Along with the launching of the newM3 MacBook Air , Apple shifted around its laptop range to make way for a new budget poser . Gone is theM1 MacBook Airthat had been in the lineup since 2020 and in its place is a new $ 999 model : the13 - in M2 MacBook Air .
While the monetary value is the same , the newest budget laptop is a Brobdingnagian upgrade in value . The M1 model had Apple ’s old design , chip , and screen , while the M2 model is an rising slope in every way . It has a newer design with slim bezel , a larger and brighter display with rounded corner , 1080p FaceTime camera , and spatial audio livelihood .
Apple is offering the M2 MacBook Air in the same four colours as the M3 models — midnight , starlight , space Asa Gray , silver — along with two processor options . The old M1 MacBook Air was only useable with the lowest processor—8 - core CPU with a 7 - kernel GPU — but you could upgrade the M2 central processing unit from an 8 - sum GPU to a 10 - core GPU for $ 100 . However , we would recommend drive the M3 framework at that percentage point , which also cost $ 1,099 .
Apple launch the MacBook Air in 2020 for $ 999 and despite its older design , it was an excellent budget car . However , without a cost cut in more than three years , the M1 Air has n’t been worth its cost tag since the M2 make it in mid-2022 .
Amazon and other retailers are still selling the M1 MacBook Air for $ 749 , a savings of $ 250 until supply extend out . If the M2 mannikin take care a similar discount after this yr , it will be one of the good Mac bargains ever . But for now , even at its full $ 999 price , the M2 MacBook Air get our full recommendation .
Read more about theNew MacBook Air M3 in our guide .
Apple 13-inch MacBook Air (M2, 2022)
