✋Right here! Agree with your main points and it is getting harder to tell people which model and which spec to get. Also, what camera did you use in the car?
Couldn't be happier. I came from the M1 Air and it feels like a huge step up. The midnight is gorgeous, but a fingerprint magnet. I tried to solve that with a Dbrand skin but, beware, I had issues getting mine to fit (despite not having issues with any of their other skins) and they refused to give me my money back. Good thing I find cleaning to be cathartic.
I had a 14 M1 MBP. I had no plan to upgrade until I went to the Apple store and saw the 15. I sold the 14 and grabbed the 15 MBA. I did that because of the weight differential, increased screen size, and the one thing no one talks about - the extra battery life. I do miss the better speakers on the M1 14 but, right now I think the trade-offs are worth it.
I upgraded from the 2019 Intel MBP 16" to the M2 15" MBA with 24GB Ram and 1tb SSD. This is hands down the best computer I have ever ever ever owned. It is so fast, the battery is literally insane, the screen is beautiful, no more stupid touch bar, and Midnight is gorgeous. I am a web developer, I code all day, I have 20-30 tabs open in Chrome during the day, I run sites locally, I push sites daily, I live in the terminal for hours git pushing, pulling, and merging. I listen to UA-cam most of the day, use Photoshop for image edits, and work with Adobe XD when collaborating with designers. My work day starts at about 8am, and by 9pm my battery life is around 65%. That is unbelievable. My mbp would last about 2-3 hours and the fans would be blowing hard all day and you could fry an egg on the keyboard it was so hot. This laptop is THE greatest purchase I have ever made and will last me at least 6 years.
@@niallwood It was starting to get a bit slow, it was overheating with the tasks I was doing which wasn't even that demanding. My wife needed a new computer to replace her 2014 MBP so I had it serviced by Apple (which they do for free if you take it in on a quiet day) and gave it to her. I can't tell you how much of an upgrade it has been for me.
I went from a 13” M1 Air to a 15” M2 Air. I got the 2TB/24GB version. I have no regrets. The extra screen real estate improves productivity dramatically and makes it a keeper for me. I plan to use it for non-travel work. For travel I will continue to use the older 13” M1 Air. The 13” is just so nice to travel with and the smaller screen is good enough for those instances. The only thing I don’t like about the new 15” is the new body style and feet. That is true of all the new MacBooks though. The older body style was easier to pick up and set down on a table with its slightly rounded edges. The older body style also slid into a bag easier with its smoother, rounded feet. I wish Jony Ive still worked for Apple. His designs with the new Apple Silicon would be perfect in my book (pun intended).
I have been to the store to play with the 15" Air twice now. Each time I have felt it was just too big to be a super portable machine. I am sticking with my 13" M1 Air - it is just a perfect laptop.
I'll stick with my 13" M1 for now also, however when it comes time to upgrade, I will definitely be considering this 15" or a 14" pro. Dependent on my needs at the time
Just got my MBA 15" 16GB 512GB. Upgraded from 2017 MBP 13". Night and day difference! Lightroom and Topaz Labs are wicked fast! Im very pleased so far but need more time to play around with it.
Excellent review. I replaced a 15"MBP which I killed with a Bacardi and Coke (RIP). My M2 15" MBA has a 512Gb SSD and I am delighted with it. Didn't budget for a new laptop, but so glad that I chose this. The other good news was, because I regularly back up using Time Machine, I lost no data. As it turned out, I was able to salvage the MBP's SSD so now have a great back up medium, having bought an enclosure for it. Well recommended. Try to leave out pouring B & C on your current machine as it becomes a sticky mess !!
Have been watching your videos for a long time. Also other tech UA-cam channels. It’s so refreshing to see a review where it’s primarily outdoor. Almost makes it relatable and your last 2 videos are just refreshing. Tired of same backgrounds and same visuals. Thanks for doing what you do !
I ordered one on day one upgraded to 24gb and 1tb and I have to say I am loving this machine. I have always bought MacBook Pros but only because I prefer a bigger screen, not for the performance. Now they have the Air as a 15 inch, there's no looking back for me.
I got both now :) The 13 inch looks much better - it really does. 13 is the perfect size in terms of looks. But as for the screen real estate - 15 inch is just perfect. Working with 2 documents side by side - awesome. Overview - awesome. Surprisingly the difference in footprint on tables and in the backpack is not as much as one would think. Originally planning to sell the 13inch, I think of keeping both now. :)
Your advice to spend as much as you can if you are purchasing the 15" MacBook Air is absolutely correct. I sold my 16" MacBook Pro M1 Max 64GB/2TB and used the proceeds to purchase a 15" MacBook Air 24GB/2TB. I have no regrets. Powerful, lightweight, and enough screen "real estate" to get things done.
@@digitors Primarily cloud-based software engineering, but I also do digital music production with Live. I do not to any video work. From what I have read in reviews, the M2 can handle most 4K video workloads, but the more video effects, the worse it will perform. Not an issue for me, but might be for you.
I had been buying a new MacBook Pro every five years. When the M1 Air came out I got it thinking I could get buy cheap. Having only 2 ports and using one for power was a killer. Finally bought a 16" MBP M1. This new 15" Air with dedicated power jack may have worked for me. When I am on the move I DON'T want to deal with a hub.
15inch MBA is the perfect device for a normal user, if it's to be said user's only computer. Nothing can beat the small size and portability of the MBA 13inch, if that's to be the "travel computer".
pro graphic designer here. We're about to get one, maxed out, as the 16" pro is unnecessarily powerful / pricy / heavy. The 15" Air has enough grunt from Adobe CC. Can't wait.
I bought 13-inch MacBook Air M2 (I love this machine), and now I’m switching with the 15 Air (I’m expecting it tomorrow). 15 inch display in that slim & lightweight body, sounds perfect to me :)
I plan to buy 15" MBA for programming on travels. I have 13" M1 and it is not comfortable for me after 2 hours of working, I need bigger. 24GB RAM + 512GB storage would be my pick and I know it is almost exactly the price of 14" Pro, but... For that price, I get 8GB more RAM (which is important for my work), bigger screen, and better mobility. It's a great deal for me. Missing fans, slightly better speakers, or 120hz HDR screen, that is not so important (to me).
i have the 16/256 in midnight. Its pretty awesome honestly. Im not a content creator or video editor. I use it for web browsing, MS OFFICE, application like excel, word, powerpoint, and email. I havent been able to slow it down. I am using 11gb of ram as i type this with multiple windows/programs/tabs open and I would be in a swap situation had I not got 16gb. The battery life blows away any of the previous PC laptops I have owned (all thinkpads).
I don’t like the heft of the pro, particularly as I write a lot, and the boxy form makes the keyboard less comfortable to use. Similarly, while I want future-proofed specs, the pros are just way more computer than I’ll ever use. 16GB, 1TB… couldn’t be happier. Fantastic laptop; love it even more than the M1 air it replaced.
I’ve just chopped in a 24” M1 iMac 16GB & 1TB for the 15” MacBook Air 16GB and 1TB storage. Using for photo editing (Pixelmator pro) and it flies. I can now take with me and edit on the go.
Ordered the 16GB/1TB spec for the reason you mentioned: I'm going to want to use it for pretty much everything as my main computer. Sold the 16.2" (too big and expensive and I basically just wanted a bigger screen) and 13.6" MBA (had the base spec as a secondary computer, otherwise awesome - if it was 16/1, I would have probably kept it).
Interesting Take Mark & while I haven't had my chance to check out the machines (the 14 MBP & the 15 MBA) in person yet, I am still planning to do so next month. It is interesting to hear you talk about specking up a machine 😂 One of the reasons that I am leaning towards the MBP is the ports on it that the MBA lacks. I would use the HDMI port a lot for sure. And the fact that specking the 15" MBA with 16 GB Memory & 2 TB storage, that puts me at only $300 less than a 14 MBP with the same specs. But *maybe* once I see the 15" MBA in person I might change my mind. I have a very old & chonky 15" Windows PC & that 15" screen size was awesome. I just hated the chonkyness & weight of that machine. Thanks as always for sharing your thoughts with us.
*Update* So today I finally had a chance to go to a Apple Store in person & check out the 14" MBP & 15" MBA & I know that this is partially due to the extra thickness & weight of the 14" Pro, but to me, the sturdiness was notable & while the weight difference was notable & it was, it still felt lightweight, yet sturdy in comparison to my very old & outdated 15" Windows PC laptop that this will be replacing. To me, the 15" Air felt "too light" almost, like I would be worried about it breaking just opening & closing the lid. Also, I can totally see why some reviewers of the 16" MBP almost regret that machine as a laptop. So when I get enough money saved up, I now *know* that I will definitely be going with a 14" MBP.
Hello from France!! (sorry for my english); i love your reviews! i ordered a 15 inch air whith 512 ssd and 24 gig ram in gold (stelar) instead of macbook pro 14 because i want an air....I use it for Svideo in final cut and colorgrade in davinci resolve (4k 120 4.2.2....). i am a litle afraid (i will test it and return it to apple if it doesn t do the job). the "dileme" is that at this price it s close to 14 inch macbook pro....wait and see.....
Hello, no….i returned it to apple and bought a MacBook Pro 14 m2 pro with 32 gigs of ram. Thé air overheat à lot in finalcut and single m2 is a little too light for my work….
I returned the base 15 inch and got a M1 Pro. I totally get what you mean about wanting to do more with the 15 inch, and being held back by the ram and ssd. Unlike the old m1 air, it’s quite noticeable when the device runs out of ram and I was getting ram anxiety.
I returned my base model after I found a used M1 with 512/16 for 600. I bought this laptop for school and I love everything about it except the storage and memory. Apple had a 30% decline in notebook sales and decided to release a notebook with worse internals and expects us to spend 400 extra on what should be included with the base model. I hope the see a huge decline in sales until they start their base models with 512/16. I love/hate apple for this
Hard time choosing between this and Mac book pro specking this up 16G and 1TB is already so close to the Mac book pro price. I love the 15inch screen and weight factor tho. Not doing any crazy video editing but I do multi task and a content creator gonna also use it for school and plan to keep it for a long time. Advice? On which on to get?
the issue is not about NAND, it is about the number of chips and hence data lines from the chip to the SSD. Double amount of lines, double bandwidth. Though a single interface is still very fast I would say. If you swap memory to disk, the SSD is magnitudes slower anyway. Instead of 100 GB/s you either have 1.5 or 3 GB/s. The latter is twice as fast but still slooow compared to the RAM.
I don’t have any experience with MacBook Pros, but I don’t find the Air 15 to be lightweight at all. It’s roughly the same weight as my chunky Windows laptop I use for work. I’m trading in my new 15 for the 13.
Smart move, I got the 13.6 M2 MackBook Air with 16 gigs of ram memory, and 512 SSD storage but I kept the 8 core GPU. You are so right about the weight. After I had my Mac class at Soho Apple Store in NYC, I checked out the 15 inch Air. I found it to be too heavy for me, also screen resolution wasn't much better. The sound is louder but, not any better than my 13.6 Air. I was able to put my Air in my crossbody laptop briefcase, and walk around NYC without any strain on my shoulders. Everyone on here making such a big deal about bigger screen. To me not that big a deal, also I wear glasses to work on laptop, and screen looks bigger. I'm a longtime Windows desktop user since 1999 with Windows 98. This is my first laptop, and I like it very user friendly. Never worked on a Windows laptop. My last Dell desktop with Windows 7 Pro, 2T hard drive, barely lasted 2 years, and Windows screen kept on going out on me. Hence switching to Apple computer to go with my iPhone 13 Pro.
I have the M1 Pro; I've never had the fans spin up on my Mac as I really just use it for internet and Apple TV and very light photo edits. However I do enjoy playing music on it and the screen brightness outdoors I thinks would be way better than the Air. Would be an upgrade or downgrade to the 15" air I cant make my mind up.
Honestly would love to downgrade and run the 15-inch MBA. Currently running the M1 Max 16-inch MBP. It's a beast to carry around. I hate that M2 only supports 1 external display. With my work, I need multiple displays as I typically run a Windows VM through Parallels and access to numerous remote servers. Having the ability to plug into various screens is essential for me. I am however seriously debating moving to the 14-inch MBP on the next round, but I'd like to wait for 3nm for the improved battery life. I do run an M2 iPad Pro as a side device though, mainly because of the ability to connect to 5G on the go. That has been nice.
I'm hesitating a bit.. Is it worth buying a 512SSD, 8GB Ram? I wanted to have a 256SSD and 16GB but it is not offered in any of the stores in my country. I do regular tasks such as powerpoint presentations, writing in word, opening 1 trillion taps on google chrome or any other browser. Also, heavy designing in Photoshop. I wanna know whether I should just buy it from here or travel to the US and buy it from there(I'll be going there after 7months).
Got a question, I’m about to buy either a MacBook Air or an iPad Pro m2 for editing purposes but the price against a m3 pro MacBook Pro 14 inch isn’t that great and by the time you add bits to either the iPad or air it gets a bit harder to choose so for editing what route would you go ?
Hello Mark, Thank you for the update. Do you have any information or updates regarding user complaints about random hairline cracks on the bottom of the screen of the M1 and M2 13-inch models? I'm unsure about the accuracy of those reports on random cracks, but I've come across a couple of complaints on Reddit and other websites lately. I'm planning to purchase a 15-inch model and I'm somewhat concerned about this issue.
I bought it,have a widows laptop and the windows laptop is woefully slow in comparison. Was going to send it back,but I’ll sell the Windows laptop instead,if anyone will buy it,Lol.
What is always interesting about these reviews is that there is no objective answer, and people’s preferences based on many factors are relevant. For instance, I am 6’5” and have a large build with large hands, so I do not particularly notice the difference in weight amongst any of these laptops. I own the 14” and 16” Pros, and prefer those because I am a lawyer who works on very long documents and I value the key travel and the ProMotion when scrolling up and down documents. I don’t need the power, but those two very niche features make my experience using the computers so much better. I trialled the 15” Air and the key travel was too shallow and the clunky 60 hz screen scrolling bothered me. There are a large number of people out there who use these machines for heavy document work, with no video or graphics component, and so these things may matter.
@@MarkEllisReviews😂. Your reviews are very objective, and wonderfully produced. I just find it surprising that so many people are so emphatic about “the best” when their justification is idiosyncratic to their own needs.
The notch remains terrible due to aesthetics. If it looked good we’d see it on other screens, but we don’t, cuz it’s stupid and an eyesore. My wallpapers are rectangular shaped.. not notch shaped lol. It’s all for the sake of branding, at the expense of the user. Cuz it does look worse. And plenty of windows laptops manage to have a camera in a bezel maybe 1/8” thicker. Shift the screen down 1/8” and it fits fine. And these MacBooks run over 2 grand with that thing. With that said- I’ll be buying an M3, and just dealing with the disrespect lol.
Hi Mark, love your reviews and humour. My faithful 2010 Mac finally died last weekend so I've been glued to UA-cam and Apple to try and decide what to replace it with. I'm down to 4 choices and need help. My only requirements are to be able to surf the web, watch UA-cam and most importantly, use Excel. With all the price matching and job related discounts available to me (final prices shown in brackets), I have to choose between the M1 MBA (£784.71), the M2 MBA 13" (£1,020.14), the M2 MBA 15" (£1,224.36) or the iMac 24" (£1,256.50). Having had a desktop for the last 13 years, I'm still trying to justify whether I actually need a laptop (not a student, never take it with me travelling, like a desk/study setup). I'd kind of thought the M2 MBA 13" wasn't that much better than the M1 version to justify an extra £235, especially when the 15" was only another £222 on top of the 13", so the M2 13" might be the first to get rejected. I love the iMac 24" but it's M1 and seems pricey. Then there's all the talk about M3 machines which may have an impact on prices, especially the M1 MBA. Help!
Thanks for the kind words! Firstly... don't let the M3 stuff sway your decision - we have no idea when they'll arrive. Secondly... what does your gut say? Go with that ;)
I’d go with 15 inch MBA. I had to use the 13 inch with work and I hated it. Just too small for my 56 years old eyes. And you might be surprised, that you find yourself taking the 15er MacBook with you when travelling as it is so light and easy to take with you.
@@MarkEllisReviews Thanks Mark, my gut says go for the iMac, my spreadsheets would look great on that screen, but then again with the Macbook solution, you can always add a monitor in the future.......decisions decisions...
Hands-up if you've got the 15-inch MacBook Air! What do you think?
✋Right here! Agree with your main points and it is getting harder to tell people which model and which spec to get. Also, what camera did you use in the car?
My first Apple Silicon Mac. It's amazing compared to the 2015 MBP 15" I had been using, particularly after getting used to the keyboard.
@@JerrySchulze nice! And… I’m afraid I can’t say (yet!).
Couldn't be happier. I came from the M1 Air and it feels like a huge step up. The midnight is gorgeous, but a fingerprint magnet. I tried to solve that with a Dbrand skin but, beware, I had issues getting mine to fit (despite not having issues with any of their other skins) and they refused to give me my money back. Good thing I find cleaning to be cathartic.
I had a 14 M1 MBP. I had no plan to upgrade until I went to the Apple store and saw the 15. I sold the 14 and grabbed the 15 MBA. I did that because of the weight differential, increased screen size, and the one thing no one talks about - the extra battery life. I do miss the better speakers on the M1 14 but, right now I think the trade-offs are worth it.
I upgraded from the 2019 Intel MBP 16" to the M2 15" MBA with 24GB Ram and 1tb SSD. This is hands down the best computer I have ever ever ever owned. It is so fast, the battery is literally insane, the screen is beautiful, no more stupid touch bar, and Midnight is gorgeous. I am a web developer, I code all day, I have 20-30 tabs open in Chrome during the day, I run sites locally, I push sites daily, I live in the terminal for hours git pushing, pulling, and merging. I listen to UA-cam most of the day, use Photoshop for image edits, and work with Adobe XD when collaborating with designers. My work day starts at about 8am, and by 9pm my battery life is around 65%. That is unbelievable. My mbp would last about 2-3 hours and the fans would be blowing hard all day and you could fry an egg on the keyboard it was so hot. This laptop is THE greatest purchase I have ever made and will last me at least 6 years.
Amazing. Would u mind sharing the specs of your 2019 machine?
@@dfc2851 16" 2019 MBP 2.3GHZ 8-core Intel Core i9, Intel UHD Graphics 630 1536 MB, 16GB 2667 MHz DDR4, 1TB SSD
Out of interest what made you choose the MBA over the pro?
@@niallwood It was starting to get a bit slow, it was overheating with the tasks I was doing which wasn't even that demanding. My wife needed a new computer to replace her 2014 MBP so I had it serviced by Apple (which they do for free if you take it in on a quiet day) and gave it to her. I can't tell you how much of an upgrade it has been for me.
@@pquirke Sorry I should've specified, I meant to say how come you chose the MBA over the M2 Pro.. my bad 😀
I went from a 13” M1 Air to a 15” M2 Air. I got the 2TB/24GB version. I have no regrets. The extra screen real estate improves productivity dramatically and makes it a keeper for me. I plan to use it for non-travel work. For travel I will continue to use the older 13” M1 Air. The 13” is just so nice to travel with and the smaller screen is good enough for those instances.
The only thing I don’t like about the new 15” is the new body style and feet. That is true of all the new MacBooks though. The older body style was easier to pick up and set down on a table with its slightly rounded edges. The older body style also slid into a bag easier with its smoother, rounded feet.
I wish Jony Ive still worked for Apple. His designs with the new Apple Silicon would be perfect in my book (pun intended).
I plumped for the 15" with 24GB Ram and a 1TB SSD. Absolutely no regrets!
I have been to the store to play with the 15" Air twice now. Each time I have felt it was just too big to be a super portable machine. I am sticking with my 13" M1 Air - it is just a perfect laptop.
I'll stick with my 13" M1 for now also, however when it comes time to upgrade, I will definitely be considering this 15" or a 14" pro. Dependent on my needs at the time
Just got my MBA 15" 16GB 512GB. Upgraded from 2017 MBP 13". Night and day difference! Lightroom and Topaz Labs are wicked fast! Im very pleased so far but need more time to play around with it.
Excellent review. I replaced a 15"MBP which I killed with a Bacardi and Coke (RIP). My M2 15" MBA has a 512Gb SSD and I am delighted with it.
Didn't budget for a new laptop, but so glad that I chose this. The other good news was, because I regularly back up using Time Machine, I lost no data.
As it turned out, I was able to salvage the MBP's SSD so now have a great back up medium, having bought an enclosure for it.
Well recommended. Try to leave out pouring B & C on your current machine as it becomes a sticky mess !!
Have been watching your videos for a long time. Also other tech UA-cam channels. It’s so refreshing to see a review where it’s primarily outdoor. Almost makes it relatable and your last 2 videos are just refreshing. Tired of same backgrounds and same visuals. Thanks for doing what you do !
This means a lot - thank you. I have to get out once in a while 😆
I ordered one on day one upgraded to 24gb and 1tb and I have to say I am loving this machine. I have always bought MacBook Pros but only because I prefer a bigger screen, not for the performance. Now they have the Air as a 15 inch, there's no looking back for me.
I got both now :) The 13 inch looks much better - it really does. 13 is the perfect size in terms of looks. But as for the screen real estate - 15 inch is just perfect. Working with 2 documents side by side - awesome. Overview - awesome. Surprisingly the difference in footprint on tables and in the backpack is not as much as one would think. Originally planning to sell the 13inch, I think of keeping both now. :)
Your advice to spend as much as you can if you are purchasing the 15" MacBook Air is absolutely correct. I sold my 16" MacBook Pro M1 Max 64GB/2TB and used the proceeds to purchase a 15" MacBook Air 24GB/2TB. I have no regrets. Powerful, lightweight, and enough screen "real estate" to get things done.
What do you use it for. you gave up a Max with 64gb. I do audio and video - wondering about 15
@@digitors Primarily cloud-based software engineering, but I also do digital music production with Live. I do not to any video work. From what I have read in reviews, the M2 can handle most 4K video workloads, but the more video effects, the worse it will perform. Not an issue for me, but might be for you.
@@ChipWarden 4k video will be good enough, rough cuts and I can finish in the studio. I was about to buy M1 MBP 14 Max 64/2T for 2700.
I have 8 gb and 512 ssd . It does everything i need it to do .
Nice!
I had been buying a new MacBook Pro every five years. When the M1 Air came out I got it thinking I could get buy cheap. Having only 2 ports and using one for power was a killer. Finally bought a 16" MBP M1. This new 15" Air with dedicated power jack may have worked for me. When I am on the move I DON'T want to deal with a hub.
15inch MBA is the perfect device for a normal user, if it's to be said user's only computer.
Nothing can beat the small size and portability of the MBA 13inch, if that's to be the "travel computer".
pro graphic designer here. We're about to get one, maxed out, as the 16" pro is unnecessarily powerful / pricy / heavy. The 15" Air has enough grunt from Adobe CC. Can't wait.
You'll love it.
@@MarkEllisReviews cheers. Keep up the good work - it’s appreciated.
I bought 13-inch MacBook Air M2 (I love this machine), and now I’m switching with the 15 Air (I’m expecting it tomorrow). 15 inch display in that slim & lightweight body, sounds perfect to me :)
same
@@azure1163 The 15-inch arrived today, but I'm not sure it is worth the biggest screen instead of the super compact 13-inch form factor.
@@beforemiroafter1265 Did you end up returning the 15"?
@@D37fit Yes, I returned it!
I plan to buy 15" MBA for programming on travels. I have 13" M1 and it is not comfortable for me after 2 hours of working, I need bigger. 24GB RAM + 512GB storage would be my pick and I know it is almost exactly the price of 14" Pro, but... For that price, I get 8GB more RAM (which is important for my work), bigger screen, and better mobility. It's a great deal for me. Missing fans, slightly better speakers, or 120hz HDR screen, that is not so important (to me).
i have the 16/256 in midnight. Its pretty awesome honestly. Im not a content creator or video editor. I use it for web browsing, MS OFFICE, application like excel, word, powerpoint, and email. I havent been able to slow it down. I am using 11gb of ram as i type this with multiple windows/programs/tabs open and I would be in a swap situation had I not got 16gb. The battery life blows away any of the previous PC laptops I have owned (all thinkpads).
I don’t like the heft of the pro, particularly as I write a lot, and the boxy form makes the keyboard less comfortable to use. Similarly, while I want future-proofed specs, the pros are just way more computer than I’ll ever use. 16GB, 1TB… couldn’t be happier. Fantastic laptop; love it even more than the M1 air it replaced.
I’ve just chopped in a 24” M1 iMac 16GB & 1TB for the 15” MacBook Air 16GB and 1TB storage. Using for photo editing (Pixelmator pro) and it flies. I can now take with me and edit on the go.
Ordered the 16GB/1TB spec for the reason you mentioned: I'm going to want to use it for pretty much everything as my main computer. Sold the 16.2" (too big and expensive and I basically just wanted a bigger screen) and 13.6" MBA (had the base spec as a secondary computer, otherwise awesome - if it was 16/1, I would have probably kept it).
Interesting Take Mark & while I haven't had my chance to check out the machines (the 14 MBP & the 15 MBA) in person yet, I am still planning to do so next month. It is interesting to hear you talk about specking up a machine 😂 One of the reasons that I am leaning towards the MBP is the ports on it that the MBA lacks. I would use the HDMI port a lot for sure. And the fact that specking the 15" MBA with 16 GB Memory & 2 TB storage, that puts me at only $300 less than a 14 MBP with the same specs. But *maybe* once I see the 15" MBA in person I might change my mind. I have a very old & chonky 15" Windows PC & that 15" screen size was awesome. I just hated the chonkyness & weight of that machine. Thanks as always for sharing your thoughts with us.
*Update* So today I finally had a chance to go to a Apple Store in person & check out the 14" MBP & 15" MBA & I know that this is partially due to the extra thickness & weight of the 14" Pro, but to me, the sturdiness was notable & while the weight difference was notable & it was, it still felt lightweight, yet sturdy in comparison to my very old & outdated 15" Windows PC laptop that this will be replacing. To me, the 15" Air felt "too light" almost, like I would be worried about it breaking just opening & closing the lid. Also, I can totally see why some reviewers of the 16" MBP almost regret that machine as a laptop. So when I get enough money saved up, I now *know* that I will definitely be going with a 14" MBP.
Hello from France!! (sorry for my english); i love your reviews! i ordered a 15 inch air whith 512 ssd and 24 gig ram in gold (stelar) instead of macbook pro 14 because i want an air....I use it for Svideo in final cut and colorgrade in davinci resolve (4k 120 4.2.2....). i am a litle afraid (i will test it and return it to apple if it doesn t do the job). the "dileme" is that at this price it s close to 14 inch macbook pro....wait and see.....
Does it work for you ?
Hello, no….i returned it to apple and bought a MacBook Pro 14 m2 pro with 32 gigs of ram. Thé air overheat à lot in finalcut and single m2 is a little too light for my work….
@@ninay7685 damn and I’m here thinking I’m gonna return my M2pro MBP 14” and grab the the 15” Air again
Macbook Air 13 - airplane
Macbook Air 15 - everywhere else
I returned the base 15 inch and got a M1 Pro. I totally get what you mean about wanting to do more with the 15 inch, and being held back by the ram and ssd. Unlike the old m1 air, it’s quite noticeable when the device runs out of ram and I was getting ram anxiety.
Top review, m8. Imma grab one for my lil sis. I was really on the fence about this one, but not anymore. Cheers, m8.
Glad you enjoyed. And what a brother!
I've tried them all and have settled on the 14 inch pro. All around incredible machine.
I returned my base model after I found a used M1 with 512/16 for 600. I bought this laptop for school and I love everything about it except the storage and memory. Apple had a 30% decline in notebook sales and decided to release a notebook with worse internals and expects us to spend 400 extra on what should be included with the base model. I hope the see a huge decline in sales until they start their base models with 512/16. I love/hate apple for this
Hard time choosing between this and Mac book pro specking this up 16G and 1TB is already so close to the Mac book pro price. I love the 15inch screen and weight factor tho. Not doing any crazy video editing but I do multi task and a content creator gonna also use it for school and plan to keep it for a long time. Advice? On which on to get?
Crumpler bags for people in Australia❤ I would recommend over the advert
the issue is not about NAND, it is about the number of chips and hence data lines from the chip to the SSD. Double amount of lines, double bandwidth. Though a single interface is still very fast I would say. If you swap memory to disk, the SSD is magnitudes slower anyway. Instead of 100 GB/s you either have 1.5 or 3 GB/s. The latter is twice as fast but still slooow compared to the RAM.
I don’t have any experience with MacBook Pros, but I don’t find the Air 15 to be lightweight at all. It’s roughly the same weight as my chunky Windows laptop I use for work. I’m trading in my new 15 for the 13.
Its 9 grams lighter than the 14" and has a bigger foodprint.
@@shaun1900 Yeah it’s quite a large computer
Smart move, I got the 13.6 M2 MackBook Air with 16 gigs of ram memory, and 512 SSD storage but I kept the 8 core GPU. You are so right about the weight. After I had my Mac class at Soho Apple Store in NYC, I checked out the 15 inch Air. I found it to be too heavy for me, also screen resolution wasn't much better. The sound is louder but, not any better than my 13.6 Air. I was able to put my Air in my crossbody laptop briefcase, and walk around NYC without any strain on my shoulders. Everyone on here making such a big deal about bigger screen. To me not that big a deal, also I wear glasses to work on laptop, and screen looks bigger. I'm a longtime Windows desktop user since 1999 with Windows 98. This is my first laptop, and I like it very user friendly. Never worked on a Windows laptop. My last Dell desktop with Windows 7 Pro, 2T hard drive, barely lasted 2 years, and Windows screen kept on going out on me. Hence switching to Apple computer to go with my iPhone 13 Pro.
@@cherylelinsmith743 good choice, enjoy!
I have the M1 Pro; I've never had the fans spin up on my Mac as I really just use it for internet and Apple TV and very light photo edits. However I do enjoy playing music on it and the screen brightness outdoors I thinks would be way better than the Air. Would be an upgrade or downgrade to the 15" air I cant make my mind up.
Honestly would love to downgrade and run the 15-inch MBA. Currently running the M1 Max 16-inch MBP. It's a beast to carry around. I hate that M2 only supports 1 external display. With my work, I need multiple displays as I typically run a Windows VM through Parallels and access to numerous remote servers. Having the ability to plug into various screens is essential for me. I am however seriously debating moving to the 14-inch MBP on the next round, but I'd like to wait for 3nm for the improved battery life.
I do run an M2 iPad Pro as a side device though, mainly because of the ability to connect to 5G on the go. That has been nice.
You and, I suspect, several others.
14" is a dream laptop.
Mark! Thanks Much !.......+
Hi Mark ! Why not better the mb pro m1 14 inch than the mb air 15 ?
If it had 16gb RAM at base, I’d recommend it
how';s the battery?
I'm hesitating a bit.. Is it worth buying a 512SSD, 8GB Ram? I wanted to have a 256SSD and 16GB but it is not offered in any of the stores in my country. I do regular tasks such as powerpoint presentations, writing in word, opening 1 trillion taps on google chrome or any other browser. Also, heavy designing in Photoshop. I wanna know whether I should just buy it from here or travel to the US and buy it from there(I'll be going there after 7months).
The 15 inch feels just as lite as the 13 inch. Not sure how that is possible.
You're right... and I have no idea how they've done it.
Does that backpack work with the 16" MacBook Pro?
is it worth for using chrome and netflix mainly?
Got a question, I’m about to buy either a MacBook Air or an iPad Pro m2 for editing purposes but the price against a m3 pro MacBook Pro 14 inch isn’t that great and by the time you add bits to either the iPad or air it gets a bit harder to choose so for editing what route would you go ?
Hello Mark, Thank you for the update. Do you have any information or updates regarding user complaints about random hairline cracks on the bottom of the screen of the M1 and M2 13-inch models?
I'm unsure about the accuracy of those reports on random cracks, but I've come across a couple of complaints on Reddit and other websites lately. I'm planning to purchase a 15-inch model and I'm somewhat concerned about this issue.
and then you buy something like that and realize that you don't need it because the old pc is still running well
Got a MacBook Air 15 8/512
the magic trick is upgrading to 16GB RAM as opposed to upgrading the SSD
I bought it,have a widows laptop and the windows laptop is woefully slow in comparison. Was going to send it back,but I’ll sell the Windows laptop instead,if anyone will buy it,Lol.
What is always interesting about these reviews is that there is no objective answer, and people’s preferences based on many factors are relevant. For instance, I am 6’5” and have a large build with large hands, so I do not particularly notice the difference in weight amongst any of these laptops. I own the 14” and 16” Pros, and prefer those because I am a lawyer who works on very long documents and I value the key travel and the ProMotion when scrolling up and down documents. I don’t need the power, but those two very niche features make my experience using the computers so much better. I trialled the 15” Air and the key travel was too shallow and the clunky 60 hz screen scrolling bothered me. There are a large number of people out there who use these machines for heavy document work, with no video or graphics component, and so these things may matter.
Exactly. Imagine how hard that makes my job sometimes 😉
@@MarkEllisReviews😂. Your reviews are very objective, and wonderfully produced. I just find it surprising that so many people are so emphatic about “the best” when their justification is idiosyncratic to their own needs.
The notch remains terrible due to aesthetics. If it looked good we’d see it on other screens, but we don’t, cuz it’s stupid and an eyesore. My wallpapers are rectangular shaped.. not notch shaped lol. It’s all for the sake of branding, at the expense of the user. Cuz it does look worse. And plenty of windows laptops manage to have a camera in a bezel maybe 1/8” thicker. Shift the screen down 1/8” and it fits fine. And these MacBooks run over 2 grand with that thing.
With that said- I’ll be buying an M3, and just dealing with the disrespect lol.
Hi Mark, love your reviews and humour. My faithful 2010 Mac finally died last weekend so I've been glued to UA-cam and Apple to try and decide what to replace it with. I'm down to 4 choices and need help. My only requirements are to be able to surf the web, watch UA-cam and most importantly, use Excel. With all the price matching and job related discounts available to me (final prices shown in brackets), I have to choose between the M1 MBA (£784.71), the M2 MBA 13" (£1,020.14), the M2 MBA 15" (£1,224.36) or the iMac 24" (£1,256.50). Having had a desktop for the last 13 years, I'm still trying to justify whether I actually need a laptop (not a student, never take it with me travelling, like a desk/study setup). I'd kind of thought the M2 MBA 13" wasn't that much better than the M1 version to justify an extra £235, especially when the 15" was only another £222 on top of the 13", so the M2 13" might be the first to get rejected. I love the iMac 24" but it's M1 and seems pricey. Then there's all the talk about M3 machines which may have an impact on prices, especially the M1 MBA. Help!
Thanks for the kind words! Firstly... don't let the M3 stuff sway your decision - we have no idea when they'll arrive. Secondly... what does your gut say? Go with that ;)
I’d go with 15 inch MBA. I had to use the 13 inch with work and I hated it. Just too small for my 56 years old eyes. And you might be surprised, that you find yourself taking the 15er MacBook with you when travelling as it is so light and easy to take with you.
@@MarkEllisReviews Thanks Mark, my gut says go for the iMac, my spreadsheets would look great on that screen, but then again with the Macbook solution, you can always add a monitor in the future.......decisions decisions...
@@wakeupcall2665 Thanks for that, I'm 57, had yet another eye test today so I know just what you mean!
get a 14" M1 Macbook Peo on sale, its a beast and will cost about the same as a 15" but is far superior.
You should not be making videos while driving. End of.
Is it legal in the UK to drive and use a camera and mike to record yourself on the road?
Yes. How do you think car reviewers do this?
Why are you driving down the road talking about a laptop. Next time wait till you get home to do a video.
Did you see the one when I walked around Manhattan talking about a laptop? I can’t help it. Might do one on the toilet next time.
You might want to take it seriously before you kill someone for wanting to save 5 min.