I just bought the MacBook Pro 2022 over the MacBook Air

I simply bought the MacBook Pro 2020 over the MacBook Air — here'southward why

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The MacBook Pro 2020 (13-inch) couldn't have arrived at a better time; at least, not at a improve fourth dimension for me. Less than a month agone, my 2015 MacBook Pro lost a battle to a spilled St. Germaine and soda.

I didn't fret, fifty-fifty with the knowledge that finding an open repair shop during a pandemic would exist pretty much incommunicable. That'due south because rumors of a new MacBook Pro launching presently provided a silver (or Space Gray) lining to the situation.

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That's right. I knew I would buy whatever laptop Apple planned to reveal this month. Fifty-fifty if it didn't sport a xiv-inch display or offer a webcam boost, so long every bit the MacBook Pro 2020 had the Magic Keyboard, Apple already had my coin.

Perhaps such blind loyalty isn't something I should be proud of, but there's something to be said for how well and for how long my now-broken computer served me.

My first-ever MacBook Pro gave me five great years of writing, streaming and Adobe suite-ing. Information technology got me through college, where I edited a 60-page student magazine and ran a resume-making business organization. When I got locked out of the media labs at midnight, I could piece of work on curt video projects dorsum in my dorm, and so sentry YouTube videos online before I went to bed.

I wanted another practice-information technology-all computer I could rely on for another 5 years. Or even longer. I might not be an active gamer or graphic designer correct now, but having a machine that's versatile enough for whatever project, hobby or chore I want to accept up in my mid- or belatedly twenties is of import to me.

Why not the MacBook Air or 16-inch Pro?

I decided non to selection the newly-released and set up-to-transport MacBook Air. Though my colleague Henry T. Casey gave it iv stars in his MacBook Air 2020 review, he suggested I try to wait. The performance fared fine for coincidental use, but the Air struggled with multi-tasking and didn't "wow" on benchmarks. I don't need "wow," but I do demand powerful and all-purpose.

So why not the 16-inch MacBook Pro that launched in December, you might ask? Take yous seen the size of that affair? I've never gravitated towards a 15-inch computer in my life. I wouldn't know how to pack information technology for travel, nor would information technology fit in any backpack I currently own. And of all that beastly computer's bells and whistles, the 16-inch MacBook Pro review raved virtually over the Magic Keyboard, which I'll get on my 13-inch MacBook Pro anyway. If only it were waterproof, too.

The 16-inch model'southward starting $2,399 cost deterred me, likewise. While I'm of the conventionalities splendid and long-lasting technology can justify a high cost tag, I paid half of that ($ane,199) for my 2015 MacBook Pro.

Why I got the $ane,799 model

Now, I know Apple tin be beautiful about its configurations. The new MacBook Pro may get-go at $1,299, but that entry-level model packs last year's processor. Merely the two superlative tier versions, priced at $1,799 and $ane,999, offer Intel's 10-gen flake. Notwithstanding, the 16-inch model makes that sound cheap.

But $i,799, which is how much I merely spent for my new laptop, definitely isn't inexpensive. 2d to tickets to see Beyonce at Coachella, I've never spent that much in ane sitting. Merely I'm getting a lot for my money: the newest processor, a 512GB SSD, 16GB of fast 3733 MHz RAM, and four Thunderbolt iii ports. And, hopefully, another 5-plus years of reliable performance.

That said, I probably wouldn't have upgraded to this new 13-inch MacBook if my 5-year-old i hadn't met its untimely demise. I know I could accept squeezed at least another spin around of the Sun out if it, but some things but aren't meant to be. Especially not laptops and alcohol.

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Kate Kozuch is a senior writer at Tom'due south Guide covering wearables, TVs and everything smart-home related. When she's not in cyborg fashion, you tin find her on an exercise bike or channeling her inner celebrity chef. She and her robot army volition rule the world one solar day, but until then, attain her at kate.kozuch@futurenet.com.