Laptop Choice - 2020 MacBook Air i3 (base) vs 2020 MacBook Pro i5 (base)

The i5 Air is out of the question! (heating and noise issues). Which base model laptop would you prefer? The lighter, sleeker but less powerful i3 MB Air..or the slightly heavier, chunkier but i5 equipped MB pro. (Also, don't point out the 8th gen vs 10th gen debate, the performance difference is negligible).

Which is the ultimate finance 2020 Apple laptop of choice?

22 Comments
 

I think it is somewhat embarrassing that Apple is willing to sell a top tier laptop with an i3 in it. I mean c’mon it’s 2020.

 

Do finance and Apple even go together in the same sentence?

Regardless, obviously the pro. The i3 will choke on anything intensive and will become obsolete much sooner.

 
Most Helpful

Just got the new MacBook Air 16GB i7, works like a charm.

I'm incredibly pleased with the purchase, esp. with the speakers as they're set on the sides and give you the surround sound experience when listening to music

Was debating between the Pro and Air, but ultimately chose the Air because I don't need the additional functionality of the Pro. Unless you're using this as a work laptop and need some hardcore processing power (ex. heavy editing & design), the Pro is unnecessary. Likewise, the Air is more compact and more portable. The size/weight don't seem that big but when you're lugging this thing around the house, outside, it does make a difference to the comfort of it all.

Would note aesthetically that the 'Gold' version is more of a Rose Gold, but whatever I dig it.

As a side note, the Pro I noticed had the TouchBar, which I don't think is something you want. Sure, it looks cool, but I like to keep my laptops for 5-6yrs before upgrading, and I am not convinced that the TouchBar will function for that long vs. having the manual keys themselves.

Only thing I don't like (don't know if its all the new MacBooks or what), is that the charger they provide doesn't stretch very far like the 2013 Air I had. Makes it a lot harder finding convenient power outlets when you go out, and not great even in the house. Might see if they have some longer options

 

I was pretty much set for i3 (don't need the performance either) but then I realised I was pretty much buying the MB Air because it "looked pretty" and not for its functionality in B-School, the reason Im getting a new laptop. Ive heard MacOs Numbers, and even MacOs version excel sucks and everything takes twice as long to do compared to Windows Excel. Same for Powerpoint.

Would you agree with that, or are those claims exaggerated?

 

Yes, very true. processor and software can’t really handle Excel. Often freezes and stalls, Microsoft is way faster.

 

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