the MBA 15" I'd opt for the MBP 16" for the screen size.

 

[4pp13]

I am looking to move away from Windows to Mac. It seems like the going recommendation is the M2 chip with 16 GB of ram and 512 Gb SSD. I will be doing some photo editing and processing, but it looks like the MBA would fit my needs for my usage. I will travel with it, but I will mainly use this at home on my couch or my desk with one monitor connected to it.

So here is my dilemma

All 3 of these prices are for 16 GB of ram and 512 Gb SSD I have found for a new system with the M2 10 Core or M2 Pro

MBA M2 13” price 1599.00
MBA M2 15” Price 1699.00
MBP M2 Pro 14” Price 1749.00-1799.00

The pros I can think of for the MBA is weight/Portability and battery life. The MBP seems like a substantial leap in hardware and performance for minimal cost difference. I have had 15” laptops in the past and feel like the 14” is the sweet spot for me size wise, but I would be okay with the the MBA in either size.

I am leaning towards the MBP but am I missing something here? Is there a reason I have not mentioned to buy a MBA over the Pro for such a small difference in price?

I think it really is this simple. Sometimes you'll see that the reasoning is down to something even trivial like wanting Midnight or Starburst so much that a compromise is made on the other features to get it.

I've been looking at similar and wound up going the MBA route because of portability and price. The price difference came down to paying for the better screen at the cost of larger dimensions and more weight.

Many people will point to the dual monitor support, higher nits for HDR content and additional ports as the big, sizeable reasons to get the MBP over the MBA. However, if you don't have a need for that stuff, the price difference quickly makes a more impactful gap.

Other things to think about are the memory speed, I think it's double for MBP base vs MBA, 2x native for the screen if editing work is dependent on as sharp as possible images, 120hz refresh and ability to cool down much more than on a fanless machine.

In my case, the thermals for example are why I am rethinking a bit - when I was using the MBA for a video call that was within Safari browser with many tabs, the video hung completely and I had to look at the person frozen as I tried to continue the conversation. I am wondering if this was down to throttling due to heat as after quite a long time the video came back (which would suggest perhaps heat reducing enough to allow that). And this wasn't with 8gb/256gb or anything crazy like that, specs were something you'd expect this to just work on. This is all purely speculation but it was quite surprising seeing as most people report absoultely no issues on this front.

 

[Beau10]

The pros I can think of for the MBA is weight/Portability and battery life. The MBP seems like a substantial leap in hardware and performance for minimal cost difference.

There will be discounts on the the 16/512 config as well bringing in a cost differential that more closely reflects the retail pricing.

Sure, that doesn't apply at the moment, but it will in a month or two if you're willing to hold out a bit. Apple Insider tends to have a mostly up to date guide.

 

[ctjack]

Just answer another question and you will get your answer:
1) are you a person who will pick toyota corolla XLE or toyota camry LE?
15.3 screen will be noticeable bigger than 14 Pro. At the same time, 14 Pro is much bigger screen in terms of real estate versus 13.
Both are great and built for different people. I for example use external at desktop and travel wise 14 Pro covers it all - i do the same on my 13 Air as well.
Back in the day without externals, i much preferred 15.4-17 inch laptops.

PS. At 22K-25K, corolla is a tremendous value(256 - 512 gb base Air 15). Once you speck out to XLE, then you tap into camry level prices where the decision is not so obvious.

 

[mystery hill]

I think the MacBook Air display is better than the Pro in one aspect.

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/macbook-air-display-better-than-macbook-pro.2392242/

 

[Arctic Moose]

I had a MBP 14" M1. When it was stolen, I opted to replace it with a MBA 13" M2 because it is smaller, lighter and quieter. The screen doesn't bother me since I almost exclusively use it with an external monitor.

The three things I dislike about it:

• The 24 GB RAM limit (I had 32 GB in the MBP, and never ran into memory issues, now I do every now and then)
• The 2 TB SSD limit (I had 4 TB in the MBP, which was much more comfortable)
• All ports on the left side
• Lacking support for more than one external monitor

However, the upsides were worth more to me, so this is the compromise I chose, and I am happy with it.

15.3 screen will be noticeable bigger than 14 Pro.

The 15.3" is 2880×1864, the 14.2" is 3024×1964. I know which one I would have chosen had the laptop screen been important to me.

 

[mystery hill]

Lacking support for more than one external monitor

M3 should fix this.

 

[Falhófnir]

There will be discounts on the the 16/512 config as well bringing in a cost differential that more closely reflects the retail pricing.

Sure, that doesn't apply at the moment, but it will in a month or two if you're willing to hold out a bit. Apple Insider tends to have a mostly up to date guide.

Unfortunately there's no 16/512 stock configuration of the 15" Air, so 3rd party retailers won't be offering that at a discount. Apple will eventually have them for ~15% off, refurbished.

 

[Beau10]

Unfortunately there's no 16/512 stock configuration of the 15" Air, so 3rd party retailers won't be offering that at a discount. Apple will eventually have them for ~15% off, refurbished.

Places like B&H and a handful of other internet retailers stock popular custom configs as a normal item and offer discounts. Again, check Apple Insider.

 

[TechnoMonk]

For general purpose computing MBA will do just fine. For me I need 64 GB RAM/ sustained performance of M1 Max with out throttling. MBA with out fan is going to throttle at sustained high loads,

 

[CalMin]

I have a 14" M1 Pro and 13" M2 Air.

If I could have only one, it would be the 14" M1 Pro. It's more computing power than I need, but it has a truly excellent display, speakers, battery life. Probably the best laptop I have ever owned.

BUT - I go the M2 Air spontaneously as a used purchase. I wanted a secondary machine to separate my work (I'm a consultant) and my personal stuff. I got the base spec. because it's just a secondary machine. With that said, it has blown me away with just how capable it is. It's just as fast as the M1 Pro (even with 'just' 8GB RAM) in most computing situations. It's also a delight to carry around and use. The form factor is very pleasing to hold and carry.

In fact, I like the M2 Air so much, I would probably switch to it as a primary device except for the fact that M2 only supports one external display. My home office dock setup has two monitors and only MxPro/Max chips support that.

You won't go wrong either way. One other machine I would put on your list is the M1Pro 14". Apple has them as refurbs, and they still seem to pop new from time to time.

Refurbished 14-inch MacBook Pro Apple M1 Pro Chip with 8âCore CPU and 14âCore GPU - Silver

M1 Pro takes the exceptional performance of the M1 architecture to a whole new level for pro users. Even the most ambitious projects are easily handled with up to 10 CPU cores, up to 16 GPU cores, a 16âcore Neural Engine, and dedicated encode and decode media engines that support H.264...

www.apple.com

 

[Spaceboi Scaphandre]

I am looking to move away from Windows to Mac. It seems like the going recommendation is the M2 chip with 16 GB of ram and 512 Gb SSD. I will be doing some photo editing and processing, but it looks like the MBA would fit my needs for my usage. I will travel with it, but I will mainly use this at home on my couch or my desk with one monitor connected to it.

So here is my dilemma

All 3 of these prices are for 16 GB of ram and 512 Gb SSD I have found for a new system with the M2 10 Core or M2 Pro

MBA M2 13” price 1599.00
MBA M2 15” Price 1699.00
MBP M2 Pro 14” Price 1749.00-1799.00

The pros I can think of for the MBA is weight/Portability and battery life. The MBP seems like a substantial leap in hardware and performance for minimal cost difference. I have had 15” laptops in the past and feel like the 14” is the sweet spot for me size wise, but I would be okay with the the MBA in either size.

I am leaning towards the MBP but am I missing something here? Is there a reason I have not mentioned to buy a MBA over the Pro for such a small difference in price?

The Macbook Airs do not have fans which is the biggest issue with using it as a creative professional device. You can use it as one, but it'll be slower since the lack of fans or any heatsink means it will get thermal throttling from any intense actions and the only way it can be cooled is passively.

The Macbook Pro 14 inch has a heatsink, as well as an HDMI and SD card slot, and a much better 1440p Liquid Retina XDR display, the same display found in the iPad Pro. That last bit is why the MBP would be a better fit for photo editing, since you'll have a much higher quality display to work with that supports HDR.

So if I was in your shoes I'd get to the pro. Yeah it's a pound heavier but to be honest I don't even notice a difference (but then again I lift heavy equipment all the time lmao) The 14 inch is very portable.

 

[dmr727]

I chose the MBA because of weight. I travel a lot so every little bit helps, and spent some time in an Apple store getting a feel for both the 13" MBA and 14" MBP. Eventually I decided the Air was noticeably lighter/smaller and went that direction. But other than Pro-Motion, my use case wouldn't make use of any of the advantages of the MBP. Your needs seem a bit more substantial.

 

[ilikewhey]

I am looking to move away from Windows to Mac. It seems like the going recommendation is the M2 chip with 16 GB of ram and 512 Gb SSD. I will be doing some photo editing and processing, but it looks like the MBA would fit my needs for my usage. I will travel with it, but I will mainly use this at home on my couch or my desk with one monitor connected to it.

So here is my dilemma

All 3 of these prices are for 16 GB of ram and 512 Gb SSD I have found for a new system with the M2 10 Core or M2 Pro

MBA M2 13” price 1599.00
MBA M2 15” Price 1699.00
MBP M2 Pro 14” Price 1749.00-1799.00

The pros I can think of for the MBA is weight/Portability and battery life. The MBP seems like a substantial leap in hardware and performance for minimal cost difference. I have had 15” laptops in the past and feel like the 14” is the sweet spot for me size wise, but I would be okay with the the MBA in either size.

I am leaning towards the MBP but am I missing something here? Is there a reason I have not mentioned to buy a MBA over the Pro for such a small difference in price?

with only 50-100 bucks difference, its really a no brainer to get the 14inch. you get so much more value out of it.

 

[Tdude96]

For me it was portability ahead of every other consideration. My specced out M2 Air is primarily for personal use while traveling, when I'm already lugging along a giant MBP for work. It's proven to be an incredibly capable little machine.

 

[BanjoDudeAhoy]

MBA M2 13” price 1599.00
MBA M2 15” Price 1699.00
MBP M2 Pro 14” Price 1749.00-1799.00

If I was in the market for a laptop of that size (14/15") - in this scenario, I'd go for the MBP, just because you get more power, nicer display, more ports etc. for not much more money.

Since I'm not a fan of 15" or larger, I'd go for the 13" MBA. I would likely even still keep the 256 GB SSD but opt for 16 GB RAM. I don't keep a lot of stuff on the internal SSD so I'm fine with the smaller SSDs.
I'm typing this on an M1 MBA (base config) and even this laptop has (in most situations*) more power than I need.


*For work I have to keep a lot of programs open and that could definitely use the 16 GB unified memory. For personal use, I don't have anywhere near as much open, so 8 GB are more than enough (even for Affinity Photo and the like). And gaming happens on other platforms entirely.

 

[ignatius345]

I'm currently using an M1 MBA, which is working nicely for me. However, the M2 version is attractive, especially with the bigger screen. Can anyone who's had both M1 and M2 Airs comment on real-world battery life between the two?

 

[ilikewhey]

I'm currently using an M1 MBA, which is working nicely for me. However, the M2 version is attractive, especially with the bigger screen. Can anyone who's had both M1 and M2 Airs comment on real-world battery life between the two?

i had the m1 mba now my wife uses, and a m2 base mba issued from work, battery is about the same, however the m2 mba i have has panel bleed issues. i do enjoy the extra vertical space on the m2 though, but if i had to choose i would go with the m1 cause it has a tampered design.

 

[ignatius345]

i had the m1 mba now my wife uses, and a m2 base mba issued from work, battery is about the same, however the m2 mba i have has panel bleed issues. i do enjoy the extra vertical space on the m2 though, but if i had to choose i would go with the m1 cause it has a tampered design.

Yeah, I like the shape of the case too. Been using MacBook Airs for easily like 12+ years now and I've gotten used to the way the front edge tapers down around where my wrists hit it. Nice to hear the M2 doesn't have worse battery life.

 

[nikhsub1]

M3 should fix this.

Doubt it. They need that to be a differentiator between pro and air.

 

[ovbacon]

I am looking to move away from Windows to Mac. It seems like the going recommendation is the M2 chip with 16 GB of ram and 512 Gb SSD. I will be doing some photo editing and processing, but it looks like the MBA would fit my needs for my usage. I will travel with it, but I will mainly use this at home on my couch or my desk with one monitor connected to it.

So here is my dilemma

All 3 of these prices are for 16 GB of ram and 512 Gb SSD I have found for a new system with the M2 10 Core or M2 Pro

MBA M2 13” price 1599.00
MBA M2 15” Price 1699.00
MBP M2 Pro 14” Price 1749.00-1799.00

The pros I can think of for the MBA is weight/Portability and battery life. The MBP seems like a substantial leap in hardware and performance for minimal cost difference. I have had 15” laptops in the past and feel like the 14” is the sweet spot for me size wise, but I would be okay with the the MBA in either size.

I am leaning towards the MBP but am I missing something here? Is there a reason I have not mentioned to buy a MBA over the Pro for such a small difference in price?

Just look at your needs. My wife and I both always used to have MBP's (I had it along iMac's for photo) and we have both moved to MBAs simply because of the weight and easy of schlepping it around. I have a mini as a desktop and my wife uses her MBA M1 with a hub so she can plug in anything she needs. We do always have the 13".

 

[mystery hill]

Doubt it. They need that to be a differentiator between pro and air.

The base Pro will then support 4 external displays.

 

[dizmonk]

I have a 14" M1 Pro and 13" M2 Air.

If I could have only one, it would be the 14" M1 Pro. It's more computing power than I need, but it has a truly excellent display, speakers, battery life. Probably the best laptop I have ever owned.

BUT - I go the M2 Air spontaneously as a used purchase. I wanted a secondary machine to separate my work (I'm a consultant) and my personal stuff. I got the base spec. because it's just a secondary machine. With that said, it has blown me away with just how capable it is. It's just as fast as the M1 Pro (even with 'just' 8GB RAM) in most computing situations. It's also a delight to carry around and use. The form factor is very pleasing to hold and carry.

In fact, I like the M2 Air so much, I would probably switch to it as a primary device except for the fact that M2 only supports one external display. My home office dock setup has two monitors and only MxPro/Max chips support that.

You won't go wrong either way. One other machine I would put on your list is the M1Pro 14". Apple has them as refurbs, and they still seem to pop new from time to time.

Refurbished 14-inch MacBook Pro Apple M1 Pro Chip with 8âCore CPU and 14âCore GPU - Silver

M1 Pro takes the exceptional performance of the M1 architecture to a whole new level for pro users. Even the most ambitious projects are easily handled with up to 10 CPU cores, up to 16 GPU cores, a 16âcore Neural Engine, and dedicated encode and decode media engines that support H.264...

www.apple.com

Totally agree... I have the m1 14 MBP and love it. I was very reluctant to give up my M1 MBA but when I got the 14... it was obviously the right choice... I can't really see myself going to the 15 MBA.

 

[h.gilbert]

Seems like lots of people here struggle to realise that compactness is something that some people value and are therefore willing to pay extra for. End of really.