Should I buy a Macbook air 15 inch 1 TB or a Macbook Pro 16 inch 1 TB

mbmadeline wrote:

I have an old Mac Book Pro from 2015 that needs replacing and can no longer be updated. I am retired and don't do any gaming. Mostly medical research, emails, grandkids photos and videos. My husband does do extensive ancestry research for many years, many people so we have alot of documents stored.

My choice is between the Macbook air 15 and the Macbook Pro 16.

Considering weight, you might want to add the 14' MacBook Pros to the list. You can get just about everything on the 14" MBPs that you can get on the 16" ones (unlike in the Intel days where the 15"/16" MBPs always had some computing power advantage over the 13" ones).

• 15" MacBook Air – 3.3 pounds. 2880x1864 pixel native resolution (224 PPI), so the default Displays resolution setting would be Retina "like 1440x932".
• 14" MacBook Pro – 3.4 to 3.6 pounds. 3024x1964 pixel native resolution (254 PPI), so at the default Displays resolution of Retina "like 1512x982", it would display more stuff than the 15" MacBook Air (but individual items would be physically smaller)
• 16" MacBook Pro – 4.7 to 4.8 pounds. 3456x2234 pixel native resolution (254 PPI), so the default Displays resolution would be Retina "like 1728x1117" with the same physical text size as on the 14" MacBook Pro.

The MBP screens are mini-LED backlit screens with support for playing HDR (high dynamic range) video content. You haven't indicated whether you plan to watch a lot of Hollywood movies from the iTunes Store, the Apple TV+ subscription service, or other such places, so I have no idea whether that feature matters to you.

I went to the Apple store to see these two models. My current macbook is large and heavy which I actually like.

If you like a heavier notebook, then the 16" MBP might be the one for you. It's the heaviest of the current bunch. Way back in the days when MBPs had internal mechanical hard drives and optical drives, the 13" non-Retina Mid-2012 MacBook Pro weighed 4.5 pounds. Believe it or not, at one time that was a light weight for a notebook!

My reason is going to the biggest screen is also my 70 year old eyes and cataracts. The larger screen makes reading articles easier.

If text size is your concern, you may want to crank Displays Settings on the 16" MBP a notch towards "Larger Text" (at the expense of workspace) to roughly match the default text size on the 15" MBA. This is because the pixels on the 14" and 16" Apple Silicon MBPs are packed closer together than pixels on just about other Retina Mac screens.

No matter which Mac you choose, there are Accessibility settings that are available if you need them.

Get started with accessibility features on Mac - Apple Support

macOS accessibility features for vision - Apple Support

The Apple store employee felt the pro is overkill for my needs but still a bit leary about the lightweight and thinness of the air model. Would so appreciate your help with this final decision.

The MacBook Pro is probably overkill in terms of computing power. I would recommend that you get 16–18 GB of RAM (some machines have a 16 GB option; others have an 18 GB one), on general principles – but so far, nothing that you have said suggests that you need 24 GB or more. Or that you need the extra CPU and GPU cores in the higher-end (Pro and Max) processors.

It may come down more to things like your preferences for displays, expansion, weight, and price.

• The 13" and 15" M3 MacBook Airs have two multi-purpose USB-C ports, and a MagSafe 3 charging port, but no HDMI port and no SDXC card slot.
• A 14" MacBook Pro based on the base M3 chip also has a HDMI port and a SDXC card slot.
• A 14"/16" MacBook Pro based on a M3 Pro or M3 Max chip also. has a third multi-purpose USB-C port, a HDMI port, and a SDXC card slot.

If you are thinking about using multiple external displays, note:

• 13" and 15" {M1/M2/M3} MacBook Airs, 13" {M1/M2} MacBook Pros, and 14" MacBook Pros with a base M3 chip cannot drive two or more external displays at the same time as the built-in screen. On most of them, the limit is one external display even if you close the lid. (M3 MacBook Airs can drive two displays – with limitations – when their lids are closed.)
• If you want to drive two external displays at the same time as you are using the built-in one, you need a MBP with a Pro or Max chip.

The MBA has been super thin and light since its inception in 2008. That same year I purchased a 15” MBPro which I loved until I hit the road for an extended period of travel by train and plane. Long story short, the MBP was great on campus but on the road it was like an anchor so I traded it in on a 13” MBP but it too was heavy and bulky. So in 2011 I purchased a MBAir and that’s what I’ve owned ever since. They’ve survived being bundled into overhead baggage compartments, under seats, and thrown into trunks. My dog loves to jump up and join me on the recliner too. I’ve never needed to have one repaired. I still have the original 2011 model in the guest bedroom. The 2015 model is still in use by one of my robotics teams and I’m currently using a 15” M2 model.