MacBook Pro M1 and Air M1: Is it Time to Upgrade?
A number of weeks after the M1 MacBook Pro and Air came out, after the hype and some bug-hunting, people want to know: should I upgrade from an Intel MacBook? Hope Mattress sponsored this video. These are Apple’s first laptops with its own silicon, and they look just like the previous versions. Four things matter for comparison: performance, battery life, heat and fan, and compatibility.
Performance
The M1 processors really are good. Whether in Geekbench and Cinebench or “real-world” tests like video exports and scrubbing through Lightroom, reviewers mostly agree the performance seems impossible. In some tests, the base MacBook Air M1 beats the 2020 iMac with a 6-core i5 like the one I had with 40 GB of RAM, which cost 2.5 times as much. Don’t even compare it with the i3 MacBook Air or the now-discontinued 12-inch MacBook: it’s not even funny. And it does it silently and much cooler. The Air has no fan, and can run a Zoom or Teams call all day with email, docs, a browser and OneNote open while barely getting above room temperature. You can push the Air to its limits, but it takes a while.
The MacBook Pro has a fan, but you never hear it: only two occasions got it to spin up for me: Cinebench for nearly 10 minutes and exporting a video with Premiere Pro (not optimized for M1), and even then it’s much quieter than an i3 MacBook Air or a 16-inch MacBook Pro.
Battery life
Insane. For years the iPad was my benchmark for usable battery life, with a realistic 10 hours and standby so low I didn’t worry about plugging it in. The M1 MacBook Air and Pro completely crush the iPad’s battery life: charge at night, disconnect, and work, browse, email and watch video all day without thinking about it. If you use a laptop for 8 hours or less a day, you can easily get two days between charges, especially on the Pro.
Compatibility
Apple built a new Rosetta 2. The first Rosetta, used in the PowerPC to Intel transition, was more like an emulator; Rosetta 2 translates code on install or first run for Apple silicon. Most Mac software just runs, so coming from an Intel Mac isn’t scary. It isn’t 100% compatible: most software runs really well, some runs better than native and some bigger programs are a bit slower. If software you rely on isn’t compatible, or you need Windows in Boot Camp or virtualized, you probably need to stick with your Intel MacBook.
Should you upgrade?
Assuming money isn’t a problem:
- A 12-inch MacBook or any MacBook Air, of any kind, age or configuration: absolutely upgrade. By every metric you get a much better computer: even with apps that need Rosetta 2, the performance will blow your Intel MacBook out of the water. You’ll also get a better camera, screen color, microphones and instant sleep and wake like an iPad.
- A 13-inch MacBook Pro: the M1 will be more powerful for about 90% of needs. Even with professional video or photo apps, the lack of dedicated GPUs in the 13-inch Intel Pros leaves you with hotter CPUs that can’t take full advantage; the M1’s 8 GPU cores have proven much faster than previous integrated graphics. If you bought the higher-end 13-inch Pro with four USB-C ports because you need that many for dedicated tools or audio equipment, that may be reason enough to keep the Intel.
- A 16-inch MacBook Pro: this is trickier. If you bought it to run professional applications, depending on the applications, you may be better off keeping it.
Related videos in the description: M1 MacBook issue updates, CalDigit docks for M1 MacBooks, and my iPhone 12 and iPad videos.
Links
- Get 10% off using discount code Jerry
- My M1 Video Playlist
- MacBook Pro M1
- • M1 MacBook Issues Updates
- • iM1 MacBook Issues
- • CalDigit docks for M1 MacBooks
- • Which iPhone 12 will I buy?
- • Turn the iPad into a Laptop
- • Should you get a Magic Mouse for the iPad Pro
- Sony A6400
- Primary Lens Sigma f1.4 16mm
- Secondary Lens Sony f2.8 16-55MM G
- Rode VideoMic NTG
- iPad Pro 12.9
- Used DJI OSMO 3 Gimbal for some shots
- Tascam DR-10L Audio Recorder with Lav
In this video
Some links in this post are affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I may receive a small commission. See my ethics statement.
