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> I haven’t had even a tinge of feeling that I need to upgrade after getting my M1 Pro MBP. I upgraded my M1 MBP to a MacBook Air M3 15" and it was a major upg

> I haven’t had even a tinge of feeling that I need to upgrade after getting my M1 Pro MBP. I upgraded my M1 MBP to a MacBook Air M3 15" and it was a major upgrade. It is the same weight but 40% faster and so much nicer to work on while on the sofa or traveling. The screen is also brighter. I think very few people actually do need the heavy MBPs, especially not the web/full-stack devs who populate Hacker News. EDIT: The screens are not different in terms of brightness.

05 2y ago
Pretty sure Air displays don't support HDR, are they really brighter?
- bhouston 2y ago
  I am not sure. I notice a difference. Maybe it is just screen age related?
  - 05 2y ago
    They supposedly have the same base brightness (500 nits), with Pro allowing up to 1000 in HDR mode (and up to 1600 peak). Air doesn't support 120Hz refresh either. There's an app that allows to unlock max brightness on Pros (Vivid)[0] even without HDR content (no affiliation). HDR support is most noticeable when viewing iPhone photos and videos, since iPhones shoots in HDR by default. [0] https://www.getvivid.app https://www.getvivid.app
    - bhouston 2y ago
      I just looked at it again side by side and I think they are actually the same. Not sure why I earlier thought they were different.
    - nottorp 2y ago
      On a tangent, if I have a M3 pro laptop how do I test HDR? Download a test movie from where, play it with what? I may or may have not seen HDR content accidentally, but I’m not sure.
      - inDigiNeous 2y ago
        You can just search for HDR videos in Youtube.
      - qubitcoder 2y ago
        You can search for videos on YouTube and filter by HDR. Apple TV shows are typically in HDR (Dolby Vision). Here are a couple of examples: [0] Hawaii LG Demo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WBJzp-y4BHA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WBJzp-y4BHA [1] Nature Demo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFFGbZIqi3U https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFFGbZIqi3U YouTube shows a small red "HDR" label on the video settings icon for actual HDR content. For this label to appear, the display must support HDR. With your M3 Pro, the HDR label should appear in Chrome and Safari. You can also right-click on the video to enable "Stats for nerds" for more details. Next to color, look for "smpte2084 (PQ) / bt2020". That's usually the highest-quality HDR video [2,3]. You can ignore claims such as "Dolby Vision/Audio". YouTube doesn't support those formats, even if the source material used it. When searching for videos, apply the HDR filter afterward to avoid videos falsely described as "HDR". Keep in mind that macOS uses a different approach when rendering HDR content. Any UI elements outside the HDR content window will be slightly dimmed, while the HDR region will use the full dynamic range. I consider Vivid [4] an essential app for MacBook Pro XDR displays. Once installed, you can keep pressing the "increase brightness" key to go beyond the default SDR range, effectively doubling the brightness of your display without sacrificing color accuracy. It's especially useful outdoors, even indoors, depending on the lighting conditions. And fantastic for demoing content to colleagues or in public settings (like conference booths). [2] https://www.benq.com/en-us/knowledge-center/knowledge/bt2020.html https://www.benq.com/en-us/knowledge-center/knowledge/bt2020... [3] https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/32320 https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/32320 (see section 4) [4] https://www.getvivid.app/ https://www.getvivid.app/
        nottorp 2y ago
        > With your M3 Pro, the HDR label should appear in Chrome and Safari. Ahh. Not Firefox, of course. Thanks, I just ran a random nature video in Safari. It was pretty. The commercials before it were extremely annoying though. I don't think it's even legal here to have so many ads per minute of content as Google inserts on youtube.
rizzaxc 2y ago
the Air doesn't have ProMotion right? that feature is non-negotiable on any display for me nowadays
- sroussey 2y ago
  I have ProMotion on my MBP and iPhone but… it’s ok? Honestly, I use an older computer or iPhone temporarily and don’t notice a difference. I’m looking forward to the day I notice the difference so I can appreciate what I have.
  - microtonal 2y ago
    I find 60Hz on the non-Pro iPhone obnoxious since switching to 120Hz screens. On the other hand, I do not care much about 60Hz when it comes to computer screens. I think touch interfaces make low refresh rates much more noticeable.
    - nottorp 2y ago
      I wonder. Do you do a lot of doom scrolling? I can’t understand the people who notice the 120 hz adaptive refresh whatever and one guess is their use is a lot twitchier than mine.
      - deleted 2y ago
        [deleted]
      - microtonal 2y ago
        No doomscrolling at all. Even when switching between home screens is like it's dropping frames left and right (it's not of course, but that's what it looks like coming from 120Hz). A Galaxy A54 that we still have in the house that was just over 300 Euro feels much smoother than my old iPhone 15 that cost close to 1000 Euro because it has a 120Hz screen. Even 90Hz (like on some Pixels) is substantially better than the iPhone's 60Hz.
        2y ago
tebbers 2y ago
Looked at it but ruled out the Air due to lack of ports and limited RAM upgrades.
macNchz 2y ago
> I think very few people actually do need the heavy MBPs, especially not the web/full-stack devs who populate Hacker News. I can fairly easily get my M1 Air to have thermal issues while on extended video calls with some Docker containers running, and have been on calls with others having the same issue. Kind of sucks if it's, say, an important demo. I mostly use it as a thin client to my desktop when I'm away from home, so it's not really an issue, but if I were using it as a primary device I'd want a machine with a fan.
- bhouston 2y ago
  That makes sense from your workflow needs. I try to avoid docker in general during local dev and luckily it has worked out for me even with microservice architectures. It reduces dramatically CPU and RAM needs and also reduces cycle time.

05 2y ago

Pretty sure Air displays don't support HDR, are they really brighter?

bhouston 2y ago
I am not sure. I notice a difference. Maybe it is just screen age related?
- 05 2y ago
  They supposedly have the same base brightness (500 nits), with Pro allowing up to 1000 in HDR mode (and up to 1600 peak). Air doesn't support 120Hz refresh either. There's an app that allows to unlock max brightness on Pros (Vivid)[0] even without HDR content (no affiliation). HDR support is most noticeable when viewing iPhone photos and videos, since iPhones shoots in HDR by default. [0] https://www.getvivid.app https://www.getvivid.app
  - bhouston 2y ago
    I just looked at it again side by side and I think they are actually the same. Not sure why I earlier thought they were different.
  - nottorp 2y ago
    On a tangent, if I have a M3 pro laptop how do I test HDR? Download a test movie from where, play it with what? I may or may have not seen HDR content accidentally, but I’m not sure.
    - inDigiNeous 2y ago
      You can just search for HDR videos in Youtube.
    - qubitcoder 2y ago
      You can search for videos on YouTube and filter by HDR. Apple TV shows are typically in HDR (Dolby Vision). Here are a couple of examples: [0] Hawaii LG Demo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WBJzp-y4BHA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WBJzp-y4BHA [1] Nature Demo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFFGbZIqi3U https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFFGbZIqi3U YouTube shows a small red "HDR" label on the video settings icon for actual HDR content. For this label to appear, the display must support HDR. With your M3 Pro, the HDR label should appear in Chrome and Safari. You can also right-click on the video to enable "Stats for nerds" for more details. Next to color, look for "smpte2084 (PQ) / bt2020". That's usually the highest-quality HDR video [2,3]. You can ignore claims such as "Dolby Vision/Audio". YouTube doesn't support those formats, even if the source material used it. When searching for videos, apply the HDR filter afterward to avoid videos falsely described as "HDR". Keep in mind that macOS uses a different approach when rendering HDR content. Any UI elements outside the HDR content window will be slightly dimmed, while the HDR region will use the full dynamic range. I consider Vivid [4] an essential app for MacBook Pro XDR displays. Once installed, you can keep pressing the "increase brightness" key to go beyond the default SDR range, effectively doubling the brightness of your display without sacrificing color accuracy. It's especially useful outdoors, even indoors, depending on the lighting conditions. And fantastic for demoing content to colleagues or in public settings (like conference booths). [2] https://www.benq.com/en-us/knowledge-center/knowledge/bt2020.html https://www.benq.com/en-us/knowledge-center/knowledge/bt2020... [3] https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/32320 https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/32320 (see section 4) [4] https://www.getvivid.app/ https://www.getvivid.app/
      - nottorp 2y ago
        > With your M3 Pro, the HDR label should appear in Chrome and Safari. Ahh. Not Firefox, of course. Thanks, I just ran a random nature video in Safari. It was pretty. The commercials before it were extremely annoying though. I don't think it's even legal here to have so many ads per minute of content as Google inserts on youtube.

rizzaxc 2y ago

the Air doesn't have ProMotion right? that feature is non-negotiable on any display for me nowadays

sroussey 2y ago
I have ProMotion on my MBP and iPhone but… it’s ok? Honestly, I use an older computer or iPhone temporarily and don’t notice a difference. I’m looking forward to the day I notice the difference so I can appreciate what I have.
- microtonal 2y ago
  I find 60Hz on the non-Pro iPhone obnoxious since switching to 120Hz screens. On the other hand, I do not care much about 60Hz when it comes to computer screens. I think touch interfaces make low refresh rates much more noticeable.
  - nottorp 2y ago
    I wonder. Do you do a lot of doom scrolling? I can’t understand the people who notice the 120 hz adaptive refresh whatever and one guess is their use is a lot twitchier than mine.
    - deleted 2y ago
      [deleted]
    - microtonal 2y ago
      No doomscrolling at all. Even when switching between home screens is like it's dropping frames left and right (it's not of course, but that's what it looks like coming from 120Hz). A Galaxy A54 that we still have in the house that was just over 300 Euro feels much smoother than my old iPhone 15 that cost close to 1000 Euro because it has a 120Hz screen. Even 90Hz (like on some Pixels) is substantially better than the iPhone's 60Hz.
      - 2y ago

tebbers 2y ago

Looked at it but ruled out the Air due to lack of ports and limited RAM upgrades.

macNchz 2y ago

> I think very few people actually do need the heavy MBPs, especially not the web/full-stack devs who populate Hacker News. I can fairly easily get my M1 Air to have thermal issues while on extended video calls with some Docker containers running, and have been on calls with others having the same issue. Kind of sucks if it's, say, an important demo. I mostly use it as a thin client to my desktop when I'm away from home, so it's not really an issue, but if I were using it as a primary device I'd want a machine with a fan.

bhouston 2y ago
That makes sense from your workflow needs. I try to avoid docker in general during local dev and luckily it has worked out for me even with microservice architectures. It reduces dramatically CPU and RAM needs and also reduces cycle time.