15" MacBook Air First Impressions

[Tenashus1]

I found the 15" to be massive and a bit overwhelming to me. My finger had to travel further on the MBA to get where I needed to go. 14" is smaller, but something I'm more used to in a Mac. 14" is a sweet spot for me. There are many pluses to the MBP Pro M2. It should certainly be considered if you're looking to spend around 2K for an M2. Excellent review on it by Everyday Dad on YouTube.

 

[ozziegn]

holy crap that is even worse than my work issued m2 mba 😂 and i thought my was a outlier. funny enough all these ppl claiming their mba display is perfect never back it up with a pictures.

I'm sure there are lots of screens that are as bad if not worse. But either people don't notice or they don't care. I'm OCD with everything I own. Especially with my Apple products. Perfection or I won't accept it.

 

[ilikewhey]

I'm sure there are lots of screens that are as bad if not worse. But either people don't notice or they don't care. I'm OCD with everything I own. Especially with my Apple products. Perfection or I won't accept it.

i don't mind if they don't notice nor care, its their laptop and what they do with it is their business, however its another when they go on forums and claims their display is perfect lol

 

[lJoSquaredl]

ProMotion saves battery though

I would use it in low power mode while unplugged cuz then it fluctuates from 0-60fps only if not mistaken, but I just don't need it above that personally. From my experience it looks smooth sometimes but then looks janky other times and I don't like that clunky feeling. At least on my relatives 16" its always been rather fluky feeling to me, and I don't see much of a difference anyways...compared to say the contrast of the mini-LED compared to other screens which I'm in love with much more.

 

[Mr. Dee]

One of things I forgot to mention was audio. I was so overwhelmed with how loud and clear the audio was especially in a store as crowded as the Apple Store. Apple hit the ball out of the park on this one. I don't know how they were able to pack that kind a power in such a thin device. When my sibling visits next year I will be purchasing one for them to replace their now obsolete 2017 Intel.

 

[bill-p]

ProMotion saves battery though

It actually doesn't. Locked 60Hz mode saves battery. If you scroll in ProMotion, most apps kick to 120Hz and the device doesn't just drain more battery for the display but it also drains more battery for the chip since the chip needs to kick GPU up all the way to remain smooth at 120Hz.

If you're just reading static contents without moving anything around at all, then maybe ProMotion will save battery life, but who actually does that?

P.S.: my personal anecdotal story: I could get up to 15-16 hours with my MBP 14" in battery saver mode, which locks the display to 60Hz and prevents the chip from getting too hot. Without that, it's typically 10-12 on light days. Or 7-8 on most days. With heavier workflows pushing the device to 3-4 hours. That's fine...

With the MacBook Air 15, I didn't have to do anything to hit 18-20 hours easily. It's still between 12-15 right now on average, which... if you're keeping count, means I'm getting anywhere between 30% to 70% higher battery life. With the exact same workflow. It's even crazier when I push the MacBook Air, because it still lasts 6 - 7 hours when pushed to its max (chip throttles to 15W), which means... on heavier days, it's getting over 2x the battery life of the 14". Sure, it runs slower but it also lasts equally longer so it equalizes out.

It's clear a combination of faster chip + XDR + 120Hz (ProMotion or otherwise) really hurts the battery life in the 14" Pro.

P.S. 2: oh, and battery saver mode in 14" Pro really makes the device somewhat more jerky than 15" Air for some reason. It struggles to maintain even 60Hz stable in the UI.

 

[Sowelu]

The display on the 15" MacBook Air is indeed beautiful. To my eyes, all of Apple's factory calibrations (including those on the MacBook Pros), lean heavily green hued and a bit dingy out of the box. A quick calibration brings the life out of both the MacBook Air's and MacBook Pro's displays (for me, that is, as everyone's eyes are different, mine are sensitive to what I perceive as amp'd up green - which seems to be the standard by most panels manufacturers).

The displays in the M2 Airs are a huge improvement over the M1 Airs - perhaps there is a different supplier on top of a better spec'd panel. I have 16" MacBook Pro as well as 13" and 15" M2 Airs and there is little to no difference in color accuracy, richness, vibrancy and pixel density (to the eyes). In fact, the whites are brighter and the white balance on my Airs is more even than on the Pros that I've had (this of course can be due to panel and or supplier variances). The Air's also don't have that coating which makes off viewing angles look tinted (yellow, green or pink) as seen on the Pros (I've had 3 'M' MacBook Pro's, they've all had variations of this).

What the MacBook Pro displays have that the Air's do not is ProMotion and of course, miniLED. These are huge features and are amazing on the Pros. If my 15" MacBook Air had both these features, it would be a better display than my MacBook Pro's due to the just-as-good (to my eyes) color accuracy, better white balance and lack of off viewing angle tint.

However, having used both, I can say that while I wish I had the rich blacks of the miniLED panel, I am not really noticing the lack of ProMotion. I've always found that ProMotion was more obvious and satisfying on my iPad Pros versus the MacBooks. But looking at them side by side, yes, you can definitely see a difference while scrolling.

In short, the displays on the MacBook Pros are without question superior to the MacBook Air's displays simply due to ProMotion and miniLED, but the colors, vibrancy, pixel density, brightness and white balance on the 15" Air's display would not make it a 'bad' display simply because it doesn't have ProMotion or miniLED.

 

[ilikewhey]

It actually doesn't. Locked 60Hz mode saves battery. If you scroll in ProMotion, most apps kick to 120Hz and the device doesn't just drain more battery for the display but it also drains more battery for the chip since the chip needs to kick GPU up all the way to remain smooth at 120Hz.

If you're just reading static contents without moving anything around at all, then maybe ProMotion will save battery life, but who actually does that?

P.S.: my personal anecdotal story: I could get up to 15-16 hours with my MBP 14" in battery saver mode, which locks the display to 60Hz and prevents the chip from getting too hot. Without that, it's typically 10-12 on light days. Or 7-8 on most days. With heavier workflows pushing the device to 3-4 hours. That's fine...

With the MacBook Air 15, I didn't have to do anything to hit 18-20 hours easily. It's still between 12-15 right now on average, which... if you're keeping count, means I'm getting anywhere between 30% to 70% higher battery life. With the exact same workflow. It's even crazier when I push the MacBook Air, because it still lasts 6 - 7 hours when pushed to its max (chip throttles to 15W), which means... on heavier days, it's getting over 2x the battery life of the 14". Sure, it runs slower but it also lasts equally longer so it equalizes out.

It's clear a combination of faster chip + XDR + 120Hz (ProMotion or otherwise) really hurts the battery life in the 14" Pro.

P.S. 2: oh, and battery saver mode in 14" Pro really makes the device somewhat more jerky than 15" Air for some reason. It struggles to maintain even 60Hz stable in the UI.

me, right now, reading your screen long paragraphs 😂

 

[Jinbei]

Does your screen have a slight red tint to it as well? I've seen that as an issue on some MBAs but I've never seen it on the MBP line, I wonder if they just take less care in making sure it's color accurate or make skin tones look a little better with a slight red tint to the panel for the more casual consumers on the Air? I think I've even heard Fincher mention how lots of monitors these days have red tint to make people look prettier...and how h

The display on the 15" MacBook Air is indeed beautiful. To my eyes, all of Apple's factory calibrations (including those on the MacBook Pros), lean heavily green hued and a bit dingy out of the box. A quick calibration brings the life out of both the MacBook Air's and MacBook Pro's displays (for me, that is, as everyone's eyes are different, mine are sensitive to what I perceive as amp'd up green - which seems to be the standard by most panels manufacturers).

The displays in the M2 Airs are a huge improvement over the M1 Airs - perhaps there is a different supplier on top of a better spec'd panel. I have 16" MacBook Pro as well as 13" and 15" M2 Airs and there is little to no difference in color accuracy, richness, vibrancy and pixel density (to the eyes). In fact, the whites are brighter and the white balance on my Airs is more even than on the Pros that I've had (this of course can be due to panel and or supplier variances). The Air's also don't have that coating which makes off viewing angles look tinted (yellow, green or pink) as seen on the Pros (I've had 3 'M' MacBook Pro's, they've all had variations of this).

What the MacBook Pro displays have that the Air's do not is ProMotion and of course, miniLED. These are huge features and are amazing on the Pros. If my 15" MacBook Air had both these features, it would be a better display than my MacBook Pro's due to the just-as-good (to my eyes) color accuracy, better white balance and lack of off viewing angle tint.

However, having used both, I can say that while I wish I had the rich blacks of the miniLED panel, I am not really noticing the lack of ProMotion. I've always found that ProMotion was more obvious and satisfying on my iPad Pros versus the MacBooks. But looking at them side by side, yes, you can definitely see a difference while scrolling.

In short, the displays on the MacBook Pros are without question superior to the MacBook Air's displays simply due to ProMotion and miniLED, but the colors, vibrancy, pixel density, brightness and white balance on the 15" Air's display would not make it a 'bad' display simply because it doesn't have ProMotion or minLED.

What do you use for calibration ?

 

[StayWhatYouAre]

Okay, I'll go for Starlight or Silver after seeing this. I have sweaty palms. :')

It's a total non issue after a few weeks for me if that helps , sure it definitely is more noticeable than space grey etc. But it seems like the initial super clean coating just wears in maybe - hard to explain . It doesn't stay anywhere near as bad as it is when you first handle it .

 

[UltimateSyn]

Went to see one at my local Apple Store today...

Sheeeeeesh, this thing is NICE. The screen size difference of this vs. my existing 14" MBP was far more substantial than I had anticipated. The lack of ProMotion wasn't all that noticeable in the few minutes I used it, but I'm sure I would greatly miss the contrast ratio and brightness levels that the mini-LED panel provides. But again, the screen felt huge vs. my MBP. I'm kind of tempted to make the switch. Maybe I'll force myself to wait for the 3nm M3, or until it has OLED so at least I wouldn't lose the contrast ratio.

 

[Surfsalot]

Went to see one at my local Apple Store today...

Sheeeeeesh, this thing is NICE. The screen size difference of this vs. my existing 14" MBP was far more substantial than I had anticipated. The lack of ProMotion wasn't all that noticeable in the few minutes I used it, but I'm sure I would greatly miss the contrast ratio and brightness levels that the mini-LED panel provides. But again, the screen felt huge vs. my MBP. I'm kind of tempted to make the switch. Maybe I'll force myself to wait for the 3nm M3, or until it has OLED so at least I wouldn't lose the contrast ratio.

When I had a 14" it was jarring going from it to my 24" iMac and back with no promotion. If you had nothing to compare side by side you may get used to it.

 

[UltimateSyn]

When I had a 14" it was jarring going from it to my 24" iMac and back with no promotion. If you had nothing to compare side by side you may get used to it.

It's funny because I'm a massive advocate for ProMotion on the iPhones and iPads - it's incredibly noticeable on those devices to me, and the jarringly obvious 60Hz screen on the iPad mini basically ruined the experience of using it for me. For some reason on Macs it's just less noticeable to me, but not completely imperceptible. I'm sure I'd notice it more as I continued using it, but the lack of 120Hz didn't seem like it would be a dealbreaker after those first few minutes.

 

[lJoSquaredl]

What do you use for calibration ?

Nothing, my screen is as how Apple sent it to me.

 

[dmr727]

It's funny because I'm a massive advocate for ProMotion on the iPhones and iPads - it's incredibly noticeable on those devices to me, and the jarringly obvious 60Hz screen on the iPad mini basically ruined the experience of using it for me. For some reason on Macs it's just less noticeable to me, but not completely imperceptible. I'm sure I'd notice it more as I continued using it, but the lack of 120Hz didn't seem like it would be a dealbreaker after those first few minutes.

I have both an iPad mini and a 13" MBA and believe me, playing with an iPhone Pro or MBP pisses me off equally.

 

[StoneJack]

The display on the 15" MacBook Air is indeed beautiful. To my eyes, all of Apple's factory calibrations (including those on the MacBook Pros), lean heavily green hued and a bit dingy out of the box. A quick calibration brings the life out of both the MacBook Air's and MacBook Pro's displays (for me, that is, as everyone's eyes are different, mine are sensitive to what I perceive as amp'd up green - which seems to be the standard by most panels manufacturers).

The displays in the M2 Airs are a huge improvement over the M1 Airs - perhaps there is a different supplier on top of a better spec'd panel. I have 16" MacBook Pro as well as 13" and 15" M2 Airs and there is little to no difference in color accuracy, richness, vibrancy and pixel density (to the eyes). In fact, the whites are brighter and the white balance on my Airs is more even than on the Pros that I've had (this of course can be due to panel and or supplier variances). The Air's also don't have that coating which makes off viewing angles look tinted (yellow, green or pink) as seen on the Pros (I've had 3 'M' MacBook Pro's, they've all had variations of this).

What the MacBook Pro displays have that the Air's do not is ProMotion and of course, miniLED. These are huge features and are amazing on the Pros. If my 15" MacBook Air had both these features, it would be a better display than my MacBook Pro's due to the just-as-good (to my eyes) color accuracy, better white balance and lack of off viewing angle tint.

However, having used both, I can say that while I wish I had the rich blacks of the miniLED panel, I am not really noticing the lack of ProMotion. I've always found that ProMotion was more obvious and satisfying on my iPad Pros versus the MacBooks. But looking at them side by side, yes, you can definitely see a difference while scrolling.

In short, the displays on the MacBook Pros are without question superior to the MacBook Air's displays simply due to ProMotion and miniLED, but the colors, vibrancy, pixel density, brightness and white balance on the 15" Air's display would not make it a 'bad' display simply because it doesn't have ProMotion or minLED.

How did you calibrate? With apple’s utility?

 

[TechnoMonk]

I had to return or sell both the 14” MBP and the M2 13” Air because of eye fatigue in using the screens. They have a harshness to them that makes it difficult to focus on over long periods of time. Some people have equated it to the feeling of looking into a flashlight, or a pinching feeling behind your eyeballs. It’s exhausting.

The issue is well-documented on this forum with some searching. It appears to have started with the m-based processors. No one is absolutely certain what it is - PWM, dithering, refresh rates, etc. Going back to my 2017 is instant relief, zero issues.

And yes, I have tried every fix offered under the sun for the problem, spent way too many hours researching solutions the first go-around. Ordering this new 15” was based in hope that they may have subtly addressed it, but it’s the same as the 13” was. I’m continuing to see if I can adjust to it.

Edit: if you don’t experience any fatigue with these screens, definitely don’t overthink it. It’s just one of those “yes, I have that” or “what the hell are you talking about?” situations.

Eye fatigue: Go see an optometrist/optician and get a pair of glasses.

I had the same problem and a pair of glasses took care of it.

This. Same thing happened with my kid.

 

[boak]

It actually doesn't. Locked 60Hz mode saves battery. If you scroll in ProMotion, most apps kick to 120Hz and the device doesn't just drain more battery for the display but it also drains more battery for the chip since the chip needs to kick GPU up all the way to remain smooth at 120Hz.

If you're just reading static contents without moving anything around at all, then maybe ProMotion will save battery life, but who actually does that?

P.S.: my personal anecdotal story: I could get up to 15-16 hours with my MBP 14" in battery saver mode, which locks the display to 60Hz and prevents the chip from getting too hot. Without that, it's typically 10-12 on light days. Or 7-8 on most days. With heavier workflows pushing the device to 3-4 hours. That's fine...

With the MacBook Air 15, I didn't have to do anything to hit 18-20 hours easily. It's still between 12-15 right now on average, which... if you're keeping count, means I'm getting anywhere between 30% to 70% higher battery life. With the exact same workflow. It's even crazier when I push the MacBook Air, because it still lasts 6 - 7 hours when pushed to its max (chip throttles to 15W), which means... on heavier days, it's getting over 2x the battery life of the 14". Sure, it runs slower but it also lasts equally longer so it equalizes out.

It's clear a combination of faster chip + XDR + 120Hz (ProMotion or otherwise) really hurts the battery life in the 14" Pro.

P.S. 2: oh, and battery saver mode in 14" Pro really makes the device somewhat more jerky than 15" Air for some reason. It struggles to maintain even 60Hz stable in the UI.

Locked at 60 Hz leads to worse battery life than having ProMotion.

iPhone 13 Pro has a longer battery life than iPhone 13, even though the former has a smaller battery.

 

[SergueiTemp]

Did you have eye sore with the 13" M2 as well? It's pwm free, so it should be easier on your eyes

Is it the issue only on notched MacBooks or on first M1 as well?

 

[DMG35]

I never realized until today that the new wallpapers that Apple released with the 15" MBA actually spell out the word "AIR" inside the design.

I guess its common knowledge but I never noticed that before.

 

[bill-p]

Locked at 60 Hz leads to worse battery life than having ProMotion.

iPhone 13 Pro has a longer battery life than iPhone 13, even though the former has a smaller battery.

A MacBook is not the same thing as an iPhone. Even the implementation of ProMotion is different:

iPhones in general can go from 10Hz to 120Hz, with 12 distinct refresh rates in between to choose from.

MacBooks are just like iPads and have only 5 steps, plus the lowest is 24Hz instead, so it's far less efficient than an iPhone.

On top of that, the software stack for a MacBook is not always guaranteed to use exactly the recommended frameworks Apple provides to support ProMotion. See here...

Optimizing ProMotion refresh rates for iPhone 13 Pro and iPad Pro | Apple Developer Documentation

Provide custom animated content for ProMotion displays.

developer.apple.com

iPads and iPhones in general benefit from the fact that there aren't Electron apps, Java apps, Qt apps, etc... running alongside apps made using Apple's UIKit, SwiftUI and SpriteKit. So unless you're suggesting everyone using a Mac is running just Safari and Apple-made apps, you have to accept that ProMotion is not really "functional" for many other apps made using other tech stacks. This is a known issue.

You'd think I'm blind and couldn't just check actual display refresh rate on my MacBook Pro 14?

 

[boak]

A MacBook is not the same thing as an iPhone. Even the implementation of ProMotion is different:

iPhones in general can go from 10Hz to 120Hz, with 12 distinct refresh rates in between to choose from.

MacBooks are just like iPads and have only 5 steps, plus the lowest is 24Hz instead, so it's far less efficient than an iPhone.

On top of that, the software stack for a MacBook is not always guaranteed to use exactly the recommended frameworks Apple provides to support ProMotion. See here...

Optimizing ProMotion refresh rates for iPhone 13 Pro and iPad Pro | Apple Developer Documentation

Provide custom animated content for ProMotion displays.

developer.apple.com

iPads and iPhones in general benefit from the fact that there aren't Electron apps, Java apps, Qt apps, etc... running alongside apps made using Apple's UIKit, SwiftUI and SpriteKit. So unless you're suggesting everyone using a Mac is running just Safari and Apple-made apps, you have to accept that ProMotion is not really "functional" for many other apps made using other tech stacks. This is a known issue.

You'd think I'm blind and couldn't just check actual display refresh rate on my MacBook Pro 14?

Strongly disagree.

Also, cool it on the aggression.

 

[bill-p]

Strongly disagree.

Also, cool it on the aggression.

Clearly Apple disagrees with you as well because Low Power Mode on MacBooks actually lock to 60Hz instead of keeping ProMotion.

Also, I'm not being aggressive. Just stating facts.

 

[boak]

Clearly Apple disagrees with you as well because Low Power Mode on MacBooks actually lock to 60Hz instead of keeping ProMotion.

Also, I'm not being aggressive. Just stating facts.

It’s capped at 60Hz, not locked.

 

[bill-p]

It’s capped at 60Hz, not locked.

It used to disable ProMotion entirely and just lock to 60Hz initially. It looks like the cap is a more recent addition in the OS now.

Source: myself and others back in 2021.

Back then, it wasn't just simply a 60Hz cap. The ProMotion option was gone as soon as Low Power Mode was engaged.