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Short Summary
Main recommendation: For most buyers, the new M2 MacBook Air at $1,199 is a better buy than the M2 MacBook Pro, and the $999 M1 Air remains an option for budget-conscious buyers. The redesigned Air brings a squared-off body, a 13.6-inch brighter display, MagSafe, fast charging, and the M2 chip. The reviewer's hands-on impressions were limited, and full testing was still to come.
Key Points
- The M2 Air keeps the thin, light Air identity at 11.3 mm and 2.7 pounds, but moves to squared edges, a notch, and a slightly larger 13.6-inch display at 500 nits.
- The M2 chip is promised to deliver about 20% better CPU and 30 to 35% better GPU performance than the M1, with 100 GB/s memory bandwidth and up to 24 GB of memory, while keeping roughly 18 hours of video playback.
- At the same $1,499 configuration, the Air offers a better design, larger display, Touch ID, MagSafe, fast charging, a better webcam, new speakers and mics, and more ports than the M2 MacBook Pro, which has no redesign.
- The M2 MacBook Pro's main advantage is the fan for sustained workloads and a larger battery; the reviewer suggests that buyers needing sustained performance should look at the M1 Pro 14-inch instead.
Details Worth Noting
- Concrete instructions: Choose a color with fingerprint resistance in mind; the reviewer found Midnight picks up many fingerprints and leans toward Space Gray or Silver instead, though he says he's considering Midnight, Starlight, or Space Gray, and jokes 'anything but silver.' Pick the charger based on need: the optional 67-watt fast charger adds 50% charge in about 30 minutes, while the dual USB-C charger shown on stage is 35 watts, not the fast charger. Consider a color-matched MagSafe cable, which ships with the Air.
- Midnight is the same color as the Apple Watch Series 7 and looks slightly blue rather than black.
- The M2 Air still supports only one external display, up to 6K, despite having two Thunderbolt ports.
- The M2 Air costs $1,199 while the two-year-old M1 Air stays at $999, so the price gap is a factor.
- The reviewer's hands-on time was about half an hour in a loud venue, so audio, battery, and performance claims were not independently tested yet.
Bottom Line
The M2 Air is the stronger everyday machine, but buyers on a budget can still consider the $999 M1 Air, and performance-heavy users should look beyond the M2 Pro.