I have a 2020 M1 MBP, I'm not quite ready to replace it, but starting to think ahead. Currently my MBP has 16GB of ram a 1TB of storage. I'm considering replacing it with a 15in MBA. I have had a MBA except an intel model. My use is pretty standard, web/email/MS Office. On the side I do edit RAW photos as a hobby, so LRC/LR/PS and Pixelmator Pro. The fans on my current machine have only come on when I exported a 200+ pictures at a time. Before the 15 MBA I was considering a 14 MBP, to be able to run dual monitors (which I no longer need) but the price difference doesn't seem worth it. Based on my use case what is your opinion? If I get a MBA I'd get the 24 gigs of RAM.
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MBA vs MBP
- Thread starter Jonr515
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The primary benefit of a MBA is that it's thinner and lighter than the equivalent MBP, with much better battery life. If that doesn't appeal to you, consider a Pro. I'm also a hobbiest photographer and my cameras use SD cards so the built in SD slot gets a lot of use even though I could use a USB-C cable.
I personally would consider a discounted 14" M1-Max MBP, which comes with 32GB RAM, over a 15" M2 or M2-Pro Air with 24GB RAM.
I personally would consider a discounted 14" M1-Max MBP, which comes with 32GB RAM, over a 15" M2 or M2-Pro Air with 24GB RAM.
You just have to be careful with the new lineup of MBA, I can't share the internal exploded views, but they don't run any fans and rely on passive heat dissipation. This means if you do plan on running programs to take full use of that expanded RAM, expect the M2 Processor to kick up the heat and start downclocking after a few half-hours of use.
MPB on the other hand feature, the 14", feature larger heat sinks, more ports, and (importantly) Fans. This would be my recommendation if I had to chose between the two.
But if you really can't justify your hobby enough to spend the extra cash, the MBA should service you just fine. The cash saved should be enough to buy adapters for what you need.
MPB on the other hand feature, the 14", feature larger heat sinks, more ports, and (importantly) Fans. This would be my recommendation if I had to chose between the two.
But if you really can't justify your hobby enough to spend the extra cash, the MBA should service you just fine. The cash saved should be enough to buy adapters for what you need.
The fans could be on, just spinning slow enough to be inaudible. In the rare cases I hear anything related to the fans on my M2 Max, it's not fan noise but the sound of air being pushed out of the MBP itself. Even that only happens when doing some 4k+ video renders.
I think as soon as you bump the specs to the Max of the MBA, you will find that the MBP is not much more expensive but delivers more ports, better screen, better runtime and so on. Love the small footprint and color way of the MBA, but the 24GB/2TB is priced as an upsell to MBP and the screen is hardly bigger. If Lightroom and Image-Editing is your thing, get a good MBP with enough RAM and SSD and it will really work well.
( BTW - the cooling makes sense but you will not feel much of it in 2D image editing software, I never got it in LR or PS no matter what I do... I DO get the fans to work with Topaz Video AI and Handbrake... and ImageOptim, strangely enough, as the only tool for static images that gets the CPU stressed)
I have an M2 Pro MacBook Pro 14" with 16GB RAM (work computer) and a M2 MacBook Air 13.6" with 16GB RAM (personal computer). Although one is a personal computer and another is a work supplied computer all my files are synced between both via cloud services and the same applications are installed on both. Usage is primarily Safari mainly (web apps), MS Office, Adobe Photoshop, Premiere Pro and Illustrator. Although surprisingly I find myself continuously using the M2 Air rather than the M2 Pro. I really don't notice any issues with thermals on the Air and performance wise I can't really tell any difference for my usage cases anyway, including Adobe projects. The Air just has much better battery life in comparison, it lives a lot a longer, and is so much more portable if carrying around/traveling with. I think the main difference I notice is promotion where the Pro can achieve up to 120Hz while the Air can support up to 60Hz therefore graphics can appear smoother, but apart from that I definitely prefer the Air. Hopefully this helps.
I have one of each. Unless you need dual monitor support, HDMI or love the superior screen on the MBP, I'd go with the Air. If I had to pick one I'd go Air. Overall I enjoy the machine a ton and there's an obvious price difference to boot. I've gone back/forth on this but I prefer the Air.
im trying to make the same decision as the thread starter but I don’t use picture editing. I work in IT And remote into a work computer.
But you said if you need dual monitors, you have to go for the MBP????? No way to get a MBA to do it??
I think you can hack it w/ Display Link. But I'm not doing that. If you want dual external monitors, I'd go MBP. All the Air supports is one external display plus the laptop screen. It's ridiculous that Apple limits the Air to a single external display but they do.
This is true. The MBP screen is quite a bit better. No arguments there. When I use my Air for a while and then go to the MBP I'm always impressed by it.
Thanks. That just made my decision easier! I appreciate the info.