Apple’s MacBook Air has undergone main modifications lately, with a number of important generational enhancements – making it all of the extra necessary to contemplate if now is an efficient time to improve or even when an older mannequin will suffice on your wants.
In 2022, Apple launched a considerable refresh for the MacBook Air that includes an entire redesign and the M2 chip. One yr later, it added a variant of the identical machine with a bigger, 15-inch show. Each the 2018 and 2020 Intel-based MacBook Air fashions have been discontinued. Apple nonetheless sells a MacBook Air with this design, the 2020 mannequin with the M1 chip beginning at $999 – the most cost effective MacBook Air obtainable from the corporate at the moment, and even decrease costs could also be discovered with third-party retailers or second-hand. By way of the newest fashions, the 13-inch M2 MacBook Air begins at $1,099, whereas the 15-inch M2 mannequin begins at $1,299.
See the breakdown beneath for every new function, change, and enchancment that was added with every MacBook Air mannequin since 2018 in comparison with its direct predecessor:
MacBook Air (M2, 2022/2023)
- Thinner design with flat lid, rounded backside edges, and uniform thickness
- 13.6- or 15.3-inch Liquid Retina show
- Apple M2 chip
- As much as 10-core GPU
- {Hardware}-accelerated H.264, HEVC, ProRes and ProRes RAW
- ProRes encode and decode engine
- As much as 24GB unified reminiscence
- 100GB/s reminiscence bandwidth
- 500 nits brightness
- 1080p FaceTime HD digicam
- 4-speaker sound system or six-speaker sound system with force-cancelling woofers
- 3.5mm headphone jack with assist for high-impedance headphones
- Bluetooth 5.3
- MagSafe 3
- Quick-charge succesful with obtainable 70W USB‑C Energy Adapter
- Out there in Silver, Area Grey, Starlight, and Midnight
- 1.24 kg (2.7 kilos) or 1.51 kg (3.3 kilos)
MacBook Air (M1, 2020)
- Apple M1 chip
- 8-core CPU
- As much as 8-core GPU
- Media engine
- {Hardware}-accelerated H.264 and HEVC
- Video decode engine
- Video encode engine
- 16-core Neural Engine
- As much as 16GB unified reminiscence
- 62.5GB/s reminiscence bandwidth
- Extensive color (P3)
- Picture sign processor with computational video
- As much as 18-hour battery life
MacBook Air (Intel, 2020)
- As much as Intel Core i7 processor
- Intel Iris Plus Graphics GPU
- As much as 2TB storage
- Magic Keyboard
- Bluetooth 5.0
- 1.29 kg (2.8 kilos)
MacBook Air (Intel, 2018)
- Tapered “wedge” design
- 13.3-inch Retina show
- As much as Intel Core i5 processor
- As much as 4-core CPU
- Intel UHD Graphics 617
- As much as 16GB reminiscence
- As much as 1.5TB storage
- Butterfly Keyboard
- 400 nits brightness
- Full commonplace color (sRGB)
- 720p FaceTime HD digicam
- Stereo audio system
- 3.5mm headphone jack
- 802.11ac Wi‑Fi 6
- Bluetooth 4.2
- As much as 12-hour battery life
- Out there in Silver, Area Grey, and Gold
- 1.25 kg (2.75 kilos)
Whereas the M1 MacBook Air is ostensibly good worth for cash at $999 and could be discovered even cheaper with schooling pricing and elsewhere through third-party retailers, it’s notable that the M2 13-inch MacBook Air is now simply $1,099. 2018 or 2020 Intel MacBook Air customers will nonetheless profit from upgrading to the M1 MacBook Air, however provided that it’s only $100 cheaper than the M2 mannequin – they’re much higher off upgrading to the newest mannequin. $100 is a relatively small worth to pay for a a lot newer machine with a extra fashionable design, the M2 chip, a bigger and brighter show, quicker reminiscence, a 1080p digicam, higher audio system, MagSafe 3, fast-charging, and extra.
Most M1 MacBook Air customers will nonetheless stand to profit from upgrading to the M2 mannequin, particularly if they’re in search of an even bigger display and go for the 15-inch mannequin, however some will likely be higher off ready for the following main refresh. Apple is already rumored to be engaged on new MacBook Air fashions that includes the M3 chip for launch in 2024, sporting substantial efficiency and effectivity enhancements.
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