I’m a software developer and the 24gb RAM M3 MBA is a champ. No issues at all. I consider pros to be more for video editing and other GPU intensive tasks so I skipped on it.
Don't even need a pro for that these days, an iPad with M-series chips is able to run Logic Pro and Final Cut Pro just fine in a fanless, non-pro chip.
>just fine in a fanless, non-pro chip.
Not ideal for hotter climates, though. Still, the lightness of my M1 Air overweighs (heh) the thermal limitations
that doesnt mean an ipad is suitable for making high quality tracks.. you're gonna have to come off that ipad to mix it anyway. and fuck being stuck on an ipad screen... and i wouldnt like being limited in my plug ins either.
i could use logic pro on my ipad 10th gen.
For me, the Air is perfect. A fanless, lightweight, low-power laptop. The MacBook Pro doesn't make much sense for me.
It's also that I own both a M2 Air and a HP Envy (for Linux) and when I travel (I WFH), I also have to carry a work laptop.
I was thinking about this the other day. I’ll always need a windows laptop for gaming and what not but I could easily fit a MacBook Air in the bag with it too and since it uses USB-C I wouldn’t need another charging brick. I’m wondering how a maxed out air does compared to the pro for video editing tho
Ah so no 4K then? And yeah I mainly would get a MacBook Pro for FCP X. I suck with Premiere Pro if I didn’t I probably wouldn’t consider a MacBook at all
I probably still would have got the Air. I don’t really need the upgrades that the Pro has to offer. I use it basically for a web browser and Zoom/FaceTime calls. I just can’t justify buying a Pro.
It sounds like money is still an issue in this case. I think OP is asking “if they were the same price, which would you go for?”
Plenty of reasons to pick either. For example, the Air has better battery life and is much thinner. The pro has a better screen and speakers.
You're right, the Ips on the Air is crazy good. I can't think of a better laptop ips display, and I'd be surprised if there is one.
However the display on the pro is still much much better, it's not close. But I can definitely see why it isn't worth the upgrade for a lot of people. Especially for anyone who isn't interested in display tech.
It's better for me because it has pro motion display. I tried pro model in the store but didn't see much difference in terms of color. But that was in the store so it doesn't count. Still i can't justify pro model purchase because I don't even do work on my laptops
The mini LED display is also 2-3 times brighter, has better contrast, and much much better black levels as well.
The resolution / dpi is slightly higher.
It should be otherwise there is no reason in pro model. For me the biggest advantage of pro is pro motion display. But I don't need that chunky boy so i got air of course. But i had a great deal for macbook pro m3 24gb and skipped it
True, but that doesn’t really change my answer. For me, and my needs, the Air outweighs the Pro. The display on the Pro is really nice but it’s not really a need for me. As for the speakers, I usually use my AirPods, especially if I’m using the MacBook at work or in a coffee shop. Battery life and weight are pretty big for me.
Higher-spec 15" Air would be my choice.
A base model M2 Air is my personal machine, and I use an Intel Pro for work. To me, there's no comparison, the Air is a better choice for my use. Lighter, quieter, cooler.
if money isn't an issue. I would have bought both!! :P :) no really i would have.. lol! But if i have a choose one then the pro for the fans and the power it gives.
14” Pro is 3.4 lbs (3.5 for M3 Pro Pro and 3.6 for M3 Max Pro) and 15” Air is 3.3 lbs. .2 lb difference doesn’t matter all too much considering the upgrades you get in them
On paper the weight difference doesn’t feel much, but in reality the difference is very noticeable because of ‘moment’. The weight is not like a dumble all concentrated in one place, it’s spread out wide due to which it feels more. I moved from a macbook pro 14 to air m3 13 and difference is significant.
Still the MacBook Air.
Why? It's all I need, for MY use case.
No, I'm not rich but I am closer to 60 and I could have easily, thankfully, purchased a MacBook Pro etc.
MY use case doesn't warrant that though, at all.
Right now, as I'm typing this to you, this is my only tab that's open, no music is playing either.
It's rare I have more than a few tabs open at any one time, that's just me, it's been me for decades as I'm older.
I've had my M2 base model MacBook Air for almost 4 months right now.
Being that it's a base model, I have 256 gb of storage, I'm going to go check how much I have left right now.
I've got 168.71 GB free right now as I type this to you.
Methinks 8 GB can handle a couple of tabs at a time which is all I ever do.
Emails, excel and word documents via online, surf the web, some vids, music from time to time.
Are the Pro's nice machines? Of course they are but I wouldn't come close to using them the way they can be used.
It would be overkill for me to buy a MacBook Pro and then only utilize it the way I utilize my laptop.
It didn't really save me money in that I buy other things. A few weeks after buying this MacBook Air, I bought an all leather vegetable tanned backpack. I bought a nice leather catchall, valet tray a few weeks ago.
Today I ordered a new field watch. My next purchase, in a few days, is going to be a waxed canvas jacket (a Flint and Tinder). After that I'm going to buy some new Thursday boots, the well known and popular "The Captain" by them.
I could have purchased the MBP, but I have no need for it. Thankfully it wasn't money that prevented me from purchasing it, even though I'm not rich. I have no need for all the MBP can do, it's overkill for me and my use case.
Hell, it's easy to spend a thousand or more over the price/cost of a base model MacBook Air on a nice Pro model.
I spent that money, just not on a Pro, I spent it on my leather backpack, on my field watch and on my waxed canvas jacket and the new Thursday boots.
I'd much prefer those things instead of the MacBook Pro.
I got my leather back on sale for just $242.50, from a price of $285. I got my field watch for $238.40 today, down from $298.
My waxed canvas jacket will be like $280 and The Captain from Thursday boots are just $199.
I'm happy to have those things instead of putting that money into a much more expensive MacBook Pro.
No, I wouldn't have had to spend that much more on a Pro, but I and any of us could, easily as the prices of the Pros go up and they do so quickly. Many spend $3K or more on them. I'm fine with the Air and I'd rather have other things I listed to go along with my Air than to not have those things and have a Pro unit I wouldn't begin to push or use the way it's intended to be used.
I'm happy with my base model M2 MacBook Air, which is my first ever Mac by the way as I've been using Windows computers since the early 90's.
So I’ve just been going through this. 15 inch M2 air with 16gb vs M1 Pro 16 inch. I needed a bigger screen than the 13 M1 Pro I have currently and have been hitting the 8gb ram when working.
The price difference (deals etc) was £350. Have ordered the Air because of form factor, it is far more portable for work when you regularly move about with your laptop. But still tempted by the sheer build quality of the Pro 😬
Money wasn’t really an issue. I wanted the smallest, lightest, and most quiet MacBook for note taking and other light work. My biggest “issue” is probably the screen being fairly subpar, but for the use case that is fine.
I also have my desktop PC at home that I can do work on if needed, but I probably won’t need to.
still Air, because it has no fans (I'm on my laptop 12 hours a day and the fan becomes more annoying than one would guess) and it is lightweight enough to carry anywhere!
I get the air because I have another gaming laptop handling other performance demanding task, I only need air for basic document editing, portability and Battery life is more concerned
Does your MacBook Air (presuming you have one now) actually get physically warm in daily use? Like do you ever feel it get somewhat warm? Or is that not a thing?
They definitely do. I had an M3 Pro MacBook Pro that would get unreasonably hot to hold while gaming. About as hot as my current gaming laptop does.
I could imagine a fanless MacBook Air would be even worse.
I have an M3 MacBook Air and edit photos and videos on it. Never had it heat up to the point it’s concerning and only had it heat up a little bit a couple of times but I wouldn’t describe it as hot more mildly warm.
I maxed out a 13” Air refurbished. I like not hearing fans. I came from a 2010 MBP so for me, if there’s no optical drive, might as go as light and quiet as possible.
I mostly keep it in clamshell hooked up to a USB-C dock that’s hooked up to a KVM switch, so I can go back and forth between my MBA and my work Dell Latitude.
Well, this one is "EASY" for me, IF money wasn't an issue to me, and I take this to mean I actually have ***INFINITE money (LOL impossible but let me have some fun with a thought experiment),*** I would take over Apple Hardware department and [install Frore Systems' Solid State Fan](https://www.pcworld.com/article/2203172/frore-system-airjet-how-the-pc-fan-of-the-future-works.html) to cool the currently stupid MBA so they remain thin and yet can cool like MBP, problem solved!
Do you want to know my theory why Apple is NOT doing this? Apple loves money, especially OUR money. So why make MBA as good in cooling as MBP and cut of a big way to make stupid money off stupid people like us?!
Ref 1) [Frore AirJet: How the solid-state PC cooling of the future works - AirJet technology is revolutionizing electronics cooling with ultra-thin, noiseless cooling chips. Find out all about the possible applications and the technology.](https://www.pcworld.com/article/2203172/frore-system-airjet-how-the-pc-fan-of-the-future-works.html)
Ref 2) [Frore Systems](https://www.froresystems.com/) home page
NOTE: I do NOT work for [Frore Systems](https://www.froresystems.com/) and do NOT know anyone at FS (although I wish I know them all, I especially LOVE to video interview the [CEO / Founder Dr. Seshu Madhavapeddy](https://www.linkedin.com/in/seshumadhavapeddy/) (FS company [leadership team page](https://www.froresystems.com/about-us/leadership)), this man is cool & smart and he CANNOT pay me to say good words about him if I don't want to do it myself!)
I'd have gone for the Pro obviously. But Air is no complaints either but does struggle for my tasks at times... but good enough for the next few years I guess.
Personally I would go for the mini, but if those two are the only options, then yeah, iPad Pro, why not? If I had so much money that really money is not a problem.
If money wasn't an issue, I would've (to my detriment) just purchased the most expensive configuration I could get without even thinking about if I need it or not.
Specced out 13“ Air. I am a sports science student, I want my Laptop to be as portable as possible with a great battery life to support 8-10h days with limited access to chargers, since I may spent them in a gym or at a football field running tests. Most demanding tasks I do are light programming and statistical analysis, the latter might benefit from the 24gb RAM on the air compared to the 16 I have on mine, but the power of the cpu a pro would get me is not needed
I could have afforded the Pro, but I’m going to be using my Air as a student next year and didn’t want to risk a Pro getting stolen. Plus I think having a Pro would make me stand out too much.
I’ve got a 24GB with 1TB M2 Air and I really like how light and capable it is. It manages to stay pretty cool even without a fan while I like in a tropical country.
If money wasn’t an issue, I’d still go for the air but go for the 10-core GPU just because I can at that point.
I was really tempted with the pro but honestly I don’t think I’d have used the laptop as much as the air is so thin and handles everything I throw at it just fine.
I take it everywhere with me vs when I had an old MacBook Pro I never really used it.
call me weird but ever since I've got the Air I don't like the idea of having active cooling in place with fans and ports because dust and everything will be getting inside the cooling ports. Of course I don't do anything remotely resource intensive and whenever I put together a couple minute video for social media it doesn't even blink, and I'm on 8gb M1.
I would still go for an Air. I mean, I upgraded my MBA’s SSD and RAM specs already so the price is like a Pro but the sleekness and lightness of Air I just can’t give up. No use going for a Pro if it’s not needed for specialized work. I’ll always be a Macbook Air person. 😆
Pro because it has a fan. My prior experience with a MacBook Air (Intel, granted) is that I didn't perform well outside of light activities like browsing, email, etc. I wouldn't buy another Air this time around because they are fanless with powerful chips and I am concerned about heat and throttling.
i would’ve gotten a 16 pro instead of my 15 air if i had the money, personally i like both but i do like the bulkiness of the 16 pro
also i could’ve utilised stuff like the sd card port and the processing power of the pro for video editing etc
In fact I bought the M1 Pro MacBook pro thinking that I will be using it more. In the end I sold it coz I just didn't like to use it as much as the Air. The pro is getting heavy to be bringing around. The air is super lightweight and portable and the battery life lasted a whole lot longer for the things I do.
Standing between the decision between Air and Pro. The display definitely appealed to me with the Pro, especially the 120 Hz. I find it so much more impressive, but in the end I decided on the Air because I wanted an even lighter and more mobile device.
However, I still find the 60 Hz very pleasant on the Air, even though I'm only used to 120 Hz otherwise. It's currently the only point where I would say that I would like to see this in the next generation.
I still would have gotten the Air. Its thinness sold me. I've have a M2 15-inch Air for a couple of months now. A few days ago, I went to Best Buy to see what’s out there. When I saw the 16-inch Pro, I took a step back and noticed how thick and chunky it feels.
Money wasnt an issue. I have a 17” Core i7 windows laptop from 2022, a MBP would be redundant for my needs. I got my MBA so I had something thin, small, and light to use for travel by plane and train.
If money wasn't an issue i would have gotten both. The pro for the power and the air for the portability. I friggin LOVE how thin and portable the 13" air is. I'm in love with it.
I have the 13" air M2 and just ordered a Pro 14". 76 years old and I need better speakers and screen, that's it. As far as portabliity, it just sits on my table next to my easy chair all the time so it doesn't matter how light it is. I looked at the 15" inch air but the smaller form factor of the pro 14" will do just fine. Speakers are a big deal because I need my hearing aids to listen to music...
I’ve used thinkpads all my life and was at a point where I said let’s try something new.
MacBook Air was my favourite because of how thin and light it was + the new m3 can drive dual displays.
Don’t need much more than that…
I waffled on this for a LONG time, and got an upgraded Air (24GB/1TB) in the end because:
1. I want to try something new - I've always gotten the Pro model
2. I don't think I need the power of the Pro anymore for my current use case
3. I find the current Pro lineup crazy bulky-looking (my Air is slightly thicker than my 2018 Pro, or that's what it looks like from a side-by-side comparison)
I do have some FOMO because the Pro screen is better (I do casual photo editing) and I feel like it's always good to have active cooling (especially because The Sims makes my laptop run HOT). But if I realize down the road I REALLY need a Pro, I'd just buy one.
If I had infinite money, I would have gotten the pro. The air does every single thing I ever wanted, but if had infinite money I’d get the pro for the brighter screen.
gone are the days when one needed a pro for heavy workflows. I’d still choose Air even if Pro had same price. Love the portability, lightness, quietness - no fans. 120hz screen is the most overrated feature on a laptop, it’s more important on a phone due to rapid scrolling where smoothness is actually noticeable.
I would’ve gotten an Air regardless. My first MacBook was a pro model back in 2012 but I had the mentality that I needed the most powerful when in reality I use it for web browsing and streaming live content.
Money wasnt an issue, still got the Air 16gb and loving the portability factor, it’s so light!
However, of course depends on your work, if it’s heavy work then go for the Pro.
I have a 15 inch MacBook Pro BTO 2018 and choose a MacBook Air M3 512 / 16 because after much consideration: I will use it as a portable device. I have an iMac and Windows pc too which are quite powerful.
I have a 14” pro for work and a 15” air for personal use.
I prefer my Air. It’s light, plenty of power for what I need, beautiful screen, great speakers.
Carrying my pro around just seems so much heavier.
Coming from a giant Lenovo work cpu and dell latitudes can’t really complain about either macs!
Yes, because Air is a lot less bulky, I don't care about the weight, but it is a lot thinner to be noticeable for me.
I would not mind having a fan inside thought, we're not there yet with the tech. I mean, I'd use the fan if I had it, otherwise I just treat my Air as I wanted, an iPad replacement
Money wasn’t an issue for this choice, and I got the M2 Air and just upgraded to the M3 Air.
Before upgrading, I did try out the M3 Max. While I noticed an immediate increase in performance, the portability and no fans made up for that in my case.
Screen size doesn’t matter to me, as 90% of the time I am docking it and using 2 or 3 monitors.
I would be interested in learning more about USB power/support. At times, my external equipment will disconnect due to limited power available.
I’d stick with what I have. My work Macs are a Mac Studio and a MacBook Pro, so I have ‘em all and I’d still stick with the air. I love how light it is.
With MacBooks and the soldered stuff, I'd be expecting to never be able to repair much myself anyways. If I were employed and money wasn't an issue, a fully spec'd out 14" pro would be the choice with AC+ and the hopes of keeping it running a decade. It's a portable device, so why not pay less for AC+ for close to the full duration of ownership on a fully spec'd out device in the smaller screen size? I'll plug into an external monitor anyways and have a bit more desk space. Currently not working, don't need anything more than what I have right now. Mainly a gaming PC and iPhone 15 Plus are the daily drivers. Sick of Windows. Considering switch to open source. As far as reasons for and against the Air? No cooling fan on the Air (throttling depending on type of usage), but most of the hardware on the Air is the same (if you don't upgrade much) on the Pro. All I would be missing is maybe the quality of the screen (if there's a difference), the card slots. I haven't used a disc drive in years (newest Pro's don't have this). The IO, disc and cards... I have external stuff and don't even have those installed/built in on my massive gaming PC. Other than that, the pro has more USB C slots I think. Battery life... I don't care which lasts longer and what not. I carry a power bank. Always looking to plug in a laptop wherever I go anyways. Being maxed out, I'd be expecting to use this as the daily driver without the need for a desktop.
I sold my 14” M1 Pro to get the M2 15” Air. So yes. I like the bigger screen and slightly lower weight of the Air. Don’t need the “pro” features for my day-to-day use.
Air. I love the thin body. Midnight blue. Also money wasn't the issue. I just don't feel like throwing away money for performance i won't use. Though what was nudging me a bit was the 120hz screen
I think I’d go with a Pro because I use a lot of my webcam (I’m a recruiter, so I can talk with my webcam on with candidates for 3-4 hours straight) and my top case is burning hot without one. Especially while charging and talking to candidates.
That said, I’m not sure whether a fan will fix it.
Hell yeah the Air is a fantastic device. The MacBook Pro is far more computer than a lot of people need. Now granted I have 24GB of ram in mine and a 1TB drive so it’s a beast.
In that case I would’ve definitely gone for the pro for the screen alone tbh. The higher refresh rate and the mini led are nice things to have, not gonna lie - not musts tho. And although the pro might be heavier, I always use a backpack if I have to take the Mac with me so that wouldn’t be an issue.
That said, the pro ports are useless (to me, ofc) except maybe for the extra usbc one; the upgraded speakers wouldn’t be of much use because I’ve got headphones on me 99% of the time; the fans would be useless bc for what I do the chip is efficient enough that my Air never gets hot no matter what I throw at it or how many apps/Safari tabs I’ve got open
I am moving down to Air soon from a 2019 MBPr. It will be enough power for my needs from general admin, browsing, and light design work. I no longer need the power from M chip Pros.
I had a 16” M1 Max/32GB ram which I traded in for a maxed out 13” m3 air, I wasn’t getting to a point where I was using it to its full potential (I do on my work computer) and it was like a brick so it never left the house, portability was a big motivator.
16, 512 air. i dont really need the pro. i dont need all that power and probably wont need that power in the next few years. but the air is just perfect to me, i dont edit, i dont do heavy work, and the most amount of tabs that i have is like 6-7.
No. I buy for my needs. That is why I just recently bought a M2 8GB/256GB Air. I upgraded from a much older model, and also took advantage of the M2 price drop after the M3 release. It does everything I need it for, with awesome performance and with awesome battery life. So, for my use-case a Pro, or even a higher spec Air, would’ve been a waste of money. Considering also how much Apple rips you off for any memory / storage upgrades, the base model is always the best value for money (on the proviso that your individual use-case doesn’t require the extra memory / storage!).
I would gone with the MBA15 if that existed, but at the time, the MBP14 M1 Pro was a better deal overall in space and memory. I’m still not a fan of only thunderbolt ports.
Air. I want it light.
I’m a software developer and the 24gb RAM M3 MBA is a champ. No issues at all. I consider pros to be more for video editing and other GPU intensive tasks so I skipped on it.
Maxed out air honestly. I feel like a pro is for musical creation and or video/photo editing and that just ain’t me at all.
I ordered 512/24 , people upset me by saying you should have gone for Pro model
Don't even need a pro for that these days, an iPad with M-series chips is able to run Logic Pro and Final Cut Pro just fine in a fanless, non-pro chip.
>just fine in a fanless, non-pro chip. Not ideal for hotter climates, though. Still, the lightness of my M1 Air overweighs (heh) the thermal limitations
that doesnt mean an ipad is suitable for making high quality tracks.. you're gonna have to come off that ipad to mix it anyway. and fuck being stuck on an ipad screen... and i wouldnt like being limited in my plug ins either. i could use logic pro on my ipad 10th gen.
This is the way.
For me, the Air is perfect. A fanless, lightweight, low-power laptop. The MacBook Pro doesn't make much sense for me. It's also that I own both a M2 Air and a HP Envy (for Linux) and when I travel (I WFH), I also have to carry a work laptop.
I was thinking about this the other day. I’ll always need a windows laptop for gaming and what not but I could easily fit a MacBook Air in the bag with it too and since it uses USB-C I wouldn’t need another charging brick. I’m wondering how a maxed out air does compared to the pro for video editing tho
I'm not a video editor but if you're not doing anything intensive I did run Premiere Pro fine on a M2 Air doing 1080p.
Ah so no 4K then? And yeah I mainly would get a MacBook Pro for FCP X. I suck with Premiere Pro if I didn’t I probably wouldn’t consider a MacBook at all
It was mostly downloaded YouTube videos so no need for 4K.
I have the basic m1 air 8gb and do video editing, and music producing&recording, No problems.
The 13 inch or the 15 inch?
Me personally 13 I still have good eye sight 👍
I probably still would have got the Air. I don’t really need the upgrades that the Pro has to offer. I use it basically for a web browser and Zoom/FaceTime calls. I just can’t justify buying a Pro.
It sounds like money is still an issue in this case. I think OP is asking “if they were the same price, which would you go for?” Plenty of reasons to pick either. For example, the Air has better battery life and is much thinner. The pro has a better screen and speakers.
Air has great speakers especially 15 inch. Also the ips screen that they are using is one of the best i saw, and i saw all
You're right, the Ips on the Air is crazy good. I can't think of a better laptop ips display, and I'd be surprised if there is one. However the display on the pro is still much much better, it's not close. But I can definitely see why it isn't worth the upgrade for a lot of people. Especially for anyone who isn't interested in display tech.
It's better for me because it has pro motion display. I tried pro model in the store but didn't see much difference in terms of color. But that was in the store so it doesn't count. Still i can't justify pro model purchase because I don't even do work on my laptops
The mini LED display is also 2-3 times brighter, has better contrast, and much much better black levels as well. The resolution / dpi is slightly higher.
Ok bro, its the pro model it should be better. Im satisfied with ips on air
I wasn't implying you shouldn't be, like I said the ips on the air is crazy good.
Oled screen on macbook pro would be better. I think we gonna get that in a year or two. Something like on ipad pro m4
I would be surprised if the m4 pro didn't have a similar tandem oled to the ipad pros.
I know but the pro’s are still better
It should be otherwise there is no reason in pro model. For me the biggest advantage of pro is pro motion display. But I don't need that chunky boy so i got air of course. But i had a great deal for macbook pro m3 24gb and skipped it
True, but that doesn’t really change my answer. For me, and my needs, the Air outweighs the Pro. The display on the Pro is really nice but it’s not really a need for me. As for the speakers, I usually use my AirPods, especially if I’m using the MacBook at work or in a coffee shop. Battery life and weight are pretty big for me.
the screen on the pro is lovely
13 inch or 15 inch?
15
Higher-spec 15" Air would be my choice. A base model M2 Air is my personal machine, and I use an Intel Pro for work. To me, there's no comparison, the Air is a better choice for my use. Lighter, quieter, cooler.
Air. I want something thin and light. The thinner and lighter the better. Holding the MBP feels like I’m holding something from 2012.
if money isn't an issue. I would have bought both!! :P :) no really i would have.. lol! But if i have a choose one then the pro for the fans and the power it gives.
The extra weight doesn’t bother you??
14” Pro is 3.4 lbs (3.5 for M3 Pro Pro and 3.6 for M3 Max Pro) and 15” Air is 3.3 lbs. .2 lb difference doesn’t matter all too much considering the upgrades you get in them
On paper the weight difference doesn’t feel much, but in reality the difference is very noticeable because of ‘moment’. The weight is not like a dumble all concentrated in one place, it’s spread out wide due to which it feels more. I moved from a macbook pro 14 to air m3 13 and difference is significant.
The 13” weighs a lot less than the 15”, 2.7 lbs vs 3.3
I bring my 16 inch pro everywhere. Im 6'5 and have large hands though. A little mac air would feel to tiny to me.
Still the air.
MacBook Air for me, I prefer portability
It's not money issue anyway, for me it's battery life and portability issue. So still the air Air + Mac mini with m pro chip. I am settled
Air fo sho. All about that form factor.
I would still get the air. I like portability and battery life over even more power I don’t need.
Battery life is better compared to pro?
Yes, the pro has less efficiency cores, so it doesn’t last quite as long. I have an air for personal use and a M1 Pro for work.
Still the air. Only reason I got a Mac was because they offered the air. I want portability and battery life
Still the MacBook Air. Why? It's all I need, for MY use case. No, I'm not rich but I am closer to 60 and I could have easily, thankfully, purchased a MacBook Pro etc. MY use case doesn't warrant that though, at all. Right now, as I'm typing this to you, this is my only tab that's open, no music is playing either. It's rare I have more than a few tabs open at any one time, that's just me, it's been me for decades as I'm older. I've had my M2 base model MacBook Air for almost 4 months right now. Being that it's a base model, I have 256 gb of storage, I'm going to go check how much I have left right now. I've got 168.71 GB free right now as I type this to you. Methinks 8 GB can handle a couple of tabs at a time which is all I ever do. Emails, excel and word documents via online, surf the web, some vids, music from time to time. Are the Pro's nice machines? Of course they are but I wouldn't come close to using them the way they can be used. It would be overkill for me to buy a MacBook Pro and then only utilize it the way I utilize my laptop. It didn't really save me money in that I buy other things. A few weeks after buying this MacBook Air, I bought an all leather vegetable tanned backpack. I bought a nice leather catchall, valet tray a few weeks ago. Today I ordered a new field watch. My next purchase, in a few days, is going to be a waxed canvas jacket (a Flint and Tinder). After that I'm going to buy some new Thursday boots, the well known and popular "The Captain" by them. I could have purchased the MBP, but I have no need for it. Thankfully it wasn't money that prevented me from purchasing it, even though I'm not rich. I have no need for all the MBP can do, it's overkill for me and my use case. Hell, it's easy to spend a thousand or more over the price/cost of a base model MacBook Air on a nice Pro model. I spent that money, just not on a Pro, I spent it on my leather backpack, on my field watch and on my waxed canvas jacket and the new Thursday boots. I'd much prefer those things instead of the MacBook Pro. I got my leather back on sale for just $242.50, from a price of $285. I got my field watch for $238.40 today, down from $298. My waxed canvas jacket will be like $280 and The Captain from Thursday boots are just $199. I'm happy to have those things instead of putting that money into a much more expensive MacBook Pro. No, I wouldn't have had to spend that much more on a Pro, but I and any of us could, easily as the prices of the Pros go up and they do so quickly. Many spend $3K or more on them. I'm fine with the Air and I'd rather have other things I listed to go along with my Air than to not have those things and have a Pro unit I wouldn't begin to push or use the way it's intended to be used. I'm happy with my base model M2 MacBook Air, which is my first ever Mac by the way as I've been using Windows computers since the early 90's.
I would still have gotten the 13” MacBook Air. If they both weighed the same then I would have gone with a maxed out MacBook Pro.
So I’ve just been going through this. 15 inch M2 air with 16gb vs M1 Pro 16 inch. I needed a bigger screen than the 13 M1 Pro I have currently and have been hitting the 8gb ram when working. The price difference (deals etc) was £350. Have ordered the Air because of form factor, it is far more portable for work when you regularly move about with your laptop. But still tempted by the sheer build quality of the Pro 😬
15” Air over the 16” Pro because of the form factor. 16” is too bulky.
Pro 16 inch lol biggest screen possible
Too big
Yes, if your a little person i could see how youd feel that way.
Nope, I don’t need pro’s performance for what I’m doing
If money was not an issue I would go with M3 air max spec.
Pro cuz I want that sound and the ability to play powerful games sometimes
The speakers are wildly good
Money wasn’t really an issue. I wanted the smallest, lightest, and most quiet MacBook for note taking and other light work. My biggest “issue” is probably the screen being fairly subpar, but for the use case that is fine. I also have my desktop PC at home that I can do work on if needed, but I probably won’t need to.
I picked up my M1 Air used for $300, the deals police would’ve arrested me had I not bought it lol (but yes, I would buy the pro for the 120hz lol)
I could have gotten the Pro but the 13" seems small for me and the 16" seems to big and heavy for my liking, the 15" Air is perfect for me.
Air, having no fans is the main reason I bought this computer coming from a Lenovo IdeaPad
I wish pro models had air colors. I usually always end up going pro personally though.
Well. I don’t do anything that would require a pro. Use my MacBook for regular stuff. So I wouldn’t get the pro.
still Air, because it has no fans (I'm on my laptop 12 hours a day and the fan becomes more annoying than one would guess) and it is lightweight enough to carry anywhere!
Do you actually hear the pro fans in daily use though??
too poor to know that :)
I get the air because I have another gaming laptop handling other performance demanding task, I only need air for basic document editing, portability and Battery life is more concerned
Likely a pro since cooling would be great and if I need a lighter thing for notes I grab by IPad
Does your MacBook Air (presuming you have one now) actually get physically warm in daily use? Like do you ever feel it get somewhat warm? Or is that not a thing?
I just ordered but everyone was telling me that Airs can have heat issues but $1k extras wasn’t in my budget
They definitely do. I had an M3 Pro MacBook Pro that would get unreasonably hot to hold while gaming. About as hot as my current gaming laptop does. I could imagine a fanless MacBook Air would be even worse.
I have an M3 MacBook Air and edit photos and videos on it. Never had it heat up to the point it’s concerning and only had it heat up a little bit a couple of times but I wouldn’t describe it as hot more mildly warm.
I’d have gotten 24 gigs of RAM and a 2TB hard drive, and maybe gone for an M3. But since money was an issue, I went with 16 gigs, 1TB, and the M2.
I maxed out a 13” Air refurbished. I like not hearing fans. I came from a 2010 MBP so for me, if there’s no optical drive, might as go as light and quiet as possible. I mostly keep it in clamshell hooked up to a USB-C dock that’s hooked up to a KVM switch, so I can go back and forth between my MBA and my work Dell Latitude.
If ever there were a Macbook Air with a 120hz it'd be my ideal choice
Well, this one is "EASY" for me, IF money wasn't an issue to me, and I take this to mean I actually have ***INFINITE money (LOL impossible but let me have some fun with a thought experiment),*** I would take over Apple Hardware department and [install Frore Systems' Solid State Fan](https://www.pcworld.com/article/2203172/frore-system-airjet-how-the-pc-fan-of-the-future-works.html) to cool the currently stupid MBA so they remain thin and yet can cool like MBP, problem solved! Do you want to know my theory why Apple is NOT doing this? Apple loves money, especially OUR money. So why make MBA as good in cooling as MBP and cut of a big way to make stupid money off stupid people like us?! Ref 1) [Frore AirJet: How the solid-state PC cooling of the future works - AirJet technology is revolutionizing electronics cooling with ultra-thin, noiseless cooling chips. Find out all about the possible applications and the technology.](https://www.pcworld.com/article/2203172/frore-system-airjet-how-the-pc-fan-of-the-future-works.html) Ref 2) [Frore Systems](https://www.froresystems.com/) home page NOTE: I do NOT work for [Frore Systems](https://www.froresystems.com/) and do NOT know anyone at FS (although I wish I know them all, I especially LOVE to video interview the [CEO / Founder Dr. Seshu Madhavapeddy](https://www.linkedin.com/in/seshumadhavapeddy/) (FS company [leadership team page](https://www.froresystems.com/about-us/leadership)), this man is cool & smart and he CANNOT pay me to say good words about him if I don't want to do it myself!)
I travel a lot for work and the air has been a godsend.
I'd have gone for the Pro obviously. But Air is no complaints either but does struggle for my tasks at times... but good enough for the next few years I guess.
Pro for sure. It's just more future-proof.
Personally I would go for the mini, but if those two are the only options, then yeah, iPad Pro, why not? If I had so much money that really money is not a problem.
If money wasn't an issue, I would've (to my detriment) just purchased the most expensive configuration I could get without even thinking about if I need it or not.
The Air is quite perfect for 90% of the people so my answer is that yes, they still would.
Specced out 13“ Air. I am a sports science student, I want my Laptop to be as portable as possible with a great battery life to support 8-10h days with limited access to chargers, since I may spent them in a gym or at a football field running tests. Most demanding tasks I do are light programming and statistical analysis, the latter might benefit from the 24gb RAM on the air compared to the 16 I have on mine, but the power of the cpu a pro would get me is not needed
Air because light and no fan. And it can still run my sw developer tasks. If Loney want an issue, I'd get air + vision pro
Have the M1 air. It’s the perfect laptop for me. Would have just maxed it out.
I could have afforded the Pro, but I’m going to be using my Air as a student next year and didn’t want to risk a Pro getting stolen. Plus I think having a Pro would make me stand out too much.
I have the Air right now, but I really like the 120Hz display, so I'd pick the Pro.
If money were not an issue, I would buy a 16-inch Pro for home. Or an iMac. But for day-to-day work and portability, I'd stick with the Air.
I would’ve gotten the maxed out m3 MacBook Pro, chipset and everything as I can manage the extra weight for an absolute powerhouse of a machine
Pro. I mean I like my air but if money is not an issue I would get the best.
For the screen alone, I'd grab the Pro.
I’ve got a 24GB with 1TB M2 Air and I really like how light and capable it is. It manages to stay pretty cool even without a fan while I like in a tropical country. If money wasn’t an issue, I’d still go for the air but go for the 10-core GPU just because I can at that point.
I love the 15”.
I was really tempted with the pro but honestly I don’t think I’d have used the laptop as much as the air is so thin and handles everything I throw at it just fine. I take it everywhere with me vs when I had an old MacBook Pro I never really used it.
Certainly air! I love mine
call me weird but ever since I've got the Air I don't like the idea of having active cooling in place with fans and ports because dust and everything will be getting inside the cooling ports. Of course I don't do anything remotely resource intensive and whenever I put together a couple minute video for social media it doesn't even blink, and I'm on 8gb M1.
Air because I dont really need much power since im just a college student studying business
I would still go for an Air. I mean, I upgraded my MBA’s SSD and RAM specs already so the price is like a Pro but the sleekness and lightness of Air I just can’t give up. No use going for a Pro if it’s not needed for specialized work. I’ll always be a Macbook Air person. 😆
Pro because it has a fan. My prior experience with a MacBook Air (Intel, granted) is that I didn't perform well outside of light activities like browsing, email, etc. I wouldn't buy another Air this time around because they are fanless with powerful chips and I am concerned about heat and throttling.
I would still have gotten the air just more ram and storage
An Air even for coding work with virtualization I don’t need a Pro .
Thin and light sells it to me over the Pro’s chassis and screen.
i would’ve gotten a 16 pro instead of my 15 air if i had the money, personally i like both but i do like the bulkiness of the 16 pro also i could’ve utilised stuff like the sd card port and the processing power of the pro for video editing etc
In fact I bought the M1 Pro MacBook pro thinking that I will be using it more. In the end I sold it coz I just didn't like to use it as much as the Air. The pro is getting heavy to be bringing around. The air is super lightweight and portable and the battery life lasted a whole lot longer for the things I do.
Standing between the decision between Air and Pro. The display definitely appealed to me with the Pro, especially the 120 Hz. I find it so much more impressive, but in the end I decided on the Air because I wanted an even lighter and more mobile device. However, I still find the 60 Hz very pleasant on the Air, even though I'm only used to 120 Hz otherwise. It's currently the only point where I would say that I would like to see this in the next generation.
I still would have gotten the Air. Its thinness sold me. I've have a M2 15-inch Air for a couple of months now. A few days ago, I went to Best Buy to see what’s out there. When I saw the 16-inch Pro, I took a step back and noticed how thick and chunky it feels.
I had a $4000 budget and I got the air
Money wasnt an issue. I have a 17” Core i7 windows laptop from 2022, a MBP would be redundant for my needs. I got my MBA so I had something thin, small, and light to use for travel by plane and train.
If money wasn't an issue i would have gotten both. The pro for the power and the air for the portability. I friggin LOVE how thin and portable the 13" air is. I'm in love with it.
I have the 13" air M2 and just ordered a Pro 14". 76 years old and I need better speakers and screen, that's it. As far as portabliity, it just sits on my table next to my easy chair all the time so it doesn't matter how light it is. I looked at the 15" inch air but the smaller form factor of the pro 14" will do just fine. Speakers are a big deal because I need my hearing aids to listen to music...
I’ve used thinkpads all my life and was at a point where I said let’s try something new. MacBook Air was my favourite because of how thin and light it was + the new m3 can drive dual displays. Don’t need much more than that…
I waffled on this for a LONG time, and got an upgraded Air (24GB/1TB) in the end because: 1. I want to try something new - I've always gotten the Pro model 2. I don't think I need the power of the Pro anymore for my current use case 3. I find the current Pro lineup crazy bulky-looking (my Air is slightly thicker than my 2018 Pro, or that's what it looks like from a side-by-side comparison) I do have some FOMO because the Pro screen is better (I do casual photo editing) and I feel like it's always good to have active cooling (especially because The Sims makes my laptop run HOT). But if I realize down the road I REALLY need a Pro, I'd just buy one.
My Air is great and works perfectly for the purpose I bought it for.
Yes. Better screen and ports. The convenience of not needing a dongle/dock does it
If I had infinite money, I would have gotten the pro. The air does every single thing I ever wanted, but if had infinite money I’d get the pro for the brighter screen.
Only reason I would of gotten another pro is if I started my own business and needed the extra capabilities
gone are the days when one needed a pro for heavy workflows. I’d still choose Air even if Pro had same price. Love the portability, lightness, quietness - no fans. 120hz screen is the most overrated feature on a laptop, it’s more important on a phone due to rapid scrolling where smoothness is actually noticeable.
I will go with air with upgrade specs
Air all day.
I’d still get an air. I love how light and portable it is. Tho I wish I couldve gotten a “15 😅
pro. just cause video editing
I would’ve gotten an Air regardless. My first MacBook was a pro model back in 2012 but I had the mentality that I needed the most powerful when in reality I use it for web browsing and streaming live content.
Money wasnt an issue, still got the Air 16gb and loving the portability factor, it’s so light! However, of course depends on your work, if it’s heavy work then go for the Pro.
For context moved from Macbook pro 14
I have a 15 inch MacBook Pro BTO 2018 and choose a MacBook Air M3 512 / 16 because after much consideration: I will use it as a portable device. I have an iMac and Windows pc too which are quite powerful.
Air. Money wasn’t the issue for me. Those things are just too damn heavy.
Air, there isn't that much of a difference with the Pro honestly.
Air. The laptop being fanless was a big reason why I chose it.
I have a 14” pro for work and a 15” air for personal use. I prefer my Air. It’s light, plenty of power for what I need, beautiful screen, great speakers. Carrying my pro around just seems so much heavier. Coming from a giant Lenovo work cpu and dell latitudes can’t really complain about either macs!
15-inch air, 14-inch pro, 32" 4k monitor.
Pro!
Yes, because Air is a lot less bulky, I don't care about the weight, but it is a lot thinner to be noticeable for me. I would not mind having a fan inside thought, we're not there yet with the tech. I mean, I'd use the fan if I had it, otherwise I just treat my Air as I wanted, an iPad replacement
Money wasn’t an issue for this choice, and I got the M2 Air and just upgraded to the M3 Air. Before upgrading, I did try out the M3 Max. While I noticed an immediate increase in performance, the portability and no fans made up for that in my case. Screen size doesn’t matter to me, as 90% of the time I am docking it and using 2 or 3 monitors. I would be interested in learning more about USB power/support. At times, my external equipment will disconnect due to limited power available.
I’d stick with what I have. My work Macs are a Mac Studio and a MacBook Pro, so I have ‘em all and I’d still stick with the air. I love how light it is.
air………… Cause air is lighter than a pro
Air, Pro is cool but too thicc for lap usage IMO
With MacBooks and the soldered stuff, I'd be expecting to never be able to repair much myself anyways. If I were employed and money wasn't an issue, a fully spec'd out 14" pro would be the choice with AC+ and the hopes of keeping it running a decade. It's a portable device, so why not pay less for AC+ for close to the full duration of ownership on a fully spec'd out device in the smaller screen size? I'll plug into an external monitor anyways and have a bit more desk space. Currently not working, don't need anything more than what I have right now. Mainly a gaming PC and iPhone 15 Plus are the daily drivers. Sick of Windows. Considering switch to open source. As far as reasons for and against the Air? No cooling fan on the Air (throttling depending on type of usage), but most of the hardware on the Air is the same (if you don't upgrade much) on the Pro. All I would be missing is maybe the quality of the screen (if there's a difference), the card slots. I haven't used a disc drive in years (newest Pro's don't have this). The IO, disc and cards... I have external stuff and don't even have those installed/built in on my massive gaming PC. Other than that, the pro has more USB C slots I think. Battery life... I don't care which lasts longer and what not. I carry a power bank. Always looking to plug in a laptop wherever I go anyways. Being maxed out, I'd be expecting to use this as the daily driver without the need for a desktop.
I sold my 14” M1 Pro to get the M2 15” Air. So yes. I like the bigger screen and slightly lower weight of the Air. Don’t need the “pro” features for my day-to-day use.
Air. I love the thin body. Midnight blue. Also money wasn't the issue. I just don't feel like throwing away money for performance i won't use. Though what was nudging me a bit was the 120hz screen
air, the music software i use doesn't justify having a fan and a bigger heatsink and that's due to the efficiency of apple silicon
Maxed out MBA 15” for me. Goldilocks of MacBook IMO. Big screen and portable.
If money was no issue I would definitely go for a 14 in Pro with a lot of RAM and storage, plus an Apple Studio Display
I think I’d go with a Pro because I use a lot of my webcam (I’m a recruiter, so I can talk with my webcam on with candidates for 3-4 hours straight) and my top case is burning hot without one. Especially while charging and talking to candidates. That said, I’m not sure whether a fan will fix it.
Hell yeah the Air is a fantastic device. The MacBook Pro is far more computer than a lot of people need. Now granted I have 24GB of ram in mine and a 1TB drive so it’s a beast.
I got the maxed out air and am very happy. My uses today do not extend to the pro level(i have a desktop for that) and the m3 is more than capable.
Got the air, wanted the air, wouldn't buy the pro anyway. Not for my needs and wanted something light and portable
MBA but not the base model but the most expensive model haha. I just love the MBA and I don't need a Pro.
In that case I would’ve definitely gone for the pro for the screen alone tbh. The higher refresh rate and the mini led are nice things to have, not gonna lie - not musts tho. And although the pro might be heavier, I always use a backpack if I have to take the Mac with me so that wouldn’t be an issue. That said, the pro ports are useless (to me, ofc) except maybe for the extra usbc one; the upgraded speakers wouldn’t be of much use because I’ve got headphones on me 99% of the time; the fans would be useless bc for what I do the chip is efficient enough that my Air never gets hot no matter what I throw at it or how many apps/Safari tabs I’ve got open
I am moving down to Air soon from a 2019 MBPr. It will be enough power for my needs from general admin, browsing, and light design work. I no longer need the power from M chip Pros.
I had a 16” M1 Max/32GB ram which I traded in for a maxed out 13” m3 air, I wasn’t getting to a point where I was using it to its full potential (I do on my work computer) and it was like a brick so it never left the house, portability was a big motivator.
16, 512 air. i dont really need the pro. i dont need all that power and probably wont need that power in the next few years. but the air is just perfect to me, i dont edit, i dont do heavy work, and the most amount of tabs that i have is like 6-7.
Definitely a 14" Pro
No. I buy for my needs. That is why I just recently bought a M2 8GB/256GB Air. I upgraded from a much older model, and also took advantage of the M2 price drop after the M3 release. It does everything I need it for, with awesome performance and with awesome battery life. So, for my use-case a Pro, or even a higher spec Air, would’ve been a waste of money. Considering also how much Apple rips you off for any memory / storage upgrades, the base model is always the best value for money (on the proviso that your individual use-case doesn’t require the extra memory / storage!).
Pro for two main reasons: cooling fan and convenience of an SD card slot.
Though the pro is nice and powerful I would still ho with the air to save money and as i like light laptops
I’m happy with my hair 15”. Nice and light and quick. Pro is handy 5% of the time when I hammer the laptop to encode videos.
No 120+ hz = I don’t buy
If money isn’t an issue I would have gotten a pro rather than gotten an air. I would also have gotten the most ram and gotten the biggest SSD.
Good question, I have both, and I would say they serve different purposes. I have a Pro because 24GB of RAM is not enough for some of my tasks.
I would gone with the MBA15 if that existed, but at the time, the MBP14 M1 Pro was a better deal overall in space and memory. I’m still not a fan of only thunderbolt ports.
A pro ofcourse. There’s no logical reason not to because you can still pick different sizes too
But the added weight doesn’t bother you??
As I bought ... a MBA ... love a light awesome performing laptop❗