You don't need to do "graphic work" to appreciate the XDR display. I have a similar display on my 12.9" iPad, it is great for streaming movies. You really notice on movies with a lot of shadow detail like Sin City.
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M1 Pro 14 base vs M2 Air
- Thread starter Booji
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The 14" MBP doesn't magically lose almost a pound of weight just because it's on sale. That's not how discounts work.
True, but to be honest, the only reason to prefer the MBA2 is weight and form factor (and price, if you buy the MBA base model).
Personally I don't need the performance of the pro model, so if the MBA2 would come with a mini led display, I would prefer it too. I think a lot of casual users like me prefer the MBP14 just because of the screen. Watching videos/movies on my 14pro is even better then on my Oled Tvs.
Personally I don't need the performance of the pro model, so if the MBA2 would come with a mini led display, I would prefer it too. I think a lot of casual users like me prefer the MBP14 just because of the screen. Watching videos/movies on my 14pro is even better then on my Oled Tvs.
I’m exactly on this situation. I dont really need the power of the mbp 14 but Here in our country difference was around $200-$300 when i upgrade m2 air to 512gb/16gb so it was a no brainer to just get the mbp 14 and i just did yesterday
just for the mini led alone its worth it for me the extra $300 as i also have the ipad pro 12.9 and i know how great the screen is. The extras are just to make it sweeter like the extra ports, hdmi etc. The dimensions actually the air m2 and mbp 14 are not that far apart, even their height is just 0.5cm difference.
The weight is where u quickly notice as the mbp 14 is indeed heavier than the air m2, but that’s the only “compromise “ with going for the mbp 14 and that’s not a deal breaker for me, its negligible once you put it in a bag and get in your car… the screen though is something you see everytime you open your macbook so its mini led all the way for me… that’s why i happily went home with the mbp 14 base model
If you commute by car or your laptop doesn't really leave the house then weight difference is inconsequential. I am planning on buying a new laptop for my 12 year old daughter. Going to get her the 14" MBP because she won't be taking it to school (they don't allow personal electronic devices) and she wants to be able to develop Minecraft mods so thermals are potentially an issue.I’m exactly on this situation. I dont really need the power of the mbp 14 but Here in our country difference was around $200-$300 when i upgrade m2 air to 512gb/16gb so it was a no brainer to just get the mbp 14 and i just did yesterday
just for the mini led alone its worth it for me the extra $300 as i also have the ipad pro 12.9 and i know how great the screen is. The extras are just to make it sweeter like the extra ports, hdmi etc. The dimensions actually the air m2 and mbp 14 are not that far apart, even their height is just 0.5cm difference.
The weight is where u quickly notice as the mbp 14 is indeed heavier than the air m2, but that’s the only “compromise “ with going for the mbp 14 and that’s not a deal breaker for me, its negligible once you put it in a bag and get in your car… the screen though is something you see everytime you open your macbook so its mini led all the way for me… that’s why i happily went home with the mbp 14 base model
Selecting between base MBP 14" vs MBA M2 worries me because MBP 14" is already year old machine and probably gets replaced with M2 Pro soon making newly purchased MBP "obsolete" in a way. Also the fact that MBP 14" base is only with 8 core CPU which performance is not that much better than M2. Actually M2 is faster in single core and even in multicore the difference is well under 10% better in M1 Pro 8 core. Surely in video editing M1 Pro chip is better but for the productivity apps M1 Pro 8 core is not really improvement over M2. Since the M2 is just released it is also probably expected that it has at least 1 year longer MacOS support.
Thinking this more, it starts to look to me like now it is not the best timing trying to get the machine for long term.
I was planning to replace my Mac Mini M1 with MBP 14" base or MBA M2. I was already leaning toward MBP but now I hesitate again. I already sold my MBA M1 which I rarely used but I still consider getting a laptop but this time use it as a desktop 99% of the time.
Thinking this more, it starts to look to me like now it is not the best timing trying to get the machine for long term.
I was planning to replace my Mac Mini M1 with MBP 14" base or MBA M2. I was already leaning toward MBP but now I hesitate again. I already sold my MBA M1 which I rarely used but I still consider getting a laptop but this time use it as a desktop 99% of the time.
The M2 MBPs are probably out next year.
Since you have a desktop, and don't need a laptop specifically, you should probably just wait until next year for the M2 14" MBP.
The m1 chip took two years before it was replaced, so most likely it will take that same amount of time before apple replaces the pro line. And even if they do, it will 90% be in the same size and form and just an upgraded internal as what they did with the mbp 13 with m2. I also took that into consideration but following apple’s pattern with the m1 to m2, that’s a two year gap, so the mbp 14 still has more than a year left before being replaced by an upgraded processor. Though in my case an upgraded processor is not worth waiting as the base model is already overkill for me.
I'm not so sure, some of the latest rumors seems to suggest 14" Pro getting new CPU as soon as coming fall. But rumors are rumors... However with my luck, the new model gets released one day after my return period ends of my recently bought new machine.
I know, I just have a bad case of "upgraditis" I cannot seem to shake no matter how much I try to convince myself that now is not the good time to buy. Also considering foreign currencies like Euro falling like a rock against USD these days, it looks to me that next MBP 14" will be easily 20% higher price in Euro or even more. A lots of thing has happened in currencies and inflation since MBP 14" was released here and it has still the same price as release date, unlike MBA.
RST (Rumor Standard Time) says the 14" M2MBP is always six months away. So if you want until fall then you might as well wait until spring, and then you might as well wait until fall again. LOL
I am not sure why you would upgrade to a 14" MBP if you don't need a laptop and already have an M1 Mini. That said, aside from the faster multicore performance of the 14" MBP compared with an M2, it also has a much better screen, better speakers and most importantly, much better thermals than either current M2 MacBook.
Look at your budget and what you need it for an then decide. The M2 MBA took a price increase, and the M2 14” and 16” pros will follow suit. It will be a very long time before the M1 14 and 16” Pros are obselete (the 13 inch MBP will be obselete long before the 14” and 16” will be)
There’s a 10 core/16gb/1TB 14” and 16” pro that’s often on sale as well - might be best to look out for one of those if you’re worried about the 8 core (which I think you needn’t be)
Alternatively, sit tight and wait for the next model 🤷♀️ But I’ll be enjoying the heck out of my base 14” model while you do 😉
100% agree. Which is why I'm typing on my less than 1 week old 14" MBP M1 Pro (10/16).
The performance of this machine will keep it in service for several years, especially when one stops to think that it performs better than a full on Mac Pro from just a couple years ago.
I have both with me side by side and i've been using them for a couple of days. these are my thoughts.
MBP 14: Awesome screen, Excellent to die for speakers. dislike the weight. Battery life is satisfying but not as good as MBA M2. cost me SGD$650 more than the upgraded MBA M2(16gb ram/512gb storage).
MBA M2: Thin and light, easy to bring around. slightly faster loading in overall normal daily task, good screen, really not bad speakers but nowhere near MBP 14. Battery life is excellent, likely save me a lot electricity cost over long run.
Verdict: Still deciding which to keep and which to return.
MBP 14: Awesome screen, Excellent to die for speakers. dislike the weight. Battery life is satisfying but not as good as MBA M2. cost me SGD$650 more than the upgraded MBA M2(16gb ram/512gb storage).
MBA M2: Thin and light, easy to bring around. slightly faster loading in overall normal daily task, good screen, really not bad speakers but nowhere near MBP 14. Battery life is excellent, likely save me a lot electricity cost over long run.
Verdict: Still deciding which to keep and which to return.
Crazy, here in Germany its same price for upgraded MBA2 and the MBP14 base.
500 nits vs. 1600 nits peak
Watch some HDR content on the Pro, and you'll see a huge difference.
Plus a significantly faster GPU, much faster multicore cpu performance, much better sustained thermal performance, better speakers, HDR content support, an extra USB port, an SD slot...
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Kind of the same here in the UK.. £1649 for the M2 Air (16GB+512) and £1735 for the Pro 14 which you can also get on eBay at £1650.
Same dilemma here.. portability is not an issue for me as I have a Windows laptop for work and I normally don't travel with them, normally would bring my iPad Pro for a flight.
I do have a Windows laptop for gaming (only Lineage 2) and seems I would have to keep it as it won't run on a M1/M2 which I already tried (even with Parallels) however I was wondering if the M1 Pro would be a better option for gaming (thinking in future of course) comparing to M2.. that's my only 'intensive task'.
Again, I could be also ok with 8 GB/256 SSD for what I do but I try to think if this gaming thing becomes available soon I'll need to run Windows and will need more memory, also been testing M2 Air and Apple Music/safari takes almost 7 GB ram!
Just to mention.. it's nice to have a thinner laptop (rather than a ticker) even that I'm not carrying with me all day.
I have been in the store few times and honestly I would say is only about the weight.. when it comes to size is almost identical.
Just to confirm.. is a M1 Pro better than a M2 for gaming?
Same dilemma here.. portability is not an issue for me as I have a Windows laptop for work and I normally don't travel with them, normally would bring my iPad Pro for a flight.
I do have a Windows laptop for gaming (only Lineage 2) and seems I would have to keep it as it won't run on a M1/M2 which I already tried (even with Parallels) however I was wondering if the M1 Pro would be a better option for gaming (thinking in future of course) comparing to M2.. that's my only 'intensive task'.
Again, I could be also ok with 8 GB/256 SSD for what I do but I try to think if this gaming thing becomes available soon I'll need to run Windows and will need more memory, also been testing M2 Air and Apple Music/safari takes almost 7 GB ram!
Just to mention.. it's nice to have a thinner laptop (rather than a ticker) even that I'm not carrying with me all day.
I have been in the store few times and honestly I would say is only about the weight.. when it comes to size is almost identical.
Just to confirm.. is a M1 Pro better than a M2 for gaming?
Should be.
The GPU is stronger, the CPU is stronger and it has a fan for sustained performance. Plus nicer speakers and screen.
Right, folks saying it's just a bit heavier and thicker are seriously not representing the difference accurately. It's .8 lbs. In practice it seems like more than 'just' that much.
These are completely different size classes of computer, different types of portability. If anyone doubts this, head down to your Apple store to compare. It's a massive difference.
And as folks like Max Tech are showing the throttling isn't really that much of an issue at all. Sustained loads for 10 minutes or so. Pretty unique use cases.
Yeah, if you game at all get the 14", but get a Max. Or even a 16". Again, not the typical use case because those who game usually do it on PCs. Macs are for casually gaming more than not.
Geekbench is showing performance is not that far off either between the M2 Air and the base 14".
The screen, in practice, holds one *major* advantage, and that is max nits, but it's locked behind HDR content by default. For nearly over a half year I toggled back and forth between a work i9 16" and my 14" base and the screen difference really wasn't noticeable. Promotion is not like it is on my iPad Pro, it just isn't. I don't know if it's GPU or what, but as I type this and scroll this page on my 14", it's jerky in a way my iPad isn't. Sure the screen is more black w/ HDR content, but gosh, it has so much halo with the low-grained mini LED it's a wash.
If it weren't for the fact that I can run my 14" up to 1000 nits w/ a 3rd party util, no question, I'd sell it and get the M2 air at a similar config to my base 14". But the ability to double the brightness makes it usable in outdoor settings and such. Still, I'm tempted now w/ a 16" M1 Pro, the beast of the machine it is, for my work machine to have something so portable.
Yeah, yeah, back in the day I had 2008 15" Macbook Pro and it was heavier than this new 16". That was a long time ago. Back then portability was seen as a feature and people paid handsomely for it. My next Mac after that was an 11" Air. Holy heck that was an awesome difference.
The general advice in this thread does a real disservice to folks who are honestly cross-shopping these machines. To them, just head into an Apple store and see the difference for yourself. Because again, it's massive.
The fact that a similarly configured M2 Air is so close in performance to a M1 Pro 14" base and yet is *cheaper* makes it the better deal in my opinion, despite the screen or whatnot. Because it is so much more portable.
This isn't like the seriously compromised OG Air or the fairly compromised 12". The M2 Air is a nicely performant machine where you give up little to get very good portability.
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