Expert’s Rating
Pros
Cons
Our Verdict
Until the M3 arrive , the 15 - inch MacBook Air is a fantastic option for anyone who wants a larger MacBook without spend 1000 on a 16 - inch MacBook Pro .
Last summer when I reviewed the13 - inch M2 MacBook Air , I write , “ For most of us , the new M2 MacBook Air is all the laptop we ’ll ever need . ” Well it ’s a year by and by , and Apple has given those who prefer larger laptop what they need : the same thing , only magnanimous .
This could be a shamelessly brusk review . It would be all accurate to say this15 - inch MacBook Airis exactly like the 13 - column inch MacBook Air introduced last year , only with a big display ( and thus chassis ) and better speakers . That ’s it ! Review over !
Can you tell which one is the 15-inch model?
But seriously , if you have some theme of the 13 - inch M2 MacBook Air , you do it what to expect here . The M2 is no longer brand new , but is still an absolutely excellent processor for everyday computation in a thin - and - light laptop . The video display is undimmed penetrative and colorful , but miss ProMotion or HDR . The port are the same . Battery biography is first-class . Even the Leontyne Price is reasonable ( for Apple ) , starting at $ 1,299/£1,399 . ( Our critical review contour has 16 GB of RAM and a 512 GB SSD , which puts the price at $ 1,699/£1,799 . )
Update 6/13 : The 15 - inch MacBook Air is now shipping fromApple.comandother retailers .
What’s different
It ’s probably best , and easy , to account what ’s unlike from the class - quondam 13 - in mannikin I like so much . It ’s a poor list .
The show is now 15.3 inches , up from 13.6 inch . That means a high pixel counting ( 2880 x 1864 ) , 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 - column inch model and doesn’tfeelmuch heavier because the weight is distributed over a larger body . Also , the trackpad is larger , which fits well with the larger show .
Can you tell which one is the 15-inch model?
Foundry
The battery is bigger at 66.5 watt - hours . Our video summation test , in which we played a download movie on a cringle with the display set to 150 nits , lasted about 8 percent longer – a total of almost exactly 19 time of day . In practice , with the display a little promising and motley casual use , the extra battery more or less offsets the drain from the bigger display . That means bombardment life is the same as the 13 - inch good example , which is a good thing .
There ’s a unexampled six - utterer audio system ( the 13 - inch example has a four - utterer organisation ) . That ’s two brace of military group - strike down woofers and one duet of tweet . It definitely go good , and impressive for such a tenuous laptop , but there ’s still a distinct want of bass . This is n’t your Modern dorm room party speech sound system .
Can you tell which one is the 15-inch model?
The Mary Leontyne Price is high , of course . It starts at $ 1,299 , which seems like a $ 200 price premium over the 13 - inch M2 MacBook Air ( now begin at $ 1,099 after a price deletion ) , but that ’s not quite the case . The 13 - inch entry point example has a version of the M2 with an 8 - center GPU , and to get the full 10 - core GPU is another $ 100 . The 15 - in MacBook Air always has the 10 - pith GPU , so it ’s really a $ 100 monetary value remainder . And under the old pricing , it coststhe sameas the comparable 13.6 - inch simulation .
What’s the same
Everything else is just as it is on the 13 - inch MacBook Air . The M2 deliver … well … M2 - like performance . It ’s not a brand - newfangled fleck anymore , and it performs about the same here as it does in the 13 - inch mannikin and the Mac mini . minuscule variations in performance can be attributed to slight change in OS versions or testing software , but you ’re not going to notice a mates of percentage here or there .
It should be noted that the 256 GB SSD option on the 13 - column inch M2 MacBook Air deliver half the storage execution as all other mental ability due to its function ofa individual NAND chip . We were unable to try out the 256 GB option on the raw 15 - in Air , but it stands to grounds that it ’s dead on target with the 15 - column inch model as well .
The presentation looks the same . It ’s just as bright ( up to 500 nits ) , same P3 wide color , and we ’re still disappointed that there ’s no HDR or ProMotion , at least one of which belongs in a laptop costing this much in the year 2023 .
That’s an awfully big notch for just a webcam.
The webcam , hiding behind a wide notch that we ca n’t help but feel is a heavy waste of blank , is the same improved 1080p webcam introduced last year . It ’s no longer an plethora , but not excellent . Itshouldbe excellent .
porthole are still two Thunderbolt / USB-4 on the leftfield , together with a separate MagSafe charging port . A long earphone jack sits on the right hand . As with all M1 / M2 MacBooks , you could only hook up one external display ( M1 / M2 Pro and Max can do more ) . We have an clause with workarounds tohook up more than one external show to an M2 MacBook .
The keyboard is identical , with a full single-valued function course , no Touch Bar , and a squeamish big Touch ID detector . The surplus quad is n’t enough for a full 10 - key act domiciliation , alas . Wireless features are the same : Wi - Fi 6 ( not 6e ) and Bluetooth 5.3 .
It’s not exactly an expansive selection of ports, but two Thunderbolt / USB-4 ports and a Thunderbolt port will serve you well.
A nice option, but we’re ready for the next generation
It ’s great that Apple is offer a 15 - column inch option for the MacBook Air . Some multitude just love gravid laptops , and you should n’t have to spend $ 2,499 on a 16 - column inch MacBook Pro to get a big Mac laptop .
We ca n’t blame Apple for sticking to what work with this model , despite get out a year after the 13 - inch model . It ’s the same laptop computer , with a bigger display . That ’s not spoiled . The 13 - inch M2 MacBook Pro is agreatgeneral - determination laptop for most people .
But it ’s a yr later , and we ca n’t avail but be dying for more . Naturally we ’re funny to see what an M3 has to offer , but there are other modification we ’d make . At this price , the display should go above 60Hz or at the very least tolerate variable refresh rate . Or , it should offer up HDR . The webcam should be good . I ca n’t help but finger that the huge pass deserves a full FaceID frame-up behind it .
If you want a big Mac laptop , you finally have an option that wo n’t cost you anywhere near to the price of a 16 - inch MacBook Pro . That ’s bang-up news . And the twelvemonth - old M2 still hold its own in this thin - and - swooning , general - usance category . Now , what ’s next ?
Best prices for 15 - inch MacBook Air , 512 GB mannikin :
