Detailed Review of MacBook Air M2
Overview of MacBook Air M2
Comparing the two laptops; the 13-inch MacBook Pro and the recently released MacBook Air, the latter has a bigger screen, improved speakers, and a 1080p camera (M2, 2022). The M2 chip in the laptops provides relatively similar performance. Contrary to what a lot of people looked forward to, the new MacBook Air doesn’t come in many colours, like the 24″ iMac.
The MacBook Air M2 lives up to the legacy of the Air title. The laptop is a breath of fresh air, ever since Apple combined a faster version of the M2 chip with a significantly smaller and lighter design. The laptop weighing 1.24 kg is a feather among laptops. The new Air offers an unrivaled blend of mobility, performance, overall comfort, and an amazing quality of display. Despite a few small issues, this can be declared as one of the best laptops for the price range for college students.
Let’s dissect and take a look at all the aspects of the new MacBook Air M2 see if it is worth all the hype.
Design
- Completely fresh design
- Larger screen
- Thinner build
The MacBook Air is by far the thinnest and lightest laptop released by Apple with added improvements such as lowering the overall size and the weight while expanding the screen size. The webcam on the laptop has been upgraded to the 1080p version; along with improved image quality and low-light handling with the new M2 chip is a welcome move from the company. An important drawback in the design of the screen is the combination of a larger webcam and thinner bezels results in a notch around the webcam and this slides down the menu bar.
The laptop now has a 13.6” screen, in addition to which the resolution has been increased from 2560 x 1600 to 2560 x 1664. The new Liquid Retina screen is 100nits brighter, making it 500 nits and the laptop supports one billion colors. The standard base model MacBook air has a 30W charger, which can be upgraded to a 67W adapter.
Performance Review
- Amazing Performance
- Matches the performance of MacBook Pro 13”, M2 chip
The laptop is equipped with Apple’s second-generation, 5-nanometer M2 System on Chip, which the firm claims would give a 35% faster GPU with 10 cores, a 40%faster neural engine, and an 18% faster CPU. All apps that were created being compatible with the M1, operate seamlessly on the capabilities of the M2. The M2 chip is extremely powerful; it keeps the laptop running perfectly smooth even while editing 4K home movies on iMovie. In essence, the laptop is completely silent while in use. The MacBook Pro 13” finds heavy competition not from other brands, but its successor the MacBook Air 13.6”.
Battery Life
- Lasts nearly 14 hours
- Fast charging
The MacBook Air’s battery life, with an extremely efficient M1 chip that offered both high performance and long battery life, and Apple has delivered more than what was promised by the M2 chip. The battery benchmark test, where a 1080p looped video was run until the battery is completely drained, lasted nearly 14 hours. This is extremely impressive compared to the Windows-based laptops that are available in the same category. The laptop lasted 30 minutes more than its predecessor. The laptop can be charged via the USB-C port, which makes life easier if the user has to charge it when they’re on the move.
In the current market situation, the MacBook Air M2 is easily the best laptop based on all testing benchmarks. The laptop comes packed with many features starting from excellent performance, amazing battery life, a vibrant display, and is highly comfortable to carry around.
Specifications
| Processor | Apple M2 with 8 or 10-core GPU |
| Graphics | Integrated 10-core GPU |
| RAM | Variants being 8, 16, or 24GB |
| Storage | SSD – 256GB, 512GB, 1TB or 2TB |
| Ports | MagSafe 3 charging port, 2x Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C), and a 3.5mm headphones jack. |
| Connectivity | 1080p HD Webcam for Face time and other video calling applications. |
| Weight | 1.24kg |
| Size | 30.41 x 21.5 x 1.13cm |
| Screen | 13.6”, 2560 x 1664 liquid Retina Display with backlit LED, IPS. |
| Charging | Supports fast charging with 67W USB-C adapter |
| Battery | 52.6W Lithium Polymer battery, standing up to nearly 14hours. |
