Living With MacBook Air 15 & MacBook Pro 14: Which One To Buy?

[@TerrenRule]

What MacBook is best for your needs? :)

[@johnwet6969]

I did it little bit differently... Few days ago I sold my 2yr. old AIR M1 16GB/1TB for $1.300 and went into local store and bought the new MacBook Pro M1 Pro 16" 16GB/1TB for $1.700 at "red friday" sale. Now for the price of 512GB 15" Air I have much better computer except the weight. This machine is perfect and have it all. Fantastic Mini Led XDR display, best speakers of all times, great cooling, great battery life, great SSD speed, fast charging, 1080p camera, high power output for high impedance headphones, simply all. This is my way. Not to buy new machines for big money, but wait a little and buy proved machines with great price/performance ratio. More than happy now.

[@ramongerix]

Pro for me

[@savethisforlater]

Clean Your Room Bucko! :p

[@jamaltatums]

I just got the 14 base pro M2. Surprisingly, my biggest takeaway was how good my 2015 pro still measures up, until I start really needing computing power. I don't need a pro, but I like keeping my computers for a long time so I went with the better display and the more future-proof option.

[@officialTerrenrule1]

📥

[@KJP-dv2uj]

My workflow as a lawyer involves working on very long documents in Word. Therefore, I do not need the power of the Pro, but I choose them because the longer key travel makes a massive difference to my typing experience over many hours, and I love the ProMotion when scrolling up and down the document. I may be paying for a lot of graphical performance I do not need, but I am also paying for niche thinks that make a big difference to my experience.

[@DipSet85]

Thank you for sharing, is the keyboard on your pro generally good? As I work as a writer and most of my work is typing. Also, promotion really noticeable difference?

[@jonathanmontes4759]

@@DipSet85i thought the keyboards were quite similar, but that was just me. and yes, the pro motion makes a huge difference. i’m used to fast refresh rate panels so to me it is very noticeable. hope that helped :)

[@DipSet85]

@@jonathanmontes4759 thank you for that, I was asking about pro motion because I am also used to high refresh rate screen 165 Hz but I saw a video on the macbook promotion where the refresh rate is 120 hz but the panel itself has high input lag of 23 milliseconds so still see ghosting when dragging things around the screen.

[@juliusjacob1416]

@@jonathanmontes4759I actually returned my Pro 14 (I thought it was a bit too bulky and heavy to really feel portable) to maybe get an Air 15, but indeed the lack of promotion was painfully noticeable when I tried it in the store. Very annoying: once you’re used to high refresh rates it’s really hard to go back to 60hz.

[@Pokeonrocks5]

I am in my second year of law school now, and I feel like I would appreciate the larger screen of the 15 inch. How is the weight for you, and carrying it everywhere?

[@platinoir]

As someone who prefers bigger screen size, I got MacBook Air 15” 24GB RAM 1TB SSD which was way cheaper than MacBook Pro 16” 18GB RAM 512SSD Also the form factor and midnight color of Air is just phenomenal

[@anthonymelhado8824]

I was in an interesting predicament. I had the M2 15" 8GB 256gb. The M3 came out and then Best Buy threw a massive sale on the MBA 15" M2. I saw that they had the 15" 16GB/1TB on sale for significantly less. I grabbed that one! The weight and size is phenomenal! Handles Adobe Lightroom like a champ!

[@WyattLite-n-inn]

Yeah ,same here . The ‘1.3 difference between the ‘15.3 air and the ‘14 pro looked huge , while the inch between the ‘15 and the ‘16 looked negligible

[@Obikenobi93HD]

Well for my experience I went from Intel 2020 MacBook Air and went straight to the M2 MacBook Air 15 inch with 24GB Ram and 256 SSD storage and its a definite powerhouse

[@anires1195]

it's unified memory 24GB is like having 64GB on windows, there's zero reason to waste money like that except to feel good.

[@Obikenobi93HD]

@@anires1195 well that’s you, for me RAM is important than storage

[@cwaicwai821]

Also please don't underestimate storage and RAM sizes. They really make a difference in using your laptop in the short-term AND long-term. Thanks for the review! #imadeit

[@qtip919]

i have the 13" air and 14" pro - my perfect combo would be 15" air for the sleek incredibly thin perfect web browsing machine however, I pick up my pro pretty much 100% of the time. Mainly due to the screen and sound - the screen is simply unreal and the sound is shockingly great for a laptop

[@hikarushidou]

i really appreciate your advice at the end about the budget. Cuz i am torn between them rn but actually pro is over my budget, your advice is the reality ❤ thank you

[@luisinho6946]

Bro i like the groove and passion of your videos, nice quality in general. Keep the good work, cheers!

[@TerrenRule]

Thank you 😊

[@BarcelonasHotCrowd]

Just got my new 14" M2Pro MacBook Pro!!! It's replaced my old 13 year old MacBook! I've been working from home and I've been web browsing on Safari AND I've been using Apple Pages for 80% of the time and I feel that i've set a battery record. Currently I'm on 32%. Last changed 2 evenings ago. I've had 22+ hours from the battery AND there's still plenty in it :) + I've Apple Homeshared for 2 evenings for 90 mins each evening. Loving most things BUT prefer the glass touchpad of my old MacBook - more slick and faster. AND Not a fan of the Apple TV app compared to iTunes! When you download an iTunes film it's now a HLS file not Mp4 so you cannot Apple HomeShare to your Apple TV or iPhone/iPad AND there's no wishlist option for film/tv series etc. Photos app doesn't play MP4/MP3 audio files anymore which sucks as my digital portfolio is in Photos. Apart from that it's amazing BUT I've come to the conclusion that ALL MacBooks are amazing - my old 13 year old one still has a really decent screen and isn't a bad experience when switching between the two! All very high quality devices :)

[@StBernardFan]

Great video! Refreshing to see a comparison based on real world tests and needs as opposed to all the benchmarks that mean nothing to the majority of mac buyers out there.

[@mootsym]

The most difficult decision for me is whether to go with 16 or 32 gigs of RAM. Right now, I am fine with 16. But in the future, you never know. I plan on keeping the laptop for several years, probably a decade. But when I tried to induce swap when playing with the MacBook at the store, I was blown away at how many tabs and apps I could have open and still not touch swap. So I don’t know. Tough decision, because it’s so much money.

[@BarcelonasHotCrowd]

I've just bought the M2Pro 14" with 16GB RAM and 1TB and it's a beast. It's replaced my 13 year old white MacBook. My experience and feelings are that 5 to 6 years is a healthy amount of time to keep a MacBook. My thoughts are to replace when the machine stops having the ability to have the latest OS on it. I really had to save for this Mac but my last one was an investment _ i ended up working for myself and earning money from it :) I feel that I have chosen the right spec and a not too silly price and I feel that sticking to a spec like this makes sense for when I replace it say 5 years down the line.

[@aelaan12]

@@BarcelonasHotCrowd Just went through the same dialogue in my own head. Four weeks ago I pulled the trigger and I have never been more happy. I work as a consultant, mostly cloud services, working with engineering and this computer will be paying itself back in less than two years. I have a set pay schedule that I have budgeted for. Plus, I bought a refurbished one. I replace my laptops at least every three years. The 14" M2 MAX is replacing a 16" with 16Gb of memory and with the Pro chip. That was one of my biggest mistakes, to not purchase it with enough memory. @matthewmaneri3098 remember that you can always put external drives on it, you can never upgrade the memory, well not totally true because I have seen some techie people do it, but it is normally not possible. If you think about it: say the upgrade costs around 300 bucks to get more memory, that is 100 bucks per year, over a period of three years. That is two bucks a week. But it takes commitment not to trade it in and account for this. Always have the hard numbers in a spreadsheet and look at it.

[@mootsym]

@@aelaan12 well but if I double the storage to 1tb for $200 vs twice the ram at $400, I can feel more comfortable using the SSD for swap. I hate that we have to make these choices. Pro machines should come with 1TB/32GB standard... especially on M3.

[@officialTerrenrule1]

@@mootsym 📨 me

[@nespppp]

Practical tips for real people. Thank you!

[@coulonalban35]

I think 14,2 for MacBook Pro is smaller : a 14,6 screen will be a good alternative between 15,2 MacBook Air and 13,6 MacBook Air

[@Scientist_Salarian]

For me, it comes down to the screen. I don’t strictly need the power of the Pro to edit photos professionally, but the screen is sooo much nicer. The Air only has 500 nits of brightness (100 nits less than even my iPad Pro) and no HDR. The Pro has up to 1600(!!!) nits of brightness, and full HDR capabilities. I don’t need the 120Hz refresh rate of the Pro, but it’s nice. If the Air’s screen was even 70% the quality of the Pro’s, I’d get that one and be very happy to save a bunch of money. Also, my last MacBook Pro (a spec’d-out 2009 17”) went strong for 10 full years. With a few basic upgrades of the current MBP (RAM, mostly) I expect it will last about the same, if treated well. A little more money spent now will save me a lot over the long run.

[@jirikocman]

I was about to buy 15" MBA with 16/512 configuration, but before I pull trigger, one of local Apple certified retailers stocked M1 Pro Macbooks, brand new, no refubrished ones. 15" Air 16/512 is 50k CZK here, but base 14" MBP M1 Pro was for 40k CZK and even 16" M1 Pro Macbook was for 47k CZK, so I finally bought base 14" Macbook Pro M1 pro. For comparsion brand new M2 14" MBP is 59k CZK.

[@BarcelonasHotCrowd]

Great choice!

[@bta_artist]

can you share link where you bought ur m1 mbp

[@jirikocman]

@@bta_artist There was discount on iStyle cz webstie during last week of june. But now only 1TB versions of 14" M1 Pro MBP are available for 50k CZK. But 16/512 is available in 16" variant for 48k

[@AntonandSinan]

Honestly MacBook Pro 14 inch made me see the less impressive quality screens of my iPad Air 5 and iMac 5K. And I love those devices. The iPhone 13 mini looks amazing though, but MacBook Pro really pushes the limits to the max. Love it!

[@tonicabrandstudio]

LOVE this refreshing comparison! Subscribed!

[@thatonespaniard6509]

Thanks for the video. God bless you. My opinion? just buy a external ssd: is going to be cheaper and you can use it in multiple devices. Don't worry about the internal SSD. There are affordable ssd on amazon for around 100-200e that are more useful than internal ssd.

[@timmy334]

One thing to consider is that if you max spec the 15" Air with 24GB RAM and 2TB storage, it's the exact same price as the base config 16" MBP. Nobody mentions that in reviews. I went to Best Buy this past Saturday and they both had 16GB RAM and 1TB storage. There is no comparison. The 16" MBP wins hands down. The higher refresh screen on the MBP makes the Air look choppy. The sound is better. The brightness and overall graphics are just more pleasing to the eye. The M2 Pro chip is awesome. I had a demo movie running in Final Cut on both and on both I moved around the Final Cut window as it was playing the movie. The MBP showed no choppiness or hesitation on the video. You could see choppiness on the Air. Spend the money for a MBP.

[@audreyhuggins8822]

Your review here in the comparisons, is the best I have read and/or viewed. I have been searching extensively for a quality comparison. I am definitely going to buy the MBP M3 Pro 16" that recently launched.

[@dixinc.5507]

I compared the MacBook Pro 14" next to the MacBook Air 15" and the Air doesn't come close. I guess if you use the Air daily you might not see it but once you see the screen on the Pro with the ProMotion and contrast ratio you can't unsee it.

[@jerome5969]

Thanks for reminding to do not over spend on tech even though we can afford it. You got me lol 😁

[@fairygurl5448]

I really like the way you thoroughly explain everything. I may ditch my Dell Inspiron of 7 years and upgrade to a MacBook Air 15.

[@emmatapley8838]

I’m debating on getting a pro if I stay in academia. I have an air and it’s not powerful enough to run office 365 plus reference managers. I end up studying at home on the iMac which can handle it but I don’t think I’ll be able to stay home as much.

[@profix4993]

Like the beginning of the vid, was not so sure about the ending though. "Your needs grow and you will need a better computer. 16 gigs may not be enough someday for my needs." - if your needs will change overtime - why not just buy a more powerful option when that time comes? People who have the needs of more than 16 gig ram and 512 gig storage - should be users who are professionals and require the fastest tech possible to complete their work quickly. Having a laptop for 5 years is not an option for them. Such people are changing yearly-2 year period. IMHO. Back to the comparison of MacBooks - was having this dilemma for a while now. Thinking more towards the 15 air with 16/512 spec. Have MacBook Air M2 13 8/512 right now. Will probably wait for M3 to come around. Appreciate the fanless design of air (no need to clean the dust from the chassis), according to other reviewers air has a little longer battery life (about 2 hours longer, probably because 60hz retina screen of air needs less power than 120hz xdr screen of pro), air is thinner, plus 0.9 inches of screen is a bonus. The speakers and screen are nicer on pro a bit, but I don't watch XDR content, so screen advantage fades a way a bit. Both speakers are loud, which is good. And since I love long battery life(which will be even better on M3 by rumours) and portability - will probably go with Air 15. Do a bit of coding and word docs with KZbin, for which air is enough. Here's my 2 cents. Hopefully makes sense. Good vid tho, keep it up

[@elamoez3589]

I love you content so much that i am one of the notifications gang

[@TerrenRule]

thank you! :)

[@hassb6348]

The edge where u rest your wrist is too sharp in my opinion on the MacBook Pro 14. Little nit pick but it does annoy me

[@mariano37531]

i need mine for google sheets and excel, word. air 15" 8gb 256ssd should be enough?

[@TerrenRule]

It would be perfect!

[@alexandertricot]

Best comparison I’ve seen after a week

[@akin242002]

If not sponsored to have both, why get both? I get having the M2 Mac Mini and the MacBook Pro/Air. The home setup being more powerful and the laptop for on the go. However, getting a MacBook Air and MacBook Pro makes no sense beyond Apple hype or sponsorship.

[@OperationNonsense]

easy, if you have a mac studio at home hooked up to large monitor, go for macbook air. if you don't have a powerful desktop at home, then go for macbook pro.

[@laurabondurant5096]

I just ordered a refurbished MacBook Pro M3 with 18 ram and 512 storage versus 15 inch MacBook Air for the same price which I’m returning. 🎉. My M1 MacBook Pro suddenly died on me. The extended warranty had just run out and they wanted $700 ship it off to a facility to check it out. I have also had trouble with the M1 iPad Pro dying on me. I’ve had to replace it twice with the extended warranty. So I don’t know if anyone else has had trouble with M1 or I just got unlucky to have lemons. I really wanna just unscrew my M1 and see if I can put a new battery in myself or find someone that will do it for me. I really wanna know why that computer died. The main reason that I am switching to the pro is because as I get older colors seem to dim and fade on me and it’s hard to see them clearly. So I’m hoping that the pro will be clear and sharper for me. What do you think about that? it’s a big decision and a lot of money to drop especially since I just bought that M1 two years ago.

[@abinashrabhaofficial]

> any pro user will have an external 2k or 4k monitor 99.99% of the time. So whether it's a 13 inch 14 inch 15 inch 16 inch it doesn't even matter...... The only thing that matters whether the machine can get the work done or not.... period. If there is no sd card slot, no hdmi port why even spend so much money just to read and browse the web... get a 200 dollar laptop which exactly does what MacBook air does. to browse the web. Obviously unless you want to waste your parents money.

[@DJKISSchitown]

Have you used or reviewed the framework laptop? A very interesting consumer friendly and upgradable niche. I have Mac’s and framework has me so intrigued as a consumer. Different yes but I was curious.

[@peterburnhill5471]

Enjoyed that :) Any thoughts on how long Apple would support the MBP14 compared to the MBA!5? I opted for the MBP16 M1Max 32 GB RAM a while back as my sole computer as I occasionally do some serious sums and I like the screen size. It was a replacement for my mid-2015 MBP which I cascaded to a daughter. That said, the MBP16 is very much a 'luggable' when traveling and I've sometimes wondered whether the MBP14 would have been a better if combined with a desktop monitor.

[@HistoryNut-1701]

I’ve yet to ever try a MacBook of any kind. I’ve always been able to get by with iPads.

[@alanctm]

Seems like the microphone sounds clearer and louder for air… any reason why?

[@Darragh1]

Serious underlying ASMR in this video. Aural viibbbesss. A new channel idea for you. Love the review btw.

[@ian-james]

Which would be better for streaming movies / series etc. ???

[@kazettique]

Which clock do you use on your desk? I think the design is great!

[@michaelm1326]

Great insights, thanks!

[@codenameexoliby6020]

is the key travel the same on both computers/ I am incredibly scarred by the old butterfly keyboard. Typing is huge for me and I'm curious if the typing experience is the same or worse on the 15?

[@akashbp590]

Nice summary of the MBA! What is the name of the case/stand your MBA is sitting on at 9:05?

[@leon_mystar]

Hey Teren, do you think the AirPods Pro can be a replacement for Traditional Headsets in a professional workflow? What about the AirPods Max?

[@diegonunez7883]

i made it, great advise and video in general

[@Applecore365]

Great video! I got a 15 inch 8GB RAM / 512GB Storage

[@abc123fhdi]

Most people will want the bigger display, even the ones that think having deeper blacks and high refresh rate are what they want will actually want more screen area as the Liquid Retina display is actually really good, better than most 15" laptop displays especially at this price point. also MacBook Air mic sounds better in this video, more clear than the pro. Image is also sharper and less soft than on the pro. #imadeit

[@DipSet85]

The pro 14 has better pixel density so how can the air be sharper?

[@abc123fhdi]

The MacBook Air 15 also has thunderbolt 4, so same as MacBook Pro not slower as you seem to indicate.

[@Merman67]

According to Apple 15" Air is Thunderbolt 3/USB 4 which is why I think there is confusion. The Pros come with Thunderbolt 4

[@DipSet85]

Pro has thunderbolt 4 which is better than the thunderbolt 3 on air

[@Merman67]

@@DipSet85 yah im still deciding for me its just the better display as I don’t do any hardcore video stuff or anything that would make me notice thunderbolt speed difference. Its mainly web stuff and Office aps. But the display difference still has me considering the 16 although the easier portability of the air is handy since I travel a lot between different offices

[@DipSet85]

@@Merman67 the air is 1.5Kg The pro 14 is 1.6kg The pro 16 is 2.1 KG The pro’s have the better quality screen. The air screen is bigger than the pro 14. But the specs on the pro’s are much better for future proofing. - more ram - better cpu - better gpu - more storage space - faster storage speed/SSD - better speakers - fans ensure no thermal throttling or slowing of hardware and they are quiet 99% of the time - better keyboard, deeper key travel for typing Cons: - air is much better looking and sleeker - more screen space versus pro 14 - lightest and most portable

[@antoniorobles3498]

The Air camera and microphone sounds/looks crispier than the pro

[@voltagespark7341]

Still have no idea why theres no 8tb SSD option for the air still its not like it cant fit in the chassis

[@hiflite2925]

I like your watch band. Can I ask where you got it?

[@Utubeisazzho]

HDR screen!

[@TomaszTomasz-ot6dl]

#imadeit Pro 14's beautiful is so tempting; I don't need extra power. I need to please my eyes :)

[@Nimariel]

The biggest reason I’m leaning toward Pro is that I do a lot of screen recording and want my footage to look as good as possible. I assume that the picture quality of the Pro screen will likely transfer to my captures and provide the best results.

[@BarcelonasHotCrowd]

The Pro is beautiful. Loving mine - gorgeous screen, amazing sound quality and 22-24 hours of battery when doing like tasks - Apple Pages, Safari browsing and Keynote presentations/playing video! M2Pro 14" 16GB RAM, 1TB

[@ArthropodSpidey]

That makes zero technical sense whatsoever.

[@friscodog]

Screen captures do not take a picture/video of your screen, so the quality of the screen makes no difference whatsoever. Screen captures are saving the output of your GPU (as I understand it), so there shouldn't be much if any difference between an Air and a Pro.

[@JohnSmith-zl8rz]

or 16 is better!

[@officialTerrenrule1]

📥

[@theRogels]

#imadeit great video!

[@LunasRa]

My ideal laptop = cheaper price

[@nandocame620]

Does 15” air fit more on screen than 14”pro?

[@Merman67]

Yes. I've been trying to decide and picked up the 15 Air, and the 14 Pro. 14" Pro has default of 1512x982 or if you opt for more space 1800x1169. The 15" default is 1710x1107 and more space option 1920x1213. I use excel a lot so the 15 displays more without having to make everything too small for my eyes so returned the 14. I picked up the 16 Pro to compare as I really like the better display on the Pros but not sure it justifies the extra $600 as the default display size is pretty close to the 15 at 1728x1117.

[@DipSet85]

@@Merman67if its just screen size fine, but that extra 600 dollars gets you a hell of a lot more specs.

[@JosephKarthic]

​​@@DipSet85you don't need colourful glasses if your eyes are blind..

[@DipSet85]

@@JosephKarthic what?

[@jay.jay.1]

Buy both lol 😂 that’s what i did 😂

[@evilphuk]

why not have both?

[@parkofile1173]

#imadeit below

[@kelvinogbulekwauwa7629]

Which one is best for forex trading

[@ComronSafarian]

#imadeit

[@TerrenRule]

🐐'ed, TWO imadeit's from you today :) appreciate the support

[@rbasi25]

hi cutie

[@francodigitalphotography3227]

So sick of all these videos with the same, exact title. Seriously. You can never compare a Macbook Air with a Macbook Pro. Get over it. The Macbook Pro is superior in every way. This shouldn't even be debated. SMH

[@saharajohnson6481]

MacBook Air is for lightweight users and MacBook Pro is for heavy users and I do see some normal people videos get the wrong MacBook laptop

[@redSectorA]

The question often isn't about which one is better, but more so, can I get by with the Air for what I want to do with it? The comparison is necessary when there is a price difference- especially when purchasing for your five family members and three are in college. If money were not an object, sure, get the Pro!

[@michelletiger3903]

"...is AN uncomfortable computer" - it's very disheartening that the past 2 generations do not even know basic English grammar.