As I was writing this MacBook Air (M2,2022) review, I had an epiphany: What if Apple originally intended for this to be a redesigned MacBook Pro 13″ with an M2 chip.
It makes sense as the new MacBook Air has larger screens, better speakers, and a 1080p camera, as opposed to the MacBook Pro 13″ (M2, 2022), we actually received
Both laptops have the M2 chips that offer similar performance. However, unlike many people hoped for, there is a limited selection of professional-looking colors in the new MacBook Air.
The MacBook Air (M2, 2022), which has a new and much more expensive price tag of $1199 (PS1,249/AU$1,899) is something we would expect to pay with a MacBook Pro rather than an entry-level MacBook Air.
Apple made the opposite. They released a MacBook Air with the new design, but a MacBook Pro with a different M2 chip.
We now have a MacBook Air with a new design and a MacBook Pro 13 inch with the same old design. This was a missed chance, I think.
Is the MacBook Air (M2, 2022), finally able to surpass its predecessor? It has a lot going for it. The new design increases the screen size and makes the whole laptop lighter and more portable.
Apple has redesigned many of its iconic products including the iMac 24-inch, MacBook Pro 16 inch. The new design follows Apple’s reinvention. The only MacBook that has not been redesigned is the MacBook Pro 13-inch (M2,2022), as previously mentioned. This MacBook, despite being equipped with the same M2 chip, retains its original look and feels a little like an afterthought.
The new MacBook Air (M2,2022) is not so. It has a new design and the M2 chip. This follows the M1 that was found in the old MacBook Air. Apple has now abandoned Intel and created its own graphics and processor to power its Macs. The results are already spectacular with outstanding performance and an industry-leading battery life
The M2 chip, which is a faster processor and longer battery life, continues the trend as we saw with the MacBook Pro 13-inch. The MacBook Air has the same M2 chip that the MacBook Pro 13-inch. This allows it to provide almost identical performance.
Add in the new design, which offers a larger screen and brighter display than the MacBook Pro 13″ and a lower price tag, and you have a compelling case for the MacBook Air (M2,2022), making the 13-inch MacBook Pro obsolete.
The new MacBook Air is not all good news. It comes at a higher price. The new MacBook Air starts at $1,199 (PS1,249). This is a significant increase from the MacBook Air (M1, 2020) which was launched at $999/PS999. Unfortunately, this means it doesn’t offer the same value for money as the M1 MacBook Air. Apple seems to be aware of this, since unlike other models that are discontinued when a new model is released, Apple will continue selling the older MacBook Air and marketing it to people who want a cheaper MacBook.
This means that the MacBook Air is not as easy to recommend as the older model. It’s also more expensive for most people.
We recommend that anyone considering buying the MacBook Pro 13″ to get the MacBook Air (M2, 2222), but we cannot recommend it to everyone. This is exactly what we did with our previous MacBook Air. It’s a bit disappointing.
MacBook Air (M2,2022) review: Prices and availability
- Prices start at $1,199 / PS1,249 / AU$1,899
- It is more expensive than the previous model, but it is still very affordable
- The MacBook Pro 13-inch is $100 less than the M2, 2022 MacBook Pro 13-inch
At Apple’s developer conference, the new MacBook Air was unveiled. The first M2-powered Mac was the MacBook Pro 13-inch (M2, 2022). However, the launch date of the new MacBook Air has been delayed until July due to Apple’s uncertain component and material availability. The new MacBook Air (M2, 2022) went on sale July 8, with delivery starting July 15
We expect this product to be very popular, so delivery dates could be delayed due to current stock issues. However, hopefully not too much.
The MacBook Air is available for $1,199 (PS1,249/AU$1,899). While the M1-based Air will remain available at $999, education users can get one for $899.
Although the price increase is understandable, it makes the MacBook Air feel less valuable than the older MacBook Air. This is a shame because the 2020 MacBook Air’s best features were its low price and outstanding performance.
The MacBook Air’s base model (M2, 2022), comes with an 8 core CPU and 8 core GPU. It also has 8GB of memory, 256GB SSD storage, and 8GB of RAM.
The new M2 MacBook Pro 13″ starts at $1,299 / PSP1,299 / AU$1,999. This puts Apple in an unusual place as the prices for the MacBook Air 13-inch and MacBook Pro 13 inch are not that different.
Both base models have the M2 chip. The MacBook Air has an 8-core GPU and the MacBook Pro 13 inch’s base model has a 10-core GPU. This means that the MacBook Air is faster in terms of graphical performance. But, we’ll discuss this later.
- Price Score: 3.5/5
MacBook Air (M2,2022) review: Design
- Brand-new design
- Bigger screen, lighter body
- There are new color options
The new MacBook Air has undergone one of the most dramatic design changes Apple has made to an iconic product. While you might be sad about the loss of its iconic wedge, the Air looks much more modern and elegant that previous models.The MacBook Air, as the name implies, is the thinnest, lightest MacBook Apple makes. Apple’s new MacBook Air 2022 model has further improvements. It shrinks the size and weight of its unibody, while increasing the screen size.
Engineers at the company have achieved this by reducing the bezels around the screen by up to 30% at the top and bottom, and 20% at the sides. The thick borders on the previous MacBook Air screens looked dated, especially when compared with high-end Windows competitors like the Dell XPS13. This makes the MacBook Air appear more modern.
To match the MacBook Pros’ webcams in late 2021, the MacBook Air’s webcam now has 1080p. This will make the MacBook Air’s webcam more useful for video conferencing and video calls with friends and family. This is a big deal in the age of hybrid work.
The news that the webcam has a larger webcam with thinner bezels will not be welcomed by many is the “notch” that drops into the menu bar. It is identical to the notch in the MacBook Pro 15-inch (2021), and it was a divisive when it first debuted with those MacBooks.
The notch on the other systems didn’t bother us, because Apple increased the screen upwards, giving you more screen real-estate, which was worth the tradeoff.
The MacBook Air (M2, 2002) has a 13.6-inch display, as opposed to the previous 13.3-inch model. The resolution has been increased from 2,560×1,600 to 2,560×1,664. The larger screen won’t lose its sharpness. We believe that the trade-off between a smaller screen and a notch is the best. You’ll barely notice it, but still get the additional screen space and better webcam.
The Liquid Retina screen has a brighter display of 100nits. It now supports 500nits. However, ProMotion is not supported. It is a rare situation in which the MacBook Air (M2, 222) has a bigger and brighter screen than the MacBook Pro 13-inch. The MacBook Air (M2,2022) is a better choice for photographers and people who rely on visual quality.
As we mentioned earlier, the MacBook Air has a new design. It is no longer a “wedge”, with a thinner front, and a thicker back. It’s now uniform, making it compatible with almost every other Apple portable design. This avoids an awkward problem where the MacBook Air used to be a bit thicker than the MacBook Pro at the other end. This MacBook Air is without a doubt the thinnest MacBook that you can purchase.
There are also new colors. The comparatively low-key Space Gray and Silver colors will disappoint those who are looking for pastel-like colors such as the iMac 24-inch. These colors look great in person. All of them were on display at Apple’s WWDC Event. Our favorite was Midnight Blue. This is the color Apple sent us for our review unit. It looks as beautiful as we remembered. Every color comes with matching power cables, a truly Apple touch.
The laptop comes in a variety of colors, and also features MagSafe (yes it’s back), charging, two Thunderbolt ports, and a 3.5mm headset jack. This will be a welcome addition for those who use non-Bluetooth headphones or headsets. The MacBook Air (M2) measures just 11mm thick and weighs in at 2.7lbs.
The base MacBook Air comes standard with a 30W charger. However, you can upgrade it to a 67W adapter for $59 which can charge your iPhone, iPad, or other devices up to 80% in 20 minutes. It also has two ports so you can charge them all simultaneously. This can slightly slow down charging times, since the 67W is divided between the devices.
The redesign is, overall, a success. The MacBook Air feels more modern thanks to the larger screen and improved quality. It also feels lighter and thinner. The new colors are stylish and attractive, even though they don’t have the vibrant pastels or multi-colored options that you were hoping for.
- Design Score: 5/5
Review: MacBook Air (M2,2022) Performance
- Outstanding performance
- At par with MacBook Pro 13″ (M2, 2022).
Benchmarks
Here’s how the MacBook Air M2, 2022 performed in our suite benchmark tests.
Cinebench R23 CPU: Single-Core: 1,597; Multi-core: 8,098
Geekbench 5 Single-Core: 1,936; Multi-Core: 8,917
Battery Life (TechRadar movie testing): 16 Hours and 6 Minutes
Apple’s new MacBook Air (M2,2022) comes with the M2 System on Chip(SoC). This second-generation chip, which Apple claims is 18% faster than the predecessor, has a 35% faster GPU (now 10 cores), as well as a 40% faster neural motor. The base MacBook Air comes with an 8-core GPU. However, you can upgrade to a 10 core GPU.
The MacBook Pro 13-inch model base comes standard with an M2 chip, 10-core GPU and a MacBook Pro 13″ Pro 13″ display.
The MacBook Air performed exceptionally well during our testing. The pre-installed macOS Monterey runs quickly, is easy to use, and looks great on the new MacBook Air screen. We used the MacBook Air M2, 2022 for daily use.
Both Safari and Chrome were fast and responsive when browsing the web. Even with multiple tabs open, the model we tested had 16GB of unified memory. Typing documents on the slightly revised keyboard, which is slightly smaller due to the redesign but retains the same Magic Keyboard switches, felt nice and easy.
Numerous applications have started to release M1-compatible apps since the M1 chip was launched. This means that your favorite apps will run flawlessly and take full advantage of the M2 capabilities. Apps from Microsoft and Adobe also have M1-native versions.
Rosetta 2 is Apple’s new tool that allows you to run Intel-based Mac apps almost as if it were M2, while minimizing performance impact.
Garage Band, Apple’s music-making program, was also used. We edited 4K home movies using iMovie and the faster M2 chip made everything run extremely smoothly. When using the M2 MacBook Pro for similar tasks, we didn’t notice any difference.
Apple loves to highlight the difference between the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro 13-inch. The MacBook Air uses a fanless design to keep its components cool, while the MacBook Pro 13 inch uses fans. The MacBook Pro 13-inch should be able to work at maximum performance for longer periods of time without overheating.
It means that the MacBook Air (M2,2022) is light and thin, as well as completely silent when it’s in use. We found that the MacBook Pro 13,-inch’s fans rarely if ever triggered, which means that it won’t make a significant difference to heavy workloads such as Logic Pro projects with hundreds or 8K video editing using Premiere Pro. You wouldn’t buy the MacBook Air – nor the MacBook Pro 13 inch – for these types of tasks. It’s better to get the MacBook Pro 16-inch or 14-inch.
The new MacBook Air and MacBook Pro 13″ were very similar in performance, as demonstrated by our benchmark tests. Cinebench and Geekbench showed almost identical single-core performance for both devices. This is because they use the same 8 core M2 processor.
Geekbench also showed very similar multi-core performance, but Cinebench gave the MacBook Pro a slight advantage. The Pro may offer a slightly better multitasking experience, particularly if you are using graphics-based tasks, but overall performance is very similar to the MacBook Air. However, the MacBook Air is more expensive and has a new design.
We are in an extremely strange situation. The MacBook Pro 13-inch was not killed by a competitor, Dell or HP… but rather by Apple’s MacBook Air.
- Performance score 4.5/5
Review: Battery life for MacBook Air (M2, 2022).
- It lasts for more than 16 hours
- Charges very quickly
We were optimistic about the MacBook Air’s battery-life. The M1 chip, which was extremely efficient and offered high performance, had a long life span. Apple promises the same with the new M2 chip.
We were not disappointed with our battery life benchmark. This is where we ran a looped 1080p video from the beginning to the end. It lasted 16 hours. This is a remarkable feat that far surpasses Windows-based laptops around the same price.
The MacBook Pro 13-inch actually lasted 30 more minutes than it. This is surprising considering that the Pro has a larger battery. The Pro’s Touch Bar and less efficient screen may be responsible for the Pro’s faster battery drain.
This is also an improvement over the M1 MacBook Air two years ago which only managed 11 hours in the exact same test.
The MacBook Air (M2, 2022), can be used all day or night and still have enough battery life. This is really impressive stuff. It was easy to use the MacBook Air (M2, 2022) without having to worry about plugging it in for the battery. This gives you more freedom and flexibility when using the laptop.
The more powerful charger was the one we used, and it filled up our battery quickly when we needed it. MagSafe ports are also great. They allow you to plug in the charger quickly thanks to the magnetic connection. If it gets pulled out, it can be disconnected easily without causing any damage.
The USB-C port can charge your MacBook Air (M2, 2022), which is useful if you have to borrow one while you are out and about.
