MacBook Air 13" vs 15" as a secondary MacBook

[dgdosen]

The idea of dual laptops shows how much people would probably flock to picking up a 12" 2lb Apple Silicon laptop.

That product would be the kind of product Jony Ive would excel at designing. I'd start with that old MacBook and go from there.

 

[3SQ Machine]

Was going through this debate for months. Same situation—16 M1 Pro replaced my iMac for studio work and has been exceptional. But—not the best for every travel situation.

Test drive an air before you decide. The form is great, but lack of ports, slightly worse screen, etc. can be a bit jarring to those of us spoiled by the 16”. So, thanks to the wicked discounts, I splurged on a 14” M3 Pro MBP 1TB 12 core model. the balance of form/power is just about perfect. Personally, I think the discounts on the MBP right now make it the right choice and I really prefer accessing—and handling—all the projects I can on the 16 without compromise. Only the 14” really offers that for me.

 

[MikeDr206]

The idea of dual laptops shows how much people would probably flock to picking up a 12" 2lb Apple Silicon laptop.

That product would be the kind of product Jony Ive would excel at designing. I'd start with that old MacBook and go from there.

I had the last version of the 12” MBA with the highest specs. 90% of the time it was just fine, with perhaps a little noitceable slowdown when opening things. But that other 10% of the time was excruciating. Updates took forever, for instance.

I have since upgraded to a 13“ M1 MBA, but have to admit I do miss the size and weight of the 12”. I’ve never gotten a “wow, is that small/light!” reaction with the 13” like I did with the 12”.

That said, as a supplemental machine (to a Mac Mini M2 Pro, as opposed to an MBP as with OP), I‘m thinking of switching it out for a 15” to get a bigger screen. Only thing holding me back is the decreased portability (because, physics).

 

[prospervic]

……I realized I didn't need to do any heavy lifting while traveling, that I'd like to save some weight, and that I'd rather not travel around with such an expensive computer (though it has gone down in value since). So I got an M1 MacBook Air as my travel computer (base storage but 16GB of RAM) and it's been awesome. I take it everywhere instead of my 14-inch and it's much nicer to travel with a lighter, less expensive machine.…..

Another point for the OP to consider is that the 16 inch MBP does not fit in most hotel safes, while the 13 inch MBA does.

 

[jouster]

My 13 inch M2 Air is, in many ways, the best computer I've ever had. It is light, small, thin, and the battery seems to go on forever. But my computing needs are minimal. I am able to get a browser window and Messages open at the same time, which suits my general usage. When I need other apps--Pages, Numbers, Zoom, FaceTime etc.--I just use Expose to switch.

That said, if I already owned a 16 inch Pro, I do not think I would find value in buying an entirely new laptop just because it was smaller. So, in your situation I would get neither the 13 or 15 inch Air. I would just carry the Pro around and put up with the extra weight--we're only talking a couple of pounds. And it brings with it many advantages: bigger and better screen, much more compute etc.

 

[Torty]

iPad or I would use the existing 16”.

 

[prospervic]

That said, if I already owned a 16 inch Pro, I do not think I would find value in buying an entirely new laptop just because it was smaller. So, in your situation I would get neither the 13 or 15 inch Air. I would just carry the Pro around and put up with the extra weight--we're only talking a couple of pounds. And it brings with it many advantages: bigger and better screen, much more compute etc.

 

[prospervic]

I used to think the same thing, until I actually started carrying around my 16 inch MacBook Pro on day outings. Let me tell you, while on paper it’s only 2 pounds heavier than an MBA, after a couple of hours it begins to feel like toting a bowling ball (especially if you’re not driving but using transit to get around).

I fully concur with the OP’s desire to get a secondary MacBook Air. I’m planning to do the same myself, and you can save significant money by picking up an Apple Certified Refurbished model.

 

[jouster]

I used to think the same thing, until I actually started carrying around my 16 inch MacBook Pro on day outings. Let me tell you, while on paper it’s only 2 pounds heavier than an MBA, after a couple of hours it begins to feel like toting a bowling ball (especially if you’re not driving but using transit to get around).

I fully concur with the OP’s desire to get a secondary MacBook Air. I’m planning to do the same myself, and you can save significant money by picking up an Apple Certified Refurbished model.

To each their own--enjoy your secondary Air! If I were going that route, I'd probably go with the M1 Best Buy/Walmart options--such good value as well as being thin and light. But then I don't need much computing power or storage. I schlepped a Titanium PowerBook G4 around campus back in the day and I never thought of it as heavy.

 

[ascender]

I totally get the appeal of having different laptop sizes if you can afford and/or justify it.

A lot of my work is done via web versions of apps now, so I'm sometimes able to just take an 11" iPad Pro with me to get stuff done on the move. With a keyboard folio its a nice compact setup.

I'm a sucker for a small-form laptop though. I loved my 12" MacBook and I'm sure I'd buy one again in a flash, but having seen the 13" Air, I don't know how much more compact they could make it without compromising screen size etc for not much gain over that 13".

 

[theorist9]

Apple could make an 11" MacBook. And AS would obviously be perfect for it--they could get small size and weight without giving up performance. It would be, by far, the most performant ultrabook. But would it generate enough added sales to make it profitable for Apple? IDK.

 

[Zest28]

I have the 16” M1 Max MacBook Pro + 13” M2 MacBook Air + 12.9 M1 iPad Pro.

If I am honest, I would suggest going for a M2 iPad Pro because you are buying something different.

Do you really want to buy the same computer twice, except being a downgrade at pretty much everything? Atleast the iPad will give you a different experience.

 

[za9ra22]

Apple could make an 11" MacBook. And AS would obviously be perfect for it--they could get small size and weight without giving up performance. It would be, by far, the most performant ultrabook. But would it generate enough added sales to make it profitable for Apple? IDK.

There's a specific thread under way discussing this very point at https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...ith-apple-silicon-a-2024-prespective.2416898/

 

[prospervic]

To each their own--enjoy your secondary Air! If I were going that route, I'd probably go with the M1 Best Buy/Walmart options--such good value as well as being thin and light. But then I don't need much computing power or storage. I schlepped a Titanium PowerBook G4 around campus back in the day and I never thought of it as heavy.

Glad that worked for you. But remember, it’s not just about weight. The sheer physical size of the 16 inch MacBook Pro makes it difficult to use on small coffee shop tables and near impossible coach class seat back tables.

But I’m in no rush. I only occasionally take my MacBook Pro around thanks to my 12.9 iPad Pro. I’m waiting until WWDC to find out if Apple has added any more of the functionality I need (no, not macOS) to ipadOS so I don’t have to buy a small MacBook to carry around.

 

[ZipZap]

Having used the 13 and now the 15, the extra screen space makes the device easier to use.

 

[JustAnExpat]

what do you use your computer for/

 

[profH]

theres no easy answer to this question. 13 -seems- obvious like many said, but in practice the 15 is just so much more usable for a negligible weight increase. I find myself opting for the 15 when I expect real work and an 11 ipad Pro when I don’t; even knowing it will be a bit of a squeeze on the plane. when I do have the 13 I often wish I had the 15, but when I have the 15 I never wish I’d lugged along the 16 MBP.

 

[prospervic]

theres no easy answer to this question. 13 -seems- obvious like many said, but in practice the 15 is just so much more usable for a negligible weight increase. I find myself opting for the 15 when I expect real work and an 11 ipad Pro when I don’t; even knowing it will be a bit of a squeeze on the plane. when I do have the 13 I often wish I had the 15, but when I have the 15 I never wish I’d lugged along the 16 MBP.

Very good point. Last time I owned a 13 inch MBP I was often frustrated by having to constantly scroll to work on a webpage layout. That's what made me jump to a 16 inch in the first place. I'm thinking I can tolerate the small screen for coffee shop work and traveling, but I might just be kidding myself.

I might go for a 15 inch base model, which is all I'll need for occasional use. Since there have been several online retailers having $999 sales it won't feel like an extravagant purchase.