Mac M2 Pro vs 16 GB Mac M2 Air
For software engineers, what has your experience been in working with either the Macbook M2 Pro or the 16 GB Macbook M2 Air? Any pros or cons I should consider before purchasing?
WattCoconut
Stealth
a year ago
16GB is more than enough. Pro is mainly for creative professionals.
I am saying this since it sounds like you are considering budget factor. If money is no constraint, then Pro.
Thanks for sharing your perspective. Of course, budget is an important consideration but value for money is what I'm looking to optimise. Have you worked with the 8 GB or the 16 GB Air? Does either of them face heating issues?
WattCoconut
Stealth
a year ago
Value for money is definitely Air if you are not in creative field.
I have the latest M2 Air 16 GB version now. Absolutely love it and no heating issue whatsoever. It might take a couple of days to adjust to your use case. But smooth as a butter post that.
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TheOatmeal
Stealth
a year ago
Budget hai toh pro. Having a Fan is considerable
Makes sense. Budget can be created. Does the Mac Air face severe heating issues even with the 8 GB memory?
TheOatmeal
Stealth
a year ago
I use air (2018). It has started heating up. Thoda time hogaya hai but still.
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Barbaadeshwar
Stealth
a year ago
16gb 14 inch Mac Pro. The 13 inch M2 pro also lags when u see the smoothness on the 15
Barbaadeshwar
Stealth
a year ago
Not really. The fan+16gb keeps it makhan
M2 air 16GB is best. You don’t have to worry about dust in fans like pro models. If you are not going to use gpu for editing or training models etc. M2 air wins.
P.S. Choose 15inch for wide view.
redWiper
Student
a year ago
Also consider the weight. The air series is much lighter, more convenient to use if you use it while laying down, carry it around etc. Also the charger is lighter, smaller to fit in bags.
M2 pro undoubtedly has more compute power for sustained period of time.
I use an M1 Air from Jan21. Loved the battery life, ease of carying and the overall user experience. What sucked was a 40k screen replacement I had to get done (apple tax + the entire top panel with apple logo was replaced, laughs in modular design). So keep this in mind, if you have 2L budget, don't spend the whole of it on the device itself. Keep something for the day some part might stop functioning/ buying the extended warranty. You want a good device for 5 years, optimise your budget for 5 years
Thanks for the advice! This is going to be a company device so unfortunately I might not be able to buy Apple+ Protection.
I have the 8+512gb MacBook air. Runs smooth with normal day to day activities. I have faced issues just 2 times both when I was trying to run a heavy iOS code, Xcode force closed itself… other than those 2 instances, never faced any issues! But if you have the budget for pro model, go for it as it will unlock a whole new spectrum of editing, running heavier codes and a lot more activities.
