How are you determining "equivalent"? I don't agree with your conclusion at all.
My M2 MBA is 2.7lbs. The 14" MBP starts at 3.4lbs. That is a very noticeable 26% increase.
0.44 inches thick versus 0.61 inches thick is also noticeable.
I have a 14" MBP for work, so I have plenty of first hand experience with both devices.
The screen sizes of the relevant laptops are as follows:
MBA (13in): 13.6 inches
MBP (14in): 14.2 inches (+0.6in vs 13in MBA)
MBA (15in): 15.3 inches (+1.1in vs 14in MBP)
The 13-inch and 14-inch are significantly closer in size than the 14-inch and 15-inch.
To add an additional spec for clarity, by my math the relative screen areas are as follows:
MBA (13in): 84.36 square inches
MBP (14in): 91.63 square inches (+8.6% vs 13in MBA)
MBA (15in): 106.24 square inches (+16% vs 14in MBP)
Why would the "equivalent" be the 15-inch MBA? Even though I obviously believe the 13-inch MBA is a closer match (as the specs above clearly show), the 15-inch MBA does still manage to be thinner and (barely) lighter than the 14-inch MBP, even while offering a significantly larger screen, which is impressive to be sure.
I had four or five gens of MBA over the years and generally agree. The new form factor is just not the same. It is much more like a how I'd envision design on some modern "Macbook" proper.
But the Air brand has been so successful, I think they just called it that knowing it would help move units.
That said, I use MBA M2 for my main machine and its so powerful and has such a fantastic battery life it is still the best Mac I've had since 2015 MBA.
I really enjoy the wedge shape of the original MBA that was maintained until the 2020 MBA M1, they feel better to my wrists than the 13 in MBA M2.
The 15in MBA M2 however feels to me like a 2012 15in MBP (I had one of those as well). Except for the relative lack of ports which didn’t bother me too much so far.
My M2 MBA is 2.7lbs. The 14" MBP starts at 3.4lbs. That is a very noticeable 26% increase.
0.44 inches thick versus 0.61 inches thick is also noticeable.
I have a 14" MBP for work, so I have plenty of first hand experience with both devices.
The screen sizes of the relevant laptops are as follows:
The 13-inch and 14-inch are significantly closer in size than the 14-inch and 15-inch.To add an additional spec for clarity, by my math the relative screen areas are as follows:
Why would the "equivalent" be the 15-inch MBA? Even though I obviously believe the 13-inch MBA is a closer match (as the specs above clearly show), the 15-inch MBA does still manage to be thinner and (barely) lighter than the 14-inch MBP, even while offering a significantly larger screen, which is impressive to be sure.