Welp. Purchased the 13 inch MBA, and after watching a lot of reviews, I traded for the 15 inch MBA. I used it over the weekend, and my only complaint is the ridiculous looking empty space on each side of the keyboard. It's going back today, and I'm either getting the base 13 inch MBA ($1,049), or the 14 inch MBP, which is on sale for $1,749. I don't do video editing or any CPU intensive work. Watching videos, word processing, etc. I almost feel like the screen alone on the 14 inch MBP is worth the $700 difference, especially having 120Hz for videos and games. Can I get some help please? Or just decide for me.
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Resolved Indecisive - 13 inch M2 MBA vs 14 inch MBP
- Thread starter SwimCrane7911
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Think you have your mind made up considering you returned the two models of the MBA (which are both fantastic). Save yourself some money and buy a 14 inch M1 model that you can grab at a massive discount.
B&H tends to have massive sales, but I think they're sold out of the 14 inch base models. There's a few 16 inch models available, some of which are 30-40% off retail price. I'm sure if you do some digging around you can find the configuration you want in an M1 model much cheaper than the M2.
B&H tends to have massive sales, but I think they're sold out of the 14 inch base models. There's a few 16 inch models available, some of which are 30-40% off retail price. I'm sure if you do some digging around you can find the configuration you want in an M1 model much cheaper than the M2.
The 14 MBP is pretty heavy. I had one and sold it. It felt compromised as an ultraportable and desktop replacement. Given your use case I would go with the MBA. 120hz is nice but it hasn't bothered me going back and forth between MBA and MBP.
I have a 16 inch M1 and wanted to get a lighter notebook which I could lug around. I decided on the MacBook Air 15 because it was lighter but yet had a gorgeously large screen.
Since you mentioned games: depending on the games you want to play you're far better of with the 14" Pro anyway since it has far superior GPU performance compared to the Air. If gaming is a focus the M2 version also has an advantage over the M1. The difference in CPU performance is negligible for most use cases.
Careful there, the panel on the 14" models has very high response times, the previous M1 generation actually had such a high response time (beyond 40ms grey to grey) that it could not make use of the 120Hz. The 120Hz would be enabled but the pixels are slow to respond so you get ghosting/smearing. You can check a Youtube video of how that looks. The M2 models have around 35ms.
120Hz still feels a bit snappier than 60Hz, but you should be aware that due to the ghosting it won't look as good as on most other 120Hz monitors.
I'll bet you'd quickly get used to that. And, wouldn't even notice it after a week or two.
Given it's your only complaint, keep it! 😎 ✅ 💯
It really depends on what you use your macbook for, do you need to connect multiple external monitors and do you need the performance of the MBP? If not then it really comes down to longer battery/portability(13")/bigger screen(15") vs. mini LED+120hz screen/better speaker.
MBA is sufficient for you. If the better display and keyboard layout in 14” is worth for price difference then just get it. It’s subjective thing and only you know the best.
Caveats: don’t expect to play games in Mac. You will be disappointed.
I had the 14inch MBP M1 Pro and I think it was an excellent excellent machine. However, I didn't need ANY of the power it provided. The screen was beautiful, the speakers were awesome but it just felt so so heavy. I always found myself sort of wishing I had an MBA. I had bought it at a very good discount open box. When the prices decreased for the MBA, I bought a refurbished MBA with 16gb and 512 and I am so much happier with the MBA. I don't miss the screen or promotion. I honestly don't. The only thing I miss is the speakers. But this tells you, the m1 pro was not for me. And this could be the same for you too. But only you know.
One other thing I want to note, I don't even take my computer out of the house much. Like barely once every 6 months, if that and I still found the weight difference considerable. Just using the computer around the house and on your lap is so much easier with the Air.
One other thing I want to note, I don't even take my computer out of the house much. Like barely once every 6 months, if that and I still found the weight difference considerable. Just using the computer around the house and on your lap is so much easier with the Air.
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Thanks for all of the replies folks. I switched to the 14 M2 MBP and I love it. I traveled for work this week, and I didn't even notice it was in my bag in the airport, etc. The MBP is definitely more machine than I need, but I feel like I made the right decision. The silver and black keyboard contrast is gorgeous, the screen and speakers are amazing, and the 14 inch feels perfect for lap or desk. To each their own!
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