Hi all,
I’m caught in a rather well trod decisions cycle here, so apologies off the bat for bringing this up again. I currently have a Mac Studio (Apple M1 Max, 32GB) at home, and a 16" intel 2019 MBP at my office. I am an academic who also does a fair amount of photography (running Lightroom/Photoshop/Topaz), but not too much heavy video work (occasional for some work related content, but not super frequent). I have been given an option for a new machine, and so am looking forward to handing my intel machine on to my daughter and getting in full on the silicon train. I think like others, I am a bit stuck between the Air (16gb/ 2tB) and the MPB (16gb/ 2tB). I’ve never owned an air, but am intrigued that these new machines are getting close to pro-level. I know the usual line is that if you are going much beyond the base level on the air, is that it makes more sense to get the 14" MBP (with better ports and screen(, but of course at the cost of the portability. I find myself rarely hauling my current Intel MBP off the desk due to weight, in favour of an IPad, even with travel when I would prefer a full suite of applications. Anyways, I do apologize for rehashing this but would love anyones experience that they would be willing to share.
I would definitely go for the 14" MacBook Pro, I really enjoy the display quality. The weight difference is about 350 grams (0.8 lbs) which I personally would not worry about. I find the MacBook Air vs. MacBook Pro 14" ‘portability issue’ a bit overhyped to be honest.
Get an M2 MacBook Air, in your choice 13- or 15-inch screen, with 24 GB memory. It will not be noticeably slower than your Mac Studio in single core performance. But as has been mentioned elsewhere, if you want/need and are willing to pay for the best screen possible and more ports, then get the MacBook Pro. It’s your choice. We can’t decide for you.
I too have been weighing my options as my 2015 MBP is due for an upgrade. I went and looked at all the models I was considering and was surprised by how much smaller and heavier the 14-inch MBP felt in comparison to the new 15-inch Air. Since you mention portability and weight as being considerations, I think you might feel similarly. The Pros do have a nicer screen and this is certainly noticeable when the two machines are next to each other but the screen on the Air is also perfectly capable, at least for a general use case.
I highly recommend that you go see and compare the machines in a store. Since you do photography related work, do also look at the Air’s screen in isolation and see if you like it. Whatever you decide I’m sure you will enjoy your new machine 
Thanks, especially for the info compared to the Mac Studio. And yes, I know nobody but me gets to make this decision. I’ve just got a Pro/Con chart in complete and utter balance 
, but as all are saying it is nice to be in a mostly win/win situation.
I have both (my MBP has the same M1 Max/32/32 that your Studio). If I were to have to choose one as my only computer, I’d go for the MBP without question:
If there’s even a hint of a chance that you might want to use more than one external display over the life of this computer then the MBP is the only way to go. It also has a noticeably better internal display in size and sharpness, (and if you place them side by side) contrast.
BUT
As a second computer, I favour the M2 Air. It is so amazingly thin and light and has such incredible battery life, without feeling like it’s an ultra portable, that it’s a joy to use around the house and especially when travelling.
I too, have a Mac Studio at home. For my laptop, I had a 16" M1 MBP and when the M2 Air came out I bought one as I was amazed by the portability and performance. I travel quite a bit, and it is with me all the time.
I haven’t touched the 16" M1 MBP since, and it will be sold soon. Considering to sell the 13" M2 Air as well to get a new 15" MBA.
I did spec the M2 Air to 1Tb and 24Gb Ram. I haven’t looked back since. Podcast editing, Photo management and video editing have been no issues for me on the MBA.
As a secondary computer the MBA wins hands down. As a primary computer I would take the MBP.
Thanks all! Played again with the two in the store, and decided to order the MBP. The screen and ports won me over (and it still seems considerably lighter than the 2019 16”, so hopefully I won’t have regrets re the air).
Well, since you ordered already I am late to the party, but still…
Having both an M2 13" MBAir and a 14" M2 (Max) MBPro, I can that for whatever reason, the Air really does seem much lighter than the Pro, far more than the objective weight difference would suggest.
I find both machine are just incredible to use, and I think that the Air with an M2 chip has so much power that there are few users these days who really need the power of the Pro.
In fact, the only reason I bought the M2 Pro was my decision change my compute model. Previously I had an M1 Max Studio at home, and the Air on the road. Even with syncing all files between the two (I use Synology’s SynologyDrive, but there are of course many such solutions), I was tired of dealing with two separate machines and keeping software and configuration in sync, and realized things in the past were just easier when I had only one computer. I therefore decided to sell both and move to a MacBookPro as a the solo machine. I still have the Air because I haven’t gotten rid of it yet.
Why the Pro, when I said the Air was sufficient? In my use case, I run three external displays when docked at my desk at home (two Apple Studio displays and one older 4K LG) and that pushed me to the Pro (yes, I know about DisplayLink, and maybe I should have just stuck with the Air…).
The screen is definitely better on the Pro, although I agree that while you can easily see this in side-by-side comparisons, the screen on the Air is more than sufficient for what I do on the road (most photo editing is done when docked at my desk).
Connectivity is better with the Pro, although I do have a USB-C dock in my bag, so it’s not that big of a problem on the road.
I frankly don’t think it’s very easy to go wrong with any Apple laptop these days, so these decisions boil down (to me) to whether there is some specific need you have (eg dedicated HDMI output where a hub or dock will not suffice; more RAM or SSD than the Airs support; multiple monitor support; or the [I think] rare individual who truly needs the power of the Pro or Max chips).
We live in a time of riches in this regard!
Well, a few weeks in now with the pro, and I am still incredibly pleased - it is all that I hoped for, and the portability is much better than the old 16" intel MBP. And just last night I popped in an SD card full of 900 raw photos (burst mode of my daughter’s soccer game) and worked on them in LR in front of the World Cup game…heaven.