How do I choose between MacBook Pro and MacBook Air

Before you contemplate buying a used Mac be sure to read The All Too Common SAD Reality of Buying a Used iPad/iPhone - Apple Community.

All else being equal I would personally recommend a MacBook Air. If you're contemplating buying one of them you might want to ask for more specific recommendations regarding its CPU and memory.

I dont want to use it for anything pro use just normal productivty/studenty like Word, PowerPoint stuff.

If you have a compelling need to use Microsoft products my personal recommendation is to buy a Windows PC. Lots of people buy Macs expecting them to work like PCs. They may do the same things, but they do them very differently. We really don't need Microsoft any more. There are plenty of better / cheaper / free alternatives.

tomcsi01_23 wrote:

I found the two MacBooks (2020 M1 MacBook Pro and the 2022 M2 MacBook Air) at a similar price and same storage also the MacBook Pro is used and the Air is new.

Neither of those two is new. If you want a refurbished model, you can get one here: Certified Refurbished Products - Apple

Do not buy anything called "used" or "refurbished" from anywhere else. You even have to be careful when buying "new" anywhere that isn't Apple. Just the other day I saw someone tricked into buying a used computer on Amazon when they thought they were on the official Apple Amazon store.

I would recommend against buying a Mac notebook with less than 16 GB of RAM or 512 GB of internal SSD storage unless you know that your needs are – and will remain – very minimal. Neither RAM nor internal SSD space can be upgraded after purchase on any Mac notebook with an Apple Silicon (M-series) chip.

FYI, both of the Macs you describe use older-generation chips and support a maximum of one external display.

Note that 14" and 16" Apple Silicon MacBook Pros have a more deluxe chassis than either of the two notebooks you are considering. The extra features include:

• A third multi-purpose USB-C / Thunderbolt port (except on 14" models with plain M3 chips)
• A HDMI port
• A SDXC card slot
• A MagSafe 3 charging port
• A mini-LED-backlit screen with support for playing prerecorded HDR video content, and higher PPI density than the MacBook Air screens.

You might not need the more deluxe chassis, especially if you plan to get a hub or dock, but that is one of the main differences between MacBook Airs and MacBook Pros in the current lineup.

(any windows recommendations?)

Avoid 😆

I think you'll like the Air. Get as much memory and storage as you can reasonably afford, and absolutely positively no less than 16 GB / 512 GB respectively (Apple no longer sells the 8 GB configuration). You'll thank me a few years from now.

tomcsi01_23 wrote:

Hi guys,

Should I get the MacBook Pro or MacBook Air?

I want to upgrade my 2017 MacBook Pro 2017 13 inch base model, and dont know what model to get.

I found the two MacBooks (2020 M1 MacBook Pro and the 2022 M2 MacBook Air) at a similar price and same storage also the MacBook Pro is used and the Air is new.

I dont want to use it for anything pro use just normal productivty/studenty like Word, PowerPoint stuff.

I want to upgrade because mine doesnt get any updates anymore and I'm running out of storage.

ref: Shop online and get Specialist help