Posted December 3, 2020 Currently I use a 2017 Surface Pro "5" for University. It is one of the higher spec models with an i7-7660U, 8GB of Ram and 256GB of storage. I also have the keyboard (duh) and the Surface Pen. I used the pen quite a bit for taking written notes but changed after a month or so and finished the rest of my year typing notes instead. I occasionally use the pen for highlighting documents or signing documents but that is about it. I have the opportunity to sell my Surface Pro 5 and buy a 2020 Macbook Air with the new M1. Is the base model Macbook Air M1 a better laptop vs the Surface Pro 5? I do like the Surface Pen and that it is touch screen/a 2-in-1, but mostly I use it as a glorified tablet or as a laptop but due to having to use the kickstand I am constantly worried about it falling over (especially when on a bed or on my lap). I still have a desktop so I do have access to windows when I need it. All my work is done on Microsoft Word & OneNote which are both available on Mac & Windows. Would you do it? Switch a 'higher end' Surface Pro for a base model Macbook Air M1? • NCASE M1 • i5-9600k • GTX 1080 FE • Z370N-WIFI • SF600 • NH-U9S • LPX 32GB • 960EVO • I'm a self-identifying Corsair & Nvidia Fanboy; Get over it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted December 3, 2020 How much is the price difference? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted December 3, 2020 Author 2 minutes ago, Daniel Z. said: How much is the price difference? It would be a matter of a few dollars comparing the offer I have received to buy my surface and the price of the Air M1 with the education discount • NCASE M1 • i5-9600k • GTX 1080 FE • Z370N-WIFI • SF600 • NH-U9S • LPX 32GB • 960EVO • I'm a self-identifying Corsair & Nvidia Fanboy; Get over it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted December 3, 2020 1 minute ago, ThatCoolBlueKidd said: It would be a matter of a few dollars comparing the offer I have received to buy my surface and the price of the Air M1 with the education discount I would get the MacBook. IMO the Macbook Air now is pretty much perfect with the exception of a few programs not working. That shouldn't be a problem anyways seeing how you have a good PC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted December 3, 2020 25 minutes ago, ThatCoolBlueKidd said: I have the opportunity to sell my Surface Pro 5 and buy a 2020 Macbook Air with the new M1. Is the base model Macbook Air M1 a better laptop vs the Surface Pro 5? I do like the Surface Pen and that it is touch screen/a 2-in-1, but mostly I use it as a glorified tablet or as a laptop but due to having to use the kickstand I am constantly worried about it falling over (especially when on a bed or on my lap). I still have a desktop so I do have access to windows when I need it. All my work is done on Microsoft Word & OneNote which are both available on Mac & Windows. Sounds to me like the M1 Macbook Air is a great laptop for you then. All the benefits of the Surface Pro doesn't really appeal to you. Software compatibility won't be an issue, you don't use the pen that much, and you don't use the tablet functionality that much either. So the drawbacks of the M1 Macbook Air aren't really big in your eyes, but I think you will really appreciate the benefits of the Macbook Air, such as the massive increase in performance (like 2-3 higher performance than your Surface Pro), longer battery life, instant-on, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted December 3, 2020 IMO, get an M1 MacBook Air and if you really want graphics tablet capabilities grab and iPad if you don't already have one in the future and use Apple Pencil, it's really good with desktop version of photoshop. You can use sidecar to extend your Mac display to your iPad, and photoshop will pick up pressure from the Apple Pencil over air display. I've personally used this setup and it's really nice, much better than a Wacom tablet 2 in 1 I had 6-7 years back. Platform agnostic software engineer & small business owner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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