We're also doing a giveaway with ESR, of one 3-in-1 MagSafe Charger, one 2-in-1 MagSafe Charger and one MagSafe Car Charger! To enter: 1. Subscribe to the channel 2. Follow on Instagram @ZONEofTECH 3. Comment on the MacBook Air Reel that's all about the gaming throttle, with which item you want to win and why. Winners will be announced on Instagram & here, 2 weeks from now. Remember that only this is my official account (the one with the verified tick). UA-cam still has a spam bot problem so sadly, you'll likely be contacted by scammers claiming to be me. Winners would be announced officially by me, on my Instagram & UA-cam community page, in exactly 2 weeks. If you don't see the verified check mark, it's a scam.
@ZONEofTECH Benchmarking Logic Pro should include the latency number in Audio Preference at 32 buffer size. My M1 pro has 6.3 latency, I wonder what the M2 gets? No one seems to be doing this comparison, as it shows how efficient the CPU is at processing audio internally. Would you mind checking? Thanks
Thankyou for the review, I've been wondering about these two laptops if they were compared side by side. I'm planning to get the M1 Pro based model soon after I sold my MBP 13" Late 2011🤣.. Hope this will lasts at least another 6-8 years😄
Thinking of retuning the 10core m2 air 16gb/512gb for the base 14inch 8 core pro after seeing these videos.. which do you have? My upgrades made it $1700 and the base pro is onsale at bestbuy for $1800.. Feels like the pro is better just “very heavy” 😂
Best review of the M2 Air in the sense of getting a real feel of the pros and cons, and I have seen all of them. Short, unobtrusive, unbiased, informative und very well presented. Thx
Bought the 14" MBP a few days ago in place of the M2 13" MBP and I'm absolutely loving it! Glad the shopkeeper helped me picking up the perfect Macbook!
Hey! How's the battery life? The only thing keeping me from choosing the 14inch over the Air is the battery life, but I was wondering if your 14 actually lasted long?
Comparing the base model MBA to 14" MBP isn't fair. I'm looking forward to your upcoming comparison between 16/512 MBA versus 14" Base MBP, since their price difference isn't much.
I had the choice between a spec'd up M2 Air (16/512) or a 14" Pro (16/512/baseCPU&GPU) and chose the latter. The price difference was minimal and in terms of balanced performance (faster SSD, sustained performance, etc) plus things like better screen and ports, the balance was well in favour of the Pro. I strongly suspect that the M2 14" Pro, when it comes out, with cost more this time (aka COVID premium). So once the M1 chips drop off the radar, I think the balance of price-value will return to favour the Air. It's just that the M1 Pro based machines are priced lower than they would have been had Apple launched them this far into the supply chain woes and return of lockdowns in China.
Very interested in the upgraded M2 Air vs base M1 Pro 14 comparison. The lighter weight of the Air is a key benefit and is well worth the tradeoff if the benchmarks aren't as heavily weighted towards the Pro. I mainly use my M1 Air (base config) hooked up to an external 4k display so the Pro's display isn't as beneficial for me.
@@cameronbosch1213 I used to use multiple displays but a couple of years ago switched to just one large display, and leverage virtual desktops (called Spaces on macOS) and much prefer it. Unless you're monitoring security cameras or need heatmap views of the entire stock market etc. then I'm convinced a single display is more productive as it ensures focus. YMMV
@@LearnAtMyExpense I personally do not like macOS external monitor support, especially when compared to Windows or even Wayland on GNU/Linux. It’s passable, but the resolution settings have zero consistency.
@@cameronbosch1213 I was running Linux exclusively on my desktop PC from 2015 - 2020 and those last two years especially were a nightmare with regards to multiple displays, mainly due to the transition to Wayland. MS Teams, for example, which I am required to use for work, appeared to work right....until I was in a meeting and had to share my screen. Didn't work on Wayland (and still doesn't I don't think). That was the last "paper cut" and timed perfectly with the release of the M1 Air. I bought one on a whim and have been mac only ever since and have grown to like one large display only. I keep my Air in clamshell mode on my desk. My Ryzen 3600 custom build PC I built in summer of 2020 has been collecting dust ever since.
It’s hard to be a tech nerd. I’d like a mini-LED panel that has ProMotion 120hz, the external display support, and extra ports but I don’t need the M1 Pro power for my workflow.
Finally someone who compares Lightroom productivity with the M1 Pro! Loving my M2 Air base right now but have been considering the M1 Pro as it seems like a machine that will last me atleast 5 years
A great way to minimize the dual monitor limitation on the Air is to use an Ultrawide monitor. I use one with my M1 MBA and it works great, particularly with Magnet. I bought an inexpensive LG 27” for $159 and I regularly switch from 2-3 monitors (including the Air) depending if I want screen real estate or multiple monitors.
In my perspective, if you are not exactly doing heavy stuff, like for example video editing and all that, I doubt if you'll eventually need a MacBook pro. It is jampacked with high specs and if you will only be using your laptop for presentations or like word documents or something, I think the pro would be a bit overkill not to mention the hefty price tag it comes with. The air should be good enough for lighter stuff not to mention, word, power point presentations, and even multitasking. Otherwise, anything beyond that might be too much for the device. Just an opinion and pov.
Yes! Thank you for this video; especially with that nice focus on Lightroom usage. A lot of people only focus on video editing performance and it’s nice to see a good, dedicated section for us photographers. Much appreciated 🤙🏼
You did mention that you have a 16gb/512gb on the way. Are you planning to do an identical comparison when it gets there? This comparison makes sense in terms of folks that are going to walk into an Apple Store and buy whatever is available on the shelf, but not so much for those that are planning on ordering online. I feel like the fact that it’s a base Air should’ve been emphasized more. The binned M1 Pro CPU is not wildly faster, nor is the ram (in practice). And the base Air SSD has the single NAND chip “issue”. I can’t help but wonder how much CPU driven tests where the Air was way slower were the caused by the base SSD or 50% of the ram. Sure, when specing up the Air it gets closer to the base 14”, but for many portability and battery is more important, as long as the performance is “good enough”. I.e., the performance difference between a $1700 m2 Air and $2000 (or $1800 on sale) base 14” isn’t going to be as wide as it is here. I think for folks that ordering online, few are trying to decide between 8/256 Air and base 14”. We are trying to decide between 16/512 (or even 24gb) m2 Air, and a base 14”. If you can do that comparison when the better M2 arrives that would be awesome. Edit: My actual decision is likely between a 24gb Air and 32gb 14” (increases the price difference between the two quite a bit).
@@extremestudios9355 I agree that the CPU on the 8 core M1 Pro and M2 aren’t very big for shorter tasks. I would summarize the difference as the following: If you make money on your machine, get the Pro with the 10 core CPU. If you need a ultraportable laptop with better battery life than the 14 inch MacBook Pro and don’t care too much about sustained performance, then get the M2 MacBook Air with at least 512 GB of storage and preferably 16 GB of RAM.
Yeah the based M2 MBA gets eaten for breakfast, lunch and dinner by the M1 Pro 14 of coz. We might see better comparison with the 10core GPU 16gb ram 512gb upgraded Air M2
@@cameronbosch1213 Right - the M2 throttles under load after a short while. Though, it looks like when throttled it’s not too different than the original M1 Air at peak. I do software development professionally, but the professional work is on a work machine. I want a performant personal machine with lots of battery life for personal, hobby, learning, and technical masters courses. Use data heavy programming, IDEs, Docker, and occasionally VMs via Parallels. Work that’s much more Memory hungry than process heavy. My main concern is that user experience stays smooth when lots going on - it’s fine if tasks themselves take a little longer. I was disappointed the M1 only had 16gb of ram. At 24gb, the M2 sounds better (I’m one of those people that “knows” that they know that they need more memory). Yes, performance/$$$ the 14” is better, and the screen is better, but my priorities are different.
Good comparison. Very interested in the next one. For a VERY small subset of folks who lean toward ultraportables and do “in between work” it may make a difference when compared to the 14” pro, despite the numerous benefits. The 14” is a chunky boi.
Ok, well if anyone is watching this today, as mentioned upgrading the ssd and ram on the Air does bump you up to $1699. Well, I just ordered the MacBook Pro 14” brand new, from Amazon for $1799. The benefits of the 14” are most definitely worth $100.
At a minimum, I was going to get the 16GB 512g M2 Air, but once I saw BestBuy had the 14 MBP for 1599, I couldn't pass that up. You cleared up any concerns I had; thanks!
Hey! How's the battery life? The only thing keeping me from choosing the 14inch over the Air is the battery life, but I was wondering if your 14 actually lasted long?
@@DanosaurGaming It could be better but for normal workloads I get about 6-7 hours. Heavy workloads vary. Also I use Vivid to increase the nits of the screen so that doesn’t help.
Great review. I think you're the only person who mentioned the 14" pro finally went back to the default retina 2x scaling. On my M1 Air I got a lot of eye strain without using the 1280x800. I love that I can have smaller text, more space and it's still 2x on the 14". If the Air also had 2x scaling with a higher resolution, I probably would have got it instead.
@@expazatrix Glad it helps! Yeah, it gives you the true "retina" look and looks amazing. I found disabling "Font Smoothing" made the text even better on this 14" MacBook. Not sure about on the M1 Air, and I don't recommend doing it unless you're somewhat tech savvy as it has to be done from the terminal. I almost returned this 14" because of the Font Smoothing making the text blurry to my eyes. Now running at 2x with Font Smoothing set to 0 it is amazing.
thanks for this comparison. Unfortuantely you did use the MBA base model (256GB SSD) which is known to be much slower than the 512GB. Would be interesting to repeat the test with an 512GB MBA model if you can get your hands on one.
Here in Canada… the base Macbook Pro 14” is only $350 more than a Macbook Air M2 with the equivalent 512gb SSD and 16gb of RAM (factoring in having to buy an external card reader). It’s a no-brainer to go with the MCB Pro 14”.
I’d love to see comparisons for those who haven’t updated in years, maybe a 2015 13” MBP or the early Touch Bar models to really show how much improvement any upgrade would be.
I would go for a 14 or 16 inch M1 Pro/Max MacBook Pro if you make money on your machine. Otherwise, the M2 MacBook Air with the 512 GB of storage and 16 of RAM is fine for most people. That being said, this is coming from somebody whose prior MacBook Pro WAS the 2015 15 inch MacBook Pro (without a dGPU surprisingly)!
and the price difference with mbp 14 is 100$. But in pro you get better charger, better screen, better speakers, better performance. (according to apple prices it's like 2k$ difference)
@@JaNeJEBASHU But you don't get the better battery life nor the lighter weight and smaller charger. It really depends how much you prioritize size/weight/portability.
Had the decision between Air M2 and M1 Pro 14" and decided for M1 Pro. I'm not a hardcore gamer, but all games working. WoW at 3024x1964/100fps (16 CoreGPU) After using a MBP mid 2009 for 13 y and it's 2,5 kg they are all lightwighted :) and the specs of the M1 Pro 14" are amazing. Sound, display, all I need.... great!
I wish the pro M1 existed when I was in college, always had to use a converter hub to plug hdmi and charging to connect to the tv to watch with friends. Also not all hubs worked, so much trial and error...now they just put the hdmi port back, love it
I don't think that there will be that big of a gap in performance once you have the MBA with 512 of storage. Plus your version of the MBP 14 was an m1 max chip so a lot more money.
Omg thank you so much! I just canceled my M2 MBA order and ordered the base MacBook Pro 14” for $1799! (It’s $200 off at Best Buy right now!) That makes it WAY more worth the money, compared to the MBA
His video didn’t compare apples to apples technically. The pro is a little better no doubt but the way he compared it doesn’t make sense because the gpu and cpu were really different in the two models
@@haku107 The Pro is not a “little better”. It’s miles better. The base model MBA is $1200 for 256GB. Here’s why the base model MBP 14” is a way better value. 1 - VALUE: on sale for $1800 at Best Buy / Amazon. That’s $200 off, which makes it just a $600 difference from base model MBA. 2 - STOCK: readily available, whereas the Air is brand new and can several weeks to ship depending on the model you choose. 3 - DISPLAY: 1” bigger, even thinner bezels, higher resolution, 120hz Pro-motion, Mini-LED instead of cloudy/gray outdated LCD 4 - SOUND: Larger speakers for clearer/louder audio 5 - PERFORMANCE: Double overall performance, double the ram (16GB standard, compared to 8 on MBA) 6 - STORAGE: Double the storage (512GB standard, compared to 256GB on MBA) 7 - CHARGING: Faster charging out the box (MBA requires you to buy the upgraded charger to get faster charging) 8 - PORTS: Includes an SD Card reader, HDMI port, and 3 thunderbolt ports, and headphone jack (The only ports MBA has are 2 thunderbolts and a headphone jack) 9 - NO THERMAL THROTTLING: As a result of the MacBook Air not having a built-in cooling fan like the Pro does, the Air will drop over 25% in performance after roughly 5 min of heavy workload, and it doesn’t take very long to throttle even under a moderate workload. 10. LONGEVITY: I’m no computer engineer, but I would expect the MBP to outlast the MBA, mainly because it has a built-in fan to help cool off the internals. And of course it’s more future proof, since it’s more powerful.
As a photographer and video editor, I’d save up to buy the baseline 14” MacBook Pro because it has a built-in SD card reader, faster SSDs, a brighter screen and support for multiple displays. Plus, I’ve recently seen the 14” MacBook Pro on sale for $200 USD off the MSRP.
…Which you should use to upgrade the CPU (if you can), as the CPU on the 8 core M1 Pro isn’t far off of the M2 for short burst tasks and you get a better charger. Although the other benefits are important too, like the better port selection, better screen, more external monitor support, better GPU, better sustained performance, and higher base storage and RAM.
@@cameronbosch1213 based on Max Tech’s benchmarks the base 14” MacBook Pro is nearly twice as fast as the $1600 14” MacBook Air with the 512GB SSD, 16GB RAM and 8 core CPU/GPU.
@@DCuerpoJr I literally say that for most people, the $2200 model (the 14 inch M1 Pro MacBook Pro with 10 core CPU) will be plenty for most people, because of the jump from 8 to 10 cores in the CPU.
The only reasons to get the Air over the Pro are if: - The cost difference is a dealbreaker - The weight difference is a dealbreaker - You don't notice the smoother ProMotion display or the PPI difference in the Pro - You don't need the extra ports in the Pro - You don't require sustained workloads that would benefit from the better thermal management in the Pro - The new colors (Starlight , Midnight Blue) are important to you Otherwise, there is really no point in spec'ing up a MBA since it's too close in price to the Pro which is an overall better machine and uses Apple's best selection of components available.
I have a 14” MBP and was considering selling to get the new MBA as I want something thinner and lighter. However, this video has showed me I get so much more with the MBP. Makes me feel a lot better with all this information. Still stings a bit, but not not as much. Thanks, Daniel!
It’s all well and good to do video and photo editing as a test. I wanna see real life tests! I wanna see how many chrome tabs your can open along with playing music, UA-cam, reading emails and working on a Word document. I wanna see how it performs with things that normal people do on a normal daily basis
Both can perform very well doing that. Dammit, even my MacBook Air 2018, which is pretty slow in some cases, can easily do that without any drop on performance
The screen difference between the two devices is very obvious. The MacBook Pro's mini-LED display is enormous. However, I am not sure if the battery life will be sufficient in daily use.
I already have a MacBook Pro 16" for heavy workloads, I'm thinking on getting a MacBook Air M2-8 core GPU with 16 GB ram and 512 GB ssd to bring on travel when I only need it for basic workloads as office stuff and some light windows software so Parallels is a must.
This was my decision to make aswell moving from the M1 MacBook Pro to the M1 Pro MacBook Pro, switched and never going back , I also benefit from the extra power since I use Blender for 3D work and XCode for heavy code deployments. It's a better workhorse compared to the M2 Air at all situations, portability doesn't matter since I dock it to a multi-monitor station, perfect for triple-monitor setup (including the MacBook's display)
If you’re speccting it out. Just get the m1 pro at that point. Coz of your an avg consumer that only thing you should upgrade is the ram. Coz u could j get external storage anyways?
@@lancer1993 They really didn't cripple it. Most people won't notice unless they are using a lot of swap. If someone is using a LOT of swap, they should have just ordered more ram
This week I was about to buy the MacBook Air the $1,499 with the 8 core CPU, 10 Core GPU 8gb of ram and 512 SSD, but the 14” MacBook Pro is on sale at Best Buy for $1,599 where I’m getting a 14core GPU and more importantly 16gb of ram over 8gb and for a $100 more it was a no Brainer to go for the Pro. Play better screen and better speakers
I think the 24gb ram 512gb ssd M2 Air is the sweet spot for those who do intermediate photo/video editing. I don't need the ports or promotion since I connect to one external monitor at home but when I travel battery life and portability are more important than the XDR display. I walk and stand in the train commuting 45min so the weight on the shoulder should be taken into account. The 24/512 M2 Air compared to the base 14" is cheaper, has better battery life and portability and the 8gb extra ram (24 vs 16) would giver extra peace of mind when using Adobe apps. 16gb ram is the new 8gb, in a few years 24gb could be the new 16gb (more future proofing). Also, it's rumoured that the M2 Pro 14" will be out this fall or Spring 2023. The M2 air, being cheaper and newer, will have better resale value. Since the M2 pro chip would likely be the only change with the new 14", I assume there will be no price change ($2000 is already expensive!). Why would someone buy a used and old 5nm 14" when they can pay a bit more for the newer 3nm chip 14". I think I'll be getting the 24/512 m2 air as a transitory device while waiting for the M2 pro 14". The 24gb ram would also determine whether I really need 24gb or get the 16gb M2 pro 14". Would love to see the difference of the 16/512 M2 air and 14" base for editing
14 inch MacBook Pro > M2 Macbook Air. More RAM, better laptop build design to utilize the CPU, better display, and better audio with the 14 inch MacBook Pro. The only thing I like on the M2 MBA is the Midnight black color.
Thanks for a great video. Apple really screwed up with the SSD and thermal issues on the M2 Air. In my opinion the M2 Air is just not worth it: compared to the basic version the M1 Air provides way more value for money and compared to the high end version the M1 Pro 14" is way better.
I have been thinking a lot choosing between the m2 air and the 14inch m1 pro. I eventually ordered the air because of the new midnight color, it is lighter, and I don't need all the power from the m1pro. I don't need the good speakers either as I have airpods pro anyways and I cant play sound through the speakers in my college dorm room with 3 other roommates. The only thing I wish the air had was the pro motion WHICH IS AWESOME. But I can live without it
Does really nobody miss HDMI or SD card slot? For me the 16" M1 Pro was a no brainer... too good screen, i wanted a good and big screen, and only the M1 Pro machines delivered SD Card slot (im using it nearly daily to backup/copy photos, and i cant stand adapters/hubs) Also, i really liked to have HDMI on a MacBook... and since 16GB/512 was anyways bare minimum i would accept... it was just a good decision to go for M1 Pro anyways instead of hoping for a 15" M2 Air as the rumors said longer ago
@@Nogitsune_Yako are u fking dumb?💀 and cant read?? Lmao he said he doesnt need all the power that the m1 pro offers so why would he even need to get that?? If hes not gonna utilize it at all? And plus the m1 pro costs more than m2. And is really a hefty upgrade. Tho the midnight color is also smthn to keep in mind IF you want a really badass design/aesthetics. As i have the m2 midnight one and its so stunning and gorgeous absolutely love the midnight colour lol
would like to see 24gb m2 compaired to m1 14 16gb. this is the only spec that can exceed 14 and curious to see how it could impact the overall performance
Takes me make to that classic "The Cars" song - this is "just what I needed"; I was struggling with the choice between the M2 Macbook Air and the 14" Macbook Pro M1 to replace an older machine. Love the breakdown. Clear and well spoken. Thanks man!
Easy. If you want to do any considerable work on your Macbook, the 8GB and 256GB (one chip) of the M2 Air wont be enough so you get the Pro. If you want a Macbook for browsing and watching netflix, get the base M2 Air
The pro has 512 gb storage and 16 gb ram. If you were to have that it would cost you 1600 dollars on the air. So now there's not a huge distance between 1600 and 2000 dollars when thinking about all the major improvements on the pro
Improvement? Yes, im also a 16" M1 Pro owner and i absolutely love the machine. But the M2 Air would be SUCH AN AWESOME MACHINE Its much lighter and smaller than the 14" M1 Pro. Because the 14" wasnt already much lighter or thinner than the 16" i just got the 16" because more screen and more battery, also unbinned M1 Pro in base model. The M2 Air would be a much more useful machine for my actual needs because it would fit much better in the backpack for hiking, astrophotography or wildlife. But on the other side... no SD Card slot which i need a lot... HDMI is also a nice to have... and 2 USB C ports only is WEAK (for a 1500$ machine especially) Its just too expensive (or too weak equipped with 8/256... you can see it how you prefer) But the biggest bummer is: In europe the M2 Air with 16/512 is only 200€ less expensive than the base 14" Pro! A refurbished 14" M1 Pro you get even cheaper than a new 16/512 M2 Air! I think Apple made the M2 for the real fanboys and the ones looking for the ultimate portable MacBook Air... but anyone with a brain would just accept slightly more weight, slightly thicker and go 14" M1 Pro - no matter if you can use the power or not! Im also one of the many M1 Pro owners which would not even need the basic M1 performance (just more Ram..). But hey, Apple doesnt give us a basic M1 with a gorgeous, big screen and the "needed" ports like SD card slot or HDMI and a more "pro" like notebook... Im guessing many which waited for the M2 Air will go now for a 14" M1 Pro
@@harrison00xXx Yeah I meant advantages instead of improvements lol. But I wouldn't sacrifice all that performance, thermals, screen and speakers. I've always valued those things above portability
@@MasterAlfred3000 Well in case of M1 you saw you dont really have to sacrifice performance or thermals a lot. Its just from the beginning a "weak", more office like machine and probably slightly more demanding stuff, but not for "really demanding" stuff. Its funny that M2 Air does some downgrades to the M1 which is using still the case of the 2016 Airs... just more prove that the M2 is literally there so people make finally a decision.... "cheap" M1 Air or "expensive" but good with 14/16" M1 Pro...
Thanks for the great comparison. I did buy the MBP 14 last week. This confirmed my decision. I just knew it was a better buy. Fortunately, it was on discount and only cost me $52 more than a MBA M2, so it was a no-brainer. I had my previous MBP 15 since 2013 and it still runs well. Just felt this was the time to buy a new model. I was concerned if it was the right purchase but I have been incredibly happy with my decision. And your review helped allay my concerns completely!
Thank you for this. Tried searching for a similar video never found it. Been needing it because of the price points. Either the MacBook Pro or M2 with better specs
Its because its basic common sense💀💀 like if you know you gotta be doing some real extensive demanding tasks you shouldve the macbook pros kept in mind in the first place. Because those are the real powerhouse. So if you have macbook air m2 kept in mind in the first place that j shows yourr an avg consumer, and thought of needing to spect it out as high as possible is somthn that showd abt you is that u need a powerful machine that can handle heavily demanding tasks, So it shoulve bot been a hard decision as the M1 pro is feasibly the way to go.
Thank you! I couldn’t find a comparison between these two machines which I think a lot of people thinking of buying an Air are considering. Great video!
Finally, thank you!!! Was waiting with outmost patience for someone to make this comparison. You are right $300 more for the MBP14 is not much of a difference after all.
Daniel, absolutely great review. Your videos are truly stunning in their quality and attention to detail. You helped me make the decision in favour of the MBP 14". Based on the points you raised to spec up a MacBook Air to 16/512 is in my view, unwise considering all the advantages of the MBP.
The base macbook air m2 is trash for a basic user? I am a student and I will use it mainly for browsing, watching youtube, excel, word etc. 8 gb of RAM and 256 gb SSD will by ok for my use? For upgrade it gets expensive for a basic use. I got one with space gray colour, I expect it is good for my use? Or I should returned it?
I have been trying to decide which MacBook to get for so long now. I have a desktop computer which I use for gaming etc. So that is not a requirement. I need something ultra portable to take to work. I’m leaning towards the MBA for this reason. But wasn’t really sure about the performance and battery life. It seems it won’t be an issue though, after seeing your video, and it saves me a lot of money, so thanks!
What about the keyboard comparisons? They are definitely not identical. I noticed on the MacBook Air that when I pressed the keys down, my fingernails sometimes caught on the unibody case rim, whereas the 14” seems to have a slightly deeper key travel, but I haven’t confirmed that.
I switched from MacBook Pro 2018 to MacBook Air M2, things I don't like: 1. Sound - it's coming under the keys and it's terrible compared to MacBook Pro 2018 2. Touch Pad - It's slightly smaller in MacBook Air M2 3. USB Type C is placed only on the left side of the MacBook Air M2 compared to MacBook Pro 2018 4. TouchBar - I love that thing on my MacBook Pro 2018, now it's missing on MacBook Air M2 5. Camera - It seems that camera on this MacBook Air 2 is worse. 6. It's not that sexy and slick. Yes, MacBook Pro 2018 is way more sexier.
Would have liked to see the battery comparison when running similar tasks on both laptops. The fact that macbook pro only lasts 5 hours on heavy load does not provide much info when comparing it to the Air.
I got the macbook pro 14" few weeks ago, and i sent it back. Why? The main raison, its just too heavy. For a casual user like me, portability is important. You feel a big difference between the air and the 14" pro. When you go on the couch with the air, you just don't feel it, it s not the case with the pro. As for the monitor, yeah it is better with the pro...if you watch HDR video! Honestly, who does watch does crazy animals short clips more than 60 seconds?! And, even then, i had to watch very closely between the pro and the M1 macbook air to see the difference. If you dont have the two side by side, i doubt that you'll ever notice (i understand that you can make that point why a lot of things!) . So, voilà, i'll receive my M2 Macbook AIr in a few days, the monitor well be less sharp, i'll miss the extra ports but, for me, i'm better off with a lighter computer.
Which of these two is better for a university use (take notes, watching videos, using excel and other stuff)?: -MBA with 512 of SSD and 8gb of RAM - MBA with 256 gb of SSD (with the storage issue) and 16 go of RAM Considering that I would like to keep this MacBook for at least 5-6 years.
The way you read decimals is extremely awkward and discomforting. Please read numbers like 1.55 as one point five five instead of one point fifty-five.
The mini led on the 14 inch MacBook Pro is gorgeous but the PWM flicker behind the technology was giving me eye strain/headaches/nausea after using it for more than 30 minutes. Had to return it a few days later unfortunately. Needed to prioritize my eye and brain health. It's why I never use OLED screens anymore. They're nice looking but not worth the eye strain and headache (literally lol). Hoping the MacBook Air M2 isn't using PWM 🤞 that machine is beautiful and the one I really want.
It’s unethical how these tech companies keep using screen technology that can potentially harm the health of consumers. PWM is definitely an underrated topic in the tech community and needs to be brought up more often, as many people are affected by it (many aren’t even aware of it).
@@cybercrunk5335 so true! Many people can think that there’s something wrong with them when they get mysterious headaches but it’s just their phone, tablet or laptop that’s causing them. It’s sad tbh. I’ll never sacrifice “deeper blacks” for my health and quality of life.
I don’t know how you can even notice the PWM on the MacBook Pros, because NotebookCheck used a tool to measure it, and found while it DOES use PWM, it flickers at such a high rate that most people who are sensitive to PWM shouldn’t be able to tell it is flickering. If you’re still noticing it, then sadly, things are only going to get worse, as it seems PWM is only going to become more and more prevalent as Mini-LED, OLED, and eventually MicroLED take over screen technologies. You might just have to get used to it, kind of like how companies have dropped the headphone jack from their phones and mobile tablets…
I must say your production quality and overall deliverance has become so much better the latter years, compared to how you where speaking in the beginning, almost swallowing your words. Keep it up dude :)
Hey man. Nice informative video. Just one complaint: Please use the right way of saying numbers after decimal point. It's one point one eight. Not one point eighteeeeeen (seems biased this way). (a not so attentive viewer might absorb it like it's eighteen times faster). Great comparison otherwise. 👍
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3. Comment on the MacBook Air Reel that's all about the gaming throttle, with which item you want to win and why.
Winners will be announced on Instagram & here, 2 weeks from now.
Remember that only this is my official account (the one with the verified tick). UA-cam still has a spam bot problem so sadly, you'll likely be contacted by scammers claiming to be me. Winners would be announced officially by me, on my Instagram & UA-cam community page, in exactly 2 weeks. If you don't see the verified check mark, it's a scam.
Not at good comparison! Compare at least apples to apples both 512SSD and 16GB RAM
@ZONEofTECH Benchmarking Logic Pro should include the latency number in Audio Preference at 32 buffer size. My M1 pro has 6.3 latency, I wonder what the M2 gets? No one seems to be doing this comparison, as it shows how efficient the CPU is at processing audio internally. Would you mind checking? Thanks
Thankyou for the review, I've been wondering about these two laptops if they were compared side by side. I'm planning to get the M1 Pro based model soon after I sold my MBP 13" Late 2011🤣.. Hope this will lasts at least another 6-8 years😄
Yeah.. I felt for the bot
so the overheating in the MBA is not improved by the fan in the 13" MBP? Did you compare them back to back?
This video is, by far, the best to answer my question. I own a 14'' pro and was considering changing to m2 air. Now, the answer is a clear NO🤣
Thinking of retuning the 10core m2 air 16gb/512gb for the base 14inch 8 core pro after seeing these videos.. which do you have? My upgrades made it $1700 and the base pro is onsale at bestbuy for $1800.. Feels like the pro is better just “very heavy” 😂
cmon now. you got an oled display, 120 hz, so card slot. 16gb ram, 512gb ssd and way faster. It’s a no brainer.
Wtf? Why would you change it?
@@cmj199318 its not oled
why would you even consider switching to air from pro😭
120hz is all you had to say. Once you go 120 it’s impossible to go back
They should make the 13 inch pro an air with 120 hz and maybe a fan and I would buy it so fast
I literally can't tell the difference.
Best review of the M2 Air in the sense of getting a real feel of the pros and cons, and I have seen all of them.
Short, unobtrusive, unbiased, informative und very well presented. Thx
🙌🏻🙌🏻
Bought the 14" MBP a few days ago in place of the M2 13" MBP and I'm absolutely loving it! Glad the shopkeeper helped me picking up the perfect Macbook!
I canceled my m2 air and got the 14" hah!
Hey! How's the battery life? The only thing keeping me from choosing the 14inch over the Air is the battery life, but I was wondering if your 14 actually lasted long?
+1, how s the battery?
Shopkeeper? Did you buy it in Zelda?
How is the Battery life in MBP 14”
Comparing the base model MBA to 14" MBP isn't fair. I'm looking forward to your upcoming comparison between 16/512 MBA versus 14" Base MBP, since their price difference isn't much.
Don't know about that.. but 10core GPU varien m2 MBA is slower than 8core GPU because of the thermals
I had the choice between a spec'd up M2 Air (16/512) or a 14" Pro (16/512/baseCPU&GPU) and chose the latter. The price difference was minimal and in terms of balanced performance (faster SSD, sustained performance, etc) plus things like better screen and ports, the balance was well in favour of the Pro. I strongly suspect that the M2 14" Pro, when it comes out, with cost more this time (aka COVID premium). So once the M1 chips drop off the radar, I think the balance of price-value will return to favour the Air. It's just that the M1 Pro based machines are priced lower than they would have been had Apple launched them this far into the supply chain woes and return of lockdowns in China.
Very interested in the upgraded M2 Air vs base M1 Pro 14 comparison. The lighter weight of the Air is a key benefit and is well worth the tradeoff if the benchmarks aren't as heavily weighted towards the Pro. I mainly use my M1 Air (base config) hooked up to an external 4k display so the Pro's display isn't as beneficial for me.
That being said, the M1 Pro and M1 Max can connect to more than one external display.
That would be the perfect comparison vid that helps me decide
@@cameronbosch1213 I used to use multiple displays but a couple of years ago switched to just one large display, and leverage virtual desktops (called Spaces on macOS) and much prefer it. Unless you're monitoring security cameras or need heatmap views of the entire stock market etc. then I'm convinced a single display is more productive as it ensures focus. YMMV
@@LearnAtMyExpense I personally do not like macOS external monitor support, especially when compared to Windows or even Wayland on GNU/Linux. It’s passable, but the resolution settings have zero consistency.
@@cameronbosch1213 I was running Linux exclusively on my desktop PC from 2015 - 2020 and those last two years especially were a nightmare with regards to multiple displays, mainly due to the transition to Wayland. MS Teams, for example, which I am required to use for work, appeared to work right....until I was in a meeting and had to share my screen. Didn't work on Wayland (and still doesn't I don't think). That was the last "paper cut" and timed perfectly with the release of the M1 Air. I bought one on a whim and have been mac only ever since and have grown to like one large display only. I keep my Air in clamshell mode on my desk. My Ryzen 3600 custom build PC I built in summer of 2020 has been collecting dust ever since.
It’s hard to be a tech nerd. I’d like a mini-LED panel that has ProMotion 120hz, the external display support, and extra ports but I don’t need the M1 Pro power for my workflow.
Exactly
Same here. I would love a miniLED Air with 120hz and multi-monitor support. Perfect laptop for me.
@@ZONEofTECH That would be an amazing laptop. But I'm sure they would have increased the price of the air if they added that. 😩
iPad Pro 12.9 with magic keyboar?
@@faressamman400 No.
I have it. iPadOS isn’t macOS.
A12Z doesn’t get Stage Manager, hence me switching to macOS full-time…
Finally someone who compares Lightroom productivity with the M1 Pro! Loving my M2 Air base right now but have been considering the M1 Pro as it seems like a machine that will last me atleast 5 years
Macs easily last 10 years.
@@CalikoTube i still have and use the 2012 macbook pro everyday. upgraded with 16gb of ram and 1TB SSD still runs great but im due for an upgrade
A great way to minimize the dual monitor limitation on the Air is to use an Ultrawide monitor. I use one with my M1 MBA and it works great, particularly with Magnet. I bought an inexpensive LG 27” for $159 and I regularly switch from 2-3 monitors (including the Air) depending if I want screen real estate or multiple monitors.
I love that app so much!
In my perspective, if you are not exactly doing heavy stuff, like for example video editing and all that, I doubt if you'll eventually need a MacBook pro. It is jampacked with high specs and if you will only be using your laptop for presentations or like word documents or something, I think the pro would be a bit overkill not to mention the hefty price tag it comes with. The air should be good enough for lighter stuff not to mention, word, power point presentations, and even multitasking. Otherwise, anything beyond that might be too much for the device. Just an opinion and pov.
Yes! Thank you for this video; especially with that nice focus on Lightroom usage. A lot of people only focus on video editing performance and it’s nice to see a good, dedicated section for us photographers. Much appreciated 🤙🏼
You did mention that you have a 16gb/512gb on the way. Are you planning to do an identical comparison when it gets there?
This comparison makes sense in terms of folks that are going to walk into an Apple Store and buy whatever is available on the shelf, but not so much for those that are planning on ordering online.
I feel like the fact that it’s a base Air should’ve been emphasized more. The binned M1 Pro CPU is not wildly faster, nor is the ram (in practice). And the base Air SSD has the single NAND chip “issue”.
I can’t help but wonder how much CPU driven tests where the Air was way slower were the caused by the base SSD or 50% of the ram.
Sure, when specing up the Air it gets closer to the base 14”, but for many portability and battery is more important, as long as the performance is “good enough”. I.e., the performance difference between a $1700 m2 Air and $2000 (or $1800 on sale) base 14” isn’t going to be as wide as it is here.
I think for folks that ordering online, few are trying to decide between 8/256 Air and base 14”. We are trying to decide between 16/512 (or even 24gb) m2 Air, and a base 14”. If you can do that comparison when the better M2 arrives that would be awesome.
Edit: My actual decision is likely between a 24gb Air and 32gb 14” (increases the price difference between the two quite a bit).
That comparison would help me seal the deal about which to get. This seems like an unfair comparison.
@@extremestudios9355 I agree that the CPU on the 8 core M1 Pro and M2 aren’t very big for shorter tasks.
I would summarize the difference as the following: If you make money on your machine, get the Pro with the 10 core CPU. If you need a ultraportable laptop with better battery life than the 14 inch MacBook Pro and don’t care too much about sustained performance, then get the M2 MacBook Air with at least 512 GB of storage and preferably 16 GB of RAM.
Yeah the based M2 MBA gets eaten for breakfast, lunch and dinner by the M1 Pro 14 of coz. We might see better comparison with the 10core GPU 16gb ram 512gb upgraded Air M2
@@cameronbosch1213 Right - the M2 throttles under load after a short while. Though, it looks like when throttled it’s not too different than the original M1 Air at peak.
I do software development professionally, but the professional work is on a work machine. I want a performant personal machine with lots of battery life for personal, hobby, learning, and technical masters courses. Use data heavy programming, IDEs, Docker, and occasionally VMs via Parallels. Work that’s much more Memory hungry than process heavy. My main concern is that user experience stays smooth when lots going on - it’s fine if tasks themselves take a little longer.
I was disappointed the M1 only had 16gb of ram. At 24gb, the M2 sounds better (I’m one of those people that “knows” that they know that they need more memory). Yes, performance/$$$ the 14” is better, and the screen is better, but my priorities are different.
@Ibrahim Khan it's really preference how lightweight you want it to be. The 14 inch is perfectly portable tho less than the 13
Good comparison. Very interested in the next one. For a VERY small subset of folks who lean toward ultraportables and do “in between work” it may make a difference when compared to the 14” pro, despite the numerous benefits. The 14” is a chunky boi.
tbh i even prefer it being chunky. The Mac air just feels to thin idk why
Ok, well if anyone is watching this today, as mentioned upgrading the ssd and ram on the Air does bump you up to $1699. Well, I just ordered the MacBook Pro 14” brand new, from Amazon for $1799. The benefits of the 14” are most definitely worth $100.
i am juggling between these 2
At a minimum, I was going to get the 16GB 512g M2 Air, but once I saw BestBuy had the 14 MBP for 1599, I couldn't pass that up. You cleared up any concerns I had; thanks!
I was recently confronted with this exact choice. I went for the 14inch due to the power and the monitor. I now feel vindicated! Thank you.
its an amazing machine
Hey! How's the battery life? The only thing keeping me from choosing the 14inch over the Air is the battery life, but I was wondering if your 14 actually lasted long?
@@DanosaurGaming It could be better but for normal workloads I get about 6-7 hours. Heavy workloads vary. Also I use Vivid to increase the nits of the screen so that doesn’t help.
256 GB m2 air has ssd problems. Please make comparison using 512 GB ssd version. It effects all the benchmarks
Great review. I think you're the only person who mentioned the 14" pro finally went back to the default retina 2x scaling. On my M1 Air I got a lot of eye strain without using the 1280x800. I love that I can have smaller text, more space and it's still 2x on the 14". If the Air also had 2x scaling with a higher resolution, I probably would have got it instead.
I never realised this, using the M1 Air and 1280x800 scaling looks much nicer on the eyes and the larger text helps too!
@@expazatrix Glad it helps! Yeah, it gives you the true "retina" look and looks amazing. I found disabling "Font Smoothing" made the text even better on this 14" MacBook. Not sure about on the M1 Air, and I don't recommend doing it unless you're somewhat tech savvy as it has to be done from the terminal. I almost returned this 14" because of the Font Smoothing making the text blurry to my eyes. Now running at 2x with Font Smoothing set to 0 it is amazing.
thanks for this comparison. Unfortuantely you did use the MBA base model (256GB SSD) which is known to be much slower than the 512GB. Would be interesting to repeat the test with an 512GB MBA model if you can get your hands on one.
Yeah, this comparo is a bit lame, as I wouldn't even consider buying a 256/8 Air.
@@OMGWTFLOLSMHwould it be better to get 16gb ram upgrade or the storage upgrade to 512gb on the air m2
Here in Canada… the base Macbook Pro 14” is only $350 more than a Macbook Air M2 with the equivalent 512gb SSD and 16gb of RAM (factoring in having to buy an external card reader). It’s a no-brainer to go with the MCB Pro 14”.
I’m Canadian and on the Apple website it’s an extra grand for the pro 14” than the m2 air lol where are u getting the $350 from
@@netupatic2779 maybe try reading my statement again and speccing the M2 Air with what I had mentioned…. then compare pricing.
That's exactly what apple wants you to think & do. Sales tactics 101 😄
Apple is so good at pricing at their MacBooks that after checking out and specing up the M2 MacBook Airs, I eventually decided to own a 14 inch Pros
I’d love to see comparisons for those who haven’t updated in years, maybe a 2015 13” MBP or the early Touch Bar models to really show how much improvement any upgrade would be.
watching this on a 2012 MBP
I would go for a 14 or 16 inch M1 Pro/Max MacBook Pro if you make money on your machine. Otherwise, the M2 MacBook Air with the 512 GB of storage and 16 of RAM is fine for most people. That being said, this is coming from somebody whose prior MacBook Pro WAS the 2015 15 inch MacBook Pro (without a dGPU surprisingly)!
i have the 2012 macbook pro
Yeah me too - 13” i5 2013 MBP… and I just want to know how many times more powerful the base M2 air really is than my outgoing mac
@@HarryInEdi lol significantly. I still use a 2011 MacBook Pro.. so anything would be a huge improvement.
I wish the air had a mini LED or OLED panel. That form factor is a big selling point imo
This is by far the best comparison of these two models I am looking for!!!
You really need to test the 16Gb/ 512 m2 air because on things like Lightroom the performance improves dramatically
and the price difference with mbp 14 is 100$. But in pro you get better charger, better screen, better speakers, better performance. (according to apple prices it's like 2k$ difference)
@@JaNeJEBASHU But you don't get the better battery life nor the lighter weight and smaller charger. It really depends how much you prioritize size/weight/portability.
Had the decision between Air M2 and M1 Pro 14" and decided for M1 Pro. I'm not a hardcore gamer, but all games working. WoW at 3024x1964/100fps (16 CoreGPU)
After using a MBP mid 2009 for 13 y and it's 2,5 kg they are all lightwighted :) and the specs of the M1 Pro 14" are amazing. Sound, display, all I need.... great!
The 14 inch MacBook is really just the perfect MacBook
I wish the pro M1 existed when I was in college, always had to use a converter hub to plug hdmi and charging to connect to the tv to watch with friends. Also not all hubs worked, so much trial and error...now they just put the hdmi port back, love it
I don't think that there will be that big of a gap in performance once you have the MBA with 512 of storage. Plus your version of the MBP 14 was an m1 max chip so a lot more money.
Omg thank you so much! I just canceled my M2 MBA order and ordered the base MacBook Pro 14” for $1799! (It’s $200 off at Best Buy right now!)
That makes it WAY more worth the money, compared to the MBA
His video didn’t compare apples to apples technically. The pro is a little better no doubt but the way he compared it doesn’t make sense because the gpu and cpu were really different in the two models
@@haku107
The Pro is not a “little better”. It’s miles better.
The base model MBA is $1200 for 256GB.
Here’s why the base model MBP 14” is a way better value.
1 - VALUE: on sale for $1800 at Best Buy / Amazon. That’s $200 off, which makes it just a $600 difference from base model MBA.
2 - STOCK: readily available, whereas the Air is
brand new and can several weeks to ship depending on the model you choose.
3 - DISPLAY: 1” bigger, even thinner bezels, higher resolution, 120hz Pro-motion, Mini-LED instead of cloudy/gray outdated LCD
4 - SOUND: Larger speakers for clearer/louder audio
5 - PERFORMANCE: Double overall performance, double the ram (16GB standard, compared to 8 on MBA)
6 - STORAGE: Double the storage (512GB standard, compared to 256GB on MBA)
7 - CHARGING: Faster charging out the box (MBA requires you to buy the upgraded charger to get faster charging)
8 - PORTS: Includes an SD Card reader, HDMI port, and 3 thunderbolt ports, and headphone jack (The only ports MBA has are 2 thunderbolts and a headphone jack)
9 - NO THERMAL THROTTLING: As a
result of the MacBook Air not having a built-in
cooling fan like the Pro does, the Air will drop
over 25% in performance after roughly 5 min of heavy workload, and it doesn’t take very long to throttle even under a moderate workload.
10. LONGEVITY: I’m no computer engineer, but I would expect the MBP to outlast the MBA, mainly because it has a built-in fan to help cool off the internals. And of course it’s more future proof, since it’s more powerful.
As a photographer and video editor, I’d save up to buy the baseline 14” MacBook Pro because it has a built-in SD card reader, faster SSDs, a brighter screen and support for multiple displays. Plus, I’ve recently seen the 14” MacBook Pro on sale for $200 USD off the MSRP.
…Which you should use to upgrade the CPU (if you can), as the CPU on the 8 core M1 Pro isn’t far off of the M2 for short burst tasks and you get a better charger. Although the other benefits are important too, like the better port selection, better screen, more external monitor support, better GPU, better sustained performance, and higher base storage and RAM.
@@cameronbosch1213 based on Max Tech’s benchmarks the base 14” MacBook Pro is nearly twice as fast as the $1600 14” MacBook Air with the 512GB SSD, 16GB RAM and 8 core CPU/GPU.
@@DCuerpoJr I literally say that for most people, the $2200 model (the 14 inch M1 Pro MacBook Pro with 10 core CPU) will be plenty for most people, because of the jump from 8 to 10 cores in the CPU.
The only reasons to get the Air over the Pro are if:
- The cost difference is a dealbreaker
- The weight difference is a dealbreaker
- You don't notice the smoother ProMotion display or the PPI difference in the Pro
- You don't need the extra ports in the Pro
- You don't require sustained workloads that would benefit from the better thermal management in the Pro
- The new colors (Starlight , Midnight Blue) are important to you
Otherwise, there is really no point in spec'ing up a MBA since it's too close in price to the Pro which is an overall better machine and uses Apple's best selection of components available.
I have a 14” MBP and was considering selling to get the new MBA as I want something thinner and lighter. However, this video has showed me I get so much more with the MBP. Makes me feel a lot better with all this information. Still stings a bit, but not not as much. Thanks, Daniel!
@Roberto Porcaro Probably his wallet; these MacBooks aren’t cheap…
It’s all well and good to do video and photo editing as a test. I wanna see real life tests! I wanna see how many chrome tabs your can open along with playing music, UA-cam, reading emails and working on a Word document. I wanna see how it performs with things that normal people do on a normal daily basis
Both can perform very well doing that. Dammit, even my MacBook Air 2018, which is pretty slow in some cases, can easily do that without any drop on performance
The screen difference between the two devices is very obvious. The MacBook Pro's mini-LED display is enormous. However, I am not sure if the battery life will be sufficient in daily use.
3:47 that dog just laying there watching you compare
*That doge.
I already have a MacBook Pro 16" for heavy workloads, I'm thinking on getting a MacBook Air M2-8 core GPU with 16 GB ram and 512 GB ssd to bring on travel when I only need it for basic workloads as office stuff and some light windows software so Parallels is a must.
Great comparison, get the pro if you don't want too many compromises, it's consistent throughout all Apple products.
This was my decision to make aswell moving from the M1 MacBook Pro to the M1 Pro MacBook Pro, switched and never going back , I also benefit from the extra power since I use Blender for 3D work and XCode for heavy code deployments. It's a better workhorse compared to the M2 Air at all situations, portability doesn't matter since I dock it to a multi-monitor station, perfect for triple-monitor setup (including the MacBook's display)
A lot of channels won’t tell us how many battery they lost after the process but you did! Very nice and informative, thanks!
Would love to see a high spec air m2 to a similarly speced pro M1. We know that the base 256 SSD is much slower than the bigger ones in m2
If you’re speccting it out. Just get the m1 pro at that point. Coz of your an avg consumer that only thing you should upgrade is the ram. Coz u could j get external storage anyways?
I do wonder is Apple crippled the M2 Air knowing it would push some into the Pro 14?
@@lancer1993 that’s the point of marketing and strategy lol
@@lancer1993 btw wdym by crippled?
@@lancer1993 They really didn't cripple it. Most people won't notice unless they are using a lot of swap. If someone is using a LOT of swap, they should have just ordered more ram
This week I was about to buy the MacBook Air the $1,499 with the 8 core CPU, 10 Core GPU 8gb of ram and 512 SSD, but the 14” MacBook Pro is on sale at Best Buy for $1,599 where I’m getting a 14core GPU and more importantly 16gb of ram over 8gb and for a $100 more it was a no Brainer to go for the Pro. Play better screen and better speakers
I think the 24gb ram 512gb ssd M2 Air is the sweet spot for those who do intermediate photo/video editing. I don't need the ports or promotion since I connect to one external monitor at home but when I travel battery life and portability are more important than the XDR display. I walk and stand in the train commuting 45min so the weight on the shoulder should be taken into account.
The 24/512 M2 Air compared to the base 14" is cheaper, has better battery life and portability and the 8gb extra ram (24 vs 16) would giver extra peace of mind when using Adobe apps. 16gb ram is the new 8gb, in a few years 24gb could be the new 16gb (more future proofing).
Also, it's rumoured that the M2 Pro 14" will be out this fall or Spring 2023. The M2 air, being cheaper and newer, will have better resale value. Since the M2 pro chip would likely be the only change with the new 14", I assume there will be no price change ($2000 is already expensive!). Why would someone buy a used and old 5nm 14" when they can pay a bit more for the newer 3nm chip 14". I think I'll be getting the 24/512 m2 air as a transitory device while waiting for the M2 pro 14". The 24gb ram would also determine whether I really need 24gb or get the 16gb M2 pro 14".
Would love to see the difference of the 16/512 M2 air and 14" base for editing
Fully agree, why buying M1 Pro now when M2 Pro is at the horizon. M2 Air is fine enough for video editing.
14 inch MacBook Pro > M2 Macbook Air. More RAM, better laptop build design to utilize the CPU, better display, and better audio with the 14 inch MacBook Pro.
The only thing I like on the M2 MBA is the Midnight black color.
Exactly!
Thanks for a great video. Apple really screwed up with the SSD and thermal issues on the M2 Air. In my opinion the M2 Air is just not worth it: compared to the basic version the M1 Air provides way more value for money and compared to the high end version the M1 Pro 14" is way better.
I have been thinking a lot choosing between the m2 air and the 14inch m1 pro. I eventually ordered the air because of the new midnight color, it is lighter, and I don't need all the power from the m1pro. I don't need the good speakers either as I have airpods pro anyways and I cant play sound through the speakers in my college dorm room with 3 other roommates. The only thing I wish the air had was the pro motion WHICH IS AWESOME. But I can live without it
Does really nobody miss HDMI or SD card slot?
For me the 16" M1 Pro was a no brainer... too good screen, i wanted a good and big screen, and only the M1 Pro machines delivered SD Card slot (im using it nearly daily to backup/copy photos, and i cant stand adapters/hubs)
Also, i really liked to have HDMI on a MacBook... and since 16GB/512 was anyways bare minimum i would accept... it was just a good decision to go for M1 Pro anyways instead of hoping for a 15" M2 Air as the rumors said longer ago
“…because of the new color…” omfg🤦♂️
@@Nogitsune_Yako are u fking dumb?💀 and cant read?? Lmao he said he doesnt need all the power that the m1 pro offers so why would he even need to get that?? If hes not gonna utilize it at all? And plus the m1 pro costs more than m2. And is really a hefty upgrade.
Tho the midnight color is also smthn to keep in mind IF you want a really badass design/aesthetics. As i have the m2 midnight one and its so stunning and gorgeous absolutely love the midnight colour lol
@@Nogitsune_Yako it’s really not that serious
The only things stopping me from downgrading is the display
And the speaker
would like to see 24gb m2 compaired to m1 14 16gb. this is the only spec that can exceed 14 and curious to see how it could impact the overall performance
I am choosing between these exact two and would really like the opinion of someone who knows more about these things.
Takes me make to that classic "The Cars" song - this is "just what I needed"; I was struggling with the choice between the M2 Macbook Air and the 14" Macbook Pro M1 to replace an older machine. Love the breakdown. Clear and well spoken. Thanks man!
This is the review I wanted to see. You answered all my questions 👏
Perfect timing. I'm about to go pick up the 14" pro
Easy. If you want to do any considerable work on your Macbook, the 8GB and 256GB (one chip) of the M2 Air wont be enough so you get the Pro. If you want a Macbook for browsing and watching netflix, get the base M2 Air
Compare higher end M2 air with M1 pro 14 inch
Tnks for Logic Pro test! Very informative!
I also was torn between these two so I got never and swung for the fences with the 16”MBP 1tb 16GB ram.
MacBook air m2 512Gb Vs MacBook pro m2 512Gb ,please discuss
The pro has 512 gb storage and 16 gb ram. If you were to have that it would cost you 1600 dollars on the air. So now there's not a huge distance between 1600 and 2000 dollars when thinking about all the major improvements on the pro
Improvement?
Yes, im also a 16" M1 Pro owner and i absolutely love the machine.
But the M2 Air would be SUCH AN AWESOME MACHINE
Its much lighter and smaller than the 14" M1 Pro. Because the 14" wasnt already much lighter or thinner than the 16" i just got the 16" because more screen and more battery, also unbinned M1 Pro in base model.
The M2 Air would be a much more useful machine for my actual needs because it would fit much better in the backpack for hiking, astrophotography or wildlife. But on the other side... no SD Card slot which i need a lot... HDMI is also a nice to have... and 2 USB C ports only is WEAK (for a 1500$ machine especially)
Its just too expensive (or too weak equipped with 8/256... you can see it how you prefer)
But the biggest bummer is: In europe the M2 Air with 16/512 is only 200€ less expensive than the base 14" Pro! A refurbished 14" M1 Pro you get even cheaper than a new 16/512 M2 Air!
I think Apple made the M2 for the real fanboys and the ones looking for the ultimate portable MacBook Air... but anyone with a brain would just accept slightly more weight, slightly thicker and go 14" M1 Pro - no matter if you can use the power or not!
Im also one of the many M1 Pro owners which would not even need the basic M1 performance (just more Ram..). But hey, Apple doesnt give us a basic M1 with a gorgeous, big screen and the "needed" ports like SD card slot or HDMI and a more "pro" like notebook... Im guessing many which waited for the M2 Air will go now for a 14" M1 Pro
@@harrison00xXx Yeah I meant advantages instead of improvements lol. But I wouldn't sacrifice all that performance, thermals, screen and speakers. I've always valued those things above portability
@@MasterAlfred3000 Well in case of M1 you saw you dont really have to sacrifice performance or thermals a lot.
Its just from the beginning a "weak", more office like machine and probably slightly more demanding stuff, but not for "really demanding" stuff.
Its funny that M2 Air does some downgrades to the M1 which is using still the case of the 2016 Airs... just more prove that the M2 is literally there so people make finally a decision.... "cheap" M1 Air or "expensive" but good with 14/16" M1 Pro...
Thanks for the great comparison. I did buy the MBP 14 last week. This confirmed my decision. I just knew it was a better buy. Fortunately, it was on discount and only cost me $52 more than a MBA M2, so it was a no-brainer. I had my previous MBP 15 since 2013 and it still runs well. Just felt this was the time to buy a new model. I was concerned if it was the right purchase but I have been incredibly happy with my decision. And your review helped allay my concerns completely!
how much did the mbp cost?
@@praneethreddy1541 $2697. This was a couple of weeks ago, compared to 16/512 MBA M2.
@@galex5060 2697? what was the config that you took?
@@praneethreddy1541 Base model MBP 14 - 16/512
@@galex5060 you spent 2.6k on the base m1 pro 14 ?!?!?!
Thank you for this. Tried searching for a similar video never found it. Been needing it because of the price points. Either the MacBook Pro or M2 with better specs
Its because its basic common sense💀💀 like if you know you gotta be doing some real extensive demanding tasks you shouldve the macbook pros kept in mind in the first place. Because those are the real powerhouse. So if you have macbook air m2 kept in mind in the first place that j shows yourr an avg consumer, and thought of needing to spect it out as high as possible is somthn that showd abt you is that u need a powerful machine that can handle heavily demanding tasks,
So it shoulve bot been a hard decision as the M1 pro is feasibly the way to go.
Super helpful vid! Leaning towards the MBP14 inch now. Just wish that it was a little smaller and lighter D:
The Air isn't a value laptop anymore
Thank you! I couldn’t find a comparison between these two machines which I think a lot of people thinking of buying an Air are considering. Great video!
Finally, thank you!!! Was waiting with outmost patience for someone to make this comparison. You are right $300 more for the MBP14 is not much of a difference after all.
The Huge differences in rendering is due to the ram. The MacBook aire only had 8 vs the pro had 16.
Even the m2 16gb is 2x faster then the m2 8gb
....plus the M2 chip hasn't been optimize yet by Apple. I'm sure the OS updates will make the M2 better in the future.
I usually don't watch your channel due to too much talking, but this video Is the best. Thank you, a lot of on point stuff.
THANK YOU
best review BY FAR
perfect comparisons
Thank you for also including gaming!
Daniel, absolutely great review. Your videos are truly stunning in their quality and attention to detail. You helped me make the decision in favour of the MBP 14". Based on the points you raised to spec up a MacBook Air to 16/512 is in my view, unwise considering all the advantages of the MBP.
Your video pretty much just answered my question. Thank you.
The base macbook air m2 is trash for a basic user? I am a student and I will use it mainly for browsing, watching youtube, excel, word etc. 8 gb of RAM and 256 gb SSD will by ok for my use? For upgrade it gets expensive for a basic use. I got one with space gray colour, I expect it is good for my use? Or I should returned it?
A very good video. Regarding MagSafe, the base 14" also requires an ungraded powerbrick to fast-charge.
The question for me is tho. M1 air for 230$ less or m2
I am in the market for new Mac, found your video really helpful - thanks!
I'm going with M2 Air because I'm new to Mac and not need more performance.
I have been trying to decide which MacBook to get for so long now. I have a desktop computer which I use for gaming etc. So that is not a requirement. I need something ultra portable to take to work. I’m leaning towards the MBA for this reason. But wasn’t really sure about the performance and battery life. It seems it won’t be an issue though, after seeing your video, and it saves me a lot of money, so thanks!
2 displays for M1 Pro and 3 + 1 for M1 Max.
What about the keyboard comparisons? They are definitely not identical. I noticed on the MacBook Air that when I pressed the keys down, my fingernails sometimes caught on the unibody case rim, whereas the 14” seems to have a slightly deeper key travel, but I haven’t confirmed that.
Did you use a Macbook Air with 16 GB RAM and 512 GB SSD for this comparison?
This is one of the best and useful comparisons I have seen on YT. Thank you!!!
For the most of the consumers, there seems to be a miniscule of differences between the two, that it has become ridiculous
I switched from MacBook Pro 2018 to MacBook Air M2, things I don't like:
1. Sound - it's coming under the keys and it's terrible compared to MacBook Pro 2018
2. Touch Pad - It's slightly smaller in MacBook Air M2
3. USB Type C is placed only on the left side of the MacBook Air M2 compared to MacBook Pro 2018
4. TouchBar - I love that thing on my MacBook Pro 2018, now it's missing on MacBook Air M2
5. Camera - It seems that camera on this MacBook Air 2 is worse.
6. It's not that sexy and slick. Yes, MacBook Pro 2018 is way more sexier.
just loved the wallpaper...where did uhh get this...pls share the link !!
Would have liked to see the battery comparison when running similar tasks on both laptops. The fact that macbook pro only lasts 5 hours on heavy load does not provide much info when comparing it to the Air.
Thanks so much Daniel-really love your informative and very entertaining videos!!-I truly appreciate your efforts and dedication-Keep it up!!!.
the best review I've been looking for. Thanks .. my decision to buy macbook pro 14 has been solidified!
I got the macbook pro 14" few weeks ago, and i sent it back. Why? The main raison, its just too heavy. For a casual user like me, portability is important. You feel a big difference between the air and the 14" pro. When you go on the couch with the air, you just don't feel it, it s not the case with the pro. As for the monitor, yeah it is better with the pro...if you watch HDR video! Honestly, who does watch does crazy animals short clips more than 60 seconds?! And, even then, i had to watch very closely between the pro and the M1 macbook air to see the difference. If you dont have the two side by side, i doubt that you'll ever notice (i understand that you can make that point why a lot of things!) . So, voilà, i'll receive my M2 Macbook AIr in a few days, the monitor well be less sharp, i'll miss the extra ports but, for me, i'm better off with a lighter computer.
Thanks man this was exactly what I needed to see!!
Glad to hear it!
Which of these two is better for a university use (take notes, watching videos, using excel and other stuff)?:
-MBA with 512 of SSD and 8gb of RAM
- MBA with 256 gb of SSD (with the storage issue) and 16 go of RAM
Considering that I would like to keep this MacBook for at least 5-6 years.
The way you read decimals is extremely awkward and discomforting. Please read numbers like 1.55 as one point five five instead of one point fifty-five.
that was an excellent review and comparison. Thank you for putting so much effort in the details !
damn just bought the air. you really had me thinking twice
The mini led on the 14 inch MacBook Pro is gorgeous but the PWM flicker behind the technology was giving me eye strain/headaches/nausea after using it for more than 30 minutes. Had to return it a few days later unfortunately. Needed to prioritize my eye and brain health. It's why I never use OLED screens anymore. They're nice looking but not worth the eye strain and headache (literally lol). Hoping the MacBook Air M2 isn't using PWM 🤞 that machine is beautiful and the one I really want.
It’s unethical how these tech companies keep using screen technology that can potentially harm the health of consumers. PWM is definitely an underrated topic in the tech community and needs to be brought up more often, as many people are affected by it (many aren’t even aware of it).
@@cybercrunk5335 so true! Many people can think that there’s something wrong with them when they get mysterious headaches but it’s just their phone, tablet or laptop that’s causing them. It’s sad tbh. I’ll never sacrifice “deeper blacks” for my health and quality of life.
I don’t know how you can even notice the PWM on the MacBook Pros, because NotebookCheck used a tool to measure it, and found while it DOES use PWM, it flickers at such a high rate that most people who are sensitive to PWM shouldn’t be able to tell it is flickering.
If you’re still noticing it, then sadly, things are only going to get worse, as it seems PWM is only going to become more and more prevalent as Mini-LED, OLED, and eventually MicroLED take over screen technologies. You might just have to get used to it, kind of like how companies have dropped the headphone jack from their phones and mobile tablets…
@@cybercrunk5335 Sadly, companies have to make money screwing over consumers, and this is one way…
I grabbed a M2 air with 512GB and 10-core GPU with 4 charge cycles off Craigslist for $600. It’s a beast
Also between these two. Idc about performance it would be nice if we could upgrade the air screen and speakers to match the pro
I must say your production quality and overall deliverance has become so much better the latter years, compared to how you where speaking in the beginning, almost swallowing your words. Keep it up dude :)
Loved the Lightroom comparison! Massive difference!
Hey man. Nice informative video. Just one complaint: Please use the right way of saying numbers after decimal point. It's one point one eight. Not one point eighteeeeeen (seems biased this way). (a not so attentive viewer might absorb it like it's eighteen times faster). Great comparison otherwise. 👍
MacBook Pro too but only advantage is the ports and sharpness of display
I’d like to see a MacBook Air vs iPad pro