After much thought I find myself in the same position as I was 8yrs ago when I plumped for a MacBook Pro over the Air. It was the increased std RAM and better screen on the 2014 Pro that swung it. Here I am again looking at future proofing my buying decision (as much as you can) and thinking the base M2 Air doesn’t quite cut it in 2022. Looking like I’m going Pro again…
Yes and It was only when I went to our nearest Apple Store and used the different products that it became a really clear choice and, for me, that was to go with the M2 MacBook Air with 16 GB of RAM and 1TB hard drive. At the end of day I knew I wasn’t going to use the extra grunt of the 14 inch MacBook Pro and the weight difference was considerable. I go into London once a week by train and bicycle and really value the lightness of the MacBook Air. It will also be a massive jump up from my 2018 13 inch MacBook Pro.
I had this dilemma. I waited to upgrade from my 2015 MBA and was extra excited about the new M2 MBA. I do huge amounts of multitasking, some 3D modeling (biochemistry!) and other science research applications, my old MBA cannot handle it. I decided to go with the 16GB/512GB configuration on the M2 MBA because I think it will be able to do what I need and I wanted MagSafe (rules out M1 MBA) and I prioritize flexibility/portability (rules out 14” MBP). So many people say the weight diff is not that much, but after comparing in store, it for sure is for me, a person lugging a million things around already. I know there’s not too much diff in price between the two models, but that’s not the point. I’ll just be happier with the M2 MBA and that’s what I’m getting. In silver, gotta go with the classic. I’ll know pretty quickly if my M2 MBA won’t cut it for my work, that’s what return policies are for. So if I do truly need a MBP, I’ll sigh in disappointment when I return the MBA, which is gorg and perfect and I really think is the right option for me. It’s a couple hundred less than the MBP and still affordable for me with the education discount.
Great video - and this is exactly what i went through recently. For me, the slimness and lack of weight of the M2 MBA, along with the knowledge that the most demanding task was going to be Lightroom processing clinched it - I don't care that my 16GB RAM/512 GB SSD costs almost as much as a MB Pro - I don't want nor need a heavy powerhouse Laptop. I LOVE my MBA. Compared to the 2018 Intel MacBook Pro that it has replaced it is a revelation!
I think many underestimate the weight difference. It's not just a matter of being able to afford it or not. If you value portability and the M1/2 power is already plenty for you, but you need the storage and the RAM (for parallels or because you always leave your Mac on, which causes memory leaks), then the M1/2 with 16GB RAM and 512GB or more is your best choice
I don't understand the weight difference. It's not like you need to hold it with your shoulders perpendicular to the floor. It is most likely gonna be in a backpack during your commute, hence the weight difference is negligible. Just a few years ago everyone was carrying around laptops heavier than 2 bricks and now you complain about the weight difference of a can of soda.
@@gigihanmandarin Personally I move around the house with my laptop in one hand while watching videos and it makes a big difference. And even in general 400gr difference do matter. If I am not sure I if I might need the laptop or not, and if I need it will be 15 min max, I'll consider not taking it at all a 1.6kg laptop. My 12in Macbook or my thinkpad nano are under 1kg and I won't even think, I'll take it even if it's unlikely that I need it.
There’s no “right” answer to this one. Depends on what you want. I chose MBP14 because I want dual external display and I appreciate the superior laptop display. But I totally get why folks might want the portability of the MBA M2. I would have bought MBA if it could support dual displays. The MBP14, while not large, is not as portable as an air. But it has allowed me to go from two machines (desktop and laptop) to one.
Yup, depends completely on what you want. And as I've always said, if you just 'want' something, that's absolutely fine - no one should tell you otherwise.
This is exactly what Apple wanted. They released an outdated 13 inch MBP which would have been an ideal choice with the new chassis and MBA with new chassis but garbage thermals priced closer to the 14 inch. Apple just really wants everyone who wants a decent laptop to go ahead and purchase the 14 inch
@@MarkEllisReviews I watch content main,y should I get the 512 go MacBook Air or the 14” MacBook Pro ? I’d be getting it thru Grover . I can get the m2 air for $89 a month until paid off or the m1 pro 512 go 14” MacBook Pro for $123.23? Which would u recommend me go for I just want a great display for watching content?
@@Johnmims65 even tho it’s the M2 the MacBook 14 is much better. In my opinion. Both will give great display’s maybe The cheaper one for you. The 14 has the SD card slot. Hd cord slot plug it right into a tv the 3.5 jack The MacBook 14 pro M1 is a better way to go for me Abel to plug my camera in put pictures to the SD card and it’s still less than a pound than the air. I don’t know why the MacBook 13 is a pro or even out for sale for that matter the MacBook Air is much better in my opinion.
I was choosing between the M2 Air and the Pro 14". I wanted 16GB RAM and 1TB SSD, and when I added those options to the Air, it got to £150 of the Pro 14" with a 1TB SSD. Factoring in the slightly bigger screen, better quality screen, better speakers, better general performance and more ports (without having to use a hub) and for me the choice was obvious. Sure, I'd like the Pro 14" to be as light as the Air, but it's not exactly a breeze-block and the extra weight is worth the advantages for me, but I understand that priorities are different for others. If lightness is your biggest requirement the Air would understandably be just as clear a choice for you, and I'd never claim you were wrong to make that choice. Another reason for going with the Air of course is if you are already at the top of your budget and don't have the extra money spare. If the price gap had been bigger I may well have chosen differently. Basically decide what is right for you, not for others. Then go buy it and enjoy it. You don't need to justify it to those who chose differently.
I decided for the m2 Air because it’s lighter and most importantly, thinner. And Maxtech reviewed it with 40% increases browsing speed compared to the M1. It really depends what you are aiming to do … I use it 100% for travel and couch work and never have tasks with sustained load over 5 min.
I just got my 14 MacBook Pro and I'm loving it!! Super happy with my decision between the two. I went through all the back and forth. I didn't go with the more expensive one just because it's more expensive and yay woohoo, I went through the positives and negatives on the value I'd be getting with a Base 14 Pro and an upgraded M2 Air and concluded that the 14 Pro was the best option especially a few years from now.
Yep, exactly my process and eventual decision. The lightness of the Air would have been great, but coming from a late 2013 MacBook Pro 15" I was already shedding a bit of weight!
I like the 14 inch mbp but I opted for the m2 with 16gb of ram and 512 gb of storage because I’m a student and the mbp is too heavy to carry around for me
I just cancelled my midnight M2 air 512/16gb 8cpu 10gpu for the base model MacBook Pro 14. It was the better screen, speakers and ports that one me over. I got the mbp 14 discounted so they were the same price. I'm happy with my decision. 4 days of use so far and I'm in love.
Agreed. The pricing ladder is made to influence you to spend more by feeling you are getting better value by spending more and Apple have mastered this black art. The downside is that it makes you feel that the model you actually want isn't good value.
Which is unfortunate, because Apple doesn't currently sell a computer that isn't excellent in every configuration (barring the Intel Mac mini). You could just grab the base model of pretty much any recent Mac and be very happy with your purchase. Now just because all the configurations are excellent doesn't mean they aren't a tad overpriced--we're still talking about Apple here.
Great points! I am a designer/photographer and for work I have a 16" MacBook Pro M1 Max, incredible computer but hefty and massive. Great for traveling when I need intense power + desktop setup. But I knew I needed a smaller personal laptop for personal work and travel. M2 MacBook Air is a great complimentary laptop to its big brother. I thought about the 14" MacBook Pro, but it's thick and closer to 16 that I felt like I can get most of my design, photo editing needs done with a slimmer more sleek model. Both have their compromises, but as you mentioned if you need the power get something bigger, but if you want something light and travel friendly, but also can pack a punch when it needs to, then the air is great! also, absolutely love my midnight air!
@@ohmyv3gatron slower SSD just for the 256gb is not acceptable even after increasing the price of the base model and that was not the case with the M1 Air base model all the storage options comes with the same speed in the M1 lineup. And I'm not whining about anything I'm pretty happy with my 14" macbook pro.
@@sirajirshad either spend the money or don’t. Even with a slower ssd this thing kills older MacBook pros. You all have just focused on something to nitpick. You have a ultra book that edits multiple 8k videos at once. The complaints are foolish
I guess it really comes down to just how much you really want the light portable design of the MacBook Air. For me, I generally prioritize function over form, unless if there is a considerably larger price gap. But since the price gap between the 14” Pro and M2 Air is rather small, I’d go for the Pro then. While I don’t need the power at the moment, and a light design would be nice, the miniLED display with 120 hz, the port selection, and the speaker/mic quality are things that I would appreciate, and I assume others would too.
Since I last commented on a video of yours several weeks ago, I have changed my mind: I want the Pro. It’s the exact same footprint as my 13” 2013 retina pro, but 100x superior in every way. I love its design, it’s solidness particularly, and its weight. With academic pricing, you get 10% off (so base model is £1708) and on top of that Apple also offering a £120 gift card for the ‘back to school’ season for those eligible.
I'm typing this from a MacBook Pro (2018) that I'm getting ready (in a few minutes) to use to order it's replacement. For me the sweet spot of the M2 is 16gb memory & 512gb HD. I spent a few trips to the Apple store (an hour and a half drive each way) to make sure that's the right one). In my mind, the extra memory and ssd take care of the page swapping and SSD speed issue. I rarely edit video, mainly work with spreadsheets and Lightroom. All of my images and LR catalog are on an external SSD so I can edit on multiple computers. My M1 MacMini handles my master LR catalog and everything I do just fine, so the M2 should work for me. I like the MagSafe (lets me have 2 USB ports free) and the small footprint of the MBA. I considered the 14" MBP side by side and decided the weight and size was more important to me (plus in the US I save $300).
i went for the MBP 14” base model as a engineering student using parallels having it on me 10 hours a day . weight - come on really? 400 gram different and people calling it “better portability” . my elementary textbook weight twice more than that and i carried 5 of them to school years ago as a kids.I even slap a speck black case over it which add 300gram and now its in black with 0 fingerprint screen - its amazing ! if you have apple store near you just go do a side by side comparison, its huge ! keyboard and tradepad-altho they say they use the same kb and tp, i still feel like the m2 air feels flat in the center, almost feel like if i press the “H” key too hard i can touch the table. it just felt hollow. HDMI port - i didn’t knew i need it before i got it but when i try it on to my 27” monitor now its my go to way to split screen and do night studying at home.have not try to use the duo display as my table is quite a mess and using my macbook as the screen is easier for me for video call as i am using the webcam.
@@amira9759 it last me 8 hours with parallels on and zoom on. i even try streaming on twitch and video on that lasted me about 4. but this 67w charger is insane
Hey my friends, I’m an IT student so, I do some codes like machine learning tasks on my laptop. I have a little weird question, which one should I choose? 1. Macbook air m2 16gb 512gb 2. Macbook air m1 base model + iPad air5 m1 base model 3. (A little bit pricier combo): MacBook air m2 base model + iPad air5 m1 base model
Good video and I agree with you - if you want a MacBook Air, just buy it! I did choose the MacBook Pro because of the better CPU which I can hopefully use a little bit longer than a MacBook Air before I have to upgrade to a new laptop. May be worth the extra money but who knows...
I was looking at what to buy, the MacBook Air M2 or 14-inch MacBook Pro since I want more memory and PRICE to performance and features does matter big time. Since the price tag for the M2 Air was $1499 to $1599 with the upgrades, and now the 14-inch MacBook Pro was selling for a limited time for $1699 to $1749 brand new at BestBuy, it made things more tough and confusing. At the end of the day, I bought neither of them! Instead I bought the MacBook Air M1 with 16GB of ram for just over $1,000. This is my first Mac in over 20 years, and I don't need anything too crazy. I had it for one week now and it is fast enough at the perfect price for me. I want performance and features, however the pricing is too expensive for me right now.
As the owner of a 16" MBP, I can honestly say that there are times I wish I (also) had a M2 Macbook air, just because of the size and weight differences. The MBP is a bit of a beast to lug around, but it still is an awesome machine.
@@Mamo878 Yes, a cheap discounted M1 MBA would be the best price value to avoid the hassle of carrying around the 16" beast. M2 MBA if price value does not matter that much to you.
I wanted to buy an specced up M2 Macbook Air (with 512gb and 16gb Ram) but after seeing I would have to wait 3 weeks and the price was only £150 from getting a 14 pro, I decided to go for the pro and it's honetly been such a great decision! I've had the laptop 3 weeks and in that time, I have not heard the fan run once, even when playing games for prolonged periods. The weight may be a big difference but the difference in performance is worth getting the Pro! The screen and speakers are insane
Is the 14” Macbook Pro comfortable to type on? More or as comfortable than the Macbook Air (M2)? I could buy either one but I’ll be typing a lot so I need a laptop that’s comfortable to do so.
I need some advice! I’ve currently got the M1 Air with 16GB ram and 512GB on order, but now I’m unsure/having second thoughts between the M2 Air with 16GB ram and 512GB, the base model M1 Pro, or the MacBook Air M1 16 ram and 512GB. I have the budget for either one, but I’m looking for something long-lasting and capable of most tasks. I’ll be using it for all daily tasks, video calls, university work, different software and programs for work, casual gaming, and odd bits of photo/video editing. It will really become my everyday machine for the next 3-4 years minimum.
Any of those laptops will be just fine. It depends on how portability matters to you. The best price value and future proof might be the 14 inch MBP (best screen, speakers, ports, power), but it's heavier than the M2 MBA. If portability matters more and budget is not an important factor, get the M2 MBA (with at least 512 GB for the storage to avoid the slow SSD issue).
@@jeansienkin thanks for the reply, and portability isn’t really much of an issue for myself. I’ll only really be carrying it to lectures and then maybe on a train ride home every month or so. That was why I was leaning more towards the MacBook Pro 14, along with the other reasons you mentioned.
Hi! Which configuration do you consider to have the best benefit/price ratio among the following: - MacBook Air M1, 8Gb/256/ 1000$ - MacBook Air M1 16Gb/2TB/ $1570 - MacBook Air M2 8Gb/256/ $1320 - MacBook Air M2 8Gb/512/ $1730 - MacBook Pro 14inch M1Pro 16Gb/512/ $1980. Prices are from Europe. Thanks!
I have had a basic M1 MBA for 18 months and have found it an ideal travelling companion. I use it at meetings and gatherings, always on battery power, and also for videoconferencing. Well, the camera is not up to much, but then neither is my appearance. I've had no issues with memory leaks despite rarely rebooting it. Obviously the 14-inch MBP is far better for heavy duty stuff, but I have a basic Mac Studio for anything like that. The 14-inch MBP would have been too big a compromise. I've no plan for another Mac just yet. I'm obviously an oddball type because I don't edit any video, but spend time in the outdoors or at social gatherings, which to me are much more rewarding. Maybe I'm not the only one?
So right now in the US the Base 14" is on sale for $50 more than a similar spec M2 Air. I don't get anyone saying I don't want a promotion 120" mini-led screen, better CPU and GPU performance, faster SSD, more ports, adequate cooling, better speakers etc... It will likely also hold it's value better over the years... To me the 14" over the Air is not even a question for $50 more. It's not much heavier and a better screen will ALWAYS be worth it over time on your eyes. If you really want super thin and light, go with the M1 IMHO and save significantly even with upgrades. Bottom line for me is that this shouldn't be a question. If you need 16GB of memory and 512GB of storage, get the 14" pro, period. We did so at $150 difference last month. If the new M2 Air was the same pricing as the M1, I don't think this would be an issue either as the price difference would be significant. As it is right now you get all the upgrades in the 14" for the price a nice dinner and couple of pints that will most likely be worth $200-300 more when you upgrade in a few years.
I generally agree--anyone looking at the 16/512gb version of the M2 Air should certainly look at the 14" Pro. But there are many people who would rather have a thin and light MacBook than a heavy one with a completely overpowered chip inside it. Also, I'm assuming you're adding the 10-core GPU into the Air's price--dropping that off really widens the price gap between the two (if you need more GPU performance than the 8-core M2 Air, you almost certainly want a Pro). You're right about the screen though. I think most people who chose the 14" over the M2 will chose it because of that beautiful screen. I do wonder which one will retain value better. Probably the Pro, like you said, but the M2 Air does technically have a newer chip. A side note: the M2 Air is substantially better than the M1 in a number of ways. If money is no object (and if you're considering the 14" Pro at all, it isn't) than the M2 is just a better choice. Another side note: where did you see a 14" Pro for only $50 more than the similar Air? That's honestly a fabulous deal.
@@dreamsofgrandeur Both Best Buy and Amazon had them for $50 more last week or weekend I believe might have only been BB with Totaltech pricing though. We took a hard look right after WWDC for my oldest sons new laptop. As he is in college we had educational pricing on either. We chose the base 14" for the screen, the size (it's not much bigger than the M2 Air now that I have actually held both and he is 6"4 and is use to carrying around a very heavy 17" Alienware so the 14" feels like a feather.) As he will be doing presentations throughout the year for class and symposiums the HDMI is also a big deal that many overlook. I don't think the M2 Air is a bad machine at all, my apologies if it came across that way. Just price vs performance and long term value I think the pro wins. I have a 16" and it's the first laptop I've ever watched content on but the screen and speakers are so good. I had an M1 Air for many months though and it was a fantastic laptop for what I was using it for at the time. I'm doing more audio and video editing with the 16". I have three other sons, 2 of which will probably need a new laptop this year. One is doing a lot of Final Cut at school so a 14" is the no brainer but the other is just writing papers and light gaming. The M2 with the 8 core GPU and 512 drive will probably be what we get for him if he wants to move to a Mac (which I'm pushing).
@Marb’s Music I hadn’t thought about the HDMI at all, which is a very good point. And I haven’t actually held the 14” before, so my assumptions about the size are mostly based on the listed specs. It sounds like you got the right one for your family’s needs though, and at a great price, so good for you!
This is another good, no-frills review. My M1 Air is still holding up well. However, I'm editing and producing more videos and slideshows now, and upgrading to a 14 inch Pro would probably make more sense than the M2 Air.
In my country, m2/16gb/512 is cheaper by almost 300 USD from base model mac pro 14. I like the pro 14 but with the price difference, it is sensible to go for m2 air which still fits my use case.
After carrying the new M2 Air I realized the choice isn’t between the MBP but the 12.5 iPad Pro. Portability with a bigger screen and capable of some decent video editing is al I need in a laptop. The Mac Studio can do the heavy lifting.
I went for the 14 MBP after much thought and consideration the configuration is right for me and will give me many years of service,and the screen is superb.And the weight difference is minimal.
Great comparison. It is great that Apple sells these powerful systems. I went with the MacBook Pro 14. I prefer the 14 inch screen, and the additional power for my development and presentation work. Also, here in the states, the 14 MBP with 512GB/16G is available from Amazon for $1600. The M2 Air speced the same is $1700.
I have a different set of issues. I believe in keeping my computers till they drop dead. My iMac is a 2012 i5, my iPad Pro is a is first or second generation. My most up to date Apple product is my iPhone 12. So, it is time to update. I would like to get the MBA (16gb, 556GB) as a base model. However, I plan on keeping it 10 years. So, do I get the MBA and a new iMac (possible M3) or upgrade to the MBP with a monitor. As far as requirements, I would like to have the option of doing some video editing in the future. I guess the question is will the 14 MBP be much more viable in the next 5-6 years to justify the added cost? Thanks for the great video.
Mark, I love the portability of the macbook air and having one as my personal device, I’m hoping I can also use the same model at work to replace an aging HP Elitebook. Can the horsepower of the M2 Air handle lots of Excel intensive tasks (large pivot tables, 1M rows of excel data, etc). Office apps and webex. No graphics intense workflow at all. Mostly MS Office based applications. I found a work around using a displaylink dock to allow two 4k monitors on the M2 air. Wanted your thoughts on Excel intensive tasks. I can’t test the data on my personal laptop due to the nature of the data.
I think we are in pretty much similar situation. I am using HP Elitebook for work but I am using my MBP 2019 for personal use. Unfortunately, I cannot use my personal laptop for work which is I think better than my work laptop. How I wish I can use my personal laptop for work so that I can easily justify the need to upgrade my personal laptop to MBP M1 14" or at least MBA M2.
Im will be a new user of mac products but still confused. I was planning to buy MBP 14 thinking that I’ll use it for more than 5 years(maybe 10yrs)but people told me that they change their laptop every five years. This got me confused. Should I buy the base M2 air and later buy a better laptop after some years or just invest it right now and use it for a very long time?
I'm interested in getting this one, I use lite web browsing some Netflix, school, and some lite Sims 4 gaming. Would this laptop handle that? I am thinking of upgrading to 16gb. And it’s about $350 difference on the MP14.
Part time DJ here - I decided to go with the 14" Pro for the brighter screen and active cooling even though both machines can run my software just fine in normal conditions. I've been in situations where I am DJing outdoors in 100F degrees and the previous Intel MacBook Air with 1 fan couldn't cool itself fast enough causing extreme slowdown and audio distortion during a gig. Literally had to put the Air on top of bags of ice during the set. I did NOT want that situation to happen again by going with the M2 Air just to save a couple hundred bucks.
I'm also debating between the M2 Air vs the M1 Pro - I am leaning towards the M1 Pro for the bigger screen and better speakers. I have a work issued M1 Pro 14 inch and absolutely no complaints - it's wonderful but want to upgrade my personal laptop . In terms of the display on the M1 Pro, I was unable to get Netflix, Prime or Apple TV+ to play HDR or Dolby Vision content. RUclips HDR content played great but nothing from the other streaming services. I changed display settings from XDR to HDR but it didn't help, also checked the battery setting. I get that the M1 Pro display is better - but do any streaming services other than youtube take advantage of it? Otherwise, for SDR it's the same 500 nits as on the M2 air. - so for my use case maybe the M2 Air is the way to go, but do love the bigger screen and speakers of the Pro.
Late to the comments, but one critical issue to many is external display support. The M1 Pro supports two 4k external monitors; the M2 MBA is limited to one 6k...
Amazon has the 14” MacBook Pro for £1735 and at that price I think you’d be mad to get the M2 Air with upgraded RAM & SSD for £1649 given all the other superior hardware benefits the Pro offers 💻 Only the base M2 Air makes sense, if you need more memory & storage then get the Pro. Or if you have money to burn, do what you want! 😄 Great video again Mark 👍🏽 Thanks 🙏🏽
@@Mamo878 totally agree from a performance perspective but hardware upgrades on the M2 are probably worth £200 over the M1 Air but cost of memory & storage upgrades is ludicrous
I think people forgot what 2012-2015 was like. The Air was always very close if not more than the Pro, especially when it first came out. This line is actually reminding me a lot of those years.
You mention weight difference several times in the video. For those interested, the dimension differences are: Pro 3.5 pounds (1.6 kg) H 0.61 inch (1.55 cm) W 12.31 inches (31.26 cm) D 8.71 inches (22.12 cm) Air 2.7 pounds (1.24 kg), H 0.44 inch (1.13 cm) W 11.97 inches (30.41 cm) D 8.46 inches (21.5 cm)
I currently own a MB Air M1 with 16GB RAM and 256 SSD, I am a video editor professionally and edit 4k footage on it no problem using premiere. I am debating if I should trade it in and get the 14" MBPro because I do connect it it to monitors, and I do prefer to edit with two screens. So hard to decide because I LOVE my MB Air. I'm thinking if I should just wait for an m2 Mac mini and purchase that instead.
Just would share my thoughts regaring those two: the goal is to get the right machine for programming on a JVM-based language: about 5 IDEA windows each of them is about 300-1.2k MB, about 5-6 parallely running JVM/JS applications + working on several docker containers in parallel: two RDBMS, etc. Everything should be observable via 2 simple 24" screens. For now it works moderately good on 6-cores 1.x i5 + 32GB, some chipset. As a side goal is having a pretty compact and lightweight notepad to take it always with me. So, I would choose Air M2 16 or 24 GB, but there are no fans, and that could be a great stumbling block.
If you're like me who is into project mgt, making presentations, having multiple tabs open and doing some light to moderate video/photo editing for the occasional social media content, then yeah-- a 16/512/8gpu spec'd up macbook air makes sense. The main reason i didnt go for a 14 is because i dont need the power and i need more battery life to keep me on the go. While a 14 does seem to be a better value for money when you put specs side by side, it still boils down to how every user defines "value" for them.
I was already saying if you need a MBP you already know it in the first half, then you said it! Buying an MBP is usually not even a question for the market audience. The rare exceptions who are gonna comment anyway already know the answer if they watched the video.
Hi Mark: I am an avid photographer and process my Sony A7Riv images for personal use and printing. Is the Mac Book Air powerful enough for LR and PS processing, or would I be served more effectively by the Pro version?
It depends if you edit a lot of photos on the go. Concerning power even the M1 MBA would be enough, no worries about that. More importantly, I would advise you to go to a shop and compare the screens directly. The screen of the 14" MBP is much better than both the M1 and M2 MBA, that could matter if you edit your photos on the go. If your back can handle the extra weight of the Pro and your eyes can enjoy the comfort of the 14" screen, maybe go with the Pro. In any case, if you are moving from an Intel based machine to an Apple silicon, you will be very happy with its power.
I truly appreciate your advice over all the others. I’ve been going back & forth for awhile. I’m leaning for the Mac Air 2 especially for portability & the design fits my sensibility. I’m a bit lost in this ever fast changing world. Definitely an old dinosaur.
I considered the MacBook Air M2 and finally went for the M1 MacBook Pro 14" because of the following reasons: 2 nand chips, ports on BOTH sides, better speakers, bigger screen, HDMI and SD card slots, full sized function keys. I almost never take my laptop out of my home so weight and portability of the Air wasn't an advantage. Of course if you are on the road a lot the Air may make more sense.
I have a 2020 13' MacBook Pro, and if I could I would change it for the Macbook Air M2. To which I would ad memory and storage, and yes, it would cost almost the same as a Macbook Pro 14. But I don't need any of the extra power, I don't need the extra weight either. But I do need a more portable machine, and as much battery life possible. Plus the Air is prettier in my opinion, and that counts too. AS A MATTER OF FACT... I just bought the MBA M2 with upped specs for my partner, and she's totally in love with it (needless to say that I'm a bit jealous of her new toy). Thanks for your videos, they're always useful. I see you like the MBA M2 of the tech RUclipsrs. Just what I need, without all the unnecessary geekery that most normal users don't care about...
Base 14 MBP @1599 vs M1 MBA (16gb, 512gb) @1189? Mainly work from home in health care/education (gmail, excel, scanning, lots of tabs) with light photo/video editing (music as well but majority of that is done on my windows desktop) Travel a fair bit between CA and CO via plane and car as well. MBA is desirable due to weight and battery life but the price is so close to the 14 inch MBP I'm wondering if i should just shell out a bit more for the more modern screen (which I like a lot more than the MBA) and better IO. Also thought about the MBA2 but for the config I want it would be 1699.
I find a MacBook Air M2 with 10 core GPU,24 Gb Ram,1 tb with the mdm for $950 Why not :)? I’m fucking love it .I had a 14” Then sold it .Air is amazing I pay $30 To Someone to bypass the mdm and best mobile Computer ever
Most would argue if you don’t need the portability of the M2 Air then the Mini LED and Promotion of the 14 inch Pro is more than worth it. I would also assume it will get software updates for longer if you hold onto your laptop for a long time
What about the keyboard comparisons? They are definitely not identical. I noticed on the MacBook Air that when I pressed the keys down, my fingernails sometimes caught on the unibody case rim, whereas the 14” seems to have a slightly deeper key travel, but I haven’t confirmed that.
Just saying, but that link in the description for the charger takes me to an Amazon page full of craft spirits. Can’t charge my phone with a bottle of gin, unfortunately :-) (I think Amazon is asking me ‘Did I want to search for ‘Koval’ for some reason, and autocorrecting the search!) …great video as always.
Such a great video and the best advice you gave is buy what you can afford. So many watch videos like this and let the reviewer make the decision for them instead of getting what they need and can afford. Thanks for the amazing video.
Usually agree with you, but not really this time. Take power completely out of the equation ...... that screen alone is worth £150 more. Then you add on the better speakers and more ports .... Absolute no brainer. I'd definitely want to pay an extra £200 for the full 10 core CPU version though.
That’s cool to disagree! I agree with you - but we’re a certain type of MacBook buyer. For people who just _want_ an Air, they shouldn’t feel obliged to buy an overly powerful and relatively cumbersome laptop just because of the price proximity. Perceived value extends far beyond specs 😉
@@MarkEllisReviews I can see your point, as in, if you want it, feel free to get it …. however, just hardware alone, forget power, the 14 inch is much better value for money. Weirdly I also like the extra bulk, not sure why, but I can see why others wouldn’t. Someone saying to you “you should get the 14 inch instead” is sound advice….. but don’t feel pressured to take the advice if there’s something in particular you prefer from the air. (Although other than weight, I can’t personally see what that would be).
@Andrew Peters I think the problem is the whole SSD scare has chased everyone away from the (wonderful) base model M2. If you’re considering a 10-core, 16/512gb Air, then you should probably go with the Pro if you can find it. But if you take off most of those upgrades, the price gap widens quickly. So I think there’s a place for the base M2 Air, maybe with upgraded RAM or storage, but it gets really hard to justify if you keep upgrading it.
@@dreamsofgrandeur I’m in the UK. I’ve got an M1 MacBook Air base model. Love it. If I was upgrading though, I’d want 16gb/512gb, and as soon as you add those upgrades onto the M2 MacBook Air, the price (in my opinion) makes absolutely zero sense any more, and (again in my opinion) you’d be mad not to pay a fraction more for the base model 14 inch M1 Pro MacBook Pro. Even if you completely take power out of the equation, the hardware alone, plus the extra IO, is just a no brainier for me.
It might come up with how much portability matters to you? If it's an essential criteria and power is not, go ahead with the MacBook Air, don't buy the 14" MBP. The difficulty is that the M2 MBA is kind of the successor of an almost uncontested value champion that is the M1 MBA. If price value matters most to you and that your power needs are not that demanding, then why not get the M1? The M2 sure has the newer and sleeker design, a brighter screen, a magsafe which frees an additional port but concerning power if you are not a power hungry user, you might not even see a difference with the M1 MBA. The big big disappointment is that the M2 price value is clearly inferior to the M1 MBA. One thing that I am not completely agreeing with Mark is that if you spec up the M2 MBA with RAM and SSD storage you might actually fall into the category of a rather power demanding user... How demanding is the question. The only one downside of the 14" MBP to the M2 MBA is the portability, all of the rest is better, its price value is better, the screen is better (higher resolution, brightness and refresh rate), the speakers are better, the number of ports are more convenient, I argue that all of those points could matter even to a "not so power demanding" user as long as the user is ready to compromise on the portability. It's not completely true that the MBP 14" is a waste of money if the user is not going to use its horse power to its full capabilities: hell, even "pro users" might not be able to exhaust its power that easily. The M2 MBA is definitely not an obvious choice as the MBA M1 was/is. Its biggest issue, if we can ignore the slower SSD and the CPU throttling, is its price value which is inferior to both the M1 MBA and the M1 14" MBP. If you privilege portability, do not have big power needs and can afford to ignore the price value downside then sure get the M2 MBA, you will probably be very happy with it. We all argue since many weeks much more about its disappointing price value I think than really the fact that the M2 MBA isn't a good machine, it still is overall and I think its price value although inferior to the M1 MBA and 14" MBP is still much better than its Windows counterparts (if you are not gaming).
Can anyone explain Apple pricing in the UK? It’s bizarre and makes the latest M2 MacBook models (Air & Pro) really poor value compared to the M1 models: $999 - M1 MacBook Air - £999 $1199 - M2 MacBook Air - £1249 $1299 - M2 MacBook Pro - £1349 $1999 - 14-inch MacBook Pro - £1899 The 14” MacBook Pro in the UK looks like a bargain, even more so when you can buy it new on Amazon for £1735!
Great video! I’m having the same “dilemma” with the new 24” M1 IMac with 16 gb ram and 512 ssd vs the base MacBook Pro 14”……$150 CAD diff more for the MacBook. I love the big screen seeing that I have an older 27” IMac just can’t decide.
This wasn’t an easy decision. The M2 Air will have enough horse power for what I need. However I hate having to carry around hard drives to connect to my laptop just to use it for what I do. For this reason I went for the M2 and spec’d it out to 16GB RAM and 2TB SSD. And yes I know I was close to being able to buy the 14”MBP but not needing the extra power etc decided to pocket the extra few hundred pounds.
Apple deliberately priced the MBA to up-sell people to the 14” MBP. No matter which MacBook you buy, you’ll get a great machine but probably suffer from buyer’s remorse.
The 14" is just a better machine. The air is great for its weight, but if you're speccing it up at all the 14" is the buy. The screen alone, 120hz makes it feel like a totally different machine.
My m2 air is on order but I’m sorry.. it’s not an easy decision. The absolute only 3 reasons to get the air is weight, size and if you want black. The pro offers so much more; promotion, power, much better screen, more usbc ports, hdmi, sd card etc but the biggest one I think is; resale value. I think the small difference in price will be recouped when sold used. And there’s been so much negative coverage on the m2 that the average consumer will see those reviews and and afraid of it. That’s just my opinion.
The fourth reason to get an Air is if you just want one, which is just as valid. As for resale value, all Macs fare well in that regard, and will achieve great resale value relative to their original price - that's why I rarely factor it into these reviews.
So, in summary, the M2 MacBook Air is for people who have an overpowering, bordering on obsessive, interest in owning a MacBook Air, whatever they think that means for them following the latest design refreshes, and who may benefit from a slightly more portable device. The 14” MacBook Pro is for consumers who want a laptop that pairs good portability with meaningful performance gains. Bet
It's also how Apple pricing works, we all know that Apple's pricing especially upgraded memory and storage make the next step up look very attractive...it's always $200 more for a much more powerful option...if everyone speds that extra $200 you get to be a Billion dollar industry
This is exactly what Apple wanted. They released an outdated 13 inch MBP which would have been an ideal choice with the new chassis and MBA with new chassis but garbage thermals priced closer to the 14 inch. Apple just really wants everyone who wants a decent laptop to go ahead and purchase the 14 inch
LOL. I bought and love the base M2 Air, but your comparisons make me wonder if I should have sprung for a base MacBook Pro 😂 Just kidding. The ultra-mobile Air is best for my computing on the go. Thanks for another terrific real-world review of the Air and its realistic alternatives (I’m glad you actually made it).
Mark I hope you aren't gaslighting users who do point out that it doesn't make sense to spec up an M2 MacBook Air when it does then cost close to or more than the 14"inch Mac Pro MBP? 'People who can't see beyond the end of their nose?' Well they can see through Apple marketing and want to warn others when something is wrong or badly specced. Of course people may just want a light laptop. But the benefits start to tail off if you spec it up too far, due to thermal throttling. I thought you started quite reasonably. Then you you start to do a blokeish voice "at that price mate..." It is weird the people who buy an M2 MBA with 24Gb ram and a 2TB hard drive and say this will be great! They think they are getting a very light AND very powerful machine, But they aren't. They are trying to add vodka to their cheap proseco. Benchmarks (the dreaded word) have shown that the 24GB is no faster than the 16Gb M2 MBA, and the thing will run at 100ºC or more and will overheat sooner rather than later. There is also no advising some people who don't even take any notice of the base model ssd issue. No, it just won't affect them as a 'normal user' that is the true ignorance. So I wonder who makes a decision as to which M2 MBA by asking people in the comments section of RUclips? At least the ssd-gate and resulting comments will have warned some people away from buying the base 256GB ssd model M2 MBA. That laptop should never have existed no matter how many people are duped into buying it by over- trusting Apple. I am a Mac fan but I'm very disappointed in Apple.
If like me and i suspect a lot of others and need dual external monitor support then there is only one choice.....and that is the more expensive one - thanks Apple!! Well done for releasing a MacBook in 2022 that only supports one monitor!
@@MarkEllisReviews I think the Pro offers more power for future software demands. So in your scenario of “nearest upgraded M2 Air is only £150 cheaper than the Pro”, I would say, if you can manage that £150 the Pro is a better investment. And the screen is a LOT better, especially for video playback.
Have you come up against this decision recently? If so, which one did you go for, and why?
After much thought I find myself in the same position as I was 8yrs ago when I plumped for a MacBook Pro over the Air. It was the increased std RAM and better screen on the 2014 Pro that swung it. Here I am again looking at future proofing my buying decision (as much as you can) and thinking the base M2 Air doesn’t quite cut it in 2022. Looking like I’m going Pro again…
Yes and It was only when I went to our nearest Apple Store and used the different products that it became a really clear choice and, for me, that was to go with the M2 MacBook Air with 16 GB of RAM and 1TB hard drive. At the end of day I knew I wasn’t going to use the extra grunt of the 14 inch MacBook Pro and the weight difference was considerable. I go into London once a week by train and bicycle and really value the lightness of the MacBook Air. It will also be a massive jump up from my 2018 13 inch MacBook Pro.
I had this dilemma. I waited to upgrade from my 2015 MBA and was extra excited about the new M2 MBA. I do huge amounts of multitasking, some 3D modeling (biochemistry!) and other science research applications, my old MBA cannot handle it.
I decided to go with the 16GB/512GB configuration on the M2 MBA because I think it will be able to do what I need and I wanted MagSafe (rules out M1 MBA) and I prioritize flexibility/portability (rules out 14” MBP).
So many people say the weight diff is not that much, but after comparing in store, it for sure is for me, a person lugging a million things around already. I know there’s not too much diff in price between the two models, but that’s not the point. I’ll just be happier with the M2 MBA and that’s what I’m getting. In silver, gotta go with the classic.
I’ll know pretty quickly if my M2 MBA won’t cut it for my work, that’s what return policies are for. So if I do truly need a MBP, I’ll sigh in disappointment when I return the MBA, which is gorg and perfect and I really think is the right option for me. It’s a couple hundred less than the MBP and still affordable for me with the education discount.
Great video - and this is exactly what i went through recently. For me, the slimness and lack of weight of the M2 MBA, along with the knowledge that the most demanding task was going to be Lightroom processing clinched it - I don't care that my 16GB RAM/512 GB SSD costs almost as much as a MB Pro - I don't want nor need a heavy powerhouse Laptop. I LOVE my MBA. Compared to the 2018 Intel MacBook Pro that it has replaced it is a revelation!
@@petermcilroy5742 This is EXACTLY why I made this video :) Glad you're happy, Peter!
I think many underestimate the weight difference. It's not just a matter of being able to afford it or not. If you value portability and the M1/2 power is already plenty for you, but you need the storage and the RAM (for parallels or because you always leave your Mac on, which causes memory leaks), then the M1/2 with 16GB RAM and 512GB or more is your best choice
I don't understand the weight difference. It's not like you need to hold it with your shoulders perpendicular to the floor. It is most likely gonna be in a backpack during your commute, hence the weight difference is negligible. Just a few years ago everyone was carrying around laptops heavier than 2 bricks and now you complain about the weight difference of a can of soda.
@@gigihanmandarin Personally I move around the house with my laptop in one hand while watching videos and it makes a big difference. And even in general 400gr difference do matter. If I am not sure I if I might need the laptop or not, and if I need it will be 15 min max, I'll consider not taking it at all a 1.6kg laptop. My 12in Macbook or my thinkpad nano are under 1kg and I won't even think, I'll take it even if it's unlikely that I need it.
@@gigihanmandarin weight on hand feeling. Not shoulder. If you are moving and carrying it around a lot in hand, you will notice the difference vs Air.
There’s no “right” answer to this one. Depends on what you want. I chose MBP14 because I want dual external display and I appreciate the superior laptop display. But I totally get why folks might want the portability of the MBA M2. I would have bought MBA if it could support dual displays. The MBP14, while not large, is not as portable as an air. But it has allowed me to go from two machines (desktop and laptop) to one.
Yup, depends completely on what you want. And as I've always said, if you just 'want' something, that's absolutely fine - no one should tell you otherwise.
This is exactly what Apple wanted. They released an outdated 13 inch MBP which would have been an ideal choice with the new chassis and MBA with new chassis but garbage thermals priced closer to the 14 inch. Apple just really wants everyone who wants a decent laptop to go ahead and purchase the 14 inch
@@MarkEllisReviews I watch content main,y should I get the 512 go MacBook Air or the 14” MacBook Pro ? I’d be getting it thru Grover . I can get the m2 air for $89 a month until paid off or the m1 pro 512 go 14” MacBook Pro for $123.23? Which would u recommend me go for I just want a great display for watching content?
@@evergrandebestrealestate4854 that or they want u to buy the MacBook Pro 13 with no ports just to upgrade in 6 months
@@Johnmims65 even tho it’s the M2 the MacBook 14 is much better. In my opinion. Both will give great display’s maybe The cheaper one for you. The 14 has the SD card slot. Hd cord slot plug it right into a tv the 3.5 jack The MacBook 14 pro M1 is a better way to go for me Abel to plug my camera in put pictures to the SD card and it’s still less than a pound than the air. I don’t know why the MacBook 13 is a pro or even out for sale for that matter the MacBook Air is much better in my opinion.
I was choosing between the M2 Air and the Pro 14". I wanted 16GB RAM and 1TB SSD, and when I added those options to the Air, it got to £150 of the Pro 14" with a 1TB SSD. Factoring in the slightly bigger screen, better quality screen, better speakers, better general performance and more ports (without having to use a hub) and for me the choice was obvious. Sure, I'd like the Pro 14" to be as light as the Air, but it's not exactly a breeze-block and the extra weight is worth the advantages for me, but I understand that priorities are different for others. If lightness is your biggest requirement the Air would understandably be just as clear a choice for you, and I'd never claim you were wrong to make that choice.
Another reason for going with the Air of course is if you are already at the top of your budget and don't have the extra money spare. If the price gap had been bigger I may well have chosen differently.
Basically decide what is right for you, not for others. Then go buy it and enjoy it. You don't need to justify it to those who chose differently.
I decided for the m2 Air because it’s lighter and most importantly, thinner. And Maxtech reviewed it with 40% increases browsing speed compared to the M1. It really depends what you are aiming to do … I use it 100% for travel and couch work and never have tasks with sustained load over 5 min.
I just got my 14 MacBook Pro and I'm loving it!! Super happy with my decision between the two. I went through all the back and forth. I didn't go with the more expensive one just because it's more expensive and yay woohoo, I went through the positives and negatives on the value I'd be getting with a Base 14 Pro and an upgraded M2 Air and concluded that the 14 Pro was the best option especially a few years from now.
Yep, exactly my process and eventual decision. The lightness of the Air would have been great, but coming from a late 2013 MacBook Pro 15" I was already shedding a bit of weight!
Bulky tho
I like the 14 inch mbp but I opted for the m2 with 16gb of ram and 512 gb of storage because I’m a student and the mbp is too heavy to carry around for me
I just cancelled my midnight M2 air 512/16gb 8cpu 10gpu for the base model MacBook Pro 14. It was the better screen, speakers and ports that one me over. I got the mbp 14 discounted so they were the same price. I'm happy with my decision. 4 days of use so far and I'm in love.
Mbp bulky
Agreed. The pricing ladder is made to influence you to spend more by feeling you are getting better value by spending more and Apple have mastered this black art. The downside is that it makes you feel that the model you actually want isn't good value.
Yup - which is a shame.
Which is unfortunate, because Apple doesn't currently sell a computer that isn't excellent in every configuration (barring the Intel Mac mini). You could just grab the base model of pretty much any recent Mac and be very happy with your purchase.
Now just because all the configurations are excellent doesn't mean they aren't a tad overpriced--we're still talking about Apple here.
Great points! I am a designer/photographer and for work I have a 16" MacBook Pro M1 Max, incredible computer but hefty and massive. Great for traveling when I need intense power + desktop setup. But I knew I needed a smaller personal laptop for personal work and travel. M2 MacBook Air is a great complimentary laptop to its big brother. I thought about the 14" MacBook Pro, but it's thick and closer to 16 that I felt like I can get most of my design, photo editing needs done with a slimmer more sleek model. Both have their compromises, but as you mentioned if you need the power get something bigger, but if you want something light and travel friendly, but also can pack a punch when it needs to, then the air is great! also, absolutely love my midnight air!
Increased price and slower SSD in the base model air is the reason why I chose the 14" pro.
Why would you buy base?
@@ohmyv3gatron because it is the cheapest and VFM
@@sirajirshad you pay for what you get. You can’t by the cheapest and whine about the least functionality
@@ohmyv3gatron slower SSD just for the 256gb is not acceptable even after increasing the price of the base model and that was not the case with the M1 Air base model all the storage options comes with the same speed in the M1 lineup. And I'm not whining about anything I'm pretty happy with my 14" macbook pro.
@@sirajirshad either spend the money or don’t. Even with a slower ssd this thing kills older MacBook pros. You all have just focused on something to nitpick. You have a ultra book that edits multiple 8k videos at once. The complaints are foolish
Just ordered the MBA 24gb 1tb. For me, it really came down to the weight, size, and form. More than I actually need but trying to "future proof".
I guess it really comes down to just how much you really want the light portable design of the MacBook Air. For me, I generally prioritize function over form, unless if there is a considerably larger price gap. But since the price gap between the 14” Pro and M2 Air is rather small, I’d go for the Pro then. While I don’t need the power at the moment, and a light design would be nice, the miniLED display with 120 hz, the port selection, and the speaker/mic quality are things that I would appreciate, and I assume others would too.
Thank you for the even keeled video in the era of snap judgments!
Since I last commented on a video of yours several weeks ago, I have changed my mind: I want the Pro. It’s the exact same footprint as my 13” 2013 retina pro, but 100x superior in every way. I love its design, it’s solidness particularly, and its weight.
With academic pricing, you get 10% off (so base model is £1708) and on top of that Apple also offering a £120 gift card for the ‘back to school’ season for those eligible.
Nice!
This video felt like going to a therapist. Literally read my mind. I decided to opt for the air, although my friends insisted on the 14 pro
I'm typing this from a MacBook Pro (2018) that I'm getting ready (in a few minutes) to use to order it's replacement. For me the sweet spot of the M2 is 16gb memory & 512gb HD. I spent a few trips to the Apple store (an hour and a half drive each way) to make sure that's the right one). In my mind, the extra memory and ssd take care of the page swapping and SSD speed issue. I rarely edit video, mainly work with spreadsheets and Lightroom. All of my images and LR catalog are on an external SSD so I can edit on multiple computers. My M1 MacMini handles my master LR catalog and everything I do just fine, so the M2 should work for me. I like the MagSafe (lets me have 2 USB ports free) and the small footprint of the MBA. I considered the 14" MBP side by side and decided the weight and size was more important to me (plus in the US I save $300).
This is exactly the changeover I have just done from an identical machine, and I couldn't be happier.
i went for the MBP 14” base model as a engineering student using parallels having it on me 10 hours a day .
weight - come on really? 400 gram different and people calling it “better portability” . my elementary textbook weight twice more than that and i carried 5 of them to school years ago as a kids.I even slap a speck black case over it which add 300gram and now its in black with 0 fingerprint
screen - its amazing ! if you have apple store near you just go do a side by side comparison, its huge !
keyboard and tradepad-altho they say they use the same kb and tp, i still feel like the m2 air feels flat in the center, almost feel like if i press the “H” key too hard i can touch the table. it just felt hollow.
HDMI port - i didn’t knew i need it before i got it but when i try it on to my 27” monitor now its my go to way to split screen and do night studying at home.have not try to use the duo display as my table is quite a mess and using my macbook as the screen is easier for me for video call as i am using the webcam.
Glad you're found what works for you. But when it comes to weight, there is a HUGE difference between these two laptops, mate.
How’s the battery on it? Does it last long?
@@amira9759 it last me 8 hours with parallels on and zoom on.
i even try streaming on twitch and video on that lasted me about 4. but this 67w charger is insane
@@MarkEllisReviews people need to start hitting the gym if its too heavy for them
Hey my friends, I’m an IT student so, I do some codes like machine learning tasks on my laptop.
I have a little weird question, which one should I choose?
1. Macbook air m2 16gb 512gb
2. Macbook air m1 base model
+
iPad air5 m1 base model
3. (A little bit pricier combo):
MacBook air m2 base model
+
iPad air5 m1 base model
Depends on the user YES but its better to have (that extra power) and dont need, than need and dont have.
Good video and I agree with you - if you want a MacBook Air, just buy it! I did choose the MacBook Pro because of the better CPU which I can hopefully use a little bit longer than a MacBook Air before I have to upgrade to a new laptop. May be worth the extra money but who knows...
I was looking at what to buy, the MacBook Air M2 or 14-inch MacBook Pro since I want more memory and PRICE to performance and features does matter big time. Since the price tag for the M2 Air was $1499 to $1599 with the upgrades, and now the 14-inch MacBook Pro was selling for a limited time for $1699 to $1749 brand new at BestBuy, it made things more tough and confusing.
At the end of the day, I bought neither of them! Instead I bought the MacBook Air M1 with 16GB of ram for just over $1,000. This is my first Mac in over 20 years, and I don't need anything too crazy. I had it for one week now and it is fast enough at the perfect price for me. I want performance and features, however the pricing is too expensive for me right now.
This is nearly exact what I did and I’m happy! A gap of $600-$700 USD Wasn’t worth it for the Pro
As the owner of a 16" MBP, I can honestly say that there are times I wish I (also) had a M2 Macbook air, just because of the size and weight differences. The MBP is a bit of a beast to lug around, but it still is an awesome machine.
@@Mamo878 Yes, a cheap discounted M1 MBA would be the best price value to avoid the hassle of carrying around the 16" beast. M2 MBA if price value does not matter that much to you.
I wanted to buy an specced up M2 Macbook Air (with 512gb and 16gb Ram) but after seeing I would have to wait 3 weeks and the price was only £150 from getting a 14 pro, I decided to go for the pro and it's honetly been such a great decision! I've had the laptop 3 weeks and in that time, I have not heard the fan run once, even when playing games for prolonged periods. The weight may be a big difference but the difference in performance is worth getting the Pro! The screen and speakers are insane
Is the 14” Macbook Pro comfortable to type on? More or as comfortable than the Macbook Air (M2)? I could buy either one but I’ll be typing a lot so I need a laptop that’s comfortable to do so.
I just pulled the tigger and purchased the MBP 14" yesterday!
Very sensible and clear video, and a great cure for Gear Acquisition Syndrome. Well done.
I need some advice! I’ve currently got the M1 Air with 16GB ram and 512GB on order, but now I’m unsure/having second thoughts between the M2 Air with 16GB ram and 512GB, the base model M1 Pro, or the MacBook Air M1 16 ram and 512GB. I have the budget for either one, but I’m looking for something long-lasting and capable of most tasks.
I’ll be using it for all daily tasks, video calls, university work, different software and programs for work, casual gaming, and odd bits of photo/video editing. It will really become my everyday machine for the next 3-4 years minimum.
Any of those laptops will be just fine. It depends on how portability matters to you. The best price value and future proof might be the 14 inch MBP (best screen, speakers, ports, power), but it's heavier than the M2 MBA. If portability matters more and budget is not an important factor, get the M2 MBA (with at least 512 GB for the storage to avoid the slow SSD issue).
@@jeansienkin thanks for the reply, and portability isn’t really much of an issue for myself. I’ll only really be carrying it to lectures and then maybe on a train ride home every month or so. That was why I was leaning more towards the MacBook Pro 14, along with the other reasons you mentioned.
Hi! Which configuration do you consider to have the best benefit/price ratio among the following:
- MacBook Air M1, 8Gb/256/ 1000$
- MacBook Air M1 16Gb/2TB/ $1570
- MacBook Air M2 8Gb/256/ $1320
- MacBook Air M2 8Gb/512/ $1730
- MacBook Pro 14inch M1Pro 16Gb/512/ $1980.
Prices are from Europe.
Thanks!
I have had a basic M1 MBA for 18 months and have found it an ideal travelling companion. I use it at meetings and gatherings, always on battery power, and also for videoconferencing. Well, the camera is not up to much, but then neither is my appearance. I've had no issues with memory leaks despite rarely rebooting it. Obviously the 14-inch MBP is far better for heavy duty stuff, but I have a basic Mac Studio for anything like that. The 14-inch MBP would have been too big a compromise. I've no plan for another Mac just yet. I'm obviously an oddball type because I don't edit any video, but spend time in the outdoors or at social gatherings, which to me are much more rewarding. Maybe I'm not the only one?
So right now in the US the Base 14" is on sale for $50 more than a similar spec M2 Air. I don't get anyone saying I don't want a promotion 120" mini-led screen, better CPU and GPU performance, faster SSD, more ports, adequate cooling, better speakers etc... It will likely also hold it's value better over the years... To me the 14" over the Air is not even a question for $50 more. It's not much heavier and a better screen will ALWAYS be worth it over time on your eyes.
If you really want super thin and light, go with the M1 IMHO and save significantly even with upgrades.
Bottom line for me is that this shouldn't be a question. If you need 16GB of memory and 512GB of storage, get the 14" pro, period. We did so at $150 difference last month. If the new M2 Air was the same pricing as the M1, I don't think this would be an issue either as the price difference would be significant.
As it is right now you get all the upgrades in the 14" for the price a nice dinner and couple of pints that will most likely be worth $200-300 more when you upgrade in a few years.
I generally agree--anyone looking at the 16/512gb version of the M2 Air should certainly look at the 14" Pro. But there are many people who would rather have a thin and light MacBook than a heavy one with a completely overpowered chip inside it. Also, I'm assuming you're adding the 10-core GPU into the Air's price--dropping that off really widens the price gap between the two (if you need more GPU performance than the 8-core M2 Air, you almost certainly want a Pro). You're right about the screen though. I think most people who chose the 14" over the M2 will chose it because of that beautiful screen.
I do wonder which one will retain value better. Probably the Pro, like you said, but the M2 Air does technically have a newer chip.
A side note: the M2 Air is substantially better than the M1 in a number of ways. If money is no object (and if you're considering the 14" Pro at all, it isn't) than the M2 is just a better choice.
Another side note: where did you see a 14" Pro for only $50 more than the similar Air? That's honestly a fabulous deal.
@@dreamsofgrandeur Both Best Buy and Amazon had them for $50 more last week or weekend I believe might have only been BB with Totaltech pricing though. We took a hard look right after WWDC for my oldest sons new laptop. As he is in college we had educational pricing on either. We chose the base 14" for the screen, the size (it's not much bigger than the M2 Air now that I have actually held both and he is 6"4 and is use to carrying around a very heavy 17" Alienware so the 14" feels like a feather.) As he will be doing presentations throughout the year for class and symposiums the HDMI is also a big deal that many overlook. I don't think the M2 Air is a bad machine at all, my apologies if it came across that way. Just price vs performance and long term value I think the pro wins. I have a 16" and it's the first laptop I've ever watched content on but the screen and speakers are so good. I had an M1 Air for many months though and it was a fantastic laptop for what I was using it for at the time. I'm doing more audio and video editing with the 16".
I have three other sons, 2 of which will probably need a new laptop this year. One is doing a lot of Final Cut at school so a 14" is the no brainer but the other is just writing papers and light gaming. The M2 with the 8 core GPU and 512 drive will probably be what we get for him if he wants to move to a Mac (which I'm pushing).
@Marb’s Music I hadn’t thought about the HDMI at all, which is a very good point. And I haven’t actually held the 14” before, so my assumptions about the size are mostly based on the listed specs.
It sounds like you got the right one for your family’s needs though, and at a great price, so good for you!
Also, yeah, anything is going to feel like an Air after using an Alienware. =P
This is another good, no-frills review. My M1 Air is still holding up well. However, I'm editing and producing more videos and slideshows now, and upgrading to a 14 inch Pro would probably make more sense than the M2 Air.
In my country, m2/16gb/512 is cheaper by almost 300 USD from base model mac pro 14. I like the pro 14 but with the price difference, it is sensible to go for m2 air which still fits my use case.
After carrying the new M2 Air I realized the choice isn’t between the MBP but the 12.5 iPad Pro. Portability with a bigger screen and capable of some decent video editing is al I need in a laptop. The Mac Studio can do the heavy lifting.
I went for the 14 MBP after much thought and consideration the configuration is right for me and will give me many years of service,and the screen is superb.And the weight difference is minimal.
Is it much bigger
@@leesimpson30 Not enough that i noticed and the little bit of extra weight is compensated by the quality of the machine
@@terrym3837 not sure witch to get myself looking pro ore air pro ment to be very good but bigger
@@leesimpson30 1.2 kg for the air 1.6 for 14 inch mbp,
@@terrym3837 that’s not much at all
Great comparison. It is great that Apple sells these powerful systems. I went with the MacBook Pro 14. I prefer the 14 inch screen, and the additional power for my development and presentation work. Also, here in the states, the 14 MBP with 512GB/16G is available from Amazon for $1600. The M2 Air speced the same is $1700.
How noticeable is the power difference when editing photographs? How about editing video? Thank you.
I have a different set of issues. I believe in keeping my computers till they drop dead. My iMac is a 2012 i5, my iPad Pro is a is first or second generation. My most up to date Apple product is my iPhone 12. So, it is time to update. I would like to get the MBA (16gb, 556GB) as a base model. However, I plan on keeping it 10 years. So, do I get the MBA and a new iMac (possible M3) or upgrade to the MBP with a monitor. As far as requirements, I would like to have the option of doing some video editing in the future. I guess the question is will the 14 MBP be much more viable in the next 5-6 years to justify the added cost?
Thanks for the great video.
Mark, I love the portability of the macbook air and having one as my personal device, I’m hoping I can also use the same model at work to replace an aging HP Elitebook. Can the horsepower of the M2 Air handle lots of Excel intensive tasks (large pivot tables, 1M rows of excel data, etc). Office apps and webex. No graphics intense workflow at all. Mostly MS Office based applications. I found a work around using a displaylink dock to allow two 4k monitors on the M2 air. Wanted your thoughts on Excel intensive tasks. I can’t test the data on my personal laptop due to the nature of the data.
I think we are in pretty much similar situation. I am using HP Elitebook for work but I am using my MBP 2019 for personal use. Unfortunately, I cannot use my personal laptop for work which is I think better than my work laptop. How I wish I can use my personal laptop for work so that I can easily justify the need to upgrade my personal laptop to MBP M1 14" or at least MBA M2.
Im will be a new user of mac products but still confused. I was planning to buy MBP 14 thinking that I’ll use it for more than 5 years(maybe 10yrs)but people told me that they change their laptop every five years. This got me confused. Should I buy the base M2 air and later buy a better laptop after some years or just invest it right now and use it for a very long time?
I'm interested in getting this one, I use lite web browsing some Netflix, school, and some lite Sims 4 gaming. Would this laptop handle that? I am thinking of upgrading to 16gb. And it’s about $350 difference on the MP14.
Part time DJ here - I decided to go with the 14" Pro for the brighter screen and active cooling even though both machines can run my software just fine in normal conditions. I've been in situations where I am DJing outdoors in 100F degrees and the previous Intel MacBook Air with 1 fan couldn't cool itself fast enough causing extreme slowdown and audio distortion during a gig. Literally had to put the Air on top of bags of ice during the set. I did NOT want that situation to happen again by going with the M2 Air just to save a couple hundred bucks.
I'm also debating between the M2 Air vs the M1 Pro - I am leaning towards the M1 Pro for the bigger screen and better speakers.
I have a work issued M1 Pro 14 inch and absolutely no complaints - it's wonderful but want to upgrade my personal laptop .
In terms of the display on the M1 Pro, I was unable to get Netflix, Prime or Apple TV+ to play HDR or Dolby Vision content. RUclips HDR content played great but nothing from the other streaming services. I changed display settings from XDR to HDR but it didn't help, also checked the battery setting. I get that the M1 Pro display is better - but do any streaming services other than youtube take advantage of it? Otherwise, for SDR it's the same 500 nits as on the M2 air. - so for my use case maybe the M2 Air is the way to go, but do love the bigger screen and speakers of the Pro.
Late to the comments, but one critical issue to many is external display support. The M1 Pro supports two 4k external monitors; the M2 MBA is limited to one 6k...
Amazon has the 14” MacBook Pro for £1735 and at that price I think you’d be mad to get the M2 Air with upgraded RAM & SSD for £1649 given all the other superior hardware benefits the Pro offers 💻
Only the base M2 Air makes sense, if you need more memory & storage then get the Pro. Or if you have money to burn, do what you want! 😄
Great video again Mark 👍🏽 Thanks 🙏🏽
@@Mamo878 totally agree from a performance perspective but hardware upgrades on the M2 are probably worth £200 over the M1 Air but cost of memory & storage upgrades is ludicrous
I think people forgot what 2012-2015 was like. The Air was always very close if not more than the Pro, especially when it first came out. This line is actually reminding me a lot of those years.
You mention weight difference several times in the video.
For those interested, the dimension differences are:
Pro
3.5 pounds (1.6 kg)
H 0.61 inch (1.55 cm)
W 12.31 inches (31.26 cm)
D 8.71 inches (22.12 cm)
Air
2.7 pounds (1.24 kg),
H 0.44 inch (1.13 cm)
W 11.97 inches (30.41 cm)
D 8.46 inches (21.5 cm)
Mark, you may have some spam here?
MacBook Pro 14” can be had for $1700. If you go for 512gb 16gb ram air it’s same price
I currently own a MB Air M1 with 16GB RAM and 256 SSD, I am a video editor professionally and edit 4k footage on it no problem using premiere. I am debating if I should trade it in and get the 14" MBPro because I do connect it it to monitors, and I do prefer to edit with two screens. So hard to decide because I LOVE my MB Air. I'm thinking if I should just wait for an m2 Mac mini and purchase that instead.
T-shirt tan , just like myself! We've still got enough summer to fix it 😀😄
Good video, I'd go for the MBP 14 base model instead the MBA M2 512/16 gb.
Hi Mark really enjoy your channel, would love to hear your take on the Apple TV, is it worth it ? And also the new Bowers and Wilkins px7 s2...
Thanks! Take a look through my archives - I've made a video on this :)
Just would share my thoughts regaring those two: the goal is to get the right machine for programming on a JVM-based language: about 5 IDEA windows each of them is about 300-1.2k MB, about 5-6 parallely running JVM/JS applications + working on several docker containers in parallel: two RDBMS, etc. Everything should be observable via 2 simple 24" screens. For now it works moderately good on 6-cores 1.x i5 + 32GB, some chipset. As a side goal is having a pretty compact and lightweight notepad to take it always with me. So, I would choose Air M2 16 or 24 GB, but there are no fans, and that could be a great stumbling block.
If you're like me who is into project mgt, making presentations, having multiple tabs open and doing some light to moderate video/photo editing for the occasional social media content, then yeah-- a 16/512/8gpu spec'd up macbook air makes sense. The main reason i didnt go for a 14 is because i dont need the power and i need more battery life to keep me on the go. While a 14 does seem to be a better value for money when you put specs side by side, it still boils down to how every user defines "value" for them.
I was already saying if you need a MBP you already know it in the first half, then you said it!
Buying an MBP is usually not even a question for the market audience. The rare exceptions who are gonna comment anyway already know the answer if they watched the video.
Agree... but there's quite a big subsection of the market who are making this decision, and it isn't an obvious one if you just look at the pricing ;)
@@MarkEllisReviews Of course! The pricing is quite important!
In the uk you are easily able to get the 14 inch base model for 1700 -1750 from places like john lewis
Hi Mark: I am an avid photographer and process my Sony A7Riv images for personal use and printing. Is the Mac Book Air powerful enough for LR and PS processing, or would I be served more effectively by the Pro version?
You'll have no issue on the M2 MacBook Air. Perhaps just bump the memory up to 16GB to give yourself some headroom.
You've got a sweet spot with the powerful MacBook Air M1 512/16 gb, and will save you some money as well.
It depends if you edit a lot of photos on the go. Concerning power even the M1 MBA would be enough, no worries about that. More importantly, I would advise you to go to a shop and compare the screens directly. The screen of the 14" MBP is much better than both the M1 and M2 MBA, that could matter if you edit your photos on the go. If your back can handle the extra weight of the Pro and your eyes can enjoy the comfort of the 14" screen, maybe go with the Pro. In any case, if you are moving from an Intel based machine to an Apple silicon, you will be very happy with its power.
@@jeansienkin Thanks for your response. Very insightful.
Not sure witch to go for m1 m2 or pro all base models going to be doing video editing for a newbie for RUclips would a pro be a over kill
For me I pick 14” MBP just my work flow doesn’t require the extra portability of new macbook air
I truly appreciate your advice over all the others. I’ve been going back & forth for awhile. I’m leaning for the Mac Air 2 especially for portability & the design fits my sensibility. I’m a bit lost in this ever fast changing world. Definitely an old dinosaur.
I considered the MacBook Air M2 and finally went for the M1 MacBook Pro 14" because of the following reasons: 2 nand chips, ports on BOTH sides, better speakers, bigger screen, HDMI and SD card slots, full sized function keys. I almost never take my laptop out of my home so weight and portability of the Air wasn't an advantage. Of course if you are on the road a lot the Air may make more sense.
I bought the 14 Pro. Class. I need to run an extra screen and 22 Cintiq. Problem-free machine and I've never heard the fan.
Glad you're enjoying it!
I have a 2020 13' MacBook Pro, and if I could I would change it for the Macbook Air M2. To which I would ad memory and storage, and yes, it would cost almost the same as a Macbook Pro 14. But I don't need any of the extra power, I don't need the extra weight either. But I do need a more portable machine, and as much battery life possible. Plus the Air is prettier in my opinion, and that counts too. AS A MATTER OF FACT... I just bought the MBA M2 with upped specs for my partner, and she's totally in love with it (needless to say that I'm a bit jealous of her new toy). Thanks for your videos, they're always useful. I see you like the MBA M2 of the tech RUclipsrs. Just what I need, without all the unnecessary geekery that most normal users don't care about...
Base 14 MBP @1599 vs M1 MBA (16gb, 512gb) @1189? Mainly work from home in health care/education (gmail, excel, scanning, lots of tabs) with light photo/video editing (music as well but majority of that is done on my windows desktop) Travel a fair bit between CA and CO via plane and car as well.
MBA is desirable due to weight and battery life but the price is so close to the 14 inch MBP I'm wondering if i should just shell out a bit more for the more modern screen (which I like a lot more than the MBA) and better IO. Also thought about the MBA2 but for the config I want it would be 1699.
I believe the SSD in the MBP is faster than anyone in the MBA. Or is it just the 16 inch MBP?
I find a MacBook Air M2 with 10 core GPU,24 Gb Ram,1 tb with the mdm for $950
Why not :)? I’m fucking love it .I had a 14”
Then sold it .Air is amazing I pay $30
To
Someone to bypass the mdm and best mobile
Computer ever
Also for casual internet browsing, macbook air has 4 hours more battery life vs pro. So choose your workstream and be realistic.
Most would argue if you don’t need the portability of the M2 Air then the Mini LED and Promotion of the 14 inch Pro is more than worth it. I would also assume it will get software updates for longer if you hold onto your laptop for a long time
What about the keyboard comparisons? They are definitely not identical. I noticed on the MacBook Air that when I pressed the keys down, my fingernails sometimes caught on the unibody case rim, whereas the 14” seems to have a slightly deeper key travel, but I haven’t confirmed that.
They feel virtually identical to me 🤷
Just saying, but that link in the description for the charger takes me to an Amazon page full of craft spirits. Can’t charge my phone with a bottle of gin, unfortunately :-) (I think Amazon is asking me ‘Did I want to search for ‘Koval’ for some reason, and autocorrecting the search!)
…great video as always.
Thanks, Chris - yeah, looks like a region issue. Will get it fixed!
Such a great video and the best advice you gave is buy what you can afford. So many watch videos like this and let the reviewer make the decision for them instead of getting what they need and can afford. Thanks for the amazing video.
Appreciate this - thank you!
@@MarkEllisReviews You’re welcome! Keep creating amazing content.
Usually agree with you, but not really this time. Take power completely out of the equation ...... that screen alone is worth £150 more. Then you add on the better speakers and more ports .... Absolute no brainer. I'd definitely want to pay an extra £200 for the full 10 core CPU version though.
That’s cool to disagree! I agree with you - but we’re a certain type of MacBook buyer. For people who just _want_ an Air, they shouldn’t feel obliged to buy an overly powerful and relatively cumbersome laptop just because of the price proximity. Perceived value extends far beyond specs 😉
@@MarkEllisReviews I can see your point, as in, if you want it, feel free to get it …. however, just hardware alone, forget power, the 14 inch is much better value for money. Weirdly I also like the extra bulk, not sure why, but I can see why others wouldn’t.
Someone saying to you “you should get the 14 inch instead” is sound advice….. but don’t feel pressured to take the advice if there’s something in particular you prefer from the air. (Although other than weight, I can’t personally see what that would be).
@Andrew Peters I think the problem is the whole SSD scare has chased everyone away from the (wonderful) base model M2. If you’re considering a 10-core, 16/512gb Air, then you should probably go with the Pro if you can find it. But if you take off most of those upgrades, the price gap widens quickly. So I think there’s a place for the base M2 Air, maybe with upgraded RAM or storage, but it gets really hard to justify if you keep upgrading it.
Forgot to mention: I’m in the US. It sounds like the Air is more expensive elsewhere, so the calculations may be different for others.
@@dreamsofgrandeur I’m in the UK. I’ve got an M1 MacBook Air base model. Love it.
If I was upgrading though, I’d want 16gb/512gb, and as soon as you add those upgrades onto the M2 MacBook Air, the price (in my opinion) makes absolutely zero sense any more, and (again in my opinion) you’d be mad not to pay a fraction more for the base model 14 inch M1 Pro MacBook Pro. Even if you completely take power out of the equation, the hardware alone, plus the extra IO, is just a no brainier for me.
I literally just exchanged my m2 MacBook Air 16 ram/512 gig for a m1pro base with terabyte of memory for only an extra 200 dollars.
It might come up with how much portability matters to you? If it's an essential criteria and power is not, go ahead with the MacBook Air, don't buy the 14" MBP. The difficulty is that the M2 MBA is kind of the successor of an almost uncontested value champion that is the M1 MBA. If price value matters most to you and that your power needs are not that demanding, then why not get the M1? The M2 sure has the newer and sleeker design, a brighter screen, a magsafe which frees an additional port but concerning power if you are not a power hungry user, you might not even see a difference with the M1 MBA. The big big disappointment is that the M2 price value is clearly inferior to the M1 MBA. One thing that I am not completely agreeing with Mark is that if you spec up the M2 MBA with RAM and SSD storage you might actually fall into the category of a rather power demanding user... How demanding is the question. The only one downside of the 14" MBP to the M2 MBA is the portability, all of the rest is better, its price value is better, the screen is better (higher resolution, brightness and refresh rate), the speakers are better, the number of ports are more convenient, I argue that all of those points could matter even to a "not so power demanding" user as long as the user is ready to compromise on the portability. It's not completely true that the MBP 14" is a waste of money if the user is not going to use its horse power to its full capabilities: hell, even "pro users" might not be able to exhaust its power that easily. The M2 MBA is definitely not an obvious choice as the MBA M1 was/is. Its biggest issue, if we can ignore the slower SSD and the CPU throttling, is its price value which is inferior to both the M1 MBA and the M1 14" MBP. If you privilege portability, do not have big power needs and can afford to ignore the price value downside then sure get the M2 MBA, you will probably be very happy with it. We all argue since many weeks much more about its disappointing price value I think than really the fact that the M2 MBA isn't a good machine, it still is overall and I think its price value although inferior to the M1 MBA and 14" MBP is still much better than its Windows counterparts (if you are not gaming).
Can anyone explain Apple pricing in the UK? It’s bizarre and makes the latest M2 MacBook models (Air & Pro) really poor value compared to the M1 models:
$999 - M1 MacBook Air - £999
$1199 - M2 MacBook Air - £1249
$1299 - M2 MacBook Pro - £1349
$1999 - 14-inch MacBook Pro - £1899
The 14” MacBook Pro in the UK looks like a bargain, even more so when you can buy it new on Amazon for £1735!
Great video!
I’m having the same “dilemma” with the new 24” M1 IMac with 16 gb ram and 512 ssd vs the base MacBook Pro 14”……$150 CAD diff more for the MacBook.
I love the big screen seeing that I have an older 27” IMac just can’t decide.
I love your vids
Quick query re something that went unmentioned in the video:
If typing for prolonged periods, which is better?
I'd say the Air, personally. But it's close - they're both great typing laptops.
This is simply a brilliant Video of should I get an Apple M2 MacBook Air or 14-inch MacBook Pro? Bravo to you Sir....😝🤨😉🙃
Thanks!
This wasn’t an easy decision. The M2 Air will have enough horse power for what I need. However I hate having to carry around hard drives to connect to my laptop just to use it for what I do. For this reason I went for the M2 and spec’d it out to 16GB RAM and 2TB SSD. And yes I know I was close to being able to buy the 14”MBP but not needing the extra power etc decided to pocket the extra few hundred pounds.
Just bought a base M2 Macbook Air. I have no interest to buy a Pro for now maybe in 2 or 3 years. But for now the M2 is more yhan enough
Apple deliberately priced the MBA to up-sell people to the 14” MBP. No matter which MacBook you buy, you’ll get a great machine but probably suffer from buyer’s remorse.
As shallow as it seems, the colors on the Air are what makes it so difficult. Otherwise I’d get the Pro
The 14" is just a better machine. The air is great for its weight, but if you're speccing it up at all the 14" is the buy. The screen alone, 120hz makes it feel like a totally different machine.
I barely notice ProMotion on my MacBook Pro.
@@MarkEllisReviews Some love to boast about how they know the world is flat....
@@xenon9887 eh?
@@MarkEllisReviews A fellow Canadian? :)
2 things I like and want is the display and 120 hertz such a shame they class those as pro features
I've been using ProMotion on the 16-inch MacBook Pro since October... and you're not missing much - trust me!
think i'd buy the base model MacBook air so that i can save some money..
Good plan!
Real nice when you click on the link.. some beach stuff for the kids !
Awesome!
in my country it cheaper tha a similar speced air on a sale. 20$ cheaper in converted.
My m2 air is on order but I’m sorry.. it’s not an easy decision. The absolute only 3 reasons to get the air is weight, size and if you want black.
The pro offers so much more; promotion, power, much better screen, more usbc ports, hdmi, sd card etc but the biggest one I think is; resale value. I think the small difference in price will be recouped when sold used. And there’s been so much negative coverage on the m2 that the average consumer will see those reviews and and afraid of it. That’s just my opinion.
The fourth reason to get an Air is if you just want one, which is just as valid. As for resale value, all Macs fare well in that regard, and will achieve great resale value relative to their original price - that's why I rarely factor it into these reviews.
So, in summary, the M2 MacBook Air is for people who have an overpowering, bordering on obsessive, interest in owning a MacBook Air, whatever they think that means for them following the latest design refreshes, and who may benefit from a slightly more portable device. The 14” MacBook Pro is for consumers who want a laptop that pairs good portability with meaningful performance gains. Bet
It's also how Apple pricing works, we all know that Apple's pricing especially upgraded memory and storage make the next step up look very attractive...it's always $200 more for a much more powerful option...if everyone speds that extra $200 you get to be a Billion dollar industry
This is exactly what Apple wanted. They released an outdated 13 inch MBP which would have been an ideal choice with the new chassis and MBA with new chassis but garbage thermals priced closer to the 14 inch. Apple just really wants everyone who wants a decent laptop to go ahead and purchase the 14 inch
LOL. I bought and love the base M2 Air, but your comparisons make me wonder if I should have sprung for a base MacBook Pro 😂 Just kidding. The ultra-mobile Air is best for my computing on the go. Thanks for another terrific real-world review of the Air and its realistic alternatives (I’m glad you actually made it).
If you really need that extra performance for doing very intensive work, then get the MacBook Pro.
That would have been a very quick video, Andy ;)
It's first time time I've seen Jason Statham making videos on apple products 😁.
In the uk the m2 air starts at 1250 pounds (1522 dollars)
In the uk the m2 is awful prive
No such thing as too powerful. I pick the pro any time.
Really… this question is still going on…
Mark I hope you aren't gaslighting users who do point out that it doesn't make sense to spec up an M2 MacBook Air when it does then cost close to or more than the 14"inch Mac Pro MBP? 'People who can't see beyond the end of their nose?' Well they can see through Apple marketing and want to warn others when something is wrong or badly specced.
Of course people may just want a light laptop. But the benefits start to tail off if you spec it up too far, due to thermal throttling.
I thought you started quite reasonably. Then you you start to do a blokeish voice "at that price mate..."
It is weird the people who buy an M2 MBA with 24Gb ram and a 2TB hard drive and say this will be great! They think they are getting a very light AND very powerful machine, But they aren't. They are trying to add vodka to their cheap proseco.
Benchmarks (the dreaded word) have shown that the 24GB is no faster than the 16Gb M2 MBA, and the thing will run at 100ºC or more and will overheat sooner rather than later.
There is also no advising some people who don't even take any notice of the base model ssd issue. No, it just won't affect them as a 'normal user' that is the true ignorance.
So I wonder who makes a decision as to which M2 MBA by asking people in the comments section of RUclips? At least the ssd-gate and resulting comments will have warned some people away from buying the base 256GB ssd model M2 MBA. That laptop should never have existed no matter how many people are duped into buying it by over- trusting Apple. I am a Mac fan but I'm very disappointed in Apple.
Have you used the base model, Paul?
If like me and i suspect a lot of others and need dual external monitor support then there is only one choice.....and that is the more expensive one - thanks Apple!! Well done for releasing a MacBook in 2022 that only supports one monitor!
If you can afford the Pro get the Pro. The screen is worth it alone. The extra power is just a bonus.
But what if someone just wants a MacBook Air?
@@MarkEllisReviews I think the Pro offers more power for future software demands. So in your scenario of “nearest upgraded M2 Air is only £150 cheaper than the Pro”, I would say, if you can manage that £150 the Pro is a better investment. And the screen is a LOT better, especially for video playback.