MacBook Pro vs MacBook Air for uni in Australia – upgrade worth it?

Hey everyone,

I’m a uni student in Australia and looking to upgrade my MacBook. I currently have a 2020 MacBook Pro (Intel) and honestly the biggest issue is the battery life. Unplugged, I get about an hour of use max and that’s just normal usage. Watching videos or multitasking drains it even faster.

I was quoted $300–$500 for a battery replacement and at that point I started wondering if it’s worth putting that money into an older Intel Mac or if I should just upgrade instead.

I’ve heard nothing but good things about Apple silicon and how much better the performance and battery life are compared to Intel so I’ve been looking at my options with the education discount:

•MacBook Pro 14-inch (M5 chip) – $2349 with AirPods 4

•MacBook Air 13-inch (M4 chip) – $1579 with AirPods 4

I’ve always owned Pro models, i really don’t mind having to spent that extra but will it make the difference. I’ve never had an Air, so that’s where I’m a bit unsure. I’m not doing anything technical or heavy. Just uni work, lots of tabs, videos, documents, multitasking etc. I mainly want something smooth, quick, reliable, and with good battery life.

My main questions are:

•Would a MacBook Air comfortably handle this kind of use?

•Would the M4 Air still outperform my current Intel MacBook Pro?

•Is it worth spending the extra for the Pro, or is the Air more than enough for what I need?

Keen to hear from anyone who’s made a similar switch or has experience with both. Thanks heaps!