Sorry in advance if this the millionth time that this has been asked. Up until Monday I had been exclusively eyeing the 15" M2 (16GB+512GB) but after the announcement, I'm at least considering the MBP M3. At the moment, Best Buy has the 15" M2 for $1,499 or I can use the Apple EDU store to get the MBP M3 with the same RAM/SSD configuration for $1,679. My workload is largely browser-based (Typically 2 instances of a browser, with 10-15 tabs open on average), some 3D modeling/slicing from time to time. About 70% of its usage, it'll be connected to an external display (at work) and 30% for at home usage, so I'm not sure if having a larger display in the 15" MBA or having a better displays in the 14" MBP necessarily matters either way. Hoping to get about 4 years of usage out of it. My question is, for fairly moderate usage, would it be worth spending the additional $179 for the MBP over the MBA? TYIA
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Buying advice: 15" MacBook Air M2 vs 14" Macbook Pro M3
- Thread starter expansiveclock965
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Performance wise they're going to be quite similar as the gains from M2 to M3 are pretty modest overall, so that leaves display size/quality and I/O as the primary deciding factors. 120Hz, mini-LED and an HDMI port that can support an external monitor at 4K/120Hz (without needing an adapter or Windows mod) is indeed worth the extra $179 to me.
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Thanks! My monitor at work is a very simple 1080p ultrawide that I mainly just use for browser/Excel at the most and I'm currently using a USB C dock to quickly connect mouse/keyboard/monitor to my current laptop. I haven't found an absolutely compelling reason to go MBP yet and I'm thinking of still sticking with the original idea of the 15" MBA
I was thinking about getting the MacBook Air as well but I‘ve decided to save a little more for the Pro instead because of the display.
Either would be fine for your workflow, though for 12% more you might consider the Pro for the following reasons:
- sharper text for browsing
- better GPU for 3d work and multiple display support
- longer battery life
Depending how intense your 3d modeling is, the active cooling in the Pro would also help maintain sustained performance.
Plus, $179 amortized over 4 years is 12 cents a day so you may consider not letting the price delta sway you too much.
- sharper text for browsing
- better GPU for 3d work and multiple display support
- longer battery life
Depending how intense your 3d modeling is, the active cooling in the Pro would also help maintain sustained performance.
Plus, $179 amortized over 4 years is 12 cents a day so you may consider not letting the price delta sway you too much.
should factor in that 15 air in the states has gone on sale a number of times I think for as low as 999
think it will be awhile before the m3 14 pro gets sales anywhere near as proportionally deep
but if paying MSRP, I think M2 14 Pro is the move honestly.. even loving my 15 MBA for reasons stated above.
still, that extra screen real estate is lux. and lack of chonk. depends on your needs I feel like and budget as with most things
think it will be awhile before the m3 14 pro gets sales anywhere near as proportionally deep
but if paying MSRP, I think M2 14 Pro is the move honestly.. even loving my 15 MBA for reasons stated above.
still, that extra screen real estate is lux. and lack of chonk. depends on your needs I feel like and budget as with most things
The deal that OP is seeing, that 16GB 512GB 15" deal at BB is not a normal happening. It is a BTO where close to no one will stock, let alone giving a discount. And even with that price, it is edging too close to the current Apple Refurb price of M2 Pro 14" base. A marginal price difference but you are getting quite a lot more hardware-wise in the 14".
But yes, if someone values that extra 1", and a quite significant thinness, then that 15" deal is decent, especially considering its 16GB 512GB config which is again just rare.
But yes, if someone values that extra 1", and a quite significant thinness, then that 15" deal is decent, especially considering its 16GB 512GB config which is again just rare.
This is precisely my same situation, with similar use for my laptop (mainly connected to monitor with browser based and Microsoft 365/Zoom systems.
I was waiting on the 15" until I saw the M3 announcement. Not as big of an upgrade as I expected so I am torn between the M2 15" with 16gb/512gb ($1579 edu pricing) and the M3 14" with 16gb/512gb ($1679).
I am also considering keeping an eye out for M2 14" sales (currently $1599 Apple refurbished). Without a major difference between M2 and M3, perhaps I can score a M2 MBP for cheaper than either of the above options, meaning I don't give up the extra USB-C port.
I need to spend some time with both to see which screen I prefer. My eyesight has been getting worse the last few years and I now use reading glasses. I mainly use an attached monitor and don't always need my glasses. I can't even use my current 13" when I don't have my glasses on. So I assume the 15" will allow me larger text in order to not rely on glasses and/or monitor. And the 14" isn't that much bigger than my current 13", though perhaps the improved display will help.
Would love to hear any other thoughts or suggestions for those looking in this Apple space without the need for heavy Pro power.
I was waiting on the 15" until I saw the M3 announcement. Not as big of an upgrade as I expected so I am torn between the M2 15" with 16gb/512gb ($1579 edu pricing) and the M3 14" with 16gb/512gb ($1679).
I am also considering keeping an eye out for M2 14" sales (currently $1599 Apple refurbished). Without a major difference between M2 and M3, perhaps I can score a M2 MBP for cheaper than either of the above options, meaning I don't give up the extra USB-C port.
I need to spend some time with both to see which screen I prefer. My eyesight has been getting worse the last few years and I now use reading glasses. I mainly use an attached monitor and don't always need my glasses. I can't even use my current 13" when I don't have my glasses on. So I assume the 15" will allow me larger text in order to not rely on glasses and/or monitor. And the 14" isn't that much bigger than my current 13", though perhaps the improved display will help.
Would love to hear any other thoughts or suggestions for those looking in this Apple space without the need for heavy Pro power.
If screen real estate is a priority then you have no choice but to look at 15", or even a refurb 16" M1 Pro. The diagonal inch sizes sound like they scale linearly but it doesn't the screen is 2D and the screen area is square product in terms of pixel count. The UI elements when scaled down, meaning the text looks larger but on the 13" 14" the width of the screen is barely enough. It will looks like a MacBook pre-retina, like the older MacBook Air or the unibody MBP.
That said, with an edu discount at hand, usually it is more worthy to buy new models from Apple since it is the time when you don't get discounts elsewhere. A base M3 Pro 14" with edu price is a pretty good deal for what you get. I'd suggest against upgrading the base 14" to 16GB though due to its poor value, unless you really need the battery life.
Also to complicate matters more, with the M3 chip present, we can see the 15" getting it also any point in the coming months. At that point you will get a even more ideal laptop for your case since it has that extra 1", more modern processor, great battery efficiency as with the current M3 14" base, and it may even be the next Back to school promo where you get free gift card / AirPods.
I can't speak for the 14 M3, but when I was looking a few months ago, and checking them out in the store, the 14 was just too small for my old eyes. While the 16 was better, it wasn't better enough to justify the extra costs. Since I don't watch many movies or videos, I wasn't concerned with the extra capabilities of the pro over the air.
In my opinion, and my use cases, the only advantage of an M3 over an M2 would be years down the road and the M2 stops being supported while the M3 is still getting updates. I decided that the extra year or two of OS updates wasn't worth the additional cost. But that's me and my use case.
In my opinion, and my use cases, the only advantage of an M3 over an M2 would be years down the road and the M2 stops being supported while the M3 is still getting updates. I decided that the extra year or two of OS updates wasn't worth the additional cost. But that's me and my use case.
I'm upgrading in this way. Apple will give me almost $900 for my Air.
I like to keep these up to date. It's expensive but I always notice the improvements, and in this case the downside (weight) which doesn't bother me. I will get the one with 3 ports and 12 cores. I figure it's a rather serious uptick in ability. One goal is to run Parallels so well that it's completely transparent. Actually, it's been that way for a while now, but there's alway room for improvement. My Boot Camp days are long gone. Oo-Rah
I like to keep these up to date. It's expensive but I always notice the improvements, and in this case the downside (weight) which doesn't bother me. I will get the one with 3 ports and 12 cores. I figure it's a rather serious uptick in ability. One goal is to run Parallels so well that it's completely transparent. Actually, it's been that way for a while now, but there's alway room for improvement. My Boot Camp days are long gone. Oo-Rah
Note that I live in Thailand.
The 15" MBA 16/512 is 61,900 Thai Baht or about US$1734
The 14" M3 MBP 16/512 is 66,900 Thai Baht or about US$1874
I had been planning to replace my M1 MBA (8/256) with a 15" M2 MBA, but for US$140 more it seems I'm getting a much better machine; more than $140 worth. Yeah, smaller screen and heavier, but what am I not considering here?
The 15" MBA 16/512 is 61,900 Thai Baht or about US$1734
The 14" M3 MBP 16/512 is 66,900 Thai Baht or about US$1874
I had been planning to replace my M1 MBA (8/256) with a 15" M2 MBA, but for US$140 more it seems I'm getting a much better machine; more than $140 worth. Yeah, smaller screen and heavier, but what am I not considering here?
I would go for the M3 14”. The difference is only 1” less screen space and around 50g heavier. But the display quality is much better, better speakers and cooling system. I was planning to buy M2 15” when it was released to get more portability than my M1P 16”, but ended up with a M1P 14”.
Yeah, my thinking, exactly. I just want to make sure I'm not missing something obvious.
Did you get the base model or buy more RAM/Storage?
I would highly recommend the 14" Pro for its screen and speaker quality.
I have both of these computers - 14” M2Pro for work (16/512) and 15” M2 for home (16/1TB). The extra 1” of screen is really significant and the speakers on the 15” Air are great. I much prefer the form factor of the Air and the performance is more than adequate. If I had to choose I’d pick the 15” Air.
Interesting. I've never been a laptop fan, but found that I can no longer sit at a desk for very long without back pain. I bought the M1 base model as an experiment to see what I could do with a laptop while sitting on the floor. Turns out, pretty much everything. I now sit at the old (2017) Intel iMac only when I need a larger screen or a real keyboard.
Whatever I buy the M1 MBA will take over from a 2010 White (heavy) MacBook that I keep at my condo.
You get: extra battery, a much better screen (also it doesn't matter that it's smaller, you can scale it due to the higher PPI), two extra ports, and active cooling, and the 15-20% better chip. Each of those individually, I think, isn't worth it, but together they make it a no-brainer.
I have the 15 MBA and I'm considering upgrading but I'm leaning toward keeping the Air. The price differential is too much to justify better speakers, extra processor speed (I won't use), and a better display. A minor plus for the Air is the keyboard. I find the 15 way better to type on.
if you prefer 15" and slimmer to 14" and chonkier, I don't think the value proposition or an M3 chip being dropped in will transform your opinion of the form factor of the MBP all of a sudden.. IMO
This is a tough one! I'm lucky enough to have a 14" M1 Pro for work and a 15" M2 Air for casual computing. Both are awesome.
Overall, the M3 would be my choice for your situation. It's newer, has better I/O, and a better display. That adds up to $179 in value all day long.
For similar money, you might want to consider a 14" M2Pro refurb or sale prices. It will be as good as (and in some situations better) than the 14" M3. They come with 16GB/512GB in standard spec.
Overall, the M3 would be my choice for your situation. It's newer, has better I/O, and a better display. That adds up to $179 in value all day long.
For similar money, you might want to consider a 14" M2Pro refurb or sale prices. It will be as good as (and in some situations better) than the 14" M3. They come with 16GB/512GB in standard spec.
Refurbished Mac - 14-inch - MacBook Pro
Save up to 15% on a refurbished MacBook Pro. Tested and certified by Apple including a 1-year warranty. Free delivery and returns.
www.apple.com
On a related note... I wonder how my 15" MBA 16gb/1tb would stack up against the 14" MBP 8gb/1tb. I know Apple is ripping everyone off with the base 8gb model and yes I know Apple wants to force everyone to upgrade to 16gb... but from a performance perspective I'm curious how these would compare.
I also have the 15" Air. The M3 MBP is, objectively, a great machine but I will stick with the MBA. Why?
- Every inch of screen size matters for me.
- Given the big screen, the MBA is really light which I like.
- I don't need much power and therefore no cooling. In fact, I like the fanless design very much. It doesn't get hot.
- I also don't need the ports.
- I got the maxed out RAM with 24 GB and this seems, according to the activity monitor, to be a sweet spot with nearly no swapping (in my use case).
I have the Air and I agree with most of your points. My sole interest in the M3 is the speakers and display.