MacBook Pro and MacBook Air have very specific target groups. We'll tell you exactly what they are and which device is right for you.
With a MacBook you know what you're getting: a very good screen, a fantastic finish, good battery life and, of course, macOS. That hasn't changed in recent years. Because MacBooks are (sometimes very) expensive, they are often used for a long time.
It may happen that you bought a MacBook for the last time in 2019 and then no longer followed the evolution of these products down to the smallest detail. This buying guide is there exactly for these people and at the end you will know exactly which MacBook is the right device for you. If you prefer the video you will receive all the important information, there we have also thought of you.
MacBook Air
In mid-2023, Apple launched the 15” MacBook Air and Apple fans were delighted. Until then, fans of “large” MacBooks only had the option of buying a large MacBook Pro - for the price of a kidney. Interested parties now have the choice of whether they prefer “large” or “small” for both airline and professional rail.
That speaks for the MacBook Air
- They are the cheapest MacBooks.
- Thinnest MacBooks
- M2 chip has plenty of power for day-to-day use
- Fanless and therefore silent
- Great workmanship
- Battery life between 16 and 18 hours
- Good speakers
That speaks against the MacBook Air
- The M2 went on the market in July 2022.
- M3 update for Air could be coming soon, but that's not a sure thing
- Midnight as a color is a fingerprint magnet.
- Performance with little headroom (passive cooling)
- No HDMI port, no card reader
- Only one external display is supported
- Maximum display brightness of 500 nits
MacBook Pro with M3
Let's move on to what, at first glance, is an unusual middle child: the MacBook Pro M3. This is not to be confused with the M3 Pro/Max MacBook Pro. They look the same on the outside, but are very different on the inside. The “regular” M3 is missing a few cores compared to its Pro/Max siblings. However, this MacBook also has some advantages.
That speaks for the MacBook M3
- Impressive 120 Hz mini LED display
- The successor to the 13-inch MacBook Pro
- No touch bar
- The cheapest MacBook Pro
- Battery life of just over 22 hours.
- More performance possibilities thanks to active cooling
That speaks against the MacBook M3
- Starting price of 2000€ with 8GB of RAM
- Only two USB-C ports
- just a fan
- Only one external display is supported
- No “Space Black” color for the M3
MacBook Pro with M3 Pro/Max
MacBooks with “Pro” and “Max” SoCs are packed with power in many ways. There is also more RAM (soldered in) if you have the necessary change. An upgraded MacBook Pro quickly reaches the price range of 4000 € and more. But you also have many bargains.
This talks about the MacBook M3 Pro/Max
- another USB-C port, for a total of three USB-C ports.
- M3 Pro supports two external monitors
- M3 Max up to four external monitors
- up to 8 TB of storage and 128 GB of RAM
- Space black as color
This speaks against the MacBook M3 Pro/Max
- Battery life is worse than that of the MacBook Pro M3: approximately 18 hours.
- Very powerful: developers, machine learning, 3D modeling, etc.
- There are no machines for office people with Excel.
- high price
A MacBook Pro with SoC M3 Pro, 36 GB of RAM and 1 TB of internal storage costs around 3500 euros. That is a lot of money. You have to wonder if the Pro series offers enough value to justify this price.
Conclusion:
Let's talk briefly about the equipment. With Air, 8 GB is sufficient if you don't have too many programs open at once or don't have an average of 80 tabs open in the browser. Since these machines tend to last a few years, it's worth upgrading to 16 GB of RAM. When it comes to internal storage, I would also advise against the 256 GB minimum, unless you have outsourced a lot of cloud or network storage.
With the Pro, it is advisable to invest in at least 32 GB of RAM, for the same reason as with the Air. For internal storage, it is also advisable to invest in at least 1 TB. Anyone with the demands of a “Pro” is often working with large files and a little more local storage can go a long way in stressful situations without Internet. However, most professional users also know where their current bottleneck is and where they should increase next time.
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