MacBook Pro 2021 vs MacBook Air M1 - SPEND or SAVE?

In this video, I answer the age old question, should you buy a MacBook Pro or MacBook Air? Well this year with all the new fantastic "Pro" hardware... it's an even more complicated question to answer. This is why I put together a very detailed comparison between the MacBook Pro 2021 models (14" and 16") and the beloved MacBook Air M1. I go over product design/hardware differences, portability, performance and productivity while being used in laptop form.

0:00-0:25: Intro
0:25-5:41: Product Design Differences
5:41-8:18: Portability Comparison
8:18-11:17: Performance (M1 vs M1 Pro/Max)
11:17-14:07: Productivity while in “laptop-mode”
14:07-15:07: Final Thoughts + Outro

[johnnymaldonadoparedes]

I got my MacBook Air M1 last year, and I’m happy with it. 2K USD is crazy, no doubt it’s worth It for the people that will use all its potential. But don’t think everybody needs the M1 pro.

[sophieg]

Just bought a MacBook Air M1 yesterday with Black Friday discount here in Spain and I couldn't be happier after upgrading from a MacBook Pro 2010.

[jeffstars]

As someone who bought an Air M1 8gb/512gb and then returned it for a 14 M1Pro 10/10/16 and 1TB SSD I ended up staying with the Pro. I’ll say this, the Air is absolutely a beast for normal use for the price- no window machine can come close. But you should get either the 512gb storage or the 16gb ram on the Air, either makes a great difference making it even more amazing. But I stayed with the Pro 14 cuz it’s still super easy to transport, the ports are amazing, the screen is out of this world, speakers crazy good and it’s going to be the pro for at least another year and half or more. I didn’t get the 16 Pro because it is noticeably big and annoying to carry. For the Air I’d wait for the M2 since it’s suppose to come out Mid 2022. But if you need one now and are in a money pinch the Air M1 512gb with 8gb of ram is a beast for price and size.

[MatthewVlossak]

I recently got a M1 Air last week and it’s everything I personally need if not more. The tapered design is also better when writing for long periods of time vs. the Pro. The $1000+ I saved will go towards programs like Lightroom and video editing ones as well.

[JonathanVonRad]

My experience: I got the Macbook Pro M1 Pro 16' but will return it now, because I am a student and its like having a bugatti being just able to drive in town. I can literally not use most of the power and one big issue I have with it, is that typing is really uncomfortable because of the thick design. At least typing for a long period of time.. I will get the M1 macbook air now for a third of the price of the 16 inch and can buy a big monitor too and a nice setup, still saving up to 1000€...

[dougsteel]

I'll answer it for you. I got an M1 air, use it for Logic, 3D modelling and code compilation. I did get 16gb RAM and have a Samsung SSD stuck on the back screen cover. It works absolutely smoothly, I have never encountered a situation where I thought there was a proccess-RAM bottleneck. I'm entirely happy with it. No Intel power BS is blissful

[Andrejsoft]

M1 Air is a BEAST. I use it for coding, PS and heavy multitasking and never felt it underpowered.

[joebloggs]

So many variables go into choosing the right laptop, but I thought the 13" too small and the 16" too big, so I got the 14". The small bezel really makes the screen pop, the cinema display is awesome, and having twin fans to cool it, I game on it, settings maxxed out and the base model MBP 14" pulls that no problem. Beautiful computer 💻

[Ndo_sanz]

It’s absurd how he describes the air’s performance as good for casual and light editing. Sounds like he’s describing a chromebook or any other low end laptop… Why ?

[Errcyco]

I got the 13” air. Thing is amazing I’m really impressed. I just stream and do basic stuff so got the base model. Couldn’t be happier. Really think this is going to last me a long time. Keep in mind the 8gb model can use the storage for more ram if you’re less then 75% full. It’s very fast though I don’t foresee any issues.

[iSchmidty]

I feel like this is kinda comparing (forgive the pun) apples and oranges.

The MacBook Air is missing ALL of the hardware that makes the Pro worth buying; the fans, HDMI port, Magsafe port, SD slot, large screen, and uber powerful GPUs

It's not a matter of spending more or less, it's just a matter of buying the thing you need, because they are completely different products

[seanrosendo]

If the 13" M1 MBP is still around, I'm sticking with it just for the 20 hours of battery life.

[RunForPeace-hkcu]

If you have $2000 to spare ... spend.
If you don't have $2000 to spare ... save.

Problem solved.

[ss_Bryan]

Honestly, I bought the 2020 m1 MacBook Air last week knowing a new MacBook was going to be released and I am not even mad.

The 2020 MacBook Air is so good. I am using it for school mostly and I downloaded Minecraft and league of legends not to mention you get 3 months of Apple Arcade for free.

Overall the price is hella good, the apps that are already installed on the MacBook work well with canvas (you don’t need to use Microsoft excel the Mac will help you out real quick) the music sound is good-if you’re into music or making music it will do a good job.

I highly recommend it cuz I am really happy with this laptop. The space gray is really nice ngl.

Btw, if you get Minecraft just be careful because the laptop will overheat too quick. I’d say you can play 1hr and the laptop will be cold but then a few minutes later it starts to get hot. Other than that, watching Movies and videos are really fun.

[tonimathias-grumley]

So basically, if you have the money get the 14". If you dont, get the Air. I debated the two and after an hour of deliberation, I got the MacBook 14" I think it was the ports, like HDMI and SD card being added and also the fit and the finish is bad ass! I prefer "chunky" makes me feel like my money is going farther....

[zerokool-]

Really depends on what your needs are. I can't spend the 2K on it, but for what I do for work. The Air M1 is perfect, is all web-based. So is just better for me, I just went with the 16gb. Also at work most people use the Air M1 for work, is easy to carry around.

[adequatequality]

I've had the M1 Macbook Air with 16GB of RAM for about 7 months and used it for office work like crazy and it's performed amazing. Unless you're doing crazy graphic work or 4K video editing, there's really no need to spend so much extra money on this.

[li-ham]

Get an air 98% Don’t need that much power

[sayirasilverio]

I’m a teacher and ended up going with the 14 inch Macbook Pro. The main thing for me was all of the ports/slots being added back to the PRO and having an HDMI port. Makes life so much easier and with apple education pricing I got it at $1850. I’m paying for it in monthly installments with an apple card so I got some money back as well. I also see it as an investment since I am going to start to look into content creation as well and I can see this laptop lasting me a very long time.

[TejasGuptaMusic]

I know the air is wayy more capable, already...for my needs but still watching 😛