also: work wouldn't spring for an i7?
(i have to assume you have this machine because of work, i can't imagine you'd spend your own money on JobsTech...)
Yes, the MacBook is a work machine and not only does it not have the i7, it only has 8GB of RAM and only 2 Thunderbolt ports. The Brand has no problem reminding me how inferior my "public sector" machine is to her "private sector" i7 with 16GB RAM and 4 Thunderbolt ports.
The iPhone 12 Pro on the other hand was all on me, well sort of. at&t gave me $700 for my Pixel 4XL and and another $200 for being a new customer so I spent $99 on it. I would have spent $99 for 4K Dolby Vision recording alone...
As I mentioned before, if I were to buy a new Macbook, I would wait until the Gen 2 M1 chip in a 14 inch variety - hopefully less bezels in approximately the same size as the current Macbook Pro.