HALF MEASURE? 14” M3 MacBook Pro vs 15” M2 MacBook Air

Should you buy the 14” M3 MacBook Pro or the 15” M2 MacBook Air? Did Apple do enough to upgrade the long-overdue MacBook Pro - or is the MacBook Air - still the better value?

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NOTE: 8:03 M3 MacBook Pro has an 8-core CPU.

Apple made this a really tough choice! Now that the entry-level 14” M3 MacBook Pro sells for $1,600, is it a better buy for the average user than the larger, but thinner and lighter 15” M2 MacBook Air for $1,299? I’m not so sure - so let’s talk about it. We’ll look at the form factor and ports on the two MacBooks, the display, processing power and battery life differences between the 14” M3 MacBook Pro and the 15” M2 MacBook Air - and finally we’ll compare configuration and talk about recommendations.

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[TechGearTalk]

BUY A MACBOOK:
⭐ Buy the 14” M3 MacBook Pro: (affiliate)

SAVE MONEY - BUY APPLE REFURBISHED!

MONITOR USED IN THIS VIDEO:

NOTE: NOTE: 8:03 M3 MacBook Pro has an 8-core CPU.

What's up everyone?! I hope this comparison between the 14” M3 MacBook Pro and the 15” M2 MacBook Air helpful. Did I cover what you wanted to know? What else did you want to see or learn about?

Would love to know what you think.Is this a laptop that you would use and why or why not. If you’re currently using something else, please share your experience with me.  I am grateful in advance 🙏

[mole]

0:41 this is because of weight distribution - no psychological tricks :D The base of the MacBook Pro is way heavier than the top (the screen), whereas in the Air, the base is waaay thinner. This makes the Pro feel heavier even when you carry it closed, because the same weight is concentrated in a smaller area.

[bryans]

Another great comparison, thanks! When the M2 MBA 15 released I struggled with the choice between it and the M2 Pro MBP 14. I finally opted for a refurb'd M1 Pro MBP 14 (16MB/1TB) since I didn't need the extra horsepower of the M2 chip. So in the end I saved a bunch of money and got a laptop that exceeds my needs. Can't go wrong with that.

[hhoebeke]

It's not an easy choice - the MacBook Pro 14 is a great laptop - a few weeks ago still selected the M2 Air 15 above it (512/16) using a Black Friday offer. Mostly due to the additional screen real estate. In terms of performance - my base M1 Air still provided more than adequate processing power (research, browsing, writing, ..) but I was looking for a larger screen option for some new projects. At first the Pro's body also had my preference but I must say that the Air is a great design in use - very comfortable for longer writing sessions and the screen on the pro may be superior, the 15inch screen is a pleasure to work on and for entertainment. Also in my case, the additional ports / card reader are of no value.

[wazitSomethingISaid]

i just want an Air with an XDR display

[paulb]

Grabbed a Certified Refurb Air with 16GB/1TB for the price of a new Pro, I’m happy with that.

[ajfromca]

How Apple could have done it better. They should have let the MBA15 replace the MBP13, and not introduce a non-Pro MacBook “Pro” 14.

[moncho]

I was in a similar "dilema" a few months ago. For context, I had a 2014 MacBook Pro with a 512 SSD and 16gb RAM, after 7 years, in 2021, I decided to get a MacBook Air M1 with a 512 SSD and 8gb RAM. That M1 Air was (and is) a great computer, but I always missed the 15 inch screen. In August of this year I decided to replace the M1 Air (sold it to a friend's daughter who needed a computer for college) with a refurbished 14 inch M1 Pro MacBook Pro. I ended up returning it because I had gotten used to the slimmer form factor of the Air. Ordered a 15in M2 Air with a 1tb SSD and 16gb RAM, and yes, this makes the price similar to the MacBook Pro, but I simply prefer the slimmer form factor. For my occasional photo/video editing needs and everyday tasks, this15 inch M2 Air is just what I need. And with the upgraded SSD and RAM, I foresee this M2 Air being my main computer for the next 6-7 years.

[rileyhance]

For the love of god dont buy that base 14 inch. You would be better off with a certified refurbished m2 pro from apples website for 1599 while they are still available or brand new on best buy for same price. Double ram, gpu performance, fans, ext displays, more multicore performance. Only downsides being about 10% slower in single core tasks but I think its pros outweigh the cons

[SolarMillUSA]

One of the best comparison videos I have seen so far.

[eltechnica]

Havent been to this channel in a while, still loved all your videos on cameras! This one was EXACTLY what I was looking for!

[PackFan]

I always enjoy your videos, as your content and smooth transitions make it so easy to view. Your comparisons and contrasts are spot on!.

[daoanson]

For somebody that games occasionally (seasonally every Christmas or summer break), does it on 3-4 hour time blocks on a given day, runs pre-2019 games on it, and does basic 3D design work on Blender, can the M2 MBA handle that kind of workload or would that occasional gaming and 3D rendering use case be worth getting the 14-inch MBP?

Edit: also for more background on my expected daily use, I’m likely using a laptop for doing medical research, editing manuscripts requiring a large screen real estate, opening 8-10 PowerPoints at a time, and using my web browser regularly (10-20 tabs at a time, more or less), and I would likely be carrying it around the hospital or clinic so portability is something I value. I leaned towards the 15-inch M2 MBA because of my daily use, but the 14-inch M3 MBP is tempting for my occasional gaming use case and I also like the longer battery life on the M3 MBP (and the HDMI port is tempting for connecting to displays without depending on a HDMI dongle).

[willibaldm]

I am looking so long now and cannot easy decide if i should buy a 14“ Macbook pro or an macbook air m2. It would be my first macbook ever and for my use cases i would use it for entertainment, office work, browsing, writing und a lil bit of gaming. Its quite hard to decide….the air m2 is cheap but the m3 pro have a better screen 120hz and more ports. Are there any suggestions about it to find my choice?

[yskim]

Thank you for this video! I hope there won’t be any problems with coding on the m2 MacBook Air.

[sglatitude]

Brand new MBP with M3 Pro 12 core CPU and 18 core GPU, 36GB RAM and 1 TB SSD cost $200 more than refurbished MBP with M2 Max with 12 core CPU and 30 core GPU, 32 GB RAM and 1 TB SSD. Which one should one choose between the two? 🤔🤭

[spartan_]

I hesitate to buy Mac book air M2 16go 256SSD, what do you think ?

[ninjashhh]

I love your breakdowns man. Just found you yesterday and have binge watched at least 30 of your videos! Thanks!

[eduardobispo]

The question is you did this video 2 hours ago. Which one would you choose MacBook Air 512 16gb 1399 or pro M3 512 8gb ram for the same 1399? Bestbuys deal

[Jeff-mwem]

macbook air m3 can output 2 monitor and 120hz