M1 MacBook Air Or MacBook Pro Or Wait for M1X MacBook
It’s almost over a 2 months now after release of first generation Apple Silicon MacBooks i.e. MacBook with M1 Chip inside. No doubt that it’s a revolution in PC industry with the performance we are getting from such a low power consuming chip. M1 chips are the best when we consider performance per watt and no second thought in saying that. But with same M1 chip availability in both MacBook Air and Pro models, its very hard to decide which one to go for. And to add to this confusion, recent rumours suggest that in 2021 we may get fully redesigned MacBooks with next gen M1X chip. So should you get M1 MacBook Air Or MacBook Pro Or Wait for M1X MacBook? Let’s check it out.
Major differences between base-model M1 MacBook Air & MacBook Pro
| M1 MacBook Air | M1 MacBook Pro |
| Wedge Shape Design | Flat design |
| Completely Fan-less | Have Fan |
| 7 Core GPU | 8 Core GPU |
| Dedicated Function Keys | Touch Bar |
| 49.9 Watt-Hour Battery | 58.2 Watt-Hour Battery |
| Up-to 15 Hours Battery Life | Up-to 20 Hours Battery Life |
| Price ₹ 92,900/- | Price ₹ 1,22,900/- |
Looking at above major differences, its totally depends on personal preferences when it comes to choose between MacBook Air or MacBook Pro. Reason for saying this is that,
- Some may prefer slight angle provided by MacBook Air’s Wedge-shape design over MacBook Pro’s flat design or vice-versa
- Some may prefer dedicated function key over Touch Bar or vice-versa
- For someone battery life may the single most important deciding factor
So looking at this, now the major deciding factor is… any guesses…
.
.
.
.
You are right, Performance!
But with same M1 chip in both laptops, will it really matter? Not much, as multiple tests by Tech reviewers show that the performance offered by both M1 MacBook Air and M1 MacBook Pro is identical with Gaming, Photo & Video editing, Audio Editing, Programming or 4K video playback. In some cases Gaming may show some greater performance with Pro due to its extra GPU core. But with mostly all day-to-day tasks, there is no difference. Hence if we consider best value for money, then MacBook Air is the clear Winner. Even after all this analysis, still you want to spend that extra ₹ 30,000/-, then we will still say that instead of putting this money in MacBook Pro, you can get MacBook Air with extra 8 GB RAM making it total 16 GB which will ensure you a long term run with it.
Also Read
Upcoming M1X MacBook Pro 14″ & 16″
While saying it, we are not under estimating MacBook Pro. Its the best MacBook one can get and you should go for it if you need more battery life, availability of fan to ensure you are not facing heating issues & more GPU power.
But if Gaming is your major selection criteria then there is news which may add it to more confusion. Rumours are that Apple is working on 16 to 32 Core GPU M1X chip which will surely give great graphics performance as we are already witnessing what M1 chip with integrated 8 GPUs can do. Further rumours suggests that Apple is working on all new design for MacBook Pro with two models to release in 2021, MacBook Pro 14″ & MacBook Pro 16″. You can check tout full details in our previous post. Additional rumours suggest that the MacBook Air will get new looks and updates only in 2022.
Final Words
M1 MacBook Air is the one to go for considering best value for money & it will not be updated till 2022. Current M1 MacBook Pro 13″ is more than enough for any task you throw at it and should be considered over M1 MacBook Air, if better battery life & fan are essential. If you are looking for fresh, redesigned MacBook Pro with higher screen size & better graphics performance, then you should wait for few months (or maybe till end of 2021) for upcoming MacBook Pro 14″ and 16″ which will be of course having higher price range like current 16″ Intel MacBook Pro, i.e. around ₹ 2,00,000/- & more.
