I have. If the 15” weighed 1 - 1.2 kg I would pick that
But >1.5 kg is on the heavy side for my use
This isn't an argument
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MBA M5 13" or 15"
- Thread starter Gill Bates
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But >1.5 kg is on the heavy side for my use
This isn't an argument
We have both 15" & 13", when I got my 15" I didn't have a display now have the ASD. If I was buying now I would get base model M5 MacBook pro, air screen is just not good enough IMO.
BUT if that's your choice I would get 13"
Not trying to be abrasive here but I am curious what your use is that .3 kg tips the scales?
And, it sounds like if that is the case then your mind is made up and there’s no discussion to be had, no?
Sure, it's just.. if I would regret not having the extra screen real estate then I could live the extra weight in the 15"
Anyway I'm just checking what people think about it here. investigating
I do like the smaller light 13" macbook
The question is.. will it still be best for me in 2-3-5 years or will I miss the extra screen real estate from the 15"? That's all
So it's about choosing the right option for now and later
Too much thinking probably.. but it's free to think and ask
Size specs:
13" – 0.44 x 11.97 x 8.46" (1.13 x 30.41 x 21.5 cm). Weight 2.7 lbs (1.24 kg)
15" – 0.45 x 13.40 x 9.35" (1.15 x 34.04 x 23.76 cm). Weight 3.3 lbs (1.51 kg)
Virtually identical thickness, less than 1" (2.26 cm) difference in depth, and less than 1.5" (3.63 cm) in width.
Plus 0.6 lbs (0.27 kg) difference in weight. About the weight of a largish apple.
The differences are not zero, and in some small backpacks they may be critical, but they are not big.
Even if you have to buy a bigger backpack they are not expensive, certainly compared to the price of the laptop.
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The 15" might use more power but it also has a bigger battery to compensate, giving about the same use time per charge for both models.
13" – 0.44 x 11.97 x 8.46" (1.13 x 30.41 x 21.5 cm). Weight 2.7 lbs (1.24 kg)
15" – 0.45 x 13.40 x 9.35" (1.15 x 34.04 x 23.76 cm). Weight 3.3 lbs (1.51 kg)
Virtually identical thickness, less than 1" (2.26 cm) difference in depth, and less than 1.5" (3.63 cm) in width.
Plus 0.6 lbs (0.27 kg) difference in weight. About the weight of a largish apple.
The differences are not zero, and in some small backpacks they may be critical, but they are not big.
Even if you have to buy a bigger backpack they are not expensive, certainly compared to the price of the laptop.
–––––––
The 15" might use more power but it also has a bigger battery to compensate, giving about the same use time per charge for both models.
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Or do what I do:
13-14" for portability
iPad for iPad things plus portable second display, if you're somewhere with space for that.
Nice setup! 👌 I also prefer a 13–14" laptop for portability, use an iPad as a second display, and run a powerful desktop for heavy work.
Your Apple + Linux combo sounds beast — perfect for productivity and performance! 🚀
You will feel cramped when using two apps side by side. Depending on the task. From not much to a lot.
However, this can be the case even with a 16" MacBook Pro. I am on a M1 Pro MBP 14" myself and I do use it next to 27" 5K display 90% of the time. My father has 16" MBP and if I need to do some side by side stuff on it (rarely) - I do feel cramped on it as well.
Speaking of using the notebook with one app on the display (browsing, emails, videos, task-management, writing / reading) -> 13" / 14" works just fine. The portability on another side is awesome.
However, there is also another side of the coin in all this. A lot will depend on what you are currently using. MacBook Air 15" weights even slightly less than MBP 14" (M3 Air 15" weights 90g less than M1 Pro MBP 14"). That is - it is absolutely manageable weight wise.
If the notebook you are using now is heavier than 1.6kg -> you will be happy with 15" Air.
Overall though, you will be pretty much happy with any device - be it M5 Air 13", M5 Air 15" or M4/M5 MBP 14"
I have the 13inch M4 MBA and I have felt some eye strain recently using it. I use it primarily in laptop mode. I would love to sell that and get a 15 inch....but I just dont like the look of the 15. It looks like there is way too much space around the keyboard. Maybe its just a weird "me" thing since I have only ever had the 13inch.
Probably depends on what you'd use it for the most when traveling. I'm on the road with my 13" MBA right now and it's great for emails, web, streaming video, etc. But when I use Lightroom Classic, which has menus within windows, it ends up feeling a little cramped.
I can still do all the work I need to do. It's just cramped, and that's when I feel the 13" size.
On the other hand, I also feel the smaller size in a good way when I slip it into my bag and carry it through an airport.
Think about what you'll use it for and that will help you answer your question.
I can still do all the work I need to do. It's just cramped, and that's when I feel the 13" size.
On the other hand, I also feel the smaller size in a good way when I slip it into my bag and carry it through an airport.
Think about what you'll use it for and that will help you answer your question.
It's all subjective, I know, but would you not feel this with an inch added to each side? The 15" is nearly as thin and light. Would it cause any friction when slipping it into a bag and carrying through an airport that you would not experience with the 13"?
Perceptively, I cannot understand the difference causing any noticable difference in a backpack, carrying from the coffee shop table to your car, placing it in a TSA bin etc. Tiny, tiny train and airplane foldout tables are the only time I can imagine the difference being noticed. For those people who use their laptops this way frequently, I would say a 13" is worth losing the more comfortable screen. Otherwise, as others have said, as soon as you start using multiple apps at once, especially trying to share the same desktop, the 13" can feel cramped.
Even in 2007 I was surprised at people's perceived differences in portability between 13" and 15", and I was rocking a 17" then. And the difference in weight and thickness now is so very minor.
My advice:
Don't discuss in theory, look and feel instead.
Go to a store where both are displayed side by side, such as an Apple Store.
Try them out, touch, lift, open and close, turn them over.
After experiencing with all senses, most likely your guts will tell you which way to go.
Don't discuss in theory, look and feel instead.
Go to a store where both are displayed side by side, such as an Apple Store.
Try them out, touch, lift, open and close, turn them over.
After experiencing with all senses, most likely your guts will tell you which way to go.
I had a similar thoughts about 14” and 16”
In the end I decided that 14” are much easier to use on trains and planes.
Yeah, too much thinking for sure, as nobody can answer this, not even you. In all honesty, whichever you decide, in 3-5 years I would expect that you have made peace with whatever the decision was and will probably feel that either decision would have been just fine.The question is.. will it still be best for me in 2-3-5 years or will I miss the extra screen real estate from the 15"? That's all
So it's about choosing the right option for now and later
Too much thinking probably.. but it's free to think and ask
You said 90% of the time it will be docked (aka size is irrelevant there, you won't be lifting, moving, carrying or trying to fit it anywhere, nothing during use will indicate to you what size it is, it may as well be a mac mini or a mac pro tower).
That other 10%: Will it be from your front door, to your car, to a coffee shop table/office desk or similar? Or will that 10% be full of travel, airports, carrying it in a bag on the subway etc.?
I mean wait for it to come and then choose 13 or 15 cause they could give something exclusive to the 15 idk…
If your external monitor is not at least 4K and is also significantly smaller than 32 inches, then my suggestion is this: get the best of both worlds. What that means is, since you have the budget for a 15-inch MacBook Air, buy the 13-inch MacBook Air and use the approximately $200 you saved to put toward buying one of the lower-cost third-party 32-inch 4K external displays.
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OP already has an external monitor that they say the laptop will be plugged into 90% of the time. Whatever size it is, it is more than likely much bigger than 15".
As others have suggested, chose the size you think is best for you. Look at both sizes in person at an Apple Store or Best Buy.
I have a 13" M1 MBP, but normally at home it's connected to a 27" monitor for my "real" work. But when I need to disconnect and take it with me, I really appreciate the small size.
I have a 13" M1 MBP, but normally at home it's connected to a 27" monitor for my "real" work. But when I need to disconnect and take it with me, I really appreciate the small size.