Intel MacBook air 2020 or 2018 MacBook pro?

[chssvl1]

I am considering (finally) upgrading my trusty 2011 21.5 inch iMac i5. Obvious choice would be to get a newer iMac, but I think I’d like to have the portability every now and then, even if it will spend the bulk of the time at the desk. Also, I can get a 27” 4K screen to use it with.

I use it mostly for work, which means lots of Teams/zoom video calls, MS office and browsing - all at the same time. I do use very large and complex excel files with macros every now and then, but that’s likely to be the most intensive type of use. No gaming or video editing apps.

I would go for 1Tb of storage as I have lots of stuff and 16GB of RAM as I do lots of multi-tasking (current iMac has 20GB).

Given my budget, I was going to get a second-hand i5 2018 macbook pro. However, I saw that a 2020 i5 or even an i7 macbook air seems to be at the same price level (second hand as well). Geekbench results are not that different (don’t think it matters much for what I do anyway) and I’d imagine I’d get two more years of OS upgrades, plus it would be a newer laptop.

Am I missing an obvious reason to go for the older pro?

 

[synicalx1]

The older MBP might end up needing a new battery pretty soon, can't remember exactly what generation/year but some MBP's have a terrible track record of getting swollen batteries after a few years. Video calls should be fine that - that's probably your most demanding task I'd say.

On the other hand I can tell you for a fact, as I used to own one, the i5 (and presumably i7) MBA's from last year don't deal with larger video calls very well at all. My i5 would start dropping frames once a Meet or Zoom call hit 6 or so participants with video and the fan would be making a fair bit of noise. You could turn video off but that kind of defeats the purpose of video calls I guess.

If you can stretch your budget a little further, or perhaps find one on the Apple Refurb store for your region, one of the newer M1 based Air's would be a great choice for you IMO. They don't seem to even break a sweat with larger calls and will easily handle your other tasks (including Office/Excel). Your old Mac might still be worth a bit via trade in with Apple as well, definitely worth checking out as it would certainly be more than it's resale value at that age.

 

[Yebubbleman]

I am considering (finally) upgrading my trusty 2011 21.5 inch iMac i5. Obvious choice would be to get a newer iMac, but I think I’d like to have the portability every now and then, even if it will spend the bulk of the time at the desk. Also, I can get a 27” 4K screen to use it with.

I use it mostly for work, which means lots of Teams/zoom video calls, MS office and browsing - all at the same time. I do use very large and complex excel files with macros every now and then, but that’s likely to be the most intensive type of use. No gaming or video editing apps.

I would go for 1Tb of storage as I have lots of stuff and 16GB of RAM as I do lots of multi-tasking (current iMac has 20GB).

Given my budget, I was going to get a second-hand i5 2018 macbook pro. However, I saw that a 2020 i5 or even an i7 macbook air seems to be at the same price level (second hand as well). Geekbench results are not that different (don’t think it matters much for what I do anyway) and I’d imagine I’d get two more years of OS upgrades, plus it would be a newer laptop.

Am I missing an obvious reason to go for the older pro?

Both options are terrible. The 2018 MacBook Pros have the dreaded butterfly keyboard and the 2020 Intel Airs, like the 2018 and 2019 Airs before them, have really poor cooling and get warm (and begin to thermally throttle) very easily. Rather than looking for an i5 or i7 2020 Air, I might try to throw just a little bit more money and go for a 2020 Intel 2-port 13" MacBook Pro. No butterfly keyboard, and the thermal system is actually adequate. Plus an i5 version of that Mac will easily outperform an i7 version of the 2020 Intel Air (and probably be of a similar price too).

 

[Falhófnir]

I agree with @synicalx1 any previous Intel machine from 2018-2020 is likely to prove a false economy over going with the M1 Air. Look at Apple's refurbished site to see if you can get a 1TB at a discount, or wait and save a bit more money towards it. With a 1TB/16GB Intel machine you're probably going to be looking at upgrading again in a few years, the M1 Air could last you 7-9 with the latest OS updates quite easily.

 

[synicalx1]

Both options are terrible. The 2018 MacBook Pros have the dreaded butterfly keyboard ...

Oh damn I forgot all about those! Definitely a strong "avoid" at this stage then.

I work in an office full of those and there's an Apple tech here at least once a week swapping one of those keyboards out with one of the newer revisions. The replacement ones seem ok but you'd have no way of knowing if a secondhand MBP actually has one of the newer versions or the OG butterfly keyboard in it.

 

[chssvl1]

Thanks! Very useful advice. I have checked my local apple refurbished store (UK) and unfortunately there are no M1 1TB/16GB options, or at least not the last time I checked.

On the MBP keyboard/battery issue, one of the MBPs I’m looking at had both the battery and keyboard recently replaced (apparently by apple) and comes with a one year warranty (independent seller, 100% reputation on eBay). Not sure if the fact that these items have recently been replaced means that it now has more reliable versions.

Also, I expect to use it most of the time plugged in and used with a laptop stand, external monitor and external keyboard and mouse. However, from what I hear the MBA will definitely not be up to spec for what I need.

[correction - there is one M1 MBA with those specs in the apple refurbished store but it’s about 40% more expensive than the two options I was looking at. Also, my imac’s trade-in value is about 1/2 what I can get for it on eBay]

 

[Yebubbleman]

Oh damn I forgot all about those! Definitely a strong "avoid" at this stage then.

I work in an office full of those and there's an Apple tech here at least once a week swapping one of those keyboards out with one of the newer revisions. The replacement ones seem ok but you'd have no way of knowing if a secondhand MBP actually has one of the newer versions or the OG butterfly keyboard in it.

Even the last generation of the butterfly keyboard is still prone to failure.

 

[Fishrrman]

DON'T BUY a 2018 MacBook Pro.
It's got the disastrous butterfly keyboard.
That's going to give you EXPENSIVE trouble in the years ahead.
Don't buy ANY MBP with a butterfly keyboard!

I'm not a MacBook Air fan, either.

If you want Intel, get the 2020 MacBook Pro 13".
If you want m1, get the MacBook Pro 13" with the m1 inside (4-port model).

If it's REALLY going to be "sitting on a desk" most of the time, I'd consider another iMac or perhaps a Mini instead.

After all, they are "desktop" computers.

 

[chssvl1]

I agree with @synicalx1 any previous Intel machine from 2018-2020 is likely to prove a false economy over going with the M1 Air. Look at Apple's refurbished site to see if you can get a 1TB at a discount, or wait and save a bit more money towards it. With a 1TB/16GB Intel machine you're probably going to be looking at upgrading again in a few years, the M1 Air could last you 7-9 with the latest OS updates quite easily.

This has really got me thinking about the M1 MBA. It is quite a bit more expensive, but I am looking at something that will last for the next 7-9 years (ideally 10 like my current iMac).

I've been reading the reviews on the M1 about how it blows every intel mac out of the water and how the MBA and MBP have relatively similar performance (at least for non-power users like myself)

Comes back to the cost, though. Could go for 8GB and I've read the comments about M1 macs actually performing like 16 GB intel macs, but looking 7-9 years ahead I do wonder if this will still be the case and with no chance of upgrading...

Fishrrman, yes, did consider just going for another iMac, but I do sometimes like the portability of the laptop. I do have to carry the iMac around the house a couple of times a week and then if I want to work away from my desk I have to pull out the **** windows laptop that my employer provided.

 

[excalibur313]

I just got an 8GB 2020 macbook air after my 15" 16GB 2017 macbook pro died. The air definitely feels zippier even without the active cooling and the battery life and keyboards are amazing. I do fullstack dev and compiling with docker and node feels faster even using the cheapest air. It also runs diablo 3 like a champ too, its really a nice little computer.

 

[chssvl1]

So, a decision has been made and I thought it was only right that I give an update for those who are in the same conundrum and want to use it for future reference.

I had pretty much decided to go for the M1 MBA. However, as the 1 TB 16 GB refurbished model was around £1380 (i.e. ca. USD 1900), the only sensible course of action seemed to be to wait until I went to the US (or someone from there came to visit) and get one from the US Apple store, where it was USD 1380 (plus tax). However, with current travel restrictions who knows when that will happen.

Also briefly considered maybe doing the 8GB version and/or the 512 GB version (as my total HDD usage at present is just under 500 GB), but was concerned about the future-proofing.

So, decided to reconsider again and I managed to find on eBay a used 2020 four port Macbook Pro with 16 GB of RAM and 1 TB of HDD and the 2 GHz i5 processor in absolutely immaculate condition and even a few weeks of apple warranty left for just over £1,000 (including shipping). So far very happy with it, but time will tell how much longevity it has.

Thanks again for all the advice! Had I not asked here I think I would have definitely gone for the 2018 MBP I mentioned early on and I would probably be learning about butterfly keyboards the hard way!

 

[Silencio]

So you got the 2020 13" MacBook Pro with 4x Thunderbolt ports?

Those are still very nice systems. They have the new keyboard and I found performance of the quad-core i5 processor in that model to be very good. I think you made a good choice.