The first thing I noticed about Apple’s new 15-inch MacBook Air is that it’s deceptively small and feels like it weighs almost nothing.
It’s very light at 1.49kg (3.3lb), a notable difference over the heavy 1.5kg (3.5lb) MacBook Pro I lug around daily. I also didn’t really notice the slight size increase until I saw the sizable laptop beside the 13-inch MacBook Air. It’s definitely there, though, and the additional screen size could appeal to those looking for a light MacBook with a sizable display.
Overall, if you’ve used Apple’s most recent 13-inch MacBook Air, you’ll know what to expect here.
The new bigger MacBook Air laptop features the same overall design, including double Thunderbolt 4/USB-C ports, the Magic Keyboard, a MagSafe charging port and a fanless design (which remains impressive, especially when the M2 chip can run high-end games). It would have been nice if Apple added an extra USB-C port on the laptop’s right side given the additional space in its bigger body, but the tech giant opted to keep that Thunderbolt 4 layout exclusive to the MacBook Pro.
From a marketing perspective, I get it, but there’s a lot of unused space on the side of the device that could be utilized for more ports or even a beefier speaker array like the MacBook Pro.
The extra screen real estate is excellent and makes browsing the web or watching videos an enjoyable experience. This makes sense since 15-inch laptops are common in Microsoft’s Windows world. It’s also worth noting that this is Apple’s first 15-inch laptop since the tech giant killed off the 15-inch MacBook Pro several years ago.
The trackpad in the 15-inch MacBook Pro is also larger than the 13-inch version, which makes sense given its larger size. However, the keyboard is the same size (unsurprisingly, Apple didn’t add a number pad).
Other notable specs include 18 hours of battery life, an improved six-speaker system that, as far as I can tell, surprisingly sounds in line with the 16-inch MacBook Pro’s impressive audio quality, and of course, the same M2 chip as the 13-inch MacBook Air. And finally, all versions of the 15-inch Air feature an 8-Core CPU/10-Core GPU, unlike the 13-inch version.
The 15-inch MacBook Air is available to order now, starting at $1,749, and will be released next week.
Photography by Bradley Bennett.
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