Apple MacBook Air M2

 

The MacBook Air M2 is a laptop that truly deserves the Air name. Yes, the MacBook Air M1 is good—it helped introduce Apple to silicon, after all. It's just that the revolutionary performance crammed into the same old chassis didn't feel (or look) like a leap forward. The new MacBook Air M2 is a breath of fresh air, you know, because Apple has combined an even faster M2 chip with a design that's significantly thinner and lighter. When I carry and use this 2.7-pound laptop, it's a laptop that reminds me of the iconic original Air that Steve Jobs pulled out of its manila envelope all those years ago. You can read my complete MacBook Air M2 review to see how well the new Air combines mobility, performance, display quality, and all-around comfort.

Its battery life of over 14 hours in our testing is also very impressive. However, the new Air is expensive. Despite a few drawbacks, I'd argue that the MacBook Air M2 is the overall best laptop for the money and one of the best Macbooks for college students, if you can afford it.

 MacBook Air M2 review

Starting at $952, the MacBook Air M2 is more expensive than the MacBook Air M1. In the default configuration, you get an 8-core CPU, a 10-core GPU, 8GB of shared memory, and 512GB of storage. Even though this is a high-end machine, the specifications are reasonable. Upgrade options include memory upgrades of 16GB or 24GB and storage upgrades of 1TB or 2TB. Check out our best Macbok Deals page for the most recent savings on the MacBook Air M2. Sales are frequently available.

MacBook Air M2 review: Specs

Launch
Announced	Jun 6, 2022
Market Status	In Stock
Laptop Type	General
Body
Dimension (D x W x H)	8.46 x 11.97 x 0.44 inches
Weight	1.24 kg
Color Options	Silver, Starlight, Space Gray, Midnight
CPU
CPU Series	Apple M2
Processor	Apple M2
Base / Boost Clock	Unspecified
Cores / Threads	8 cores Threads Unspecified
L3 Cache	Unspecified
Graphics
GPU	Apple M1 (8-cores, 10-cores)
Graphics Type	Integrated
VRAM	8/16/24GB unified memory
TGP	Unspecified
Boost Clock	Unspecified
Memory
Installed RAM	8/16/24GB unified memory
Configuration	1x 8GB, 1x 16GB, 1x 24GB
Soldered Memory	Yes
Memory Type	Unspecified
Frequency	Unspecified
Channel	Unspecified
Maximum Capacity	24GB
Storage
HDD	No
SSD	Up to 2TB
SSD Slots	No
Optical Drive	No
Display
Size	13.6 inches
Panel Type	LED-backlit IPS
Touchscreen	No
Finish	Glossy
Resolution	WQXGA (2560 x 1664 pixels) 16:10 aspect ratio
Refresh Rate	60Hz
Variable Refresh Rate	No
Response Time	Unspecified
Maximum Brightness	500 nits (cd/m2)
Color Gamut	Wide color (P3)
Others	True Tone technology
I/O
Ports	Magsafe 3
USB Type-C	2x USB 4 Gen 2 (Thunderbolt 3, Power Delivery, DisplayPort 1.4)
Display	N/A
Audio	1x 3.5mm high-impedance headphone/ microphone
Media Card	N/A
Communication
Ethernet	N/A
WiFi	WiFi 6 (802.11 ax), Dual-Band (2.4/5 GHz)
Bluetooth	Bluetooth 5.0
Security	Secure Enclave, Touch ID
Input Devices
Keyboard	Backlit Magic Keyboard (with Ambient light sensor)
Trackpad	Force Touch trackpad
Webcam	1080p FaceTime HD camera
Audio
Speakers	Four speakers with Dolby Atmos, Spatial Audio
Microphone	Three-array microphones
Battery
Capacity	52.6Wh LiPo
Charging	35W (USB-C with 10-Core GPU, customizable with 8-core GPU)
Software
Operating System	macOS 12 Monterey
Preloaded Software	Messages, GarageBand, Keynote, Mail & FaceTime

 

MacBook Air M2 review: Design and colors

When closed, the MacBook Air M2 is so tiny that it is frequently confused for an iPad (especially if the Apple logo is facing outwards). That's how thin this laptop is. The standard Bic pen appears weighty in comparison to this device since it is just 0.44 inches thick when the cap is open. Overall, the Air M2 is 20% smaller than the previous Air in terms of volume, and you still get a larger 13.6-inch display. Although the notch at the top of the screen that swoops down to the bottom of the Menu bar ruins the aesthetics, it wasn't too disturbing for daily work.

The MacBook Air M2 has a sleek and durable aluminum chassis that is lightweight at 2.7 pounds. The laptop has rounded corners and a pronounced lip that makes it easy to hold and open with one hand. The laptop comes in various color options like Starlight (pale gold), Midnight (dark blue), Silver, and Space Gray. The color Midnight is reported to scuff easily, so be mindful of scratches if you choose that color. 

MacBook Air M2 review: Ports

The MacBook Air M2 has a minimal port selection, with two Thunderbolt 4/USB 4 ports on the left side and a MagSafe power adapter. The MagSafe connection allows for easy attachment of the cable connector to the system and also prevents the laptop from falling if the cable is accidentally pulled. The right side of the laptop has a headphone jack which is useful if your wireless earbuds or headphones run out of power.

MacBook Air M2 review: Display and audio

The MacBook Air M2's display is on par with the MacBook Pro M2 in terms of quality, providing a bright and colorful 13.6-inch panel with a resolution of 2560 x 1664 pixels. This makes it a great option for watching videos, editing photos and other tasks that require a high-quality display. The level of detail and color accuracy is impressive, and the wide viewing angles make it comfortable to use from different positions.

The MacBook Air M2's display performed well in our lab tests, achieving an average brightness of 489 nits and reaching a peak of 495 nits with HDR content. This is slightly higher than the MacBook. Things appeared to be accurate and reproduce colours just as well. Display data from the Air M2 showed that it covered 75.9% of the more difficult DCI-P3 colour space and 107% of the sRGB colour range. The XPS 13 OLED notched a higher 117% and 83%, respectively. The XPS 13 and Air both had the same Delta-E accuracy score of 0.2, though.

The MacBook Air M2's four-speaker sound system provides clear audio quality. When listening to "I Ain't Worried" by One Republic on Spotify, the lyrics were distinct and the beat was strong. However, the sound was not as well-rounded as the six-speaker sound system on the MacBook Pro 14. When comparing the two laptops side by side, the Pro had a deeper bass and less tinny sound, but it also comes at a higher cost.

 MacBook Air M2 review: Performance

The MacBook Air M2 is highly capable of handling demanding workloads. During a busy Prime Day, the writer was able to smoothly multitask, with dozens of open tabs in Google Chrome, frequent switching between Slack messages, editing photos in Photoshop, and uploading files to a CMS, all while experiencing minimal lag. The only time lag was noticed was when over 100 tabs were open in Chrome across multiple windows. In general, the writer did not notice a significant decrease in performance for everyday tasks compared to the MacBook Pro 14-inch with M1 Pro chip, which is a high compliment.

The MacBook Air M2 scored well on the Geekbench 5.4 benchmark, which measures overall performance. It achieved a score of 1,932 on the single-core CPU test and 8,919 on the multi-core test. This is an 11% improvement over the single-core score and a 17% improvement over the multi-core score of the MacBook Air M1. The MacBook Pro M2 performed similarly, with scores of 1,898 and 8,911 respectively. The MacBook Air M2 outperforms many Windows laptops such as the Asus Zenbook S 13 OLED (7,606) and Lenovo Yoga 9i Gen 7 (7,140), however, the Dell XPS 13 Plus with a 12th gen Intel Core i7 scored higher with 10,621. 

The MacBook Air M2 performed well on our Handbrake video editing test, which entails transcoding a 4K video clip, completing the task in 7 minutes and 52 seconds. This is an improvement over the previous MacBook Air M1, which took 9:15. However, the MacBook Pro M2, which features active cooling for improved sustained performance, was faster, completing the task in 6 minutes and 51 seconds.

The MacBook Air M2 performed well in comparison to other laptops on the Handbrake video editing test and PugetBench for Adobe CC Photoshop test. On the Handbrake test, the Dell XPS 13 Plus took 8:31 and the Yoga 9i took longer, while the Zenbook S 13 OLED took 8:15. On PugetBench for Adobe CC Photoshop test, the MacBook Air M2 scored 821, while the MacBook Pro M2 scored 817, showing similar performance. However, in the Premiere Pro video editing test, the MacBook Pro M2 performed better, scoring 552 compared to 452 for the MacBook Air M2. The Dell XPS 13 Plus scored lower in both the Photoshop and Premiere Pro test, with a score of 670 in the Photoshop test and 279 in the Premiere Pro test. 

There were some concerns about the SSD performance on the new MacBook Air M2. However, on the Blackmagic Disk Speed test, the 1TB SSD on the MacBook Air M2 showed good performance, averaging 2,800 MBps for reads and 2,210 for writes. While these results were slightly slower than the same size 1TB SSD on the MacBook Pro M2 at 2,794 MBps for reads and 2,953 MBps for writes, respectively, it is still considered to be fast. 

It is interesting to note that the Dell XPS 13 Plus, which is a Windows laptop, had even faster SSD performance than the MacBook Air M2 and the MacBook Pro M2. On the Blackmagic Disk Speed test, the Dell XPS 13 Plus recorded 4,879 MBps for reads and 3,638 MBps for writes. This is significantly faster than the MacBook Air M2 and the MacBook Pro M2, which had SSD performance of 2,800 MBps for reads and 2,210 MBps for writes and 2,794 MBps for reads and 2,953 MBps for writes respectively. This comparison can be found in more detail on a separate benchmark comparison between the MacBook Air M2 and Dell XPS 13 Plus.

 Unfortunately, I never felt like the Air M2 slowed me down. The fact that the new Air can only support one external monitor is my main gripe (up to 6K). I would prefer the ability to connect two monitors at once, which many Windows laptops in this price range offer.

MacBook Air M2 review: Graphics and gaming

The MacBook Air M2 that was tested came with a 10-core GPU, which performed well in gaming. On the game Rise of the Tomb Raider, it achieved 27 fps with the resolution set to 1920 x 1200 (30 fps or better is considered ideal for smooth gameplay) and dipped to 15.3 fps at 2940 x 1920. The MacBook Pro M2 had slightly lower scores of 24.9 and 12.2 fps, respectively. It is worth noting that this is the performance of a specific configuration and the entry-level unit with the 8-core CPU might have different results.

When running the game Sid Meier's Civilization VI: Gathering Storm, the MacBook Air M2 achieved 40.3 fps at 1470 x 956 resolution, while the MacBook Pro M2 got 51 fps at 1440 x 900 resolution. The two laptops had similar scores on the 3DMark Wild Life Extreme benchmark.

MacBook Air M2 review: Battery

The MacBook Air M2 has excellent battery life, lasting an average of 14 hours and 6 minutes on a continuous web surfing test at 150 nits of screen brightness. This is a bit shorter than the previous Air M1 (14:41) but still very good. It is longer than other laptops such as the XPS 13 OLED (8 hours), the Asus Zenbook S 13 OLED (11:02), and the Surface Laptop 4 (10:46). However, the MacBook Pro M2 has an even longer battery life with an average of 18 hours and 20 minutes.

The MacBook Air M2 comes with a 35W Dual USB-C Port Compact Power Adapter included with configurations that have a 10-core GPU and 512GB storage. This allows the user to charge another device at the same time, such as an iPhone. The standard Air M2 comes with a 30W USB-C Power Adapter, but the user has the option to upgrade to the dual charger. For even faster charging, there is a 67W USB-C power adapter available, but it does not use MagSafe technology.

MacBook Air M2 review: Webcam

The MacBook Air M2's 1080p camera is decent but not spectacular. I think it's unfair to compare, but I wouldn't give up using my own Logitech C920 for video calling. During a Google Meet call, I noticed a yellow cast and less detail in the hair, skin, and green t-shirt compared to when I was using my regular camera. However, the overall image quality of the Air is sharp enough.

MacBook Air M2 review: Keyboard and touchpad

The Magic Keyboard MacBook Air M2 is a fast and responsive device, with nimble key mechanisms and adequate travel for typing. In testing, the user was able to hit 69 words per minute with 96% accuracy on the 10fastfingers typing test, which is within their usual range. 

The MacBook Air's large touchpad is accurate and easy to use for various gestures, including pinch to zoom and showing open apps. The Touch ID button embedded in the keyboard makes logging in easy, but the user wishes that Apple would also support Face ID for even faster unlocking.

MacBook Air M2 review: conclusion

The MacBook Air M2 is without a doubt the least expensive notebook in my tests. You get stellar performance, a brilliant display and excellent battery life, all wrapped up in a design that's beautifully portable. I would easily recommend this system over the MacBook Air M1 to stay in the lineup due to its better performance and display, along with a sharper webcam and MagSafe charging.

The Air M2 has certain features that I don't like. The top display notch is a bit of an ugly, and I wish you could connect more than one external monitor. But all in all, I heartily endorse the MacBook Air M2.