MacBook Air 13inch or 15 inch?

[AngryofTunbridgeWells]

My ten and a half year old MacBook Air is slowly dying and I need to replace it. It’s been brilliant (I’m very attached to it!) and worked perfectly.

I was looking at 2025 models (basically as they’re cheaper and not much different to the 2025) and wondered about a refurbished 15inch one from the Apple Store (I darent get refurbished from anywhere eise.) It’s either that or, for £100 less, the 13 inch from somewhere like Curry’s (in light blue which, shallow as it is, I am not keen on!)

My current one is 11 inches so smaller than both the bigger models. I use it for writing, web browsing, occasionally watching things mainly. I used to take my old one out and about a bit, but haven’t done for the last few years as it needs to be plugged in now. I don’t know if I’d need the new one to be particularly portable or not as I’m out the habit.

If you have one or the other, what do you think of if size wise and is there anything obvious that makes you pleased with it that I might not have thought of.

I am probably going to go and look in the Apple Store sometime this week but I’m seeing this thread as a bit of a heads up before I get consumer blindness! I also don’t want to have to replace this one for a looooooooong time!

One is heavier if you watch things in bed with it on your chest as you lie down …

If I watch something, it’s on the kitchen table (as DH is watching something on the TV in the lounge.)

I realise I can discover this myself in a shop, but is it significantly heavier…?

Get the bigger one. I’ve got and have used 13 and 15 for years and the 15 is so much easier. For the Air the weight is not so much of a significant factor as the Pro.
edited to add I bought a 2025 air 15“ for personal use and it’s lighter than my work laptop which is a 13“ pro

Why is it so much easier?

I should add, I can’t get the refurbed version of the 13 inch one, only the 15. This is kind of what started me looking. It’d be about £100 more so if it lasts as long as my current one, it isn’t terribly significant.

I would go with the bigger one - it's still small enough to easily take out and about. My 19 inch laptop still fits easily into a backpack.

A bigger screen makes it easier to multi task with two apps open side by side without having the text be tiny or the workspace so small it won't format properly.

Have a look in the shop if you are not fully sure, but beware that refurbished items are usually much lower stock and can sell out quite quickly. I've missed out on a few deals by dithering.

Thanks - and yes, very good point about dithering! I don’t really want to spend more than I have to either!

Exactly this, it’s easier because if you spend significant time looking at a laptop screen (which I do) and you move between a 13 and 15 regularly, you feel the difference using a 15. It’s easier to move between windows and just generally nicer to use.Also to add, 100 quid extra is nothing in terms of a MacBook. It’s a no brainer. Seriously.

Thanks @MaggieBsBoat

Being honest, I only started to consider the bigger one as they are currently available refurbished but I think I am starting to lean towards it more now. I suppose even the 13 inch (which I did physically look at) seemed ‘big’ compared to my current one.

I got a refurb from somewhere like Hoxton computers and it's very good

These lads. https://www.hoxtonmacs.co.uk/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=paid&utm_campaign=22682767166&utm_content=&utm_term=&gadid=&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22686459304&gbraid=0AAAAADpYGD1_qLhqajNfytxHGtQTJbvM1&gclid=CjwKCAjwuO_QBhAWEiwAIkVhU-QS10tCN2grQGg9mS-JdjWD_gmULGM4vma5NSpAmalVcgpFhtYP5hoC98EQAvD_BwE

I prefer the smaller one, but I cart it about a lot. I miss how lightweight my old MacBook Air was and the new ones are chunkier but have terrific battery life.

Argh! I’ve just ordered it! It’s been a very expensive morning!

Thank you for your help!

Have fun! I'm saving up for a new laptop myself and hoping my current one doesn't die before I get close. It's already shutting down as soon as the GPU hits 73c so I'm having to throttle it. It's served me well since 2017 and I'm hoping I can get another 18 months out of it.

Prices are so insane at the moment that anything under £1k has worse specs than my current laptop so I can't bring myself to spend that much on a downgrade (if I even had that much!).

The m4 is insane. I have the 13inch from work and wish it was bigger slightly

Congrats on your purchase, OP! I've bought refurbished from the Apple store a few times and I've never had a problem.

hope you're happy with it. I have the 15" macbook pro. It's heavy, but with my eyesight no longer what it used to be, the extra screen space is helpful for larger text. (my last laptop was the 13" macbook pro; I'm glad I got the bigger version this time)

@DoAWheelie I have been putting it off a lot too. It’s a LOT of money, even though I do use it every day. I just don’t want it to completely die before I can get stuff off it which is why I took the plunge today.