Mainly the brightness of the pro screen. I’d consider it significantly brighter especially out side. Just seems more vibrant to me. And yes people on here will say it’s it’s only 100 nits different but that difference is noticeable.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Whose going with the M1 Air vs Pro?
- Thread starter kp98077
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
I tried every angle at the store today and I don't find MBP uncomfortable. But I can understand the argument behind Air's design and especially for sofa/bed use the fanlessnes is way better.
So I tried them side by side at the store and at their harsh lighting the pro's screen actually looked noticeable better. Didn't really feel any difference in typing performance or feel.
I do have to say how weirdly SMALL they feel in person haha. All of the reviews make it seem like the bezels are enormous and the laptops are huge for the screen size but meh so is the 14" windows machines, they're just much wider.
I think the edge sharpness is a personal thing. Im using the MBP currently and I don't feel anything. Although I want to try the MBA to see if I prefer the angle.
I'm stilling wondering which M1 to have - I have both but I haven't opened the Air yet as im struggling to get past the idea of 2h less battery. Im happy the MBP but would like to save £235 if I can.
Basically, is the MBP 11% extra battery worth the 20% more cost / £235 extra? ... on paper def no... esp as the MBA lasts 15h+...
Im going to have to open the Air and try it. I also don't like to 'spoil' a mint MacBook as one of these is going to be returned
Also, the 14" is going to be more expensive... at least 235 more than the MBP I think. Will it be worth it for the average non professional user (which I am) to upgrade for 1" more screen a year after buying the first M1? Im thinking not. Which then brings up whether it's worth buying 16gb ram if its a truly longer term purchase.
You are going to lose 25-30% (at least) of the value of your current M1 after 1 year and then you are buying another laptop 25% more than what you paid last time. So approx 50% more money for 1" a year later.
Ive spent so much time trying to decide 😩
I'm stilling wondering which M1 to have - I have both but I haven't opened the Air yet as im struggling to get past the idea of 2h less battery. Im happy the MBP but would like to save £235 if I can.
Basically, is the MBP 11% extra battery worth the 20% more cost / £235 extra? ... on paper def no... esp as the MBA lasts 15h+...
Im going to have to open the Air and try it. I also don't like to 'spoil' a mint MacBook as one of these is going to be returned
Also, the 14" is going to be more expensive... at least 235 more than the MBP I think. Will it be worth it for the average non professional user (which I am) to upgrade for 1" more screen a year after buying the first M1? Im thinking not. Which then brings up whether it's worth buying 16gb ram if its a truly longer term purchase.
You are going to lose 25-30% (at least) of the value of your current M1 after 1 year and then you are buying another laptop 25% more than what you paid last time. So approx 50% more money for 1" a year later.
Ive spent so much time trying to decide 😩
Last edited:
Place a small shim under the MBP rear feet - nickel or quarter in the US - should put you close to the 1 degree slope I measured on my Intel MBA. (iphone measure tool - Level function)
Remember that the current MBP/MBA are 13.3" not 13.0.
I'd guess the 14 may likely be 14.0 or thereabouts - Apple's MBP16 is 16.0", and my work PC laptop is 14.0 display.
So - more likely a 0.7" difference rather than a 1" difference.
Also... as one who constantly switches between my 13.3" MBP and my 14.0" PC laptop, I can say that I honestly don't notice the display size difference unless I set them side by side and look for the difference.
Fwiw, I just watched this mini review by chance. Its shows some web surfing benchmarks by cinebench (never heard of it before). And it say the PRO comes out with 25% more battery time than the Air. At 1m 42sec but only 4m vid.
Pro - 1223 mins = 20 hours
Air - 960 mins = 16 hours
So 4 hours more for the Pro, which is 25% more battery time for web surfing than the Air's 16h.
This is quite a lot I think. Worth it for $300/£235?
You will be charging the Pro less often and also the battery will have less cycles and therefore hold value better, theorectically.
Pro - 1223 mins = 20 hours
Air - 960 mins = 16 hours
So 4 hours more for the Pro, which is 25% more battery time for web surfing than the Air's 16h.
This is quite a lot I think. Worth it for $300/£235?
You will be charging the Pro less often and also the battery will have less cycles and therefore hold value better, theorectically.
Last edited:
Yeah, I think the 14" for size alone is not worth the upgrade for me based on these numbers. 14" not relevant now.
Im going for 8gb Ram. I don't need 16gb. We will see if I regret that later.
It's just about battery now. Im trying to convince myself to keep the Air to save $300 and be happy with 15/16h instead of 18/20h, 4h less battery. 4 hours is a lot of extra battery for general usage / web surfing.
How often do you currently find yourself hitting 16 hours and wishing you had more battery left?
... and if battery life is the sole differentiator for you, do note that a 20,000mah USBC-PD powerbank is a lot cheaper and will more than make up the difference in battery life...
As an Amazon Associate, MacRumors earns a commission from qualifying purchases made through links in this post.
How often do you currently find yourself hitting 16 hours and wishing you had more battery left?
... and if battery life is the sole differentiator for you, do note that a 20,000mah USBC-PD powerbank is a lot cheaper and will more than make up the difference in battery life...
I know, but its so good not having to think about the battery. Its not that I need it for my lifestyle & usage. Its better than an iPad battery 😍. I clearly value it. Im charging every 2+ days currently. It currently says 35% battery / 7h left - and its accurate 🤓 And Im still prob going to open the Air tomorrow to satisfy my curiosity.
(And I already have 20kmah battery - but that's not the point)
Last edited:
As an Amazon Associate, MacRumors earns a commission from qualifying purchases made through links in this post.
I'm on the same boat, love the idea of having a laptop that just doesn't force me to carry power adapter everywhere. And yeah I have experience from lugging around a gaming laptop that lasted max 2h on the dimmest setting when it was new 😂
wait! but you forgot apple will figure out a way to make it heavier/thicker! lol
i also find the touchbar useful for pre filling in things such as address for shipping, symbols etc. its easier on the pro compared to the air... and yes the battery is better on the pro!
That's the same configuration I ordered and it should be here next week!Me
Just ordered 8C/16GB/512GB M1 MBA.
Arriving middle to end of Jan.
It's going to be quite the update from my 2012!
Lol, I've got a 2012 rMBPThat's the same configuration I ordered and it should be here next week!
It's going to be quite the update from my 2012!
I'm sure you're right!
I cancelled my MBP M1 8GB/512GB order at Apple.com today because the Apple Store by my house about a 20 minute drive had it in stock, so I ordered and picked it up there. I can say this the MBP is a higher class laptop than the MBA M1 16/512/8C GPU that I returned a few days ago, even if they both share the same processor. This my second time getting the MBP. Here are my impressions are both the MBA and MBP:
Display
MBA - reddish tint screen, red glow on lightbleed test, low contrast and average black levels. Sharpness level is at the higher-end of soft.
MBP - looks excellent, greyish black on lightbleed test (which is normal for the type lcd panel the MBP has), excellent contrast levels and really good black levels, and excellent color. It has really good sharpness.
Keyboard
MBA - Mushy feel and slippery when typing. Worse than my Lenovo Yoga 720 13 inch laptop's keyboard.
MBP - solid feel and non-slippery feeling. Excellent to type on and slightly better than my Lenovo Yoga 720 13 inch laptop's keyboard. The touch bar is ok, however its useful.
Build Quality
MBA and MBP - both have good build quality, much better than their Windows competitors.
What surprised me on the MBP over the MBA that no one mentioned is that the MBP Thunderbolt 3/USB C ports have noise filters. The reason I can tell is the my Audioquest DragonFly Red USB audio dac sounds more clearer and more dynamic than it was with the MBA.
Also I'm not sure if its a bug in Big Sur, my MBP WiFi card and Airport Utility is tells different Tx speed. For example MBP 650 Mbps, and in Airport Utility, MBP link speed 866 Mbps. My MBP M1 WiFi Speed fluctuates. By the way my router is the Airport Extreme 6th Gen.
Really I did not need 16GB of memory in my MBA, when I checked out the memory usage in activity monitor, my usage was averaging about 5GB to 6GB. The reasons why I prefer the MBP over the MBA are:
1. Better display
2. Better keyboard
3. Better mic
4. Better performance due it its active cooling system.
Display
MBA - reddish tint screen, red glow on lightbleed test, low contrast and average black levels. Sharpness level is at the higher-end of soft.
MBP - looks excellent, greyish black on lightbleed test (which is normal for the type lcd panel the MBP has), excellent contrast levels and really good black levels, and excellent color. It has really good sharpness.
Keyboard
MBA - Mushy feel and slippery when typing. Worse than my Lenovo Yoga 720 13 inch laptop's keyboard.
MBP - solid feel and non-slippery feeling. Excellent to type on and slightly better than my Lenovo Yoga 720 13 inch laptop's keyboard. The touch bar is ok, however its useful.
Build Quality
MBA and MBP - both have good build quality, much better than their Windows competitors.
What surprised me on the MBP over the MBA that no one mentioned is that the MBP Thunderbolt 3/USB C ports have noise filters. The reason I can tell is the my Audioquest DragonFly Red USB audio dac sounds more clearer and more dynamic than it was with the MBA.
Also I'm not sure if its a bug in Big Sur, my MBP WiFi card and Airport Utility is tells different Tx speed. For example MBP 650 Mbps, and in Airport Utility, MBP link speed 866 Mbps. My MBP M1 WiFi Speed fluctuates. By the way my router is the Airport Extreme 6th Gen.
Really I did not need 16GB of memory in my MBA, when I checked out the memory usage in activity monitor, my usage was averaging about 5GB to 6GB. The reasons why I prefer the MBP over the MBA are:
1. Better display
2. Better keyboard
3. Better mic
4. Better performance due it its active cooling system.
I think you are deluding yourself if you think the keyboard, ports, etc. are any different between these two models, sorry. But fine, enjoy the MBP.
I have both machines here (MBP 16GB/1TB and MBA 8GB/512GB) and it absolutely is a tricky decision. I'm leaning just a little towards the Pro for the reasons others have mentioned (longer battery life, brighter screen, noticeably better speakers), but the cost savings of the Air have me waffling, especially between these two configurations.
It's a nearly $900 difference (CAD) between the two. So the questions I'm trying to answer are:
1. In general is the Pro worth the extra money?
2. If so, should I stick with the current configuration or return it for an 8GB/512GB model instead?
If I opted for an MBP with the same options as the Air (8GB/512GB) it's a $500 savings.
Oh, and if anyone sees a difference between the quality of the screens it's a manufacturing issue. Other than max brightness they should look identical. The machines I have here look the same, and I've seen a number of others as well that also matched.
And I thank you for coming to my Ted talk.
It's a nearly $900 difference (CAD) between the two. So the questions I'm trying to answer are:
1. In general is the Pro worth the extra money?
2. If so, should I stick with the current configuration or return it for an 8GB/512GB model instead?
If I opted for an MBP with the same options as the Air (8GB/512GB) it's a $500 savings.
Oh, and if anyone sees a difference between the quality of the screens it's a manufacturing issue. Other than max brightness they should look identical. The machines I have here look the same, and I've seen a number of others as well that also matched.
And I thank you for coming to my Ted talk.
I started with a MBA, went to Pro...it palled on form compared to the MBA, so I went back to MBA....kept reading this forum about the battery life and the screen and the speakers and started doubting myself....got the Pro again for a week or two, returned. There is something about the MBA that just feels to my far superior....the hand position, the typing, the slickness.... I wasn’t concerned about the money at all, my true feelings are the MBA is far superior to me.
Do you think the angled keyboard deck contributes to the more comfortable typing?
Yes, and also the trackpad is more solid and firm to me. Laying on the couch is a pleasure with the MBA, not as much with the Pro because of the boxy straight and thick design....The MBA feels less bulky and lighter as well...
The Pro is great, but for me the MBA is the greater choice.
I think you are deluding yourself if you think the keyboard, ports, etc. are any different between these two models, sorry. But fine, enjoy the MBP.
I can't speak to the port difference, but the keyboards absolutely have a different feel to them. I have been using both regularly and the difference is pretty noticeable, although now I don't really prefer one over the other.
I would personally yes, I have a 16" pro and this things his more comfortable so far.