Will I get used to the MBP 14 inch weight?

[TorontoSS]

Hello - I currently use an MBA - which I think is a great machine and wonderful portability. But I came across an 14 inch MacBook Pro (M1) at John Lewis for £1100. I couldn't resist, was an open box item - and still with 25 days to buy AppleCare.

The thing is, I don't actually need that much power. I think I did need more ram though but not more power. All I honestly do, is watch videos and go on websites. I use word, powerpoint and one note. So not much more.

however, at that price - it's totally worth it. BUT I find this heavy. Do you get used to the weight? I'm not actually carrying this around anywhere outside my home though. But I just carry it to different parts of my home.

anyone who has a 14 inch and an m2 MBA - any thoughts on weight and whether you get used to it?

thanks!

 

[Queen6]

Sure you will. It's not like your frequently travelling internationally. TBH I'd return it and save the $$$$ as bigger numbers & specs are pointless without a use case.

I do a lot more on a base M1 13" MBP, equally if the 14" makes you happy keep it and drop the Air. It's a problem that doesn't really exist LOL...

Q-6

 

[v0lume4]

I'd say that you get used to basically anything if you use it long enough. Everything is relative to the previous thing that we used. The "wow this is different" feeling usually wanes after just a few days and then it becomes the new normal. For what it's worth, my previous laptop was a 2010 MacBook Pro and that thing was 4.5 pounds. So the new MBP would be light compared to my MBP!

The different in weight between the M2 Air and the MBP is 2.7lb vs 3.5lb.

It's ultimately up to you what you want to do. The Air will always be lighter. And you will notice the weight difference -- at first. But I don't think you'd notice it after a week. The Pro is "heavy" per se. But it's heavier than the Air. Heck of a price. Wow!

edit - You said you don't need that much power and that you like your current Air. I'll be honest -- maybe you should just not buy a new computer at all. Just because it's a deal doesn't mean you need to purchase it. That's $1,100. That's a heck of a lot of food -- or a fun trip out of town for a week.

 

[Beau10]

I toggle back and forth between both a 14" and 16" M1 Pro daily. It takes a bit of time to adjust but it's fine, but I prioritize the 16" for situations where I know I'll be sitting down at a desk/table for hours. But heck, I've used laptops since the mid-90s where lightweight was 7-8 pounds or so. Everything is relative, and going lighter is always an ergonomic benefit. It just is. I say this as I sit outside at a park with the 14" resting on my knee for the past 1.5 hours.

But the extra performance is useful for what I do as a software dev. And I use a utility to up the nits to 1000 which allows me to work outside with minimal strain, which i do often with the 14".

As someone who once owned an 11" MBA and several variants of the 13", I'd absolutely do an M2 Air if there wasn't any loss of utility. I couldn't believe how much more substantial the 14" compared to a '17 13" I had at the time of purchase, so much so that I considering trading in the 14" for a beefed up M2 Air when it came out, but ultimately decided against as it would be a degradation of utility for me on random occasions throughout the day.

As you don't do anything that could possibly strain the Air, and certainly don't *need* more RAM (why do you think that?), to me the answer is obvious - return the 14".

 

[Scott Baret]

For years, I had 11" MacBook Airs. I sold my latest one to a neighbor, who occasionally needs help with using it.

When I got my 13" computers (briefly an Air, then the Pro that I still use), they seemed huge to me all around. The Pro in particular added a lot of mass over the 11" Air.

Now, when I help my neighbor, I find the 11" to be tiny in all respects and can't wait to get back to the larger screen. It didn't take too long to get used to the larger Pro. Your mileage will be similar.

In terms of the Air vs Pro...don't look just at the present. Look also to the future. I bought my Pro three years ago because everyone was buying laptops all at once, my Air died after just five months, and most places were out of Airs to replace it with. I had to spring for a Pro out of necessity and questioned whether I needed the extra power, expansion, storage, and RAM. Even with Intel, the computer still feels plenty snappy today and it has been a far better choice in hindsight than the 13" Air that I demoted to backup status and ultimately wound up trading in to offset the cost of a new iPhone. In three years, I could see myself still using this computer as a daily driver as long as the battery holds up.

 

[TorontoSS]

Thanks everyone for your replies. I will try out and see how it goes with the weight. As people have mentioned, I certainly don't need this power. At times my RAM was under pressure on my Air but honestly, I only know because the activity monitor was telling me. My choice is selling my Air for a similar price and keeping this MBP or potentially keeping my air and just returning the MPB 14 without the hassle. Thanks so much!