MacBook Air 13 M3 vs MacBook Pro 14 M4: Which Fits My Needs?

[Lounge vibes 05]

The actual day-to-day power of the base MBP and the Air, for 99% of cases, is identical.
Yes the MBP has a fan, but Apple almost never uses it outside of very rare circumstances.
So it really comes down to this:
Does battery life matter to you? The MacBook Air only advertises 18 hours, the MBP has a full 24 hours.
Are you going to be using it for media consumption? The speakers and display are dramatically better on the MBP.
Are you going to be using it outside at all? The MBP gets dramatically brighter.
Are there any situations where you frequently need access to an HDMI port or an SD Card reader?
And most importantly, you never even told us what are your storage and RAM requirements?

If literally all you are doing is Microsoft Office documents and web browsing, and you don’t need more than a 256 GB internal, it’s no question the MacBook Air. You can find the base model for $800, if that is all you need it for you don’t even need to consider the MBP.
However, begin to upgrade literally anything and the Air becomes an awful value compared to the Pro.
So really it should come down to that, if you just plan to buy the base model go for the Air, but if you upgrade any of the storage or RAM start looking at MBPs.
Especially refurbished ones, you can fine M2Pro and M3Pros for $1100 or so now that third-party retailers.

 

[elmoss]

Considering my usage, portability needs, and preference for great screen quality, which one do you think is the better choice?


Thanks in advance for helping me decide!

If you really care about screen quality and brightness don't get the air, get the pro.

Your welcome.

 

[luzsa2004]

Lightweight, large screen, power computing is all MBA 15. It’s an excellent choice (I use FCP in addition to what you’ve outlined); any smaller screen just go with an iPad Pro. Whether the much anticipated M4 bests M3 remains to be seen — M3 is already lightening fast and facilitates multitasking across apps/web effortlessly. Only considerable draw IMO would be the added feature of powering two external monitors with open lid. Minus that, yeah, for the launch plan for nothing more than posting a press release.

 

[Astuces iOS]

If you can, wait around 2 months (can be less) until MacBook Air m4 release ! It’s better ! You can either choose it or get the MacBook Air m3 cheaper!

 

[smirking]

Lightweight, large screen, power computing is all MBA 15.

One thing people should be aware about when comparing the MBA to the MBP is that the pixel densities are different.

The 14" MBP actually has more pixels than a 15" MBA so you get a larger desktop to work with despite it having a smaller screen.

A lot of people have said they wished that they could get a 15" MBA with the ProRes 120Hz display without having to accept the weight of a 16" MBP. You basically can. It's the 14" MBP.

 

[MAGA-Cap9361]

lol. based on your usage, i would recommend you just get m2 air with 16 ram,

 

[StoneJack]

lol. based on your usage, i would recommend you just get m2 air with 16 ram,

16/512 m3 or m2

 

[Kotsos81]

Lightweight, large screen, power computing is all MBA 15. It’s an excellent choice (I use FCP in addition to what you’ve outlined); any smaller screen just go with an iPad Pro. Whether the much anticipated M4 bests M3 remains to be seen — M3 is already lightening fast and facilitates multitasking across apps/web effortlessly. Only considerable draw IMO would be the added feature of powering two external monitors with open lid. Minus that, yeah, for the launch plan for nothing more than posting a press release.

What do you mean "whether the much anticipated M4 beats M3 remains to be seen"? We already know that this is the case from MBP and MM. Essentially, M4 10C is a little slower than M3 Pro 12C in multicore, i.e. it is on par with M2 Pro 12C, while being significantly faster on single-core. There is no mystery about its performance, we already know that it is much better than M3. The thing is that the OP doesn't need that much power, based on his workload, thus he could save some money by purchasing the M3 MBA.

 

[smirking]

The thing is that the OP doesn't need that much power, based on his workload, thus he could save some money by purchasing the M3 MBA.

Even better from the cost saving perspective is that there might be sales on it soon and there's no shortage of M3 MBA configs available today at the standard 15% discount rate from the refurbished store.

Discounted M4 Airs are still a long ways off.

 

[Leading_Top_7001]

i am waiting for macbookair m4, skipped the macbook pro, as i prefer longer lifetime , and there is not difference between air and pro that can adjust the price difference!

 

[mansplains]

However, I’m concerned about the potential drop in its value when the M4 version launches (likely in March).

I wouldn't factor a drop in value when buying the latest model. Computers will continue receiving updates and depreciating. Unless you're weighing buying a MacBook Air M3 at a discount when the MacBook Air M4 releases, and willing to wait ~3mos to find out what this discount may be, I wouldn't give it any more thought.

 

[OkC-Imagination-8580]

m4 with 16gb ram will give you 5 years peace in mind

 

[Astuces iOS]

m4 with 16gb ram will give you 5 years peace in mind

Depends on usage…

 

[Miles Fu]

One thing people should be aware about when comparing the MBA to the MBP is that the pixel densities are different.

The 14" MBP actually has more pixels than a 15" MBA so you get a larger desktop to work with despite it having a smaller screen.

A lot of people have said they wished that they could get a 15" MBA with the ProRes 120Hz display without having to accept the weight of a 16" MBP. You basically can. It's the 14" MBP.

I prefer 14' more than 16', although I hold an 16' MBP now

 

[smirking]

I prefer 14' more than 16', although I hold an 16' MBP now

What made you go up to a 16"? Or was that move what made you realize that you like the 14" better?

I went the other direction. I had a 16" and downsized to a 14" once I realized that it still had a larger desktop than the 15" MBP that I was perfectly happy on for years. I had gotten tired of how awkward it was to handle the 16".

 

[Miles Fu]

m4 with 16gb ram will give you 5 years peace in mind

I may choose 24G at least for my next Mac, some APPs are killing RAM and will require more and more in coming years

 

[Miles Fu]

What made you go up to a 16"? Or was that move what made you realize that you like the 14" better?

I went the other direction. I had a 16" and downsized to a 14" once I realized that it still had a larger desktop than the 15" MBP that I was perfectly happy on for years. I had gotten tired of how awkward it was to handle the 16".

What made you go up to a 16"?---simply because the 16" MBP is the best model I could choose in early 2020 when the M1 MBP was not released yet, so I chose an intel i9 based 16" MBP.

14' is much more portable than 16'. I bought my current 16' in 2020, and I bouht a 14' for my kid in 2022, the 14' is so much better balanced between size and performance.

I also have 27" 4k monitors to hook in daily work, so I rarely use the 16' screen.

so for me, to choose a 14' next make much more sense, especially when travelling.

 

[adrianlondon]

If I'm remembering correctly, the M4 Pro cost the same as the M3 Pro at release, except the M4 came with twice the RAM.

If that's the case, there's a good chance the M4 Air will follow the same pattern, so could be worth waiting.

(I upgraded from an Intel 2020 MBA to the M4 Pro a month ago - very happy!)

 

[Technerd108]

Will I notice big downgrade to display with Air? I am coming from Oled ASUS vivobook

It depends. The Old 120hz display is going to have much better contrast ratio. I am not sure if it is touch enabled? Or if the display has some type of gorilla glass which would make it more scratch resistant.

I have a Samsung Galaxybook 4 with 120hz Amoled display and scratch resistant touch. It is a great display but Oled also has some drawbacks vs the 60hz IPS display in the MBA. The blacks on the MBA are not great but the color profile is fantastic. The IPS display is easier on the eyes and has a better white balance. Over time using a large OLEd display can cause some eye strain and whites never look right to me. That being said a lot of people also complain of eye strain due to dithering on the p3 MBA IPS display. In my opinion I prefer the IPS over Oled for better color reproduction and better white balance and 60hz vs 120 hz on a larger display is hard to notice unless the two screens are side by side.

I think a MacBook Pro with mini led is the best screen tech out there right now. It does have a blooming issue which can make certain images appear cloudy or like a mist on the screen but that is not on most images. OLEDs are not as bright and have poor white balance while the mini led has the best color reproduction I have seen. If screen tech is important to you I would buy a Pro with mini led before they switch to tandem OLED.

The air is great. I have an M2 MBA 13" and I love it. I had an M1 MBP 16" and I loved it too but it was so heavy and for my use it was just too much. M1 Max was a bit of a let down and a power hog compared to regular M2 chip. M4 should be a significant improvement over m1 in every way. Air has a great screen and speakers but the Pro's just are on another level. Personally now if I could afford to buy a new laptop I would buy a M4 MBP 14" with 512gb ssd and standard 16gb memory and standard m4 chip not pro or max. This would bring the cost down and some retailers other than apple may have decent discounts making the cost comparable to a similar m3 air model. Yes, the pro costs a few hundred more but as I said it may not be as big a difference as you think and as time goes on more discounts will be had. I feel like the m chips in any configuration after m1 are just so good that for my use case it doesn't matter pro, max or regular. If I could get a good deal on the m4 pro chip with standard 16gb ram and 512gb ssd in 14" model then I would buy it but if I got a significant discount on regular m4 chip in the MBP I would buy that and save my money.

I would not buy another air. The main advantage to the air is no fans and lighter weight which does make a huge difference but the 14" MBP is not so heavy that I would mind that much and the fans on m4 would probably never go on unless I was really pushing the laptop so the fans being blocked are mostly not an issue.

If you want to keep your Mac for 5 years or so then I think the MBP just makes more sense as it has more ports, one of the best displays you can buy, great speakers and a more heavy duty and heavier build. You would probably be able to keep using your MBP for longer than 5 years with little degradation in performance and same would be true for the air.

I don't believe in future proofing as it is just a waste of money because tech advances too fast and newer tech always is exponentially better in cpu, gpu so that getting max chip just for future proofing doesn't work as a few gens later a regular m chip will outclass a max chip from a few years ago.

Buy what you need and nothing more. But also don't go cheap just to save a few hundred on something you could potentially have for several years. In fact, your m1 air is still just fine and probably will be for another few years but the design and bezels make it feel older than it is. If you upgrade you may as well make it a significant upgrade and a 14" M4 MBP would be a significant upgrade over an M1 air in every way.

 

[Miles Fu]

It depends. The Old 120hz display is going to have much better contrast ratio. I am not sure if it is touch enabled? Or if the display has some type of gorilla glass which would make it more scratch resistant.

I have a Samsung Galaxybook 4 with 120hz Amoled display and scratch resistant touch. It is a great display but Oled also has some drawbacks vs the 60hz IPS display in the MBA. The blacks on the MBA are not great but the color profile is fantastic. The IPS display is easier on the eyes and has a better white balance. Over time using a large OLEd display can cause some eye strain and whites never look right to me. That being said a lot of people also complain of eye strain due to dithering on the p3 MBA IPS display. In my opinion I prefer the IPS over Oled for better color reproduction and better white balance and 60hz vs 120 hz on a larger display is hard to notice unless the two screens are side by side.

I think a MacBook Pro with mini led is the best screen tech out there right now. It does have a blooming issue which can make certain images appear cloudy or like a mist on the screen but that is not on most images. OLEDs are not as bright and have poor white balance while the mini led has the best color reproduction I have seen. If screen tech is important to you I would buy a Pro with mini led before they switch to tandem OLED.

The air is great. I have an M2 MBA 13" and I love it. I had an M1 MBP 16" and I loved it too but it was so heavy and for my use it was just too much. M1 Max was a bit of a let down and a power hog compared to regular M2 chip. M4 should be a significant improvement over m1 in every way. Air has a great screen and speakers but the Pro's just are on another level. Personally now if I could afford to buy a new laptop I would buy a M4 MBP 14" with 512gb ssd and standard 16gb memory and standard m4 chip not pro or max. This would bring the cost down and some retailers other than apple may have decent discounts making the cost comparable to a similar m3 air model. Yes, the pro costs a few hundred more but as I said it may not be as big a difference as you think and as time goes on more discounts will be had. I feel like the m chips in any configuration after m1 are just so good that for my use case it doesn't matter pro, max or regular. If I could get a good deal on the m4 pro chip with standard 16gb ram and 512gb ssd in 14" model then I would buy it but if I got a significant discount on regular m4 chip in the MBP I would buy that and save my money.

I would not buy another air. The main advantage to the air is no fans and lighter weight which does make a huge difference but the 14" MBP is not so heavy that I would mind that much and the fans on m4 would probably never go on unless I was really pushing the laptop so the fans being blocked are mostly not an issue.

If you want to keep your Mac for 5 years or so then I think the MBP just makes more sense as it has more ports, one of the best displays you can buy, great speakers and a more heavy duty and heavier build. You would probably be able to keep using your MBP for longer than 5 years with little degradation in performance and same would be true for the air.

I don't believe in future proofing as it is just a waste of money because tech advances too fast and newer tech always is exponentially better in cpu, gpu so that getting max chip just for future proofing doesn't work as a few gens later a regular m chip will outclass a max chip from a few years ago.

Buy what you need and nothing more. But also don't go cheap just to save a few hundred on something you could potentially have for several years. In fact, your m1 air is still just fine and probably will be for another few years but the design and bezels make it feel older than it is. If you upgrade you may as well make it a significant upgrade and a 14" M4 MBP would be a significant upgrade over an M1 air in every way.

I don't believe future proofing any more either, buy what needed now with better quality

 

[whitby]

The 14” M4 Pro is a more premium device and feels it. Better sound, screen, SD card slot, USB C port on both sides and a cooling fan that I have never heard. It is slightly heavier and more expensive. On the pragmatic side, for your case the M3 or M2 Air is more than adequate. It is cheaper and a little bit lighter. If cost is your primary concern the Air is a good choice. If you want a more premium machine then the Pro is better, but you definitely do not need it.

 

[Astuces iOS]

The 14” M4 Pro is a more premium device and feels it. Better sound, screen, SD card slot, USB C port on both sides and a cooling fan that I have never heard. It is slightly heavier and more expensive. On the pragmatic side, for your case the M3 or M2 Air is more than adequate. It is cheaper and a little bit lighter. If cost is your primary concern the Air is a good choice. If you want a more premium machine then the Pro is better, but you definitely do not need it.

M4 air coming soon might be the best choice… yes the Pro model has some extra gadgets but they are not indispensable (or even if you really need like an sd card slot, buying a dongle might be better than paying a lot more for the pro model)

 

[geta]

The 14” M4 Pro is a more premium device and feels it. Better sound, screen, SD card slot, USB C port on both sides and a cooling fan that I have never heard. It is slightly heavier and more expensive. On the pragmatic side, for your case the M3 or M2 Air is more than adequate. It is cheaper and a little bit lighter. If cost is your primary concern the Air is a good choice. If you want a more premium machine then the Pro is better, but you definitely do not need it.

Price aside, even though it's "better", I'd still get a 13” MBA over it because of its size and weight.

 

[whitby]

Price aside, even though it's "better", I'd still get a 13” MBA over it because of its size and weight.

Each to his own and if weight is a primary consideration, then the Air is the better choice.

I have been through the 13” M1 Air, 13” M2 Air, 15” M2 Air and now have a 14” M4 Pro for my portable machine (I have a 16” M1 Max MBPro which is just too heavy to carry around). For me the added facilities (SD card slot and 3 USB C ports) and general improvement in quality (Sound, screen) on the 14” M4 Pro and very minor weight penalty compared to the 15” Air and smaller screen size sacrifice ( but not as small as the 13” Air) were worth it and was the “Goldilocks “option.

But, and I repeat myself here, none of the M4 Pro improvements are essential to the basic tasks the OP wants to perform and represent luxury options that are for those that want to pay for it, and in my opinion relatively minor, weight penalty not withstanding.

 

[DanManTX]

I was in the same boat... Initially I wanted the 15" MacBook Air M3, but I went with the 14" MacBook Pro M4 and I have no regrets. Better screen, better sound, and the latest M4 chip. AMAZON has the 14" MacBook Pro M4 / 16 GB / 512 GB SSD for $1449 vs. the 15" MacBook Air M3 / 16 / 512 for $1300. Only $149 price difference