Should I keep M1 Pro 14inch or M1 Air?

[Toycrane320]

I’m really confused and need your help! I had a Macbook Pro 15inch which was my main computer and i spilled liquid on it and it could not be saved :’( i should have been careful. I now need a new laptop and was able to get M1 Pro 14inch £1,899 16GB 512SSD. I was able to get student discount at the time which meant that by paying £8 more i also got a £120 gift card and 3 yrs Apple Care. I also got the M1 Air for £1,399 but no student discount. This one is also 16GB 512SSD. I really don’t know which device to keep. My main uses are generally browsing, neflix/youtube, connecting to tv, outlook365, zoom. I do a bit of photo and video editing but i’m only a beginner. The Pro has a bigger screen and nice to look at ofcourse, it also feels more sturdy. But the Air has no fans and is portable, easier to type. Which device should i keep? Is it worth just saving £500 and returning the M1 Pro 14inch?

 

[Sheepish-Lord]

Try to find the 14" at an even cheaper price. They are routinely $400-500 off on Amazon, Best Buy, and other US retailers multiple times a year so I have no doubt they will be around the holidays. Not sure where you live exactly but I would like to think you could get a similar deal.

 

[Queen6]

If you don't need the 14" MBP's additional performance and screen size, go with the M1 Air as they are plenty fast enough. If money is of no concern and you like the 14" keep it. Given your questioning the cost the M1 Air seems to be the safer bet.

Q-6

 

[tstafford]

If you don't need the 14" MBP's additional performance and screen size, go with the M1 Air as they are plenty fast enough. If money is of no concern and you like the 14" keep it. Given your questioning the cost the M1 Air seems to be the safer bet.

Q-6

I agree with this. Unless you have a specific need that only the MBP can accommodate, I'd say save the $$$. That said, I'm not giving up mine!

 

[darkanddivine]

My main uses are generally browsing, neflix/youtube, connecting to tv, outlook365, zoom. I do a bit of photo and video editing but i’m only a beginner.

If you were to stick with the first part of this list, it would make absolute sense to save your money and use the Air. And if your photo/video editing is loosely in the “hobbyist” category, you could try and stick there. But if you feel that you want to get serious about video editing specifically you might want to consider the Pro, purely as a longer term investment and a little more headroom on the performance side. Many people say the M1 Air surpasses expectations so your experience of both machines is key to the decision, along with projecting your intended use.

 

[Technerd108]

The M1 14" is so much better than the M1 Air in every way. You got the student discount and gift card. If you return the 14" they will subtract the gift card balance from your refund so keep that in mind. I think the better processor, brighter screen, better speakers, MagSafe, more ports are all worth the extra cost. The newer design is also a plus.

Considering you are just starting to get into video/photo editing and maybe get into it more then the Pro will serve you much better. Also you have 3 years of Apple Care on the Pro so if you have another accident like spilling liquids you are covered which you don't have on the air.

Adding all of this up get rid of the air and keep the 14". I think there are too many reasons it makes more sense. Factor in inflation in the future and I think the $500 is well spent. The 14" looks newer as well so keeping it longer it will age better.

 

[Love-hate 🍏 relationship]

The M1 14" is so much better than the M1 Air in every way. You got the student discount and gift card. If you return the 14" they will subtract the gift card balance from your refund so keep that in mind. I think the better processor, brighter screen, better speakers, MagSafe, more ports are all worth the extra cost. The newer design is also a plus.

Considering you are just starting to get into video/photo editing and maybe get into it more then the Pro will serve you much better. Also you have 3 years of Apple Care on the Pro so if you have another accident like spilling liquids you are covered which you don't have on the air.

Adding all of this up get rid of the air and keep the 14". I think there are too many reasons it makes more sense. Factor in inflation in the future and I think the $500 is well spent. The 14" looks newer as well so keeping it longer it will age better.

how about battery ?

 

[Technerd108]

I never had an M1 air so I have no idea. I did have an M1 Pro 13” and the battery life was really good. Between the 14” and 13” Pro the 13” was definitely better. It has been so long since I had the 13” Pro it would be hard to say but at least 30-50% better. The 14” has the worst battery between the M1 14” and 16”. The 16” M1 Pro base model having the best battery of the newer Pros. The M1 max is even worse yet. Having a 14” M1 max I would not recommend unless you need the extra GPU and want it in the smallest form factor. Comparing to Intel all the M series laptops are better but the 14” M1 Max under a heavy load can drain in 4-6 hours, the Pro might get 6-8 under heavy load.

If I had to guess the M1 air would be better for battery life over the M1 Pro 14” but probably not such a huge margin that it would negate the many advantages of the 14”. I would personally still buy the 14” M1 Pro over the M1 air every time. Since this is a comparison between the M1 air and M1 14” and the person already bought them and had a discount and warranty on the 14” it is just the better choice in every way except maybe battery.

 

[McScooby]

I’m really confused and need your help! I had a Macbook Pro 15inch which was my main computer and i spilled liquid on it and it could not be saved :’( i should have been careful. I now need a new laptop and was able to get M1 Pro 14inch £1,899 16GB 512SSD. I was able to get student discount at the time which meant that by paying £8 more i also got a £120 gift card and 3 yrs Apple Care. I also got the M1 Air for £1,399 but no student discount. This one is also 16GB 512SSD. I really don’t know which device to keep. My main uses are generally browsing, neflix/youtube, connecting to tv, outlook365, zoom. I do a bit of photo and video editing but i’m only a beginner. The Pro has a bigger screen and nice to look at ofcourse, it also feels more sturdy. But the Air has no fans and is portable, easier to type. Which device should i keep? Is it worth just saving £500 and returning the M1 Pro 14inch?

My take would be without a doubt. Keep the air as an interim & punt it when a newer model in the Pro lineup appears (be that M2/3 Pro). You can use the £500 saved combined with the resale of the Air (which you'd probably sell for £750/800sih) to keep up to date whilst at the same time staying current. That said, if you're accident prone, keep the one that has Applecare+ if the Pro has it and the Air doesn't.

Then there's this thread - https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/mba-m1-vs-mbp-14-vs-mbp-16-battery-life.2365086/

 

[Queen6]

I never had an M1 air so I have no idea. I did have an M1 Pro 13” and the battery life was really good. Between the 14” and 13” Pro the 13” was definitely better. It has been so long since I had the 13” Pro it would be hard to say but at least 30-50% better. The 14” has the worst battery between the M1 14” and 16”. The 16” M1 Pro base model having the best battery of the newer Pros. The M1 max is even worse yet. Having a 14” M1 max I would not recommend unless you need the extra GPU and want it in the smallest form factor. Comparing to Intel all the M series laptops are better but the 14” M1 Max under a heavy load can drain in 4-6 hours, the Pro might get 6-8 under heavy load.

If I had to guess the M1 air would be better for battery life over the M1 Pro 14” but probably not such a huge margin that it would negate the many advantages of the 14”. I would personally still buy the 14” M1 Pro over the M1 air every time. Since this is a comparison between the M1 air and M1 14” and the person already bought them and had a discount and warranty on the 14” it is just the better choice in every way except maybe battery.

13" Pro here, for the Battey life. If you need to run the computer off the mains this is the number one priority. The 14" has a lot to offer, equally if the battery runs dry...

Apple's 13" MBP has always been a champion for battery life and one of the reasons it sells so well. I once squeezed 11 hours out of a 2014 13" MBP (rated for 9 hours). The MBP shutdown seconds after I hit send at the airport. That single click more than paid for the MBP, hence why I value battery life so highly. You never know until you need it.

I like the 14" MBP very much, but it needs to be in the 15-hour range (wireless) to entice me to purchase. The 16" is too big to travel with internationally as won't fit into majority of hotel room safes, nor does it beat the 13" on wireless.

If battery life is the prime factor the 13" MBP is the best option as it has the longest runtime off the mains. The 14" has a lot to offer but it's likely to have only half the runtime of the 13"

13" M1 MBP detailed review

13" M1 Air Detailed review

14" M1 MBP detailed review

The numbers speak for themselves, these guys go into a lot of detail with no bias. I easy see these number and more on the 13" MBP likely as I don't push the brightness more than I need.

Q-6

 

[Fishrrman]

Keep the MBP 14".