M3 MacBook Air -OR- M3 MacBook Pro: which should you buy?

When should you buy the MacBook Pro over the MacBook Air, if you're looking for a new M3 Apple notebook? In this video, I share some real-world experiences and viewpoints.

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#apple #macbookair #macbookpro

[JoeDezibel]

Watch out!! If you are thinking about to connect the MacBook Air bottom to the Heat source, you have to think about that temperatures over 45 Degrees Celsius can harm your Battery. When you connect the heat source to the bottom, the bottom will pass that temp to Battery section. And that's not any good idea.

[ryans]

Not only very informative, but you actually respond to questions and comments that provide even more insight. I know you can’t answer all, but you can see the effort and like you said you could also do so in another video. Not like some, who say they will respond and you don’t see a single reply.

Superb on both fronts! Subscribing for sure!

[derek]

First ordered the M3 Pro with 36GB ram and a M3 Max base for my creative work on the go but felt the heft as I do travel a lot for business, work and while working from my bed. Instead bought a used mint M2 Air maxed out with 24GB, it hit the spot, also saved over 1500 CAD. So for me, Portability with good performance was higher in importance but for others it could be the opposite. In any case, have to appreciate how Apple has given us so much performance in these machines.

[Maroku]

I found this helpful thanks!
Especially the detailed explanation on the cooling part was the best I‘ve seen so far!

[MikeJeuga]

I am a developer, I ended up going with the 15” M3 Air 24GB 512GB. This is my first non Pro MacBook. For my needs, it is the perfect notebook, as I value real estate with a bigger screen.

[djswoll]

Contemplated both for a long time. Ended up getting the 15” M3 Air 16GB 512GB, love the form factor and powerful enough for my needs.

[bryans]

As appealing as the new MacBook Air is, portability-wise, I prefer the screen, speakers, ports and power of my M1 Pro MBP 14.

[RbNetEngr]

Thank you for this comparison review. I am looking at replacing a 2016 13" MacBook Pro, which I spec'ed with 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD and the fastest available CPU. While the computer is still fine for my uses, the two areas of concern I have are the lack of support with MacOS (12.x is the last official release for it) and the 512GB SSD, which is full so I spill some of my data into iCloud.

I would require at least 16GB of RAM, and a 1TB SSD, for the new computer. So I know that bumps the MacBook Air price closer to a MacBook Pro, but once they are both bumped to 1TB SSD, the difference is still several hundred dollars. I have an external dongle for HDMI, as well as an external hub for SD flash (and I rarely use either one), so the additional built in HDMI and SD cars support is not an advantage for me.

As far as sound quality, that is not important because when I want to get good sound quality, I use my AirPod Pro2 headphones. So the sound quality, for me, is the same for both the Air and Pro models.

So, based on your comparison, I think it would be to my advantage to bump the specs for a new MacBook Air, with the big benefit, enjoyed daily, of having a lighter machine to carry around.

Thanks again for your excellent comparison.

[TeleotherJr]

I love your sober take on this, thank you and keep it up!

[nchia]

At around 2:35 you mentioned the resolution of the Air at 2880 x 1864. Apple says it’s 2560 by 1664 pixels.

[couldrey]

Thanks for this very useful review. My Macbook Air is reaching the end of it's life, I think. The only real issue with it-is the thermal performance which you mentioned. The thing overheats here in Thailand -- because it's hot! I seem to have more tolerance for temperatures than it does. So if I spend a few hours on Word or Gmail it begins to slow, make a fuss, blow...and eventually suffer some kind of fainting fit. I'll try for the Macbook Pro M3 next, simply because of that.

[tractorboy]

Thanks for a good rundown on the pros and cons. I will seriously consider moving from a MacBook Pro to an ‘Air as I always use an external monitor so the ‘Pro display has very little impact day-to-day. The ‘Air will still be a massive upgrade for me.

[NbBear]

People really need to stop taking notice at SOME of the youtubers, not everone processes massive workflows or has to renger 8K videos...

[vanCaldenborgh]

Thank you, that was a clear overview over those two devices in relation to each other.

[kimsam]

Thank you for the perfect comparison. I love your reviews

[fmarinosfromafar]

Another excellent video - this 'series' is hitting the spot in terms of practical advice for those in the market for a new machine.

We're currently deciding between 14" M3 MBPs with 16GB/1TB vs 24GB/512GB to replace a 2015 15" MBP. (We've found the 13" MBA to be a bit small).

Currently thinking that for longevity ram will be more important as local disc space isn't expected to be an issue - and quite concerned about memory usage of Log Me In running all day long on a Thunderbolt Display that has really taxed the old MBP.

Any thoughts on 16 v 24GB RAM? I might be being too panicky about the ram..!

[ScottyMedina]

I wouldn’t mind hearing your thoughts on your M1 MacBook Pro and how it’s been holding up. I am considering an older M1 Pro also considering the price difference between the older ones and new ones.

[gregorydcollins]

I have a M3 MacBook Air and USA a cooling pad with fans to eliminate temperature throttling under heavy load.

[kamalaksh.shenoy]

Hi, I am exploring buying MacBook. And the ONLY reason for me to decide on a MacBook Pro (M3) is because OS, applications and programs tend to get memory and computationally intensive over a period of time (say after 3-4 years) and a fan with extra RAM helps. I keep laptops upto 7-9 years. In that case, would it be a good decision to buy a MacBook Pro with a M3 chip with 24GB & 1TB?? Whats ur opinions. Of course I ask ur opinion and decision is entirely mine so u can be sure that I would not hold u on that.

[FloatingOnAZephyr]

I feel like the Air is misnamed at the moment. It's a straight MacBook. It's not sufficiently lighter to make it compelling given what you miss out on in the Pro, and ends up just being a cheaper option rather than one you'd opt for on portability grounds. I hope we get a real Air again soon, something really shockingly thin and light again.