15-inch MacBook Air review: Hits the sweet spot for portability and power

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in Current Mac Hardware edited June 2023

After years of rumors, Apple has released the long-awaited 15-inch MacBook Air. While there isn't anything flashy about it, it's a well-positioned Mac, and a good balance of portability, power, and size.

15-inch MacBook Air
15-inch MacBook Air



There aren't any breakthroughs in the 15-inch MacBook Air. Apple has laid the groundwork for this machine through its existing MacBook Air and MacBook Pro, and it's an obvious evolution.

You won't find a single "unique" feature to this Mac other than its wonderful form factor. That isn't a bad thing though, as nearly every aspect of the 15-inch MacBook Air is polished.

MacBook Air 15-inch review -- Laying the groundwork



The 15-inch MacBook Air runs on Apple's tried and true M2 chip. This is exactly the same one found in the 13-inch MacBook Air and entry-level 13-inch MacBook Pro.

At the entry-level, it sticks with the 10-core CPU, though Apple does include the more capable 10-core GPU which is an upcharge for the 13-inch MacBook Air.

The new 15-inch MacBook Air
The new 15-inch MacBook Air



It starts with 256GB of storage, configurable to up to 2TB, and 8GB of unified memory, configurable to 24GB.

For connectivity, it uses Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.3. Interestingly, most of Apple's recent releases have offered Wi-Fi 6E which raises questions why it isn't found here.

Some had speculated that Apple was intending to release this earlier, possibly with the M3, but when the M3 was delayed, Apple put the machine out with the existing M2.

We can't say if that's true or not, but Wi-Fi is one of the few specs this machine is lacking.

15-inch MacBook Air ports
Ports on the 15-inch MacBook Air



Down the left-hand side of the machine, you'll find a slim MagSafe 3 charging port and two Thunderbolt 4 ports. On the right-hand side is a sole 3.5mm audio jack.

If familiar, it's because these are the same port offerings found on its little brother. Now that Apple included MagSafe 3 again, the two USB-C ports aren't as in demand.



The new display is a vivid 15.3-inch Liquid Retina Display. Liquid, referring to the rounded corners that match that of the enclosure, and Retina meaning at a normal distance you can't discern individual pixels with the naked eye.

There are no ProMotion or mini-LEDs here, but it still is a capable display. It measures in at 2880 by 1864 in resolution giving you a density of 224 PPI.

This display supports TrueTone to adjust its color based on the environment, the P3 wide color gamut, and has up to 500 nits of brightness.

Apple offers the 15-inch variant of the MacBook Air in the same four colors as the 13-inch; Space Gray, silver, Starlight, and Midnight.

Midnight MacBook Air
Midnight MacBook Air



We've been spending time with the Midnight version. It looks great, even if it does collect fingerprints like crazy. We can't tell you the number of times we had to wipe down the machine while shooting photos and video

Included with the new Air is your choice of power adapter. Apple offers either a 35W dual USB-C power brick or a 70W single-USB power brick.

35W dual USB-c power supply
35W dual USB-C power supply



The 70W option will let you fast charge your MacBook Air, delivering 50 percent battery in only 30 minutes. The other lets you power up two devices at once and is an overall smaller brick for travel.

Both are solid options and it's cool that Apple lets you choose what power adapter you bundle with your Mac. Plus, it's at no added cost, unlike the 13-inch Air that charges an extra $20 for the convenience.

That larger display in the MacBook Air 15-inch



The big news here is the new display 15-inch display. It's the second-largest portable display that Apple makes while also at one of the cheapest price points.

It has a notch in the top to hold the 1080P FaceTime camera, something we don't mind or notice at this point after living with it on the previous Air and Pro models.

the 14-inch MacBook Pro screen versus 15-inch MacBook Air screen
The 14-inch MacBook Pro screen versus 15-inch MacBook Air screen



The added screen real estate is substantial, removing the cramped feeling we'd sometimes get on the 13-inch Air when working with a bunch of windows. 15 inches is an excellent screen size that fits more on-screen while not being overly large.

It fits on our lap, our desk, and a coffee shop table without looking like it's too large and out of place.

Spec-wise, this is the same display as the 13-inch, just bigger. We've always liked the 13-inch display for what it was and that goes unchanged for the 15-inch.

Looking at HDR photos, and watching videos, is a joy. We're sure there is a subset of people that will demand the mini-LED or ProMotion, but we don't see them as dealbreakers here.

15-inch MacBook Air in silver
15-inch MacBook Air display in silver



Added brightness would have been nice, as we did use this laptop out in the sun a lot. Even in Apple's Steve Jobs Theater where we first demoed the laptop was it slightly hard to see with the abundance of natural sunlight.

MacBook Air 15-inch review -- Speakers and microphones



Apple dropped six speakers into the new 15-inch MacBook Air, two more than on the 13-inch and on par with the 14-inch Pro.

Two dedicated tweeters and two sets of force-canceling woofers comprise the audio system. With four woofers, you get double the bass response compared to the 13-inch.

Playing back music and watching videos on the 15-inch does sound better than the 13-inch, but it comes up shy compared to the 14-inch Pro.

The new Air sports a new six-speaker array
The 15-inch Air sports a new six-speaker array



The 14-inch Pro has these tiny perforations along the edges of the keyboard, allowing the audio to pass through. The 15-inch Air ejects audio from behind the keyboard and against the display.

It does support Dolby Atmos Spatial Audio but like with the other Macs the effect isn't super-impressive. AirPods will get you a better spatialized audio experience.

For microphones, Apple has three built into the 15-inch Air for FaceTime calls, podcasts, or other recordings.

MacBook Air 15-inch review - Apple's M2 chip still flies



The new 15-inch MacBook Air just hit store shelves, and people are already discussing the existence of an M3. It'd be no surprise that Apple is working on an updated version with a next-gen chipset but doesn't necessarily mean the current model is outdated.

The 15-inch Air is indeed arriving at the tail end of the M2 lifespan, but the chip isn't showing its age. For every common task, the M2 is more than enough power.

Benchmarking the new MacBook Air
Benchmarking the new MacBook Air



The single-core score of the 15-inch MacBook Air, expectedly, is on par with the much pricier 14-inch MacBook Pro with the M2 Pro. The MacBook Air notched 2623 and the MacBook Pro 2684.




Your average tasks will all be single-core. Opening apps, reading emails, messaging, browsing online, and typing are all single-core tasks you probably do everyday. And the M2 gives you the same performance as the M2 Pro and M2 Max.

With the multi-core, the M2 Pro is understandably more. In this case, you're comparing a 12-core chip to the MacBook Air's 10-core.




Score-wise, we got 10035 for the 15-inch MacBook Air with the 10-core M2 and 12281 for the 14-inch MacBook Pro with the 12-core M2 Pro in Geekbench 6.1. Entirely proportional.

What was more telling about the MacBook Air's compromises was our benchmarking in Cinebench. Cinebench R23 taxes the processor for an extended period compared to Geekbench and shows how sustained performance is affected.

With its fanless design, the 15-inch MacBook Air scored 8351, and the actively-cooled 14-inch MacBook Pro 11830 on the multi-core test.

The Pro's fan helped keep the processor running at higher speeds for longer. It's a tradeoff because you can get better performance with the fans but you lose out on the completely silent operation.

It's with these multi-core, sustained tasks the 15-inch MacBook Air will start to feel limited. Jobs like compiling Xcode projects, rendering graphics, or editing high-end video.

As with the redesigned 13-inch MacBook Air, the SSD is slower on the entry-level configuration. As before, there is a single flash chip in the entry-level, and two in the upgraded models.




The 512GB capacity we tested wrote at about 3100 megabytes per second, and read at about 2800 megabytes per second. The 256GB version has essentially symmetrical read and write speeds of 1450 megabytes per second.

At the entry level, this is still plenty fast for the target market at the low end. If you must have the faster speeds, it'll run you $200 to get more storage plus faster speed. Or, get a MacBook Pro.

Who is the MacBook Air 15-inch for?



The new MacBook Air is a sweet spot. We won't go as far as to say the form factor is perfect, but it is certainly close.

15-inch MacBook Air versus 14-inch MacBook Pro
Thickness of 15-inch MacBook Air (left) against the 14-inch MacBook Pro (right)



When we compared it to the 14-inch MacBook Pro, the Pro felt very dense and heavy, while the long and thin MacBook Air deceived us into thinking it was lighter than it was.

The larger overall footprint for the display, combined with the thin body, gives you this amazingly thin and portable-feeling Mac. We love this form factor.

The top of the new MacBook Air
The top of the new MacBook Air



Apple has more options in its portable lineup than ever before. There are M1 and M2 versions of the 13-inch MacBook Air, the 15-inch MacBook Air, an M2 13-inch MacBook Pro with the old design, and various chip options for the 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro.

Making a decision can be daunting.

This new Air somewhat simplifies things as it has a clear audience. It is for those that want a larger screen while prioritizing portability -- and it does so at an excellent price point.

Unless you have some "pro"-oriented need, the Air lineup will serve you admirably. You can even outfit the MacBook Air with the same storage and memory options as the 14-inch Pro and come in at $300 cheaper.

For that $300, you lose out on expanded external display support, the M2 Pro and its added cores and better GPU, and additional ports. But your average user, whether for work, school, or home use, won't miss those features.

Portability and weight is king, and that's where the 15-inch MacBook Air stands out. You get the same experience as the 13-inch MacBook Air with a two-inch larger display.

The new MacBook Air isn't for everybody, but it fits well enough into a sweet spot that will appeal to plenty of customers. And we're here for it.

15-inch MacBook Air pros

  • Form factor enhances ultra-thin design

  • Screen looks great, even if lacking ProMotion

  • M2 is great chip

  • Color-matched MagSafe cable

  • Two power adapter options for no upcharge

15-inch MacBook Air cons

  • External display support is still lacking

  • Late in the M2 cycle

  • Can be a tough call between the new Air and discounted Pro

  • Only Wi-Fi 6

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Where to buy Apple's M2 MacBook Air 15-inch

AppleInsider

readers can save on the laptops in our MacBook Air 15-inch Price Guide.

The Price Guide allows shoppers to compare prices across numerous Apple resellers. At press time, B&H and Amazon.com are embroiled in a price war on the new machines.

Shoppers can also jump directly to exclusive deals at Adorama.com. With promo code APINSIDER, customers can save $60 on retail configurations plus $40 off AppleCare.

Every 13-inch M2 Air is also on sale in our M2 MacBook Air 13-inch Price Guide, with the best discounts across the product range highlighted in our roundup of MacBook Air deals.

Read on AppleInsider

dewme

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 18
    charlesncharlesn Posts: 1,083member
    Great review, thanks! It would be helpful to know how the throttling shown in the Cinebench scores translates in real world tasks. Too often in the technosphere, that kind of benchmark test gets translated into something like, “It can’t edit video,” which isn’t the case at all. When does that throttling kick-in when performing a task like editing 4 K video and what is the real world difference in time needed to perform a given task? I’ve already seen discounts of $100 on the base machine which is Incredible for a laptop of this screen size and power in such a polished machine. 
    Alex1Nwatto_cobra
  • Reply 2 of 18
    Rogue01Rogue01 Posts: 178member
    When you upgrade the memory and storage in the 15" MacBook Air, you are only a few hundred dollars away from the 14" MacBook Pro with more memory and the same storage configuration.  The 14" MacBook Pro is a faster Mac, with more features, and offers a much better cooling system than the MacBook Air.  The article mentioned the benefits, but forgot to mention that the 14" has a better cooling system, which is important because the Air will throttle sooner and more often than the 14" model.  I think most would prefer the 14" model for a few hundred dollars more.
    pulseimageswilliamlondonAlex1Ndewmewatto_cobra
  • Reply 3 of 18
    Rogue01 said:
    When you upgrade the memory and storage in the 15" MacBook Air, you are only a few hundred dollars away from the 14" MacBook Pro with more memory and the same storage configuration.  The 14" MacBook Pro is a faster Mac, with more features, and offers a much better cooling system than the MacBook Air.  The article mentioned the benefits, but forgot to mention that the 14" has a better cooling system, which is important because the Air will throttle sooner and more often than the 14" model.  I think most would prefer the 14" model for a few hundred dollars more.
    The 14” MacBook Pro also has a fantastic mini LED display that yields extremely high contrast ratios, near perfect black background, and also has pro motion. 
    Alex1Nwatto_cobraAlex_V
  • Reply 4 of 18
    XedXed Posts: 2,829member
    Wait a minute! Apple is finally offering dual-USB-C ports on their PSUs? When did this start? And why does the 70W only have a single port option? Are either of these GaN?
    edited June 2023 watto_cobra
  • Reply 5 of 18
    chutzpahchutzpah Posts: 392member
    Xed said:
    Wait a minute! Apple is finally offering dual-USB-C ports on their PSUs? When did this start? And why does the 70W only have a single port option? Are either of these GaN?
    About a year ago

    https://appleinsider.com/articles/22/06/06/apples-new-35w-power-adapter-can-charge-two-devices-at-once

    XedAlex1Nwatto_cobra
  • Reply 6 of 18
    thedbathedba Posts: 776member
    Rogue01 said:
    When you upgrade the memory and storage in the 15" MacBook Air, you are only a few hundred dollars away from the 14" MacBook Pro with more memory and the same storage configuration.  The 14" MacBook Pro is a faster Mac, with more features, and offers a much better cooling system than the MacBook Air.  The article mentioned the benefits, but forgot to mention that the 14" has a better cooling system, which is important because the Air will throttle sooner and more often than the 14" model.  I think most would prefer the 14" model for a few hundred dollars more.
    Except that these machines are not meant for your prosumer and above video editors. 
    The base 8GB RAM is enough for the vast majority of regular folks that do e-mails, word processing, spreadsheet kind of work. 
    If I would suggest an upgrade for regular folk, I would say upgrade the storage. Nowadays 256GB is hardly enough with all the photos that so many store locally. 
    Alex1Nwilliamlondonwatto_cobra
  • Reply 7 of 18
    nubusnubus Posts: 578member
    thedba said:
    The base 8GB RAM is enough for the vast majority of regular folks that do e-mails, word processing, spreadsheet kind of work. 
    If I would suggest an upgrade for regular folk, I would say upgrade the storage. Nowadays 256GB is hardly enough with all the photos that so many store locally. 
    512 GB is important due to the 2x storage speed. With 256 GB the read/write speed is close to a 4 year old Intel laptop.

    My local Apple reseller only lists 8/256 and 8/512 indicating that 16 GB and 1TB are not what MBA buyers are looking for. Apple adjusted exchange rates USD-EUR making it 6-7% less expensive than expected. This is indeed a very nice computer.
    williamlondonAlex1Nwatto_cobra
  • Reply 8 of 18
    XedXed Posts: 2,829member
    thedba said:
    Rogue01 said:
    When you upgrade the memory and storage in the 15" MacBook Air, you are only a few hundred dollars away from the 14" MacBook Pro with more memory and the same storage configuration.  The 14" MacBook Pro is a faster Mac, with more features, and offers a much better cooling system than the MacBook Air.  The article mentioned the benefits, but forgot to mention that the 14" has a better cooling system, which is important because the Air will throttle sooner and more often than the 14" model.  I think most would prefer the 14" model for a few hundred dollars more.
    Except that these machines are not meant for your prosumer and above video editors. 
    The base 8GB RAM is enough for the vast majority of regular folks that do e-mails, word processing, spreadsheet kind of work. 
    If I would suggest an upgrade for regular folk, I would say upgrade the storage. Nowadays 256GB is hardly enough with all the photos that so many store locally. 
    I would still max out the RAM on the MBA so that it's still a very fast machine 5+ years down the road with macOS updates.
    williamlondondewmeAlex1Nwatto_cobra
  • Reply 9 of 18
    dwidwi Posts: 10member
    I've got one arriving on Monday for my wife. It's been a 6-year wait for her, and at last the perfect MacBook. Because her eyesight isn't perfect, she's always wanted a larger screen, but doesn't need the power of a Pro. She is definitely in the target market for this machine.
    williamlondonnubuswatto_cobraravnorodom
  • Reply 10 of 18
    dewmedewme Posts: 5,687member
    Xed said:
    thedba said:
    Rogue01 said:
    When you upgrade the memory and storage in the 15" MacBook Air, you are only a few hundred dollars away from the 14" MacBook Pro with more memory and the same storage configuration.  The 14" MacBook Pro is a faster Mac, with more features, and offers a much better cooling system than the MacBook Air.  The article mentioned the benefits, but forgot to mention that the 14" has a better cooling system, which is important because the Air will throttle sooner and more often than the 14" model.  I think most would prefer the 14" model for a few hundred dollars more.
    Except that these machines are not meant for your prosumer and above video editors. 
    The base 8GB RAM is enough for the vast majority of regular folks that do e-mails, word processing, spreadsheet kind of work. 
    If I would suggest an upgrade for regular folk, I would say upgrade the storage. Nowadays 256GB is hardly enough with all the photos that so many store locally. 
    I would still max out the RAM on the MBA so that it's still a very fast machine 5+ years down the road with macOS updates.
    Yes indeed. The total service life of my maxed-out (or reasonable maxed-out) Macs probably goes beyond 10 years if you don’t mind chugging along on the same version of macOS at some point. My late 2012 iMac is hanging in there quite nicely and still provides a lot of value for me both on the macOS side as well as the multiple Intel based VMWare VMs I keep around for testing and experimenting. Being stuck at Catalina is kind of a bummer, but it definitely doesn’t suck. Many PC owners would find a 10 year old Mac to be an upgrade over some of the newer budget PCs they are still buying en masse.  

    The new 15” MacBook Air sure sounds like a computer that hits a lot of the sweet spots that make the Mac/MacBook/macOS platforms such a pleasure to use. I still prefer the ergonomics of the MacBook Air over the MacBook Pro. I only wish Apple put at least one I/O port on the other side. Will this stop me from buying one? Probably not, which is likely the answer Apple expects to hear from a lot of MacBook Air enthusiasts.
    Alex1Nwatto_cobra
  • Reply 11 of 18
    dewmedewme Posts: 5,687member
    Rogue01 said:
    When you upgrade the memory and storage in the 15" MacBook Air, you are only a few hundred dollars away from the 14" MacBook Pro with more memory and the same storage configuration.  The 14" MacBook Pro is a faster Mac, with more features, and offers a much better cooling system than the MacBook Air.  The article mentioned the benefits, but forgot to mention that the 14" has a better cooling system, which is important because the Air will throttle sooner and more often than the 14" model.  I think most would prefer the 14" model for a few hundred dollars more.
    This is definitely true if you configure the MacBook Air 15” to its closest comparable MacBook Pro 14” configuration. It’s either a $300 or $500 delta at comparable configurations, which is as you noted, not a huge difference for the additional benefits of a MacBook Pro over the MacBook Air, at least for people like us who are sensitive to the technical details, like higher memory bandwidth, better display, XDR, ProMotion, and fewer thermal constraints. 

    On the other hand, the MacBook Air is a very compelling, attractive, and highly ergonomic computer with more color options to choose from. Test driving the MacBook Air in a store or at a friends house always leaves one with a very favorable impression. It’s a thing of beauty, completely silent, and looks and feels so well crafted.

    So I’d say that most people who frequent this and other Apple oriented sites and who really care about things that have more three letter acronyms and higher GB/S numbers and expect better performance, more configuration choices, and fewer compromises are going to spend the extra cash up-front and go Pro. But a hell of a lot of other people are going to fall in love with the MacBook Air and buy it at the minimum configuration (8/256) that costs considerably less than the minimum configuration MacBook Pro. Based on Apple’s success with the MacBook Air, its best selling Mac, the vast majority of those lower-spec buyers are going to be completely delighted with their MacBook Air for several years to come and will smile every time they flip open its ultra thin lid up to use it. 
    edited June 2023 williamlondonwatto_cobranubuschia
  • Reply 12 of 18
    “At the entry-level, it sticks with the 10-core CPU”

    The M2 chip only has 8 CPU cores in both versions.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 13 of 18
    DracoDraco Posts: 44member
    I'd like to see them put one of the TB ports on the right side of the machine. Sometimes it's easier to run a charging cord to the right side vs. having all the charging ports on the left. 

    I'd also like to see an HDMI port, but I guess Apple thinks only Pros would want to project content on an external screen (without a dongle.)
    williamlondonnubus
  • Reply 14 of 18
    XedXed Posts: 2,829member
    Draco said:
    I'd like to see them put one of the TB ports on the right side of the machine. Sometimes it's easier to run a charging cord to the right side vs. having all the charging ports on the left. 

    I'd also like to see an HDMI port, but I guess Apple thinks only Pros would want to project content on an external screen (without a dongle.)
    I don’t mind only having USB-C since it truly is universal, but I do wish it had pelts on both sides. Along a similar line, when Apple released a 12”MacBook with USB-C around the same time (circa 2015) I couldn’t believe Apple only had a single USB-C port. Google released a similar product around the same time which has a USB-C port on both sides. I returned my MB because of this limitation.
    williamlondonnubus
  • Reply 15 of 18
    doggonedoggone Posts: 396member
    This looks like a great machine for those who want good performance, a larger screen and lighter weight.  Ideal for those who travel a lot.  The price point is significantly cheaper than the 16 inch MBP.  For those who largely web surf and for college students this is a perfect fit.
    I agree having a USB point on both sides would have been nice but not necessarily a deal breaker. 
    watto_cobranubuswilliamlondon
  • Reply 16 of 18
    charlesncharlesn Posts: 1,083member
    Rogue01 said:
    When you upgrade the memory and storage in the 15" MacBook Air, you are only a few hundred dollars away from the 14" MacBook Pro with more memory and the same storage configuration.  The 14" MacBook Pro is a faster Mac, with more features, and offers a much better cooling system than the MacBook Air.  The article mentioned the benefits, but forgot to mention that the 14" has a better cooling system, which is important because the Air will throttle sooner and more often than the 14" model.  I think most would prefer the 14" model for a few hundred dollars more.
    The 14” MacBook Pro also has a fantastic mini LED display that yields extremely high contrast ratios, near perfect black background, and also has pro motion. 
    This kind of thinking ignores the fact that minimal size and weight are top priorities for the MBA buyer. But for buyers who aren’t concerned about weight (especially) and size, discounted MBP 14”— especially the still fantastic M1 models — offer much more computer for the money.
    williamlondondewme
  • Reply 17 of 18
    pscooter63pscooter63 Posts: 1,081member
    Does anyone know what the author means by "external display support is still lacking"?  I scanned the article twice, did I overlook something?
  • Reply 18 of 18
    thttht Posts: 5,621member
    Does anyone know what the author means by "external display support is still lacking"?  I scanned the article twice, did I overlook something?
    M1 and M2 machines only support a total of 2 displays, including the builtin one for Apple's laptops and tablets.

    Many enterprise seats have two 24" external monitors. MBAs can't drive two external monitors. Not a problem for consumer as they can just get a 35" 21:9 display or a 40" monitor, but enterprise seats are driven by rigid cheapskates for obvious reasons. 
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