Confused whether to pick the MacBook Air or the MacBook Pro? To save you and your bank account from the temptation to buy both (I know you secretly want to), we are listing the top 5 reasons to pick the former.
When I was mostly certain about purchasing a MacBook Pro 16-inch with the M1 Max back in 2022, I was tempted by the portable 13-inch M2 MacBook Air to the point where I was considering getting the Air instead of the Pro. The 15-inch MacBook Air hadn’t been introduced at that time. However, I still chose the MacBook Pro because not only did it have a larger screen size, but also came in with a 120Hz ProMotion mini-LED Display, so the MacBook Air doesn’t even come close to the Pro’s Display. Another major reason was Performance and RAM, where the M1 Max and 32GB of RAM on the Pro made my choice clear.
Here are the Top 5 reasons to buy the MacBook Air instead of the MacBook Pro:
1. Portability: The MacBook Air has been designed to be as powerful as a portable notebook can be. Weighing 2.7 pounds (1.24 kg) for the 13-inch model, and 3.3 pounds (1.51 kg) for the 15-inch model makes the MacBook Air a no-brainer if portability is your main criterion. For reference, the 14-inch M3 MacBook Pro weighs 3.4 pounds (1.55 kg), which is more than even the 15-inch MacBook Air.
2. Display Size: The MacBook Air offers different screen sizes, i.e. 13-inch and 15-inch than the MacBook Pro, which offers screen sizes of 14-inch and 16-inch. For some users, a 14-inch notebook might be too small and a 16-inch notebook might be too large. Here’s where the MacBook Air comes in a 15-inch Display to provide a perfect middle ground.
3. Fanless Design: The MacBook Air has a fanless design which greatly contributes to the lightweight and portability of the notebook. If you’re easily bothered by fan noise, this notebook has none of it, so you can work in peace. However, this comes at the cost of heat and sustained performance. The MacBook Pro offers significantly better sustained performance when it comes to heavy tasks since it features a fan to cool it off.
4. More Color options: The MacBook Air comes in four colors: Midnight, Starlight, Space Gray, and Silver. Apple claims that the Midnight finish of the M3 MacBook Air is less prone to fingerprints than the M2 variant as they have improved the anodisation seal. For comparison, the base M3 MacBook Air comes in Space Gray and Silver color options.
5. Price: The M3 MacBook Air with 256GB of storage starts at $1,099 for the 13-inch model and $1,299 for the 15-inch model, which is significantly cheaper than the 14-inch MacBook Pro with 512GB of storage that starts at $1,599. Apple also offers a $100 education discount for the MacBook Air 13-inch and 15-inch, as well as the base M3 MacBook Pro 14-inch.
If you’ve made up your mind and portability is what you’re concerned about the most, the MacBook Air is the notebook for you. Although, we would recommend upgrading to at least 16GB of unified memory and 512GB of SSD Storage if you plan on using it long-term. If you’re considering getting the cheaper M2 MacBook Air, we can recommend the same, especially because the storage speeds on the base 256GB M2 MacBook Air are significantly lower than the 512GB variant.
Which notebook are you planning to get? Let us know down in the comments or tweet to us on @appleosophy! Be sure to download the Appleosophy App from the App Store or visit our website to stay updated with the latest Apple news!
