Mba m1 vs mbp 14 vs mbp 16 battery life

[Love-hate 🍏 relationship]

People are not taking objective measurements. It's really that simple.

14" M1 Pro draws 8W total when it's under light load and brightness is 2 notches below max (my regular usage model). Divide 70WHr by that and we get 8.75 or about 9 hours. Sounds about right to me from my experience.

13" M1 also draws around 8W with the screen at around that brightness from what is said above unless someone is lying. Divide 50WHr by that and we get 6.25 hours or let's say... 7 hours.

Massive difference? I think not.

When both devices are pushed to their absolute max, the chip will trump power consumption. Sure, but in order to reach that point with M1 Pro, you need an app that is massively multithreaded and also happens to stress both CPU and GPU to some insane amount. It's unrealistic to assume that even under gaming scenarios. For the most part, the 14" M1 Pro is about 15-20W under heavy load and that translates to still around 2-3 hours of heavy use.

Compare that to 15W max for M1 Air, still with the 50WHr battery and... it's still just around 2-3 hours of heavy use for Air.

If we were talking about 14" M1 Max, then it's a different story indeed. That chip can easily draw 10W at light load because the extra memory bandwidth comes at a pretty hefty cost in power consumption even in idle. I returned M1 Max immediately. It doesn't make sense for a portable device.

thanks man !

it's weird though,i'd expect the 14 m1 pro to draw more power ,given it's brighter(unless youre talking about the 13 pro) ,uses zones (which require power to calculate ) ,and the chip itself does draw more power even at idle .where did you get those numbers ?

 

[SamRyouji]

I only have my M1 Air at this moment (8GB RAM, 512GB storage) so it will be from my spec's perspective. My job is to do music production (Logic Pro X, Cubase), video editing (DaVinci Resolve Studio), photo editing (Adobe Lightroom Classic). Those app I stated above are run one at a time. But either one of those apps when being run are always coupled with: heavy browsing (around 20+ tabs) + WhatsApp Desktop + Telegram.
And this is my average battery consumption for each of those creative apps:
- Logic Pro X : 10% per hour consumption
- Cubase 12 : 10% per hour consumption
- DaVinci Resolve Studio 18 : 10% per hour consumption
- Adobe Lightroom Classic 2022 : 20% per hour consumption

I bought this M1 MBA 8/512 from May 2022, and as of this time of writing I have: 75 cycle count, 98% Max Capacity, and 93% Battery Health (via Coconut Battery).


So there's my detailed experience. I hope this will help you decide whether to stick with your MBA or get upgraded to an M1 Pro MBP.
Mind you, in some instances, the 16" MBP with M1 Pro actually lasts a bit longer than the 14" MBP M1 Pro in some reviews (TheVerge, NotebookCheck, etc). Oh, and if you want the longest battery life possible, TheVerge said you should go with M2 13" MBP.

 

[Love-hate 🍏 relationship]

I only have my M1 Air at this moment (8GB RAM, 512GB storage) so it will be from my spec's perspective. My job is to do music production (Logic Pro X, Cubase), video editing (DaVinci Resolve Studio), photo editing (Adobe Lightroom Classic). Those app I stated above are run one at a time. But either one of those apps when being run are always coupled with: heavy browsing (around 20+ tabs) + WhatsApp Desktop + Telegram.
And this is my average battery consumption for each of those creative apps:
- Logic Pro X : 10% per hour consumption
- Cubase 12 : 10% per hour consumption
- DaVinci Resolve Studio 18 : 10% per hour consumption
- Adobe Lightroom Classic 2022 : 20% per hour consumption

I bought this M1 MBA 8/512 from May 2022, and as of this time of writing I have: 75 cycle count, 98% Max Capacity, and 93% Battery Health (via Coconut Battery).


So there's my detailed experience. I hope this will help you decide whether to stick with your MBA or get upgraded to an M1 Pro MBP.
Mind you, in some instances, the 16" MBP with M1 Pro actually lasts a bit longer than the 14" MBP M1 Pro in some reviews (TheVerge, NotebookCheck, etc). Oh, and if you want the longest battery life possible, TheVerge said you should go with M2 13" MBP.

how can you be comfortable for music production ,with only 8gb of ram ?

thanks but it doesnt help me much,as i already have the m1 air

 

[ArkSingularity]

how can you be comfortable for music production ,with only 8gb of ram ?

thanks but it doesnt help me much,as i already have the m1 air

My 8GB M1 13" works great for music production. It's really not all that RAM-intensive if you aren't using dozens of poorly-optimized third party AUs at the same time. Logic Pro X is extremely well optimized.

 

[Vazor]

The M1 Pro chips have less efficiency cores and therefore switch to the high performance cores quicker. That’s when doing moderately heavy tasks, the 14 inch MBP seems to drain a lot quicker in my experience.

 

[Kierkegaarden]

I have the M1 Air and 16” M1 Pro — the 16” has better battery life, display, typing experience, and sound system. It is certainly bulkier than the Air, but for me it is more robust study/productivity tool than the Air. The M2 Air might be an option — I’m curious how the battery life compares to the M1.

 

[Love-hate 🍏 relationship]

I have the M1 Air and 16” M1 Pro — the 16” has better battery life, display, typing experience, and sound system. It is certainly bulkier than the Air, but for me it is more robust study/productivity tool than the Air. The M2 Air might be an option — I’m curious how the battery life compares to the M1.

How much better on average for light usage ?

And how is it going around with the air vs the 16? (Kind of obvious question I know ,but since u have both I’m curious to know how “worse” the 16 is in that regards)

 

[jdb8167]

I have the M1 Air and 16” M1 Pro — the 16” has better battery life, display, typing experience, and sound system. It is certainly bulkier than the Air, but for me it is more robust study/productivity tool than the Air. The M2 Air might be an option — I’m curious how the battery life compares to the M1.

Seems to be about the same. I get through an 8 hour day with 40-50% left on my M2 MBA. Very similar to what I got with my M1 MBA. The M1 got marginally better battery life but nothing significant. Maybe another 3-5% at the end of the day

 

[bobjonesco]

I've had all three. The MBA feels like it has almost double the battery life compared to the 16. The 14 gets me through an 8 hour office day but no more than that.

 

[Love-hate 🍏 relationship]

I've had all three. The MBA feels like it has almost double the battery life compared to the 16. The 14 gets me through an 8 hour office day but no more than that.

You’re talking about the 16” intel model aren’t you? Not the M1 Pro

How much did the air last compared to the 14?

 

[Alex W.]

I’d very much like to hear your experience on how much battery u get with any of these devices

I’m considering getting a pro ,originally wanted to get the 14,but I read the battery isn’t as good the mba m1,which spoiled me .

My m1 lasts me a full day of 10-12h at the university and I wouldn’t want to compromise on this

When on the go/at the univ all i do is paperwork ,taking notes ,listening to music during the pause (maybe watching a movie) ,listening to music

I also have a lot of background utilities such as better touch tool for example

And a bit of browsing (although the univ wifi sucks )

The 16 being a monster of battery ,I thought I’d get it instead ,but it is much more expensive ,and has a bigger footprint …

Ive done research on this extensively the MAX eats battery life like 20-30% faster than the m1 pro when its using the gpu.

If you're not using your gpu all the time, go pro for the extra battery life btw - its also due to the fact the fan runs way less rpm, the pro is always silent which is a plus.

I had both, returned the max for the pro due to needing more battery life vs gpu power 95% of the time.

 

[Kierkegaarden]

How much better on average for light usage ?

And how is it going around with the air vs the 16? (Kind of obvious question I know ,but since u have both I’m curious to know how “worse” the 16 is in that regards)

I haven’t measured it, but the 16 seems definitely better based on how often I charge it. The Apple site should give you actual numbers to go by.

The bigger consideration for you, based on your comments, is the portability. They are very different in that regard — the 16 is more suited for limited movement from one environment to another, or using as a desktop laptop. The Air is sleek and easy to take anywhere. There are compromises to this portability, but they might be worth it.

It might be helpful if you could give me a priority list of the most important aspects of what you need in a laptop.

Also, there is a rumor of a larger screen Air being released at some point. I think there has been this rumor before, so I’m not sure.

 

[TSE]

I have the M1 Air and 16” M1 Pro — the 16” has better battery life, display, typing experience, and sound system. It is certainly bulkier than the Air, but for me it is more robust study/productivity tool than the Air. The M2 Air might be an option — I’m curious how the battery life compares to the M1.

I've had the 14" M1 Max (previous job provided), the M1 MacBook Air (gave it to the now wife when she got into school), and now the M2 MacBook Air.

I'm a UX Designer, so the programs I use are Safari window running Youtube and Spotify, Figma to do my design work, and Microsoft Teams for communication. I noticed a pretty big leap in battery life from the 14" M1 Max -> M1 MacBook Air, but truthfully I haven't noticed a difference at all between the MacBook Airs. They are pretty much the exact same, which means both are fantastic. I opted for the 8-core GPU M2 in my MacBook Air to maximize battery life.

I'm more interested in seeing which has better battery life between the base 8-core CPU, 14-core GPU 14" MacBook Pro versus the 8-Core GPU M2 MacBook Air.

 

[R_Allonce]

so the 14 max lasts nearly as much as the m1 air ?? that is crazy ,i thought it would be 40% worse at least

one should thus expect the m1 pro 14 to last just as much as the air then,right ?

slow for day to day operation? what is it you call day to day operation ?

I have both the m1 air and the 14" pro. The air last far longer than my pro. It lasts about 4-5 hours longer in my experience. But obviously I run more intensive tasks on the pro, so much so that after a year my battery health is at 84%. Meanwhile my air is at 93% So that obviously affects my experience.

 

[Love-hate 🍏 relationship]

I have both the m1 air and the 14" pro. The air last far longer than my pro. It lasts about 4-5 hours longer in my experience. But obviously I run more intensive tasks on the pro, so much so that after a year my battery health is at 84%. Meanwhile my air is at 93% So that obviously affects my experience.

i'm not sure i understand

are you comparing the air and the pro with different tasks ? that's not fair at all

 

[Queen6]

If I'm careful my M1 13" MBP can pass Apple's advertised runtime. I like the 14" however I don't care for the trade off in battery life and the 16" is too big to travel.

If battery life is the prime factor the 13" MBP is the best option as it has the longest runtime off the mains. The 14" has a lot to offer but it's likely to have around only half the runtime of the 13"

13" M1 MBP detailed review


13" M1 Air Detailed review


14" M1 MBP detailed review


The numbers speak for themselves, these guys go into a lot of detail with no bias. I easy see these number and more on the 13" MBP likely as I don't push the brightness more than I need.

Q-6

 

[Queen6]

I haven’t measured it, but the 16 seems definitely better based on how often I charge it. The Apple site should give you actual numbers to go by.

The bigger consideration for you, based on your comments, is the portability. They are very different in that regard — the 16 is more suited for limited movement from one environment to another, or using as a desktop laptop. The Air is sleek and easy to take anywhere. There are compromises to this portability, but they might be worth it.

It might be helpful if you could give me a priority list of the most important aspects of what you need in a laptop.

Also, there is a rumor of a larger screen Air being released at some point. I think there has been this rumor before, so I’m not sure.

Possibly some enlightenment here


Q-6

 

[Zest28]

16" MBP > 13" MBP > MBA > 14" MBP.

However I see most people in public places with the MacBooks on a power outlet anyway.

 

[Love-hate 🍏 relationship]

16" MBP > 13" MBP > MBA > 14" MBP.

However I see most people in public places with the MacBooks on a power outlet anyway.

with my mba m1 i need no power outlet ,and it's very enjoyable

 

[jdb8167]

16" MBP > 13" MBP > MBA > 14" MBP.

However I see most people in public places with the MacBooks on a power outlet anyway.

Habit probably. There is no reason to use any Apple silicon MacBook on a power adapter. It would be like using an iPhone or iPad on a charger. Just silly.

I use my M2 MacBook Air all day at work on battery power. I don’t carry a power adapter with me ever. If my MacBook ran out of battery for some reason I wouldn’t have any way to power it. It’s not a worry that I have.

 

[SamRyouji]

how can you be comfortable for music production ,with only 8gb of ram ?

thanks but it doesnt help me much,as i already have the m1 air

Because it's the only model that has refurbished the time I need it. I was apprehensive at first, but alas that 8GB proved me wrong. It flies through all tracks in Cubase 12 with ease. Connected to mic, mixer, guitar, bass, and studio speaker. The track samples has all the effects musician can imagine (it's a psychedelic genre like Tame Impala). No sweat. At all. Stays cool throughout without heavy RAM warning from CleanMyMac.

PS: Just now, we're finishing our single. And after I unplugged it at 10 PM, it still has 21% battery left right now at 05:57 AM. Wow. Just wow.

 

[ArkSingularity]

Because it's the only model that has refurbished the time I need it. I was apprehensive at first, but alas that 8GB proved me wrong. It flies through all tracks in Cubase 12 with ease. Connected to mic, mixer, guitar, bass, and studio speaker. The track samples has all the effects musician can imagine (it's a psychedelic genre like Tame Impala). No sweat. At all. Stays cool throughout without heavy RAM warning from CleanMyMac.

PS: Just now, we're finishing our single. And after I unplugged it at 10 PM, it still has 21% battery left right now at 05:57 AM. Wow. Just wow.

Same here. 8GB of RAM has continued to serve me surprisingly well on Logic Pro X.