Apple MacBook Air M2 15-inch laptop review
A 15-inch version of Apple's MacBook Air M2 laptop has been released, and it performs impressively for virtually all editing tasks, including picture and video processing.
With its biggest display yet, Apple's most popular laptop is perfect for creatives or students who don't want to be burdened by a heavy MacBook Pro.
Pros
Same excellent battery life and performance
Improved speakers
Larger display
Cons
Still very much the same as the 13-inch, just bigger
256GB SSD at low-end feels stingy
Design
The Apple MacBook Air has long been disregarded by consumers who prefer a bigger display. The 13-inch model with the M2 CPU that was introduced last year was a terrific laptop, but it lacked adequate display space for serious multitaskers or creatives.
That would have led many people to think about the outrageously costly 14-inch or even more expensive 16-inch MacBook Pros, but those who resisted have had their patience rewarded because the MacBook Air now comes in a 15-inch size.
This is effectively simply a bigger version of the 13-inch, so don't expect the M3 processor or any other performance improvements. However, that particular laptop underwent a substantial makeover last year, so there aren't many issues.
The display is excellent, if not quite as brilliant as the one on the MacBook Pro, and it has the same M2 processor, which provides excellent power and battery life. In fact, you'll still get 18 hours of battery life here despite the bigger screen size.
MagSafe, Apple's magnetic charging method, is also included, freeing up the USB-C ports (although you can still charge using them). The "notch" also houses a 1080p webcam, but we'll get to that in a moment.
Overall, it's a successful progression of what was already available, and the 15-inch monitor is considerably more suited for research, gaming, and side-by-side image comparison.
- Available in Midnight, Starlight, Space Gray, Silver
- Slim design
- Improved speakers
If you've seen a MacBook in the previous several years, especially if you've used the 13-inch model, you won't see much that will surprise you about this one.
This indicates that it still has an aluminum body, a reflective Apple logo on the back, and a very weightless, 3.3-pound construction.
Although none of the color selections are especially gaudy (our review device is the Starlight version), the Midnight one, in our opinion, can take up fingerprints more quickly than the others.
A MagSafe connector and two USB-C ports are located on the left side, while the right side only includes a 3.5mm headphone jack. The trackpad continues to be the greatest in its class, and the keyboard is on par with Apple's most recent attempts.
It was unexpected that there were no speaker grilles on either side of the keyboard, but Apple's engineers added speakers inside the hinge to make up for the 13-inch's one and only shortcoming by providing more room.
You came for the display, after all, and it won't let you down unless you're used to the MacBook Pro's Liquid Retina XDR panel. The 2880x1864 resolution is sharp enough, so that's more a matter of contrast than anything else.
Performance
- Vastly improved performance over Intel Macs
- Impressive battery life
- iPhone and iPad app compatibility (where supported)
The MacBook Air has the same M2 chip as its 13-inch sister, but it is still a remarkable engineering achievement that it can handle so many straightforward and intricate activities while maintaining an all-day battery life.
This is so that the MacBook Air doesn't have to continuously transmit data from one component to another. Many essential components are found on the same die. Even at the bottom end of the Apple processor family, there is a significant amount of power available when shared memory is taken into account and moved between workloads as and when it is required.
Naturally, as you move up in strength, you'll acquire more, but for 90% of people, this should be more than enough. The larger screen makes multitasking considerably easier, yet the MacBook Air maintains the same battery life as the smaller model while having a larger display.
Where feasible, you can run iPad or iPhone apps on the MacBook Air, much like other Apple Silicon Macs.
Our main complaint is that, given that this machine starts at roughly $1300 at the low end, 256GB of storage is a little meager. Since there are no post-purchase upgrades, we advise choosing the 512GB model if you can.
Apple 2022 MacBook Pro Laptop with M2 chip: 13-inch Retina Display, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD Storage.
Functionality
- Adobe Creative Cloud apps like Lightroom and Photoshop run well
- Display is great for image editing, but MacBook Pro's is better
- 1080p webcam and great microphone combo
Using Apple Silicon-optimized versions of Pixelmator, Photoshop, and Lightroom, this author put the MacBook Air through its paces.
The M2 chip handled difficult files and projects with ease, utilizing AI when necessary, and never ever showing signs of strain. Because there was no fan, it was also quiet.
Large numbers of layers could be exported as files with the same ease as on the MacBook Pro M1 Pro model, although we did miss the display's richer contrast, which may have provided a more realistic representation of your images. Something to take into account if you intend to use the MacBook Air as your primary editing system.Verdict
The 15-inch MacBook Air M2's combination of superb design, power-efficient performance, and a bigger display is expected to cause it to sell like hotcakes. It's the greatest the MacBook Air has ever been and is probably going to overtake all other models in terms of popularity.
While the 13-inch is great, the bigger display allows for more productivity, especially when it comes to multitasking. Because of its mix of mobility, power, and long battery life, it continues to be a modern marvel.
The MacBook Pro is the obvious comparison, but even for the 14-inch variant, its high cost makes it a sizable commitment. It does provide a better display and even more power, but many people may find it to be unnecessary.
Apple 2023 MacBook Air Laptop with M2 chip: 15.3-inch