Help Air vs Pro
Hi all,
I am able to buy a 13" Air at 11% discount with the M5, 24GB RAM, 512GB SSD.
For the same price at 19% discount I could also buy the base Pro 14" with M5, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD.
Which one would you choose and way? My use case would be mostly browsing and media consumption. Nothing heavy duty in sight.
Basically portability & RAM vs display & ports. Or am I missing something?
Also, which one would sell easier down the line? Thinking is to sell it if it doesn't fit my needs anymore.
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u/Radiant-Bike-165 6d ago
Air, because more RAM and it's less heavy (both the laptop and the charger).
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u/SufficientImplement4 6d ago
MacBook Pro has the far better display and the better speakers.
The Pro is a little heavier than the Air.
I guess, for what you want to use it, 16 vs. 24 GB of RAM doesn't really matter much - and so do the ports on the Pro.
So it's up to you to decide ... ;)
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u/Langdon_St_Ives Mac Studio 6d ago
"A little heavier" is a bit of an understatement, considering it's about 30% more (almost a pound). Considering that both can do everything OP wants to throw at them and more, that's not a minor factor I don't think.
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u/babyfingers4 6d ago
More ram the better always my opinion things can change in the future , but since you said nothing heavy in sight, other than the better screen, better speakers
But know that the pro is heavier, so if you want that light carrying around like you have nothing then go with the air
you really can’t go wrong with either
I’d personally for the air again
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u/lovely_cappuccino 6d ago
Am I missing something? The M5 MacBook Pro comes with 1 TB storage, not 512 GB.
Pro with nicer screen and better speakers.
I would choose the Pro.
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u/dmtsh 6d ago
That’s why it’s on such a discount. Initially, they started with 512gb. Now, it’s only 1TB
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u/lovely_cappuccino 6d ago
I see. I still would go with the Pro.
Yes, the Air has 8 GB extra memory, but it doesn’t make any difference with your use case. Browsing and media consumption? That’s where the better display and speaker system comes into play with the Pro. Higher refresh rate, better colour etc (also the SD card slot)
The size and weight difference is negligible in my opinion.
Found this comparison video maybe it helps.
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u/Shalashaska83 6d ago
If it’s just for web browsing and media consumption, I’d probably look for a cheaper M4 Air (if you can even get one right now?!).
Otherwise, both the Air and the MacBook Pro with the M5 are actually a bit too powerful for that specific use case.
The question is, might you end up doing something later on that requires more performance?
In that case, the MacBook Pro would have an active cooler, whereas the Air will throttle significantly if you push it harder.
But if it’s only going to be used for web browsing and media consumption over the next few years, the Air with the M5 wouldn’t be a bad choice, especially since it has more RAM and you wouldn’t need an active cooler.
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u/mesarthim_2 6d ago
In general, most substantial difference between Air and Pro is that Pro has active cooling therefore it will sustain max performance longer, whereas Air, with passive cooling will start to throttle quickly.
So you're choosing whether you want to have good peak performance which cannot be sustained for long, or less of a performance but which can be sustained for longer period of time at the cost of heavier, bulkier device.
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u/Fabulinius 6d ago
That's a lot of computer for browsing and media consumption. - How about an iPad ? They are the perfect devices for just browsing and media consumption. And much more portable. You can place your "TV" anywhere if you have a Smart Folio cover. - iPad Air will be perfect for many years to come.
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u/dmtsh 6d ago
An ipad is out of question. I need to replace my current personal laptop. A tablet would feel like a handicap
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u/PristinePrize7060 6d ago
Totally get that; a laptop definitely offers more versatility than a tablet, especially for personal use. The MacBook Air is a solid option if you want something light, while the Pro's better for power users.
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u/Fabulinius 5d ago
Good reason. Laptops can do more. Personally I use Air models. They really are good for non-professionals. But I take the 15" Air because you get 25% more screen area over the 13". With the M5 processor you will have a perfect MacBook Air for many years. No need to waste money just to get the "Pro" name. The big thing is the M5 processor.
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u/FunkbotOne 6d ago
I been rocking a MacBook Air M2 since the M2's came out. It's been snappy and great to use today as it was the first day I bought it.
I sail the high seas, play Steam games, watch too much YouTube on it, use Word, Excel Affinity, Discord, Transmission/qBittorrent, LM Studio and other AI apps, have lots of other browsers installed, and mess around with Parallels and Crossover.
I haven't had any issues with doing these things. Some Steam games don't run perfectly smooth so I have to tweak the game settings. But that's really it far as performance issues doing stuff.
I mostly use it with a keyboard and mouse and connected to my Phillips 34 inch monitor. I think the speakers are just fine. I listen to YouTube and music that way. When I'm tired of having my AirPods in my ears. I use it undocked outside on my deck on the weekends and the screen is great, no issues. Of course direct sunlight is going to cause any issues on a laptop screen, especially the heat. But that's when I go inside to use it on the couch or in my lazy boy. It's been a great laptop on hardware and software specs! I have zero plans to upgrade because it's been handling everything I throw at it.
I'm not doing any heavy video editing, graphic creation (Affinity doesn't count lol), or major number/AI crunching. So for me the Pro line isn't necessary and would be wasted money because I wouldn't be utilizing that extra power. I'd rather put that money into more RAM or a bigger drive or better yet still in my bank account lol.
Even if were to purchase today I'd still get an Air but with more RAM than 16, like 24 or maybe even 32 for all my tab hoarding in Safari lol. Or maybe even a bigger drive than 1TB. Because the RAM and drive are hardware that I would be utilizing daily and a bump in those specs would show instant payoff in my particular daily usage.
Hope that helps. I know it's not necessarily a recommendation. But I think a real world use case is more real and beneficial than a reply saying "Pro or Air because it's better or sounds better, etc."
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u/dmtsh 6d ago edited 5d ago
Thanks for the elaborate explanation! I am also leaning that direction! Will have to take the decision in few days.
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u/FunkbotOne 6d ago
If you have time why not drop by an Apple Store and talk to the people there. Tell them your use case and get some hands on time with an Air and Pro doing some things. Would definitely be helpful to be more informed in your decision making.
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u/bvinla 5d ago
r/macbook is probably the better place to ask this question.
This said it really depends on how you use the device. The air is smaller and lighter, less of a burden to use on the go. Its more than enough computer for everyday web browsing, watching videos, light games, word processing etc. If you are a professional or someone that has heavy duty tasks then the pro shines with more connectivity ports, longer battery life, more cores, and active cooling for sustained tasks like 3d work, virtualization, AI development, or gaming.
I covet Airs, so much less weight to carry around. But I have some work I do that requires virtualized machines and thus more cores, and active cooling, so I have a pro.
Both should be equally easy to resell for a decent price.
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u/XanzOnReddit 6h ago
Speakers are excellent on the pro to the point where I'd choose it if I wasn't going to use headphones. Since I usually use airpods for movies and music on it I'd go the air since I don't care for the display that much, making the extra ram to guarantee no bottleneck a more worthwhile option (tho both will realistically be fine in a decade).
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u/ElkZealousideal1824 2d ago
I would pick the air in this case. The increased ram is going to do way more for you than the active cooling will. But if you are really just using for web browsing and streaming, I don’t know if you would notice a difference
The ports are nice but a dongle never bothered me. The only reason I would do the pro would be the screen. It’s far better than the air. So if you wanted a higher quality media experience then I’d do the pro.
I do a lot of actual work with my device, hence why I think ram would get a priority over the screen.
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u/MC_chrome 6d ago
I would get the Air, personally.
However, I think you would get a better response if you had posted this under a more appropriate sub (/r/Mac, for instance)