It ’s hard to conceive , but the originalM1 MacBook Aircame out in the fall of 2020 — over four year ago at this point . The M1 transformed this otherwise standard MacBook into a complete game - record changer . Battery sprightliness was through the roof , carrying out was fast and fluid , and the price was honorable .

Apple adopt this up in 2020 with theM2 MacBook Air , a new laptop that not only introduced the faster chip but also completely redesigned the physique . But it was also more expensive , as Apple kept the M1 model in the card until theM3 MacBook Airwas launched in 2024 .

In the past times , I would have recommended the M1 MacBook Air , especially now that it cost only $ 649 . And for some , it ’s still the veracious call . But most people should get going their hunt for what is thebest MacBookfor them with the M2 MacBook Air .

Specs

Price and configurations

The M1 MacBook Air originally started at $ 999 , Apple has removed it from its prescribed lineup , appropriate other retailer to sell it at a rebate . You ’ll find refurbished models for lower , but Walmart is selling new model for just $ 649 . This is only for the base conformation , of course , which start you the eight - center M1 CPU , seven - core GPU , 8 GB of RAM , and a 256 GB self-colored - state drive ( SSD ) . It ’s voiceless to find anything configured up from here though .

The M2 MacBook Air got an update just latterly , actually . In line with the M3 MacBook Air and M4 MacBook Pro , Apple no longer sell it with 8 GB of RAM . So despite the bump to 16 GB in the base example , it still cost just $ 999 . Even better , you could find it on discount rate at third - party retail merchant , sometimes for as low as $ 799 .

The excrescence from the M1 MacBook Air to the M2 MacBook Air is definitely worth the redundant $ 150 . Just make certain not to accidentally corrupt an outdated 8 GB version of the M2 MacBook Air — those are still floating around on third - party retailers .

Design

aright off the bat , the M2 MacBook Air drops the iconic Italian sandwich soma that made the strain famous . Instead , the M2 variation adopts the same square - off sides and rounded edge as its heavy brothers , theMacBook Pro 14 - inch and 16 - inch . While it does lose a bit of flair ( and extreme spareness up front ) , it does make the MacBook melodic phrase more consistent .

The Modern M2 MacBook Air form also continues to be up to its namesake by being only 2.7 pound and 0.44 column inch thin across the entire chassis . It ’s perfect for those who respect portability over in the altogether top executive ( though it has plenty of that , as we ’ll see by and by ) . It should be note : The M2 MacBook Air is just 0.1 pounds light than the M1 MacBook Air .

The keyboard on the M2 MacBook Air is n’t that different from the M1 interpretation but does look more in line with the tumid MacBook Pro models . This include the Touch ID release being more or less dissimilar than the M1 ’s , as well as the full - size function key along the top .

While the stereo speakers on theM1 MacBook Airflank the side of the keyboard , the M2 MacBook Air places its four - speaker unit setup in between the keyboard and the flexible joint . This new speaker setup also includes backing for Spatial Audio , both through Dolby Atmos in the built - in Speaker and dynamic head chase using the high - ending Apple AirPods products .

Display

The display has been widen ever so slimly from 13.3 in on the M1 Air to 13.6 inches on the M2 Air . That modification is because of the reduced bezel sizing , both along the side edges and the top . That means , yes , the Modern MacBook Air includes a mountain pass , and the honest-to-goodness one does not . The screen also has round edges along the top corner .

insert into the nick is an improved 1080p webcam , chance up from the 720p pick on the M1 MacBook Air . You might be enticed to useApple ’s   Continuity Camerawith the M1 MacBook Air , which convert your iPhone into a webcam . On the M2 MacBook Air , that belike wo n’t be necessary .

The panel itself has also been upgraded to a 2560 x 1660 Liquid Retina display , which Apple says is the adult and brightest ever on a MacBook Air . Liquid Retina is sure a gibbosity up from the M1 MacBook Air , but do n’t expect the same eye - pop facial expression of the Super Retina XDR , which is the mini - LED panel lay aside for the iPad Pro andMacBook Pro ( 14 - inch and 16 - inch ) .

This display does support up to a billion colors and has an increased brightness to 500 nits . That ’s compared to the 400 nit possible with the M1 MacBook Air . Both displays have straight Tone engineering science . As we can see in the table below , the M2 MacBook Air ’s display is brighter , has extensive and more accurate colour , and enjoys deeper contrast . It ’s a real improvement over the M1 MacBook Air .

Ports

When it comes to ports , both the M1 and M2 MacBook Air have the same arrangement : two Thunderbolt 3 port that support USB 4 and USB 3.1 Gen 2 speeds . Both devices are capable of supporting just one outside display , however .

There ’s also a combo earpiece mic jak on the M2 MacBook Air that Apple aver support high - impedance headphones , which the M1 MacBook Air does not .

The one major departure is the inclusion of the MagSafe 3 magnetic charging port on the M2 version . For some , that itself is enough to justify buying a fresh MacBook Air . The chief benefit is that it relinquish up one of the two USB - nose candy embrasure for other purposes rather than charge . Do n’t worry , though , you’re able to still bear down the laptop using the Thunderbolt ports .

Both laptops also support the same Wi - Fi 6 radio standard and Bluetooth 5.0 .

Performance and battery life

Other than the display and overall design , the M2 chip inside of the newest MacBook Air is what separate it from its herald .

Like the M1 version , the M2 MacBook Air is fanless , owing to the major power efficiency of the M2 splintering . Apple says the M2 chip is up to 1.4 times quicker than the late M1 model while still getting up to 18 minute of battery biography .

While Apple does n’t advertise a huge jump in battery life with the M2 MacBook Air , in our testing , the latest role model was significantly longer - lasting . The M2 MacBook Air last two and a one-half hours longer in our web browsing trial and almost three 60 minutes longer in our video test .

While a 1.4x addition in power is measurable , it ’s notthatmuch . In fact , the M2 seems to bemore of a subtlety of the M1 rather than a true generational spring . Still , the M2 MacBook Air welfare from being manufactured on a “ 2nd - generation 5 nm ” process node .

This means an overall 18 % faster CPU , 35 % fast GPU , and 50 % more memory bandwidth as compared to the M1 , now up to 100 GB per secondly .

significantly , the M2 MacBook Air has the same media locomotive used in the M2 14 - inch and 16 - column inch MacBook Pros , which the M1 MacBook Air lacks . The media locomotive supports ironware - speed up ProRes encryption and decoding .

The M2 MacBook Air now starts with 16 GB of RAM , and you could configure up to 24 gigabit , whereas the M1 MacBook Air is stuck at a maximum of 8 GB . You ’ll be hard - pressed to find any 16 GB configurations out there . Storage options , though , are the same , starting at 256 GB , but again , it ’s toilsome to find any M1 MacBook Air configurations beyond the base one .

Our testing bore out Apple ’s claims , with a 12 % increase in the Geekbench single - center test and an 18 % increase in multi - core . In Cinebench R23 , the M2 MacBook Air was 8 % faster in individual - core and 19 % quicker in multi - core .

We ’ll mark that there ’s been some controversy around theM2 MacBook Air in terms of its storage velocity . If you buy the 256 GB version , which is the least expensive , then you ’ll get about half the storage operation as with the 512 GB version . If you exercise with large files , you ’ll sure notice the deviation , and you might even acknowledge it in normal real - cosmos consumption as you ’re booting the laptop and opening move apps .

It’s finally time to move on to the M2

At this power point , the M1 MacBook Air should really only be purchased for in high spirits school scholar or those with only the most basic laptop computer needs . Everyone else should get the M2 MacBook Air . Why ? Well , it comes down to two things chiefly .

First , the M2 MacBook Air is a far better deal now that Apple has chance the lead off RAM conformation up to 16 G . That ’s commonly a $ 200 upgrade on its own .

Secondly , the M2 MacBook Air offers spate of quality of life improvements that you ’ll appreciate over sentence . Whether it ’s the improved talker , the sharp 1080p webcam ( up from 720p ) , or the excess available USB - C interface ( thanks to the income tax return of the MagSafe tycoon connector ) . Not to mention , it ’s a much more modern - look laptop computer and still among the thinnest you’re able to buy . Just corrupt the M2 MacBook Air , you wo n’t be disappoint .