I’ve been using the 16-inch MacBook Pro M3 (18GB RAM/512GB SSD) for about two weeks, after upgrading from my 2017 13-inch MacBook Pro. That old MacBook wasn’t exactly failing—aside from the random fan noise and a battery that barely made it through the day—but it was time to move on.

I debated the new 15-inch MacBook Air (16GB RAM/512GB SSD) and the 16-inch Pro. I even bought both to see which one felt right. The Air had some serious perks. It’s lighter and more portable, and the weight difference was noticeable in my backpack, though not enough to make a huge impact. Plus, it’s more than powerful enough for what I do—research, writing, email, and the occasional heavy-lift task.

But here’s the thing: the Pro’s display hits differently. The 120Hz refresh rate on its own didn’t blow me away. But when you combine that with the overall improvements in brightness, contrast, and color accuracy, it adds up. It’s the kind of upgrade that’s subtle initially, but the differences quickly become impossible to ignore.

Using the 16-inch Pro feels like a new experience. The Air’s 15-inch screen is solid, no doubt, and coming from my old 13-inch, it was a big improvement. But the Pro’s display transforms how I interact with a laptop entirely. It’s like going from an iPhone 5 to an iPhone 7—suddenly everything looks and feels better in a way that’s hard to quantify but impossible to go back from.

Has anyone else had a similar experience with the 16-inch Pro, or can you relate to how the display changed your overall laptop experience? Would love to hear your thoughts!