MacBook Air M5 vs. MacBook Pro M2 Pro for creative work?

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MacBook Air M5 vs. MacBook Pro M2 Pro for creative work?

I’m trying to decide which macbook to buy. I will mostly do video editing and photoshop on them. Nothing too graphic intensive and nothing more than 4k. I know the macbook pro on paper is the better choice with ram, gpu specs etc. i guess I'm asking is it worth considering going brand new with an M5 chip for longevity? I would like to get at least 5 years out of this computer. Both these options cost the same amount for me. The 2026 Macbook Air M5 is brand new vs the refurbished 2023 MacBook M2pro the main specs are:

2026 MacBook Air (13-inch, Apple M5 chip with 10-core CPU and 8-core GPU, 16GB Unified Memory, 512GB)

Apple MacBook Pro 14" (2023, A2779) M2 Pro with 12 core CPU and 19 core GPU, 32GB Unified Memory, 1TB SSD

which is the best choice in your opinion?

Posted on Jun 14, 2026 11:05 PM

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Answer 1

Jun 15, 2026 3:57 AM in response to jarryd256

A MacBook Air sounds just about right.

The M series System On a Chip (SoC) architecture eliminates unnecessary elements that causes slow performance and noisy fans.

As a result, no components are replaceable.

You must choose the maximum amount of storage and memory you need (now and in the future) that you can afford (that’s what I did back in 2021) and I have no regrets.

The most difficult decision for me was the color.

In your case, you have 4 colors to choose from.

Smiliñ 😎 Brian

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