With its stunning 15.3-inch display, the Apple MacBook Air with M2 chip finally fulfills a need for Mac loyalists. This large display, paired with the lightweight design of the Air, makes this laptop one of the best for professionals on the go.
Apple MacBook Air M2 15 in.
Apple’s MacBook Air M2 15-inch laptop packs a powerful punch inside a sleek and lightweight design. With its substantial battery life and impressive liquid retina display, it is one of the best professional or personal use laptops on the market.
MacBook Air M2 15-Inch Main Features
Applehas finally paired the M2 chip with a large display that is still light enough to be the perfect travel companion. The new MacBook Air 15-inch checks off all the boxes as it is powerful enough to get work done and available at a more affordable price than the MacBook Pro.
The M2 chip offers its signature processing power just as it does in the MacBook Air 13-inch. The difference here is the opportunity to purchase a less expensive laptop to fit your needs while not sacrificing the processing power of the M2 or being limited to a 13-inch display. In my opinion, it’s the best of both worlds, which is why I jumped at the chance to make this my everyday laptop.
In addition to the M2 chip, the 2023 Apple MacBook Air features a vibrant and bright liquid retina display. A high-quality large display, paired with a lightweight composition and affordable priced laptop option has been missing from Apple’s lineup for years. In the past, consumers would have to sacrifice screen size for a lighter weight or pay more for the MacBook Pro.
The 15-inch MacBook Air checks all of the boxes; providing one of the best laptops for those who like to work on the go, without sacrificing display size for weight.
If you have a monitor you like to connect to when at your home office, the MacBook Air can also pair with it while inClamshell mode.
This rendition of the MacBook Air features two Thunderbolt / USB4 ports alongside its MagSafe 3 charging port. While I find the limited number of Thunderbolts sufficient, I could easily see those with more accessories needing to purchase an adapter for more port options.
It also comes equipped with a 3.5mm headphone jack. As I often forget to charge my Bluetooth headphones, this is a handy feature, especially when traveling, because it allows me to plug in an old pair of white Apple earbuds. It is also beneficial for those who would like to use audio recording equipment with the MacBook Air.
The 1080p FaceTime HD camera is perfect for work meetings or FaceTiming with friends and family. I have found the clarity of this new 1080p camera to be a vast improvement on the 720p my previous MacBook Air cam equipped with.
Additionally, I can achieve a better camera angle with the 15-inch display specifically. Because the height of this camera is higher from desk level than it is in my 13-inch MacBook Air, I have not felt the need to prop it up on multiple books to get a better camera angle of my face for a video call.
Battery Life and Charging
The MagSafe charge port is making a comeback with this edition of the MacBook Air, and I am thrilled to see it—as well as the ability to see when my laptop is fully charged via green light.
I also appreciate the quick charging times and magnetic connector that helps me plug in my laptop without having to search for the port. As I often trip over my cords, the MagSafe port ensures it won’t end up on the floor.
It took slightly more than two hours to fully charge from a depleted battery.
Outside of function, the design of the 2023 MacBook Air power cord is excellent. Like the desktop iMac, it has a color-coordinated cord. Since I opted for the Midnight color, my charging cable is Midnight as well. It’s covered in a soft woven fabric material that holds up to wear and tear better than traditional Apple cords.
The stated battery life of this 2023 MacBook Air is up to 18 hours, and I have indeed found that to be true. I trust the battery life on this laptop so much that I leave my charging cord and block at home when I go into the office for the day. From my experience, it is reliable no matter what tasks I tackle.
The only downside when it comes to the battery system is that the charging block is still white. One of these days, I would like to see a coordinated AC adaptor, too.
Design and Aesthetics
The MacBook Air has always been known as a compact, lightweight, and sleek laptop. The new 2023 15-inch edition still possesses these aesthetics. I travel with my laptop frequently, so the ability to fit inside a backpack and not be too heavy is often at the top of my criteria when choosing a laptop.
The 15-inch version is still just as sleek, thin, and surprisingly lightweight for its display size. While I love having the larger display size, I did have to switch to a traditional laptop-size bag when I replaced my old 2020 13-inch Air. There is just no way to get around that this laptop is wide, but in my opinion, it was a fair trade-off, especially when considering it is still very light.
The user experience with the larger screen is awe-inspiring in person, and I can split my screen into two windows simultaneously very easily.
I’ll be honest: I got excited when I first saw the new Apple Midnight color because I thought it was a deep black color. I tend to gravitate to darker colors, so I still opted for Midnight, even after realizing it is more of a deep blue color.
Performance
The Apple MacBook Air M2 lives up to the hype with great performance considering how light the device is.
We started with GeekBench 6. For reference, GeekBench bases its test on the Dell Precision 3460 equipped with an Intel i7-12700 processor, which scores a baseline of 2,500. For that reason, any number above 2,500 tests better, and vice versa.
From the results displayed, we can observe that the MacBook Air M2-equipped laptop tests in excess of that 2,500 benchmark—weighing in at 2594 single core, 9765 multi-core, and 28222 OpenCL (GPU) score.
The CPU and GPU benchmark tests garnered these results:
Overall, I am very content with the performance of my Air. Compared to the 2020 MacBook Air with the M1 chip I was using, there is a vast improvement: it tested at only 2330. Per the posted benchmarks listed on GeekBench, the 15-inch Air was only outperformed by a MacBook Pro.
The price point of the MacBook Air in comparison to the MacBook Pro spans about $1000, so for the price, the Air packs a sturdy punch in terms of functionality and speed.
A 3DMark benchmark test came back with decent results, too, with the taxing 3DMark Wild Life Extreme averaging 38.7 FPS, and an overall score of 6467, as seen in the image above. As expected, compared to other comparable Apple devices tested with 3DMark, the scores exceeded previous MacBook Air models yet below the MacBook Pro series.
So far, I have used my laptop thoroughly and have not run into an issue yet. I tend to be the type of person to stress a device to its maximum, and it is holding up well.
It’s a Fingerprint Magnet
My only real complaint about the 2023 Apple MacBook Air M2 in Midnight is a cosmetic issue. The dark color and material of the laptop casing lends itself to looking dirty very quickly. No matter how clean my hands may be, handling the laptop leads to an abundance of visible fingerprints, as seen in the image above.
Despite wiping it down multiple times, there is just no way to get it back to how it looked right out of the box. It’s most noticeable on the top of the laptop but also occurs near and on the trackpad and keyboard. I have yet to find a solution other than vigorously wiping it down after every use with a soft cloth, which only minimizes the problem and doesn’t fix it completely.
From the research I have done, the issue primarily affects the Midnight color. If it’s likely to bother you, choose a different color.
The Perfect Combination of Size and Power
Overall, the pros far outweigh the cons when it comes to Apple’s 2023 MacBook Air M2 15-inch. The larger screen size makes it a much more comfortable experience to use the Air for work, yet it maintains the lightweight and affordable price the Air is known for.
I’ve been using this model every day for the past month, and I have found it to be a great investment. It functions well and is just as intuitive a device as we have come to expect from Apple products. It’s sleek and fits well into traditional laptop-carrying bags despite the larger screen size. With the largest downside being fingerprints—a wholly cosmetic issue—this laptop packs a punch for its price.
Still not convinced this is the laptop for you? Check out theseseven reasons to buy the M2 MacBook Air.
