[SOLVED] 2020 Macbook Air or 2020 Macbook Pro 13'?

[SamBruffell]

Hi, I am debating between buying the 2020 Macbook Air with the quad-core I5 and 16GB of RAM or to wait for the 2020 MacBook Pro 13'. I don't plan on doing anything too intensive on them other than browsing the web, Netflix, etc. However, I would like the option of using things like photoshop if I needed to. Being a student I'm looking at the best value and the one that would last me the longest.

Taking current pricing on the education store on the Apple with my budget being maximum £1170 with current pricing staying the same it would either be the I5 and 16GB RAM 2020 Air or the base 2020 13' pro. Reading into the potential specs of the 2020 13' pro it may have thinner bezzles and a higher wattage chip however I would have to stick to 8GB of RAM. So I'm struggling to make a decision between the two on which would be suitable for my needs and also last the longest.

If you have any thoughts or advice it would be much appreciated, thanks very much!

 

[NightHawkRMX]

Honestly, I would avoid any MacBook if you want value. If you are just looking to browse the web, watch NetFlix, and do some light photoshop you could get away with a Windows laptop that costs 1/3 as much.

But of its between those 2 macs, get the MacBook air since you won't want stuck with 8gb of non-upgradable ram, and you don't need the extra performance features of the pro.

 

[SamBruffell]

Thanks very much, I think I'll go with the air.
Cheers

 

[LordVile]

Thanks very much, I think I'll go with the air.
Cheers

Don't think there is much differnce tbh. The Pro will be thermally better and may be a tad better performing. It has a better screen and speakers too.

 

[jonbuder]

Now that they started putting the Retina display on the Air that makes it very compelling. I don't like the lack of normal USB ports much but even the other manufacturers are doing that. My personal laptop is a 13" MBP from 2013 with an i5 and 4GB of DDR3. My work laptop is an HP Elitebook 14" with an i7 and 16GB of DDR4. For normal day to day use they are similarly fast although the screen of the MBP is the Retina (been replaced one due to kids... nuff said right?) and is much better than the HP's screen. It sells for about what a current MBP sells for, and edges it out on specs but in my experience the thermal throttling is aggressive and hurts it for rendering long videos or other CPU-heavy work. A gaming-oriented laptop in the same price range would do better.

I would actually differ in opinion and say that for normal everyday use I'd put a MacBook above a similar or cheaper Windows laptop for usability and longevity. In my experience, Mac OS is much less susceptible to "rot" and malware, and stays running fast for longer without having to worry about reformatting and reinstalling the OS. Which is better, spending $1000 once every 8 years or spending $500 and having a worse experience and probably giving up on the thing after 3 or 4 years? If you need Windows applications or a lot of ports and connectivity without adapters (I do, for work), the rules change.

However, a Chromebook as long as it's got a good high resolution display will be excellent for web browsing and if you can make do with cloud-based productivity apps it will be a good bargain.