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Mr West

macrumors member
Original poster
Apr 9, 2012
73
26
Currently have a MacBook Air 11' 128Gb, but there are two things bothering me.

  • Running out of storage with the 128gb, so should really need 256gb
  • The small screen size
I opted for the 11' for portability, but that won't be too much of a factor anymore after summer.


Was thinking of the new pro, but I was surprised by its price, after which I stumbled upon the updated MBA 13.


As I am only using my computer for text editing, email, webbrowsing and light coding, so the Air seems fine.


However, since the screen resolution is the same as the 11', I'm wondering if I will be experiencing a real boost in screen space.


Anybody who switched from 11 to 13 got some experience?


Thanks in advance.
 

Boyd01

Moderator
Staff member
Feb 21, 2012
7,954
4,894
New Jersey Pine Barrens
I did the opposite, switched from the 13" to the 11" MBA in 2013 and it was the best move I ever made.

But where did you get the idea that the 11" and 13" are the same resolution? The 11" screen is 1366x768 pixels and the 13" screen is 1440x900. So you will have more room on the screen. The 13" has a 16:10 aspect ratio vs the 16:9 ratio of the 11", so you also have more vertical space.
 

zhenya

macrumors 604
Jan 6, 2005
6,931
3,681
How about the 12" MacBook? Even more portable than the 11" Air with same or more screen real estate than the 13" Air. If the price is too high new, check the refurb store where there are lots of options.
 

Mr West

macrumors member
Original poster
Apr 9, 2012
73
26
I'm sorry, indeed there is a difference. Price difference doesn't seem to be that big in the US vs. Europe, plus with the weak dollar I think I'll buy a MBA 13 in the states. It's faster and cheaper than the 12 Macbook.

Thanks for the advice.
 
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zhenya

macrumors 604
Jan 6, 2005
6,931
3,681
But, and it's a big but, no ports. Dongle life awaits. The Air also has the better keyboard.

A 1oz adapter returns the ports most of us need most of the time. I can handle that extra weight in the backpack that always carries my MacBook.

Totally disagree with the keyboard. Previous Apple keyboards were a mushy, imprecise mess. On par with what Dell offers, at best. The new ones are at least crisp and precise.
 

Rocko99991

macrumors 68000
Jul 25, 2017
1,574
2,193
A 1oz adapter returns the ports most of us need most of the time. I can handle that extra weight in the backpack that always carries my MacBook.

Totally disagree with the keyboard. Previous Apple keyboards were a mushy, imprecise mess. On par with what Dell offers, at best. The new ones are at least crisp and precise.

No Magsafe either. Even if you like the keyboard, many are reporting problems at just a couple of months-sticking, non-responsive-repeating keys. I don't see it holding up anywhere near the older style.
 

zhenya

macrumors 604
Jan 6, 2005
6,931
3,681
No Magsafe either. Even if you like the keyboard, many are reporting problems at just a couple of months-sticking, non-responsive-repeating keys. I don't see it holding up anywhere near the older style.

Apple doesn't get credit for the fact that they designed the usb-c ports to have an *extremely* smooth and light connection. Try other brands and their usb-c ports - they are clunky and overly tight. They clearly did this intentionally to account for the fact that they got rid of magsafe.
 

Beachguy

macrumors 65816
Nov 23, 2011
1,008
407
Florida, USA
The 13" Air with 256GB SSD is $1199. The 12" MacBook is $1299 with a better screen, better trackpad, and weighs a full pound less. Benchmarks for the mid-tier CPU's in both machines are essentially identical.

https://www.cpubenchmark.net/compare.php?cmp[]=2530&cmp[]=2631

And it comes with one of the worst keyboards I've tried to use in years. Not to mention ONE USB-C port- dongle city. And if your battery is low, there goes your port.
[doublepost=1502816807][/doublepost]
A 1oz adapter returns the ports

So you have to spend even more money to make it work reasonably...
 
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