Apple last week announced the 15-inch MacBook Air. It hits store shelves on Tuesday and costs $1,299 for the base model, or as much as $2,499 with upgraded RAM and storage.
Previously, the MacBook Air came in 11-inch and 13-inch versions, but this is the first time it has had a 15-inch screen, the most popular laptop size. This could seriously boost Mac sales, which have been declining for the past two quarters.
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If you’ve upgraded your laptop or PC in the past two years—as hundreds of millions of people have during the pandemic—this new model isn’t worth the upgrade. But if you’ve stuck it out and need a new laptop, the 15-inch MacBook Air will appeal to most people in terms of price, capabilities, and portability.
This is probably the best laptop for most people if you like the MacOS operating system and plan to use it for everyday tasks like writing documents and spreadsheets, going to school, or using the Internet.
My quick takeaways:
How:
- Battery life is excellent.
- A large screen is better suited for work on the go.
- It’s thin and light enough to be barely noticeable in a backpack, despite its larger size.
Dislikes:
- The midnight finish is a fingerprint and smudge magnet.
- The speakers are mounted on the hinges of the computer next to the screen and are just fine.
- Many people are not opposed to Apple’s move. I always notice this on my laptop.
It’s worth upgrading to a 512GB hard drive
The 15-inch MacBook Air is a very powerful computer with a battery life so long that you don’t have to think about it: it works all day and only needs to be charged overnight.
It’s fast, can handle what seems like an infinite number of windows and programs at once, and has pretty much all the software I need. Some apps, like the FactSet financial database I use at work, don’t have Mac versions. But Macs support native Microsoft Office and Google Chrome, as well as Apple’s built-in alternatives, iWork and Safari, which meet most people’s basic needs.
The extra screen size differs from the 13-inch MacBook Air. It is easier to place two documents next to each other at the same time. The physical display is not only larger but also has a resolution of 2880×1864, which is higher than the 13-inch model, which means more screen space.
13-inch M2 MacBook Air (Silver) vs. 15-inch M2 MacBook Air (Navy Blue.)
Like Leswing/CNBC
In my experience, the portability trade-off for the extra screen size isn’t much either, mainly because it’s so thin. The 15-inch MacBook Air fits easily in a backpack or briefcase, and I didn’t really notice the extra 3.3 pounds when taking public transportation.
While $1,299 is pretty expensive for a laptop, it’s a great value in Apple’s lineup, especially for people who want a bigger screen. The 15-inch screen is now the second-largest screen Apple offers on a laptop, behind the 16-inch MacBook Pro, which starts at $2,499 and packs a lot of features most people don’t need, like a more powerful processor, fans, and ports for external camera cards.
However, I think most people will want more storage and should upgrade to 512GB of hard drive space, bringing the price up to $1,499.
Even games that aren’t Apple’s main focus are pretty good on the Mac. While new titles like Diablo 4 aren’t available yet, a huge chunk of my Steam library runs on PC, including titles like Civilization 6 and Stardew Valley.
The 15-inch MacBook Air only has two USB-C ports, but I don’t mind; I’ve been using USB-A accessories a lot less lately. More expensive MacBook Pro models have HDMI ports that can be connected directly to TVs and monitors.
Meanwhile, the 13-inch MacBook Air has been reduced to $1,099, making it a good deal for people who don’t care about a bigger screen or people who plan to use it primarily connected to a monitor. However, I don’t think the smaller laptop is significantly more portable; they’re both light enough to throw in your bag and forget about.
The two MacBook Air sizes share most of the same components, including similar M2 processors, which are currently Apple’s latest offering for low-powered laptops and tablets. Apple has now completely moved away from Intel processors.
Apple has also overhauled the keyboards, and they now feature deep, clicky keys that are a joy to type on. Gone is the touch bar, which has been replaced with handy physical function keys that provide one-button access to brightness, volume, and play/pause. Apple’s displays and webcams look great and are usable even in broad daylight, although many models, including the 15-inch MacBook Air, have a notch cut out at the top, like the iPhone, which can be distracting.
Overall, the 15-inch MacBook Air is one of Apple’s first laptops since the move to the M series, is aggressively priced, and is a great choice for people who want an everyday laptop. It should be particularly attractive to people who haven’t upgraded recently.