MacBook Air M2 and MacBook Pro M3 - Need Advice for Work Usage (Management Consulting)

[c.sandberg]

Hey MacRumors Community!

I hope you're all doing well. I'm in the exciting position of getting a new work computer, and I could really use your insights and advice on the options I'm considering. Keen to test a Mac and our IT department offers two options:

MacBook Air M2:

• 8 CPU / 8 GPU
• 16 GB RAM
• 1 TB storage

MacBook Pro M3:

• 11 CPU / 14 GPU
• 18 GB RAM
• 1 TB storage

I'm a management consultant (Partner at MBB), and my daily tasks involve heavy use of Outlook, PowerPoint, Excel, and web browsing. No heavy-duty tasks like video editing or coding, but I do run a 'double setup' with Slack and Teams, along with two browsers to manage multiple Microsoft accounts. Also, I often find myself juggling multiple PowerPoint presentations simultaneously (on top of base load of slack / teams / browsers), which pushes my current Lenovo Carbon X1 to its limits (Intel i7 with 16 GB RAM) causes severe performance issues.

Here's why I'm leaning towards the MacBook Air:

• Weight/Form Factor: It's lighter at 1.24 KG compared to the MacBook Pro's 1.62 KG. This might seem trivial, but it makes a significant difference when rushing between meetings.
• Screen: While the MacBook Air has a supposedly "worse" screen with no 120 Hz or HDR, the fact that I'll mostly be using it docked reassures me. The MacBook Air screen still seems pretty great.
• Ports: I'm fine with only USB-C, especially since most clients already have USB-C setups in their meeting rooms.
• Battery Life: Comparable to the MacBook Pro.
  

Questions I need your help with:

1. Performance Concerns: Without hands-on experience with either MacBook, I'm worried about running into similar performance issues as my current Lenovo. The memory limit seems to be a bottleneck for me (Slack, Teams, Chrome, Firefox, already east 10 ppt - adding a few PPTs and my Lenovo starts having severe performance issues). Do you think the MacBook Air M2 can handle this, or would the MacBook Pro's slightly higher specs make a difference for my use case?
   
2. Anything I'm Missing?: Is there anything major I might be overlooking in my decision-making process, or does my reasoning for leaning towards the MacBook Air make sense to you?

I'm eager to hear your thoughts and experiences. Thanks in advance for your help!

 

[MBAir2010]

I love my macbook air m1 and never had a let down or any slow actions.
recently i purchased a macmini on sale used which is perfect as well.
the newer ones are better and faster, by how much? I dont know.

but i dont use those Microsoft products you listed, seems that Sonoma runs those better now.

i would read some posts here on the exact model you need tp purchase.
we are honest and forthgiving.

I hoped this helped!

 

[c.sandberg]

I love my macbook air m1 and never had a let down or any slow actions.
recently i purchased a macmini on sale used which is perfect as well.
the newer ones are better and faster, by how much? I dont know.

but i dont use those Microsoft products you listed, seems that Sonoma runs those better now.

i would read some posts here on the exact model you need tp purchase.
we are honest and forthgiving.

I hoped this helped!

Thank you for input!

 

[chrfr]

The Air will be more than adequate for these needs.

 

[bradman83]

For what you're using it for the Air will be fine. I have a similar workload that I do fine with on a work-issued Windows laptop with an 11th gen Intel U-series i7 chip (which is terrible). The only thing you might want to consider - would you ever want dual external monitor support for when you're at a desk? There are workarounds for the Air to use two external displays via DisplayLink but your IT department may not support them.

 

[c.sandberg]

For what you're using it for the Air will be fine. I have a similar workload that I do fine with on a work-issued Windows laptop with an 11th gen Intel U-series i7 chip (which is terrible). The only thing you might want to consider - would you ever want dual external monitor support for when you're at a desk? There are workarounds for the Air to use two external displays via DisplayLink but your IT department may not support them.

Thank you for input and good point about 2x external displays - Think I'll do fine with just one (so still leaning MBA).

 

[tstafford]

Thank you for input and good point about 2x external displays - Think I'll do fine with just one (so still leaning MBA).

Unless there's a typo in your original post, neither of those options supports dual external display. You have to get an M3 Pro w/ the M3P chip vs. the base M3 chip.

Edit: looking at the core counts you probably do mean M3P.

FWIW - I have a base M2 Air as my travel machine and it is extremely good. The screen is definitely inferior to my MBP14 but I would choose the weight and battery life over the screen if I was moving it around a lot.

 

[Alameda]

I think you’ll be much happier with the lighter weight of the Air.