Last summer when I reviewed the 13-inch M2 MacBook Air (fave.co/ 3zbn711), I wrote, "For most of us, the new M2 MacBook Air is all the laptop we'll ever need." Well it's a year later, and Apple has given those who prefer larger laptops what they want: the same thing, only bigger.
This could be a shamelessly short review. It would be entirely accurate to say this 15-inch MacBook Air (fave.co/42P8JtH) is exactly like the 13-inch MacBook Air introduced last year, only with a bigger display (and thus chassis) and better speakers. That's it! Review over!
But seriously, if you have some idea of the 13-inch M2 MacBook Air, you know what to expect here. The M2 is no longer brand new, but it's still an absolutely excellent processor for everyday computing in a thin-and-light laptop. The display is bright sharp and colorful, but lacks ProMotion or HDR. The ports are the same. Battery life is excellent. Even the price is reasonable (for Apple), starting at $1,299/£1,399. (Our review configuration has 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD, which puts the price at $1,699/£1,799.)
WHAT'S DIFFERENT
It's probably best, and easiest, to describe what's different from the year-old 13-inch model I like so much. It's a short list.
The display is now 15.3 inches, up from 13.6 inches. That means a higher pixel count (2880x864), but the pixels per inch is about the same.
It weights 0.6 pounds more-of course. However, it has the same thickness as the 13-inch model and doesn't feel much heavier because the weight is distributed over a larger body. Also, the trackpad is larger, which fits well with the larger display.
This story is from the August 2023 edition of Macworld.
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This story is from the August 2023 edition of Macworld.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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