When will the MBA get a brighter screen?

[Jumpthesnark]

Classic thread. Half of it is "I want the pro features in an entry level machine and they better not raise the price!" and the other half is "what you want is ridiculous, but what I want makes total sense."

OP, if you want an MBA but you don't like the screen brightness, then you can wait and hope that Apple comes out with a brighter MBA, or you can get the smallest MBP that's brighter but not as "clunky."

 

[Adelphos33]

Everyone is giving non-answers to your good-faith question, so I’ll try and estimate when the MBA will get a better/brighter screen as best I can.

While the regular iPhones inherit “Pro” features quite regularly (OLED 3 years after the X, Dynamic Island 1 year after the 14 Pro, higher and lower refresh rates 3 years after the 14 Pro), Macs and iPads stay differentiated for longer. They’re not always updated every year, and they face less competition than exists in the phone space. For example, the MBA is already the ultralight for most consumers. Why add a pricier screen that only a few are clamoring for?

But they will get around to it eventually. The rumor-mill seems to believe that the MacBook Pro will be getting its first major redesign of the Apple Silicon era next year, five years after the Mini-LED model launched. It will likely adopt thr tandem-OLED display from the iPad Pro. It may also be thinner and lighter, and might suit your needs better.

After this, in Spring 2027 or beyond, Apple’s 2022 MBA design will also start to look stale. At this point, I believe the MBA (in addition to the iPad Air) will be redesigned and finally adopt some of the display technologies from their Pro siblings. Perhaps Mini-LED, perhaps single-sheet OLED, but certainly something more advanced than the LCDs they’ve been using for years.

Just wanted to respond to the “stale” comment.
People are still using mid 2010s MacBook Airs with the illuminated Apple. All of Apple’s current laptops will look pretty fresh for 10+ years

 

[crees!]

on a cloudy day it is fine, but not when sunny, unless you are in the shade. this is actually the only reason i am considering this, this is my exact use case.

Get an umbrella?

 

[bollman]

Tip for all of you not using the SD-slot on an MBP: The Transcend JetDrive lite:

JetDrive Lite 330 | Expansion Cards for Mac - Transcend Information, Inc.

JetDrive Lite 330 expands the capacity of your MacBook Pro! Slim design and high transfer speeds unveil the full power of your MacBook!

www.transcend-info.com

The same model that fits old 2012-2015 MBPs work fine in a new MBP M4.
These can be had cheap used on eBay. Not that they are fast (around 100MB/s) but having an extra 500GB-1TB drive for backup right in the computer is a great thing.

 

[orbital~debris]

Get an umbrella?

Or a parasol even?

 

[Juanchi007]

Just wanted to respond to the “stale” comment.
People are still using mid 2010s MacBook Airs with the illuminated Apple. All of Apple’s current laptops will look pretty fresh for 10+ years

You’re not wrong at all. I think the 2022 redesign was excellent and I can’t imagine what they could do better stylistically. Change for the sake of change is bad.

That said, Apple never stays with one design language forever. The silver MacBook Air of 2008 gave way to the ultraslim style MacBook of 2015 (which was eventually adopted by the Air in 2018) which was eventually superseded by the current style in 2022. Maybe this MBA design lasts a few generations more, but with the Pros being redesigned as early as next year I see something new coming down the pipeline.

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

Respectfully, I went from a MacBook Air to a MacBook Pro and… It’s really not as “chunky” as people here are making it out to be.
11 MM on the Air, 15 on the Pro.
And less than 1LB difference.
It’s only big and chunky if you’re talking about the 16 inch version, but you really shouldn’t even compare because the 14 inch MacBook Pro has technically more screen space then even the 15 inch MacBook Air.

 

[Adelphos33]

It’s only big and chunky if you’re talking about the 16 inch version, but you really shouldn’t even compare because the 14 inch MacBook Pro has technically more screen space then even the 15 inch MacBook Air.

Not sure this is right in the default resolution for both machines.

 

[Cliff3]

Not sure this is right in the default resolution for both machines.

The resolution is 2880x1864 for the MBA15 vs 3024x1964 for the MBP14. The MBP has a smaller screen, so its pixel density is 13% higher at 254 pixels per inch vs 224 ppi for the 15" MBA.

My 69 year old eyes find the 15" screen to be more comfortable to look at, but YMMV.

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

Not sure this is right in the default resolution for both machines.

Of course it’s complicated, but the MacBook Air uses non-integer scaling by default (1710X1107) while the 14 inch MacBook Pro uses integer scaling by default (1512 x 982@2x).

 

[Asthmatic Kitty]

The PowerBooks and MacBook Pros had better screens under Steve Jobs.

Tim Cook, not Steve Jobs, gave the MacBook Air retina screens.

Well seeing as Steve was already dead by the time the first Mac with a Retina display came out, it would've been tough for him to do it.

And the MBA had a non-Retina screen waaay longer than it should have, which was down to Tim.

 

[robfoll]

No. The poster is not "a drama queen." And FYI millions of users, including me, have work spaces with these things called windows that they choose not to close off. Sometimes said windows can be quite bright. The value add of nano texture is not simply for "sitting outside in the sun."

What you consider "everything that anyone would need for day-to-day usage" is simply you deciding what others need. That is always a fool's errand. E.g. after many thousands of hours dealing with images on displays my eyes/brain are trained such that I find MBP displays substantially better. For me (YMMV) it is well worth the ~dollar a day more it costs to look at an MBP display rather than an MBA display for ~2,000 hours every year.

So the simple answer is not whining about the MBA, it is to buy an MBP as you have done.

 

[dizmonk]

I would say that in Apple's effort to differentiate product lines, their design and tech choices often make consumers more confused and undecided. So I understand the OP's dilemma and disappointment.

 

[StoneJack]

Respectfully, I went from a MacBook Air to a MacBook Pro and… It’s really not as “chunky” as people here are making it out to be.
11 MM on the Air, 15 on the Pro.
And less than 1LB difference.
It’s only big and chunky if you’re talking about the 16 inch version, but you really shouldn’t even compare because the 14 inch MacBook Pro has technically more screen space then even the 15 inch MacBook Air.

14 inch version is clunky and heavy. I know cause i have one