The portable Mac space has been getting quite interesting lately with the powerful MacBook Pros and the new M3 MacBook Airs recently released. I decided to investigate which MacBooks would work best for various use cases. With the research gathered, I ended up posting a comparison of the three most portable M3 MacBooks: The Best Portable M3 MacBook Options - Apple Dispatch
I’d be interested to hear what all of you think is the best M3 portable based on your unique needs.
Nice article. For me the Air is the ideal travel machine because of smaller size and weight, and ability to easily run Lightroom.
Thanks for checking it out! I definitely agree with you about the Air for ideal portability. Even though there are a few minor tradeoffs at its price point, the incredible freedom of movement you gain is unrivaled. I think this is best epitomized by the 13-inch in both its lightness and form.
One consideration missing in your comparison is pixel count. The 13" and 15" Airs have the same 224 ppi which means that more information can be displayed on the 15". The 14" Pro has a higher 254 ppi which gives it more pixels than even the 15" Air.
Might not matter depending on the use case, but if you are using multiple apps simultaneously or an app for which more pixels displayed is important (like photo editing) you might want to think twice before getting the 13" Air.
Bookmarked for later reading.
Interesting timing: Just two days ago, I placed an order to replace my primary computer, a 2018 MacBook Pro. I went with a 15" MacBook Air. I’m a writer, I look at the web, I watch the occasional YouTube video. The 15" MBA seems ideal for me and for most people. MBP seems to me to be a machine for coders and people who do a lot of video and audio work.
The higher pixel density is another element in favor of the higher quality XDR display in the MBP for demanding users like video editors, which was my conclusion in the article.