MacBook Air M3 vs MacBook Pro M3 - Which Should You Buy? [2024]

[@grumpyrocker]

Apple upgrade pricing for RAM and storage is utterly obscene compared to component costs.

[@PolluxChung]

Since everything is soldered it's pretty much has to be done through Apple, and Apple is taking advantage of it and charges whatever it wants. Buyers have to bite the bullet on RAM, but at least for storage we can look for fast external from third party.

[@f.iph7291]

Blatantly ridiculous

[@andyH_England]

But if you compare all Windows ultrabooks then Apple offers cheaper 16GB/512GB MB Air than XPS 14, Galaxy Book4 Pro, LG GRAM 14, Surface Laptop 6, etc. So for ultrabooks that is a fallacy for that config which is more than enough for 95% of users of ultrabooks. I agree the pro machines upgrade prices are very high but these are not aimed at consumers.

[@bradavon]

It's like Popcorn.

[@francisatta5590]

That's why they soldered the ram so you can't upgrade yourself. So wise up

[@Onemorechance12]

I just bought an M3 MacBook Air, speced it up to 24 gigs of ram and 512 storage, I have it docked 90% of the time with 2 external monitors, I play wow, run KZbin, some safari tabs open at once and the temps are within the 82c ish area with all that going on.

[@kylecastellino6402]

82 Celsius???

[@CRAZYKID123454321]

Why not just get a pro with the amount u spent?

[@Onemorechance12]

@@CRAZYKID123454321 I travel a lot and wanted something really light. I do honestly consider the m3pro right now because at Best Buy its on sale and trade in for mine would be about a 700buck difference in price. Something to consider.

[@jdsd_]

@@CRAZYKID123454321 I was looking for the same specs. A pro with 24 gigs of ram and 512 storage costs around 500$ more (where I live), so that quite a difference in price.

[@Sequel7]

Terrible decision long term at least

[@sssdddaaa222]

Never ever ever go for the fast charger. You will kill your battery much faster. Always charge at less than 1C meaning go with 70watt charger for pro and 30 or 35 watt for air. Manufacturers want customers to go for as fast charging as possible so they can milk the customer more for battery replacement. I work for Tesla developing 4680 cells and I know li-ions inside out. If you charge these batteries to 80 or 85% max and use slow charging, these batteries will last for 10k to 20k cycles and will outlast the life of your computer. KZbin reviewers have no idea how fast charging works and they are hawking those marketing pitches without any background knowledge.

[@monroldeencompania2683]

Hey! Omg! Really? I have thought about this thing long time ago, and now I'm finally reading someone saying about this. 😢

[@rachelwilson8318]

Thanks so much for this - ordering right now and I had included the 96W. Fixing my order right now.

[@Pixel.Riderr]

Does that mean you shouldn’t use the chargers from Apple?

[@recoilroy]

I appreciate you looking out for people, but laptops aren’t the same as cars. Having a car for 10+ years is normal, but most people upgrade their laptops within 5-10 years, especially Apple users or professionals like me. So having the battery performance go down after 3 years, and using the Mac for 2-3 years with less battery capacity, is worth it for most (and me) because I replace my Mac within 10 years anyway. Having the short-term convenience (charging it faster), saving you some time, is well worth the battery performance going down over the years (in my case, this never happened before the first 2 years, always after the 3rd year slowly). And I abuse the battery (docked with display & always charging to 100%).

[@thecsslife]

Not letting the battery go below 20% improves longevity a lot as well. 10k to 20k cycles is not possible with batteries found in mobile devices, as they use different chemistry. I reckon you're thinking of Lithium Iron Phosphate batteries (LFPs) - they can last many thousands of cycles and are the most common battery chemistry used for EVs (and Teslas) at the moment. Some EVs use other chemistries like NMC, but these currently don't have the incredible cycle longevity of LFPs. Mobile devices mainly use Lithium Cobalt Oxide (LCOs) as they need to have the highest energy density, but can only last around 500-1000 cycles, sometimes a bit more but not close to 10,000+.

[@Thetechchap]

Hey Chaps! What laptop are you using right now?? CORRECTION: MBP M3 only has one fan (the M3 Pro/Max variants have 2 fans)

[@AljosaAsanovic]

M1 16 inch MacBook Pro w/ 32 GB Ram. No reason to upgrade ..

[@victorabarcajr1212]

15in M2 Air 16gb RAM 512GB SSD. Switched from the 14in MacBook Pro after realizing I can do the same with an Air and get a bigger screen and get some money back. I love it and do not miss the Pro.

[@saturnotaku]

MacBook Pro 14 with the unbinned M1 Max, 64 GB unified memory, and 2 TB SSD, purchased factory refurbished from an authorized reseller for $800 less than what it would have cost to get from Apple directly. While it doesn't feel as snappy in everyday use as the 14-inch M3 Pro model I also have, it is noticeably faster in GPU intensive applications, on account of the M1 having more available cores. While I could get by with the 18 GB of unified memory the M3 Pro has, I filled up the 1 TB SSD pretty quickly so I really wanted the extra internal storage that the M1 Max offered.

[@ekillops22]

M1 Air 16GB/512GB

[@arp1]

M3 Air :) 256/16 GB

[@golden-63]

*I waited for the 15" M3 MacBook Air to see what changes had been made. It's pretty much the same except for the M3 chip. When I spec'd it up to what I wanted, the price was only $100 less than a 14" M3 MacBook Pro with similar RAM and storage. For that extra $100, the pro has a superior display, superior sound, more ports, more power, more speed, brighter screen, a fan to dissipate heat and reduce throttling, 120Hz instead of 60Hz, better mics, etc. I'm a MacBook Air kind of user, but that extra $100 (in my case) for all those features was a no brainer. Wish it came in Midnight.*

[@hugol81]

This ! Coming from mid 2012 MBP, I want to pull the trigger on the 15" MBA with 16gb of RAM and 512gb SSD, but for $100 more with the same specs with all the extras, the MBP 14" is just the obvious choice… I just love the sleek look of the MBA, but the MBP has so much more to offer for only $100 more…😓 Tough decision😅

[@nhr27]

same - there is no reason to buy a maxed out air - if you make it equal to the pro, the pro is 100 dollars more. The air only supporting two monitors (with the air closed) was the deal breaker for me. Plus, better speakers make up for the slight weight difference.

[@hugol81]

@@nhr27 I went with the Macbook Pro M3 Pro, it was on special at Best Buy, got it for cheaper than a maxed out MBA. I am very happy with my choice, that thing is a beast.

[@golden-63]

@@nhr27 It wasn't maxed out.

[@AlejandroMartinez-yv1gh]

I bought a MBP M3 16" and I think the battery life is worse than a M3 Air or is it just me? Or mine came with fabric defect idk

[@eshimischi]

Going after M3 Pro this year, professional developer, prices are high but as i'm still using my macbook pro 2013 that works like from the first day i want an upgrade finally for the forthcoming 10 years to come lol

[@Lina-cy2yc]

haha, same here:) (still written from my oldie Mac)

[@nostalgian4113]

How is your 2013 surviving? My 2018 one can’t even render a 60 fps short video 😅

[@stayup21]

How’s that? I have a 2020 i7 16gb ram and can barely handle work from home multitasking How can optimize it?

[@nimanixo]

My 2013 MacBook is so slow??

[@lionel10messi10rocks]

@@nimanixou gotta upgrade the SSD and RAM on that

[@TheWesterosiNinja]

An important thing to note is that the MBA and base M3 MBP have only Thunderbolt 3 ports if you care about that. You don't get Thunderbolt 4 unless you go to the M3 Pro MBP. In terms of value if you upgrade all three to 16GB RAM/512GB storage, the base M3 Pro MBP 11c/14c with a better cpu, better display, three TB4 ports, and 2GB extra RAM seems like the best value (15" MBA w/16GB/512GB = $1699, base M3 MBP w/16GB/512GB = $1799, base M3 Pro MBP w/18GB/512GB = $1999). The only thing that may be able to touch the base M3 Pro MBP in terms of value would be the 13" MBA with 16GB/512GB for $1499 if you can deal with the smaller 13.6" display and 2 TB3 ports. Personally, I was able to get a base M3 Pro MBP 11c/14gpu for $1529 on the Apple Certified Refurbished store with an educational discount =).

[@Ashishyejjala_vlogs]

Hi does the refurbished website offer student discount? Which country did you buy it in?

[@TheWesterosiNinja]

@@Ashishyejjala_vlogs yes the discount stacks on top of refurbished prices in the US.

[@AlexTse-nn2mq]

How do I stack the two discounts?

[@CyroNux]

any argument can go: this one a little more but much better get this! Try starting at the m2 base 13" air and see where that argument gets you. its right where apple wants you. you feel for their trick.

[@TheWesterosiNinja]

@@CyroNux We're talking about M3 MacBook comparisons. Obviously last-gen M2 will be cheaper and the value equation changes.

[@mrpeppschmier]

I’d love to buy a new MacBook since my MacBook Air is from 2014. Battery is more or less dead but it still works ok. The biggest issue for me are the ridiculous upgrade price tags for storage, ram etc.

[@the_flushjackson]

Right there with you -- did a battery replacement 3 years ago for my Macbook Pro 2013 and now doing a 'brew upgrade' (compiling) will take the battery to 5% and alert that it cannot charge under load. I want to get another Macbook Air/Pro that will last just like that purchase, but man it rustles my jimmies to think about all the upgrade pricing -- it's like shopping for a car at this point.

[@Mad.Maxx.77]

Outstanding review, mate! I got my M3 Air 13" 16GB/1TB Midnight about 2 weeks ago. Gotta say it's a gorgeous piece of tech that performs flawlessly. Can't wait to take it to Vegas in May for my next contract gig.

[@theMr.K]

Is this good for editing 4k videos with premier pro ?

[@ongjanette]

​@@theMr.Kyes if you do only shortform videos like 20min, 30min max. Anything longer than that, go with the Pro/Max chips. But if you dont need to do so much travelling, the pro would be safer.

[@monsieurb90]

I wanted a 15" screen, so the 14" MBP was no option for me. Writing this now on my 15" Air with 1TB and 24GB RAM - it replaced my 2018 15" Intel MBP. ;-)

[@beerdubbeerdub123]

How have you found it? What kind of applications do you use it for?

[@EndWokenessAtAllCost]

Difference b/w a 14” MBP screen and a 15” MBA is not that much and MBP screen is much much better with 120Hz mini led display. MBP has better speakers, far better performance esp. for sustained workloads, faster ports, I mean in every department MBP is a no brainer choice over MBA. And yet there are people like you wasting money on an inferior product for nonsensical reasons.

[@monsieurb90]

For me, the difference in screen size is crucial. I don't need anyone to tell me what to buy or not to buy.

[@EndWokenessAtAllCost]

@@monsieurb90 Lol. People justifying purchasing inferior devices is so damn ironic.

[@SoundofSilence1]

What kind of work do you?

[@BudionoSukses]

thank you for the comparison which makes me even more confused about which one I should buy to replace my 2017 MacBook Pro whose battery is starting to weak in holding the power, to run Final Cut Pro 🤣

[@StephenMonteith]

First time viewer. New subscriber. Enjoyed your video very much and very accessible, but like other creators, you also said if you're doing rendering, 3D work and video editing, go for the pro. Can you define 'video editing' when it comes to a hobby? I use Filmora 13 and do some editing at weekends on a very old Air 11 (struggling) or occasionally in the evening after work.Videos from trips, family events or something creative I filmed around the city. I'm looking to upgrade to FCP when I purchase a new MacBook laptop, but when you mentioned the pro for video editing, would you say my amount of work falls into that category or will a MB Air 15'' suffcie? Many thanks.

[@Thetechchap]

If you have 10- bit 4K video projects, and use motion graphics at all - definitely the Pro. Any kind of phone-shot, or more simple 1080p projects are absolutely fine with the Air

[@steedscotia741]

The latter. I intend to shoot 4K on my iphone pro but nothing pro res or anything like that. And if I export it is likely to be in 1080p as it will go out to friends etc via WeTransfer. The MB Air 15 it is then. Thanks for replying. Doesn’t always happen with some creators. 👍

[@aaron_yt5514]

@@Thetechchap Can I ask what apps you woul suggest for video/photo editing other than final cut pro? I don't really need to spend the additional £300 for an editing app, but I am unsure of what is the best alternative. thanks

[@justinsugay1149]

Your consistent way of doing things is much appreciated. Keep it up. Staying fresh on that will be the challenge. Thanks again!

[@Thetechchap]

cheers!

[@znote_dev]

I love your editing, your video. Great job! 👏

[@Peterstarzynskitech]

8gb of ram at that price point is just laughable.

[@mikehawk7307]

Money in the bank vs No money in the bank. That pretty much decides what I buy.

[@PositivityWithKim]

Great! highly appreciate that display hzrt you've included😂.. Thanks man!

[@kristen-johnshearman2696]

I went for a basic MBP 14 inch and I was worried about 8gb ram but honestly have not ran into any issue's even when editing some video's. Battery is so good swell!

[@Thetechchap]

That's good to hear

[@Thetechchap]

That's good to hear!

[@OShackHennessy]

That’s because you’re using your ssd as swap ram. These devices are going to wear out and then there will be a lot of MacBricks on the market.

[@drbharath632]

@@OShackHennessyso it’s better to buy 14’M3 pro MBP with 16gb ram than buying basic 14’ M3 MBP..???

[@OShackHennessy]

@@drbharath632 Absolutely, but check your local and online retailers to see if there is much price difference between the MBP M3 with 16GB vs the MBP M3 Pro that comes with 18GB in the base model. It may only be a few dollars difference and worth getting the M3 Pro model. 8GB may work but you'll see if you look carefully that you are using the SSD to do the work of the RAM. More RAM is ALWAYS the first upgrade you need to do with the M series chips. Just another APPLE scam.

[@quickpstuts412]

Coming from a 2020 Macbook, I gotta say the M3 Macbook Pro 14" (16GB) battery and performance are great. Don't miss that touchbar at all. Never got used to that thing.

[@bashirsaeed893]

Please, does the Space Black color on the M3 MacBook peel off over time? I heard that the black color peels off over time, and the white under the Space Black paint will show up (mostly where the ports are and trackpad). Is it true? Please help me decide; this is the first MacBook that I want to buy and i want it to last me for more than 4years.

[@Zach_417]

Hard to say, hasn't been out long.

[@FavourIsioma-u6l]

Is 15 inches MacBook air big for college students?

[@brachiator1]

The M2 Air might be a good value, but doesn't the base model have a slower SSD drive?

[@saturnotaku]

Yes, specifically the 256 GB model.

[@Thetechchap]

It is slower, but not something most people would notice

[@HarrisonHollers]

Thank you for the honest breakdown! I adjusted to 0.75x speed and you sounded absolutely normal!

[@vaq130]

Is the performance of the air better than a MacBook Pro 2019? worth upgrading?

[@EndWokenessAtAllCost]

Definitely, I mean far better.

[@barrybates556]

Best compare I’ve seen. Thank you.

[@muthukumar8009]

how do I set it up the stats like you're showing such as thermal, CPU usage

[@caseyleedom6771]

I just upgraded from the 13" M1 MacBook Air to the 15" M3 MacBook Air. Everything is better of course and I see a 2.75x speed improvement on one of the things I do (tar --c --xz ---options xz:compression-level=9). But the new 15" M3 MBA speakers sound like they have a bit less treble. Maybe this is because the old 13" M1 MBA had speaker grills facing you and the new 15" M3 MBA depended on reflected sound from the screen?

[@skiergirl4753]

I did the same an overall am very pleased I agree with you regarding the speakers.

[@endisthebeginning24]

How is the M1 for music production and editing?

[@caseyleedom6771]

@@endisthebeginning24 I can't vouch for that because I don't do that, but the M1 was way faster than the old x86 MacBooks. So if you're coming from a pre-2020 x86 system, I'd say "Come on in, the water's fine!"

[@tcraige]

I love the twin action for discussion and debate idea. You should explore that further.

[@tashreeqsamsodien5210]

In terms of longevity, would the m3 pro be the best? I’m talking about things like software updates, also I would want the laptop to last ATLEAST 6 years if I’m paying so much for it. Anyone’s thoughts?

[@westbccoast]

Both are the same, air is fine. Pro is for people who need the pro for work/business/graphic design, heavy duty.

[@jlrechtenwald]

Considering I would use it only for browsing, word and excel...could I go for a macbook air??

[@westbccoast]

Absolutely. Air all around makes sense.

[@kcmac]

Nailed it! Great review 😊

[@Thetechchap]

thank you :)

[@muresansergiubohdan]

How do you feel the new M3 Air compares to the original Macbook Pro M1 (wiht same amount of RAM, 16Gb)?

[@F1lterless]

Hey, I just made this transition. I had the 14" M1 Pro (16GB / 512GB). I got the 13" Air Midnight (16GB / 512GB). The display/speakers are not as good though. However, I'm very happy with the Air as it feels ultra portable and I like using it as a laptop. I never liked using the 14" Pro as a laptop as it just felt too bulky. Also the battery life is A LOT better on the M3, like ridiculous. Battery was a concern for me on the 14" Pro and I would frequently check it, I don't even care on the M3 because of how long it lasts. If you do decide to get the Air, I'd wait before you sell your Pro, just to make sure you like it. I personally love it and just listed my 14" because of how great the M3 Air is. Hope the info helps :)

[@CyroNux]

@@F1lterless nah swapping from the m1 pro 14" (so not the M1 13" touchbar one) 16GB 512GB to the 13" MBA M3 16GB 512GB I would argue is a downgrade.

[@F1lterless]

​@@CyroNux To each their own, I'd never trade my M3 Air for an M1 Pro as I much prefer the M3 Air. Battery life is double and it's way more enjoyable to use as an actual laptop as it feels a lot less bulky, almost like an iPad that folds.

[@TanyaFallenius-wp7em]

Can you explain why the laptops are called 13, 14 and 15 inch when they are clearly 1 to 2 inch smaller? I have a Macbook Pro from 2015 which is called a 15 inch and is in fact also very close to 15, 14,17 inches. What happened?? I just bought a new 15 Inch Macbook Air, imagine my surprise when it turned our to be significantly smaller. This can't be right?

[@bellatrix7692]

I’ve got a 2017 3.1 GHz macbook pro which is becoming so sluggish and super slow, should i upgrade to the MBP M3?

[@Alejandro-lb8yq]

Just ordered my M3 Air that comes in next week. I only upgraded the RAM to 16GB and paid the additional $200 but did not upgrade the SSD storage from 256 to 512GB SSD as that’s another $200. I just felt that to upgrade both and pay $400 more totaling up to $1499.99 just seems over the top and is getting closer to MacBook Pro range.

[@b4mxdraculapsy703]

Then go with pro buddy

[@b4mxdraculapsy703]

Bro but how did u choose that I can’t see that in apple official site

[@Efftyyyy]

Can you tell us about your experiences? Does m3 macbook air get too hot? I'm thinking of buying it too, but I'm afraid of heating problems. Does it make sense to buy m3 instead of m2? Of course I won't play games on the computer, but sometimes I want to play Sims 4. Do you think it will cause a problem for me?

[@CyroNux]

you made the right choice. you can get an external ssd 1TB for like £80. the ram is the more important upgrade.

[@thomasbramwell8752]

@@Efftyyyydid you purchase in the end ? I am exactly the same as you

[@deborahhay9541]

Hi tech chap 👍 - thank you for your in-depth comparative study - I am looking to buy a laptop for starting graphic design studies - I thought that perhaps the M3 MacBook Air 15 inch screen with 16gb RAM and 516 hard drive storage would be a good start. Then I had second thoughts and have thought maybe the MacBook Pro 14 inch with at least 16gb of RAM and similar storage would be better. Can you offer any advice? Thank you.

[@czache]

As an accountant? Which is better and less expensivr? Mcbook air or mcbook pro?

[@paulo_augusto]

MacBook Air

[@maartje5049]

I’m really struggling with what to choose: I’m a neuroscientist who programs on Python, but the bigger scripts I run on my work computer. Is an air enough?

[@BobG-eh5fc]

Thanks, would you see a difference in graphics display between the two (air vs pro), if both were hooked up to an external monitor? (say 60hrz).

[@lyndabutler8146]

What MacBook would you recommend for a grade 10 student who is big into animation and will be using the laptop for school to do art & design subjects? Currently has an ipad Pro 13in but can't use this at school... requires a laptop, unfortunately.

[@APHoe-yx6fo]

Thank you for putting my mind @ ease. I just upgraded from an M1 MBA that I'd upgraded quite a bit for "future proofing"....long story short, I found myself replacing that MBA on the same cadence as all my other Macs because of a nasty bug with the trackpad and keyboard-it'd go away and come back after a few updates...so I decided to turn 'er in :) When I say that Apple has that upgrade funnel woven tighter than pack of crochet braids...Its no exaggeration when I say...make one little upgrade and you find yourself on the for just $100 it makes more sense to get "this" slippery slope; and they got you for $2200 when you came in to spend $999. I resisted....but boy oh boy was I in my head about...maybe I should've upgraded something. FINALLY AN HONEST REVIEW FOR DAILY USERS!!!

[@karankalsi9880]

Hey! I was confused between M3 MacBook Air with 16gb of RAM and M3 MacBook pro with 8gb of RAM. Which one would you suggest me to buy? I'm a design student and usually use softwares almost daily.

[@beltransanchez5571]

What would you say is better the 16gb Ram MBA or the base MBP?

[@ninogoshkheteliani3673]

I have the same question. Have you been able to find an answer?

[@beltransanchez5571]

I opted for the 15-inch MacBook Air with 16GB of RAM because it better suited my needs. The base MacBook Pro isn't powerful enough for demanding tasks like video editing, so you'd have to upgrade it to get the performance you'd expect. However, once you factor in the cost of those upgrades, the price difference between the MacBook Pro and the Air becomes hard to justify. For most users, the MacBook Air with 16GB of RAM and a 15-inch screen is more than capable. But if you need to do more intensive tasks like video editing or rendering, an upgraded MacBook Pro would be the better choice. Otherwise, the MacBook Air provides excellent value for the price.

[@macattack1481]

You stated the base 14 inch MacBook Pro M3 has two fans. It only has one fan.

[@Thetechchap]

Yep my mistake

[@macattack1481]

@@Thetechchap No problemo 🤗

[@namanshah1047]

Considering I am a software developer which one is your suggestion

[@henrykung7229]

Hi I am a first time viewer and I really enjoyed your video. I'm just curious about how you show the stats like M3 chip temperature on the menu bar, thanks!

[@misiek_xp4886]

Are older MacBooks Pro (for example 2021 MBP M1 Pro) better than than Macbook Air M3

[@ahsanjubaid2799]

If Apple gave me MacBook Air with Mini LED, I would buy that all day. MacBook air in my opinion is one of the better designed machines of all time. The problem is it doesn't have Mini LED. Hey Tom, long time fan here. When you will publish your new LG OLED monitor video, can you please add a couple of lines for me comparing the MacBook Pro's image quality vs LG OLED monitor's. Image quality in terms of inky blacks and overall picture quality specially for watching movies and YT. Appreciate your videos.

[@jimbikerider3269]

Sorry how much ram is in the 14" MacBookPro? Thanks for such an in-depth look into apple laptops.

[@221100Rafa]

Do you have a comparison between the iMac with the M3 chip and MacBook Pro with also M3?

[@jobney]

Is the 13" M2 air with 16GB and non-upgraded storage discontinued?

[@SoumyaSiya-yf5og]

can you tell me 8gb RAM is good for macbook m3 pro ? comparison to macbook air m3 with 16gb or is that m3 pro with 8gb RAM is better to work on daily tasks ? coz i am a software engineer is that better to purchase ?

[@AlyGonzalez-uv3rj]

Should I change my macbook pro M1 (2020) for the new Air M3?

[@saraswatizavalloni5816]

I have a Macbook pro from 2016. The speakers busted after being in the overhead bin on the plane last year. The Mac store wouldn't fix it due to some evidence of water damage. I'd like speakers to last, great sound, good screen quality, long battery life, and for the computer to last overall. The garbling sound is a deal breaker, and I am also on a teacher's salary, so would it be better to go with the air?

[@Hyytekk]

Why not just replace your speakers yourself? I have an older 13" and 15" macbook pro. I replaced the speakers in both when they failed and the battery in my 13" as well. Took some courage to risk bricking my machines. But in the end, go slow, don't lose any tiny screws, watch the available videos, and save yourself a bundle extending the life unless you really want to upgrade.

[@stx4138]

Hey there! Nice video. I would like to ask for your advice about a new laptop. In my country if i spec a 16gb +512gb 13'' MBA it is 50$ cheaper than the base M3 MBP. I definetly like the screen and the bigger battery of MBP, but will it be as futureproof as the Air? Thank you!!!

[@glennsan1998]

I would say it would depend on if you prefer looking at the screen which the MacBook Pro is much better or if you just want to save the money and portability is what you really like

[@wards36]

I was debating both as well. Decided to go for the Pro model for the extra $50 or so and I don't regret it at all.

[@deanwilliams9711]

I would think that if what you really want is the screen, speakers and battery, while only using it as a light work and consumption machine (so that you’re not kicking on its single fan and collecting dust inside) with very little swap, you should get the base Pro and enjoy all that good stuff - and the good stuff is really good! However, if you want to push it, the base Pro probably won’t get you any more productivity long term (and, depending on use case, possibly less productivity) than the Air you’re looking at (and you will probably find a very limited market if you want to sell it on). Depending on your country, had you considered Apple’s refurbs. For instance, on the UK site today, you can get the M3 Pro Pro 16/512 for £1779 (which is £80 more than the vastly inferior base M3 Pro new).

[@javierwagner4410]

I went with the m3 macbook pro with 16gb ram for the following reasons. Speakers are noticeably better, screen is also great with the option of 120hz, the weight is a bit more but it is a tradeoff i am willing to make. Lastly for longevity the macbook pro will last a lot longer for two reasons, the extremely long battery life (20-22 hours) and the fan, mean that the battery will experience less cycles over time and the better temperature control will help reduce the battery degradation ( i keep my computers between 5-7 years), but im sure this computer can make it to a decade (usually the constrain is battery life), too bad the software support does not usually last that long.

[@stx4138]

Ty guys for all your answers. I mostly do light work, but im a geek and i surely love the pro things. The only thing that concerns me is the 8gb RAM of MBP.

[@ThePelicanPhotographer]

how do u show the mp3 ship performance on menu bar 7:40mins

[@creventa]

You can currently pick up a Macbook Pro 14 with M3 Pro chip, 18GB RAM, 512GB SSD for £1899 from a range of retailers which changes the picture a bit

[@nwjeepgirl]

Do you think the MacBook Air M3 is suitable for photo editing? I am an amateur photographer and other than wanting to use Lightroom for editing my photos, I just use it to create office documents and web surfing.......I have an older MacBook Pro and want to trade it in on a new laptop but don't want to spend a lot. Thanks for your advice

[@cmgmac]

Can you play World of Warcraft on the Air with a 16GB/512GB configuration?

[@inqvisitor3722]

if you want to play on the stove, yeah. Just buy a subscription to cloud gaming then m1 will be quite sufficient.

[@inhumandescent]

I play it on a 16gb and 512gb ssd m2 air and it’s fine. It’s warm but it’s no warmer than my MacBook Pro m2. Edit: I also play Crysis, Halo, No man’s sky on both and apart from the screen I see zero difference.

[@Victor.Trejo21]

Hey Tom, great video! I'm heading to medical school soon and looking into MacBooks. Any recommendations on which model would be durable enough to last through 5+ years of intense studying and school work? Also, are there any specific upgrades you suggest for the Macbook? Thanks in advance for your insights!

[@AnaSanchez-kx3hn]

I hope he answers you soon, I have the same question.

[@SaraFarrugia]

I have the same question. Have you found an answer?

[@rairai-c6f]

same here..

[@TrevorDionne-l4h]

Just got the m3 MacBook Pro with 1tb ssd and 16gb ram for 1399 on Best Buy. Deal of the year for a laptop rn

[@naveengowda9514]

Hey great video. I want a laptop for coding and running python scripts. Also I want to deploy, fine tune and train LLMs and SLMs. Which one would you recommend? Would appreciate a reply. Thanks

[@Zoids-bf6op]

definitely the air for me. the form factor and lightness is the best feeling ever. so much that i use it more than my ipad

[@tamalchakraborty5346]

To be honest, if the screen is saving me battery over pro motion, I wouldn't mind have that 60hrz and couple it up with a high refresh monitor at home.

[@TheWesterosiNinja]

You can set a MBP to low-power mode that fixes the display to 60hz for portable use and max battery savings and switch it to performance mode when plugged in to take advantage of the higher refresh rate...it's simple to do.

[@tamalchakraborty5346]

I realise how stupid my comment was. Absolutely agree. I guess, then we just have the portability and mini LED factor to choose from. The speaker system is already good enough on the MBA.@@TheWesterosiNinja

[@CyroNux]

@@tamalchakraborty5346 You are both wrong. The refresh rate on the MBP saves battery. Let me explain. The MBA 60hz refresh rate is static meaning it is always 60Hz even if you screen is static and there is nothing moving on the screen. However, the refresh rate on the MBP is dynamic, meaning it can range from 120Hz all the way to 1Hz. For example, when you are still in a webpage with no moving parts it will go down to 1Hz which saves battery over the 60Hz of the MBA.

[@tamalchakraborty5346]

@@CyroNux I mean, yeah you are right. But , can you tell me from experience? I would really like to know this. And make a purchasing decision in the future.

[@ff0fo]

Where is the best MacBook Pro M3 SD 512, Ram 8, MacBook AirM3, SD 512 and Ram 16? Plz

[@vanshgoyal9730]

Which mac should I get as a AI ML student?

[@gostwriter511]

Am wondering the same

[@bsking1465]

Hey what MacBook would you recommend? I’ll be using it for games development, video editing and photo editing and rendering 3D images and animation

[@danmccaffrey6101]

So the pro can only handle two external monitors if you upgrade to the M3 Pro chip, Correct? Two external monitors are important to me, so I think that requires an automatic upgrade to the M3 pro chip, which I don’t otherwise need.

[@nabikkochi]

hey tom , i’m about to be going into nursing school , which would be the best for me during very tedious studying and harsh schooling ?

[@dpbedyt]

Marry a doctor

[@kylecastellino6402]

What would you recommend for uni? I’m starting in July and have a crappy Dell Inspiron which has served its purpose during high school. I’m looking at MacBooks. As for my course, I know it’s gonna involve MATLAB and some data science stuff but Idk whether I’m gonna need that extra headroom of the M3 Pro chip tbh. For me it’s either the 15 inch M3 Air or the 14 inch M3 MacBook Pro. But then I do want the space black plus I think I could use a M3 Pro for at least 6 years?

[@Kirbycatcher]

I’m in uni. For Matlab computing I feel like the difference is going to be negligible cause you’re not pushing the chip as crazy compared to other things like rendering. Either MacBook is going to be a huge upgrade in the sense that its battery lasts through classes all day and it’s very responsive. My two cents is that the smaller 14 inch Pro I have fits nicer some of the small lecture hall desks, and I personally really enjoy the higher quality screen. You’re looking at it all day, after all! Also note that a lot of unis offer cloud storage, so if there is anything huge file wise you can always offload it.

[@kylecastellino6402]

@@Kirbycatcher thanks for your advice! I was hoping a uni student would reply to my comment. I think I’m gonna get the base M3 MacBook Pro as per your recommendation since it’s a sweet spot between a large screen as well as with all the pro screen features like Pro Motion and XDR. Plus the advertised 22 hour battery life is kind of crazy. Which Mac do you have and what degree are you pursuing at the moment? Would love the input!

[@Kirbycatcher]

@@kylecastellino6402Currently have a M1 Pro 14 inch with 32GB RAM, 1TB storage. I think I nailed it, as I’ve never felt worried about specs or storage. I’m pursuing Electrical Engineering, which has meant installing Parallels to access some Windows only software ha. But it’s such a champ for everything else, all my group members at lab sections each take turns borrowing my laptop charger for their windows machines LOL The only thing I could recommend is that 16 GB RAM upgrade for your M3 MacBook Pro! The extra RAM means you can keep Matlab open as well as however many other applications you need, like a web browser for viewing your assignments. Going more than that might be a bit too pricey (24GB becomes +$400, yikes)

[@CyroNux]

@@kylecastellino6402 go on rtings. go on best laptops for college. read what they say.

[@joshuanesbit]

thinking of upgrading to the m3 air from my slow 2020 intel 13 inch pro

[@garebrylls]

same. I have the 2018 intel pro and these m chips are living rent free in my head.

[@SaraRobaloMusic]

Looking to upgrade from my trusty 2015 iMac i5. I'm a music producer and use Logic and likely need 32GB RAM (if not now, definitely soon as software becomes more demanding). I want a portable solution but £2 to £2.5k is a lot of money. What would my best bang for buck machine be?

[@Bigboyremzii]

I have a question What is the latest MacBook as at Aug 2024

[@kamalakarmuthakani4814]

Which one is better for computer programmers??

[@Andy-xd7ng]

what about getting an M1 Air on refurbed apple store?!?!? would you recommend that? I like the gold colour!

[@enzoorante9466]

How do you get the temperature to show on the menu bar at around 7:43?

[@stayup21]

I have a 2020 pro I7 16 Gb ram and work from home but like after 3-4 hours I start to get the beach ball. I see others use older versions for web dev and rendering 😢 How can I optimize mine?

[@gh0stamv]

can a MacBook Air be effectively used for graphic design in college?

[@joseavilez9837]

Which one would you pick between the 8g m3 pro vs 16gb m3 air?

[@westbccoast]

Always go with more memory and storage, so 16GB m3 air. 8GB doesn't cut it anymore.

[@a.fernandes2632]

Got the 13’’ Air m3 16GB 512GB a couple of days ago, on sale (saving €300). Worth it. Thanks for the video!

[@alexmacgregor]

Great comparison. About to pull the trigger!

[@colleenpattrick9601]

I need excell and ms word and procreate... which book will do all this for me?

[@mexbtchz]

thanks for this video. i am looking to upgrade from my 2015 11 inch macbook air!! its bitersweet since this computer and I have been through so much together :(

[@timestampAi]

My question, I have nothing phone 2 and I am thinking of buying MacBook m1 for editing vlog recorded in phone 2. Can I easily transfer video file to MacBook for editing

[@henrikk095]

Which one should i buy as a startup graphic designer?

[@jessejock4878]

I am still using a MacBook Pro (Early 2015) with a 2.7GHz Intel chip. It works fine, though the battery drains quickly. I remember purchasing it for approximately CAD $800. I want to try Air this year because of weight and thickness

[@Arsalan_2210]

Heck I use my laptop for productivity, Streaming content, work like Microsoft Apps and Apple apps. So i am gonna stick with my M1 Air for a while. Probably another 3 years or so. Good laptop for everyday regular use for work and less demanding projects

[@JJ-bv4uz]

As much as I love the lightweightness of the Air, I can't do a fanless laptop with washed out blacks.

[@erikosterhagen]

I wonder whether the macbook air m3 has the same touchpad or trackpad such not smooth and not working doing like macbook pro 2012. Hopefully you will talk about MacBook Air m3 touchpad later after using it after half or a year, thank you. And also the screenshot after several screenshot it will stop working and loading and loading in macbook air m1. Hopefully m3 not like this.

[@Tayy_Monaeee]

Wait so how would i get content from my camera onto my Mac air if it doesn’t have the port for sd cards

[@FELY7494]

A usb-c cable

[@arianamartin3348]

So helpful, thanks! My 2019 MacBook Pro just mysteriously broke (£725 to repair with Apple parts) so I'm trying to decide what to do next. I'm extremely reluctant to put thousands more pounds in Apple's pocket for a new Pro (after only getting 4 years out of my last one). But I need something that will comfortably run Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop and InDesign concurrently. Any thoughts?

[@samgeek4857]

Is MacBook m3 with 24gb ram and 512ssd is good for machine learning and AI ? Also i do full stack development with multiple vscode instances, intellij instaces and multiple docker instances with aws connection? Will it work for me?

[@ZombieLincoln666]

You want as much RAM as possible

[@blacksheep7576]

I’m thinking of getting a max spex M3 Air For app & AI development, video editing, 3D rendering. My current MBP ran out of support and now can’t use xcode anymore (2017 16gb model) The MBP is nice, but I just got an iPad M4, not sure if it’d be worth also getting a MBP over an air considering a lot of the pro features I can get through the ipad

[@danielledavies1686]

Which would you go for between Mac air 15” or Mac Pro if you wanted it to run photoshop, illustrator, and indesign from the adobe creative cloud suite? I’m a graphic designer and have had a Mac Pro for the last 12 years of my career, but now need to invest in a new one and I’m not sure if a Mac air is a budget friendlier option as its probably 10x better than my old 2015 model 😅. Any advice would be much appreciated x

[@crazeemango]

Hi! MAy I ask what did you decide? I am in the exact same boat, graphic designer with a 2015 macbook Pro, deciding btwn macbook air 15in M3 (with extra memory) , or macbook Pro 16 in m4 (about 500$ more) ... Most people say the Air is enough but the Pro is obviously better but way pricier

[@_soulbeautiful_]

Thank you for this review! ❤

[@KdMithelan]

guys quick question Can i get mac m3 air with 16gb or get mac pro m3? I need for coding and some adobe apps

[@JohnXWayne]

No why does the m3 pro base come with only 8gb? The m2 pro started at 16gb

[@Technicallypoor]

No it didnt

[@JohnXWayne]

@@Technicallypoor Memory Apple M2 Pro chip 16GB unified memory Configurable to: 32GB (M2 Pro or M2 Max), 64GB (M2 Max), or 96GB (M2 Max with 38‑core GPU) Apple M2 Max chip 32GB unified memory Configurable to: 64GB (M2 Max) or 96GB (M2 Max with 38‑core GPU)

[@JohnXWayne]

@@Technicallypoor from apples website

[@robertbalan]

The base 14" MacBook Pro with M3 is a replacement for the old 13" MacBook Pro with M2, that's why it starts at 8 GB of RAM. There's also the 14" MacBook Pro with M3 Pro, which is a direct replacement (or upgrade) for the 14" MacBook Pro with M2 Pro. So, it's simply an issue caused by Apple's confusing naming scheme(s).

[@JohnXWayne]

@@robertbalan yeah I saw after my comment via an article, very stupid naming by apple...

[@tugals29]

Hiya great video as always, I got a question if I may, I am wanting to get a MacBook Air 13 inch, and my question is, would this be sufficient to watch KZbin videos but also do quick graphic editing on illustrator and web edits using safari, no heavy work load just simple tasks? Cheers in advance, I would use the iPad but I cant use it for the last two tasks so I am waiting to switch.

[@notsobeardedgeek]

None. Keep using your M1 :)

[@gurugamer8632]

Only if your poor

[@jaughnekow]

Ah yes, the tech illiterate. ​@@gurugamer8632

[@galasitygaming]

@@gurugamer8632 would poor people already be running a M1?

[@gurugamer8632]

@@galasitygaming Budget constraints

[@kubotite9168]

​@@gurugamer8632what the fuck you blabbering about mate..😂😂

[@Ashishkumar-zv2ot]

Macbook air m3 16gb vs 24gb ? For programmer ,which one to buy?

[@combotps3573]

I have the 24gb version with 1TB ssd for music production , works like a powerhouse