Repair or Not ? MacBook Pro 13" early 2015

[smallzoo]

Maybe this is a no brainer , maybe not ?

I have had my early 2015 13" MacBook Pro for about 3 years. Been brilliant...then disaster struck..I dropped it on the floor !

It still works but the screen is damaged, About an eighth is unreadable and more and more lines are appearing. Still workable but getting difficult

Managed to find a good local Mac repair company who say they will replace the screen in about an hour for £250 but I have wondered for a while about getting a newer MacBook Air. I only use my Mac for general browsing, emails, apps, Remote Desktop, coding etc but not graphic intense applications and rarely use it to watch movies etc on

So, condundrum, do I sell the Mac as is and tell them the cost of repairing it and put the £250 towards a newer used MacBook Air ?

Any comments would be appreciated

 

[Falhófnir]

If you can swing it a refurb M1 MBA (£850) would be your best bet at this point, the 2015 models have unfortunately reached the end of the line for software updates outside of another year or two security patches.

 

[ilikewhey]

as much as i adore my 13inch 2015, its time to move on mate. the m1 is just in another league in terms of speed and battery life. sure i'll miss the glowing apple logo but the battery on the m1 are insane.

 

[smallzoo]

Thanks

Bets place to get a reframed M1 ?.. any particular spec I should be looking for ? cheers

 

[Falhófnir]

I'd look at Apple's own refurbished store, you will have to time it right as things go in and out of stock quickly. That will ensure you a pretty well good as new machine. Don't think there's any reason to go up from the £849 base model unless you know you could do with more than 8GB RAM or 256GB storage.

 

[smallzoo]

Anywhere else (UK) where I might get a refurbed model..

 

[Nbd1790]

I know Amazon sells some refurb models here in the US. Not sure about the UK but it might be worth taking a look. Although I'm not sure about the AppleCare situation.

 

[ilikewhey]

Anywhere else (UK) where I might get a refurbed model..

do they have swappa in uk? try get a used m1 with applecare plus seems like the cheapest option imo.

 

[smallzoo]

I dont think it is.. when I searched only US dollars came up

 

[JW5566]

I think you'll be pleasantly surprised by the performance of the Airs. I was worried about updating from an even older MacBook Pro 13" to a 2020 Intel Air, but the Air is in a different league. That's the last Intel version, so the M1/M2 will be even faster. Also I have grown to prefer the slim form factor of the Air over the Pro.

Not sure what to suggest about your old machine. If you can sell it "as is" and get something for it, I guess that's a good idea.

 

[smallzoo]

Thats what I thought. There will be someone who could fix it for less money I'm sure and have a great laptop for a few years yet...thats if I can find a good refurbed M1 Air or a new one that you can pay over 12 months

 

[Falhófnir]

Thats what I thought. There will be someone who could fix it for less money I'm sure and have a great laptop for a few years yet...thats if I can find a good refurbed M1 Air or a new one that you can pay over 12 months

If you're wiling to go that route perhaps look into John Lewis? up to 24 months interest free credit, and their standard 2 year guarantee.

 

[Geepaw]

I would repair the 2015 13" MacBook Pro. It's a great computer and still very capable. I would then evidently buy an M2 or M3 laptop (eventually) if you want something faster and keep the 2015 as an Intel based backup. That is just me though.

If you have the cash and want to spend it on new computer, go with the M1 as an upgrade now. That is a sound decision. I just would not spend the extra cash on a new computer if my present computer could be fixed for much less.

 

[smallzoo]

Thanks. John Lewis have a 2020 MacBook Air 13.3" Retina M1 Processor, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD £919 or 2022 MacBook Air 13.6" Liquid Retina, M2 Processor, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD for £1249 which over 24 months would be £38 a month or £52 a month. Which do you think represents best value both short and long term ?

 

[playtech1]

I would sadly not repair the 13 inch 2015 MBP - they are rather slow by today's standards. Unlike the 15 inch of the same vintage they are really held back by the dual core CPU.

The John Lewis deal on the M1 is pretty decent - probably worth the extra £20 compared to Amazon for the extra year of John Lewis warranty.

The M2 is clearly the newer and somewhat better machine than the M1, but if you are looking at base models to be cost efficient then I would go M1 - it's 90% of the experience of the M2 for 75% of the price.

If I was looking for something more powerful than M1 I would (and did) skip the M2 Air and get the base 14 inch Pro. The 8/256 on the base M2 Air is anaemic but the upgrade prices to get 16/512 or 16/1tb gets you to the 14 inch Pro price making the M2 not worth it unless small size is key.