I tried one out (midnight) for a few days before returning it. Too much real estate for me. A lot of empty space. !4" MBP M2 is solid and costs nearly the same when you increase the specs on the 15" MBA.
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15" MacBook Air First Impressions
- Thread starter IJBrekke
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I personally find the opposite to be true as the dark Midnight finish on the 15" Air makes everything blend in taking the eye away from the space on either side of the keyboard due to the lack of contrast.
With the lighter finishes, there is more contrast between the keyboard and empty spaces on the sides, so the larger side keyboard bezels look more noticeable on the Space Gray, Silver, etc., versus the Midnight (not as bad as the 16" MacBook Pro of course - though the speaker grills soften that space, somewhat).
As for the build quality, I find the 15" Air just as solid as my 13" Air. I can easily pick it up on either side with one hand - I do this all day as it's usually used on my lap. There is zero flex even while holding it from either front corner alone, and the display and hinge are tight with no wobble. The display hinge also stays put while quickly picking up the MacBook while it's open.
There is also no creaking, or chassis flex of any kind, at least on mine. This may be thanks to the extra support and clips that Apple built into the base to accommodate the larger frame versus the 13", as seen on some YouTube videos.
As for the aesthetic of the Midnight, everyone has different taste of course, and this is completely subjective, but to my eyes the Midnight is the nicest, most distinctive and regal-looking of the bunch, with Space Gray coming in at a close second. I am personally over Silver and I am not a fan of Starlight as I detest anything with a champagne and or gold hue.
So first day in the office with MBA15 today... In the past years I used MBP16Pro instead of Jabra speaker during meetings (so others around the table were talking/listening through my Macbook) and this is not working that well with Air 15 - the speakers are good and loud, but the mics, or their position, is not picking up noises behind the macbook well... MBP16 was much much better. Not a deal breaker, but something to consider haha (luckily it's possible to use iphone as speaker/mic and place it in the middle of the table, so no need to run around with Jabra spekaer anyway)
Visited Apple store today. Saw the new 15" Air. Not much bigger than the 2015/2017 13" Air. Like it but undecided whether to buy it.
I don't know if it's better than the 13. I have been using my day old MBA15.3 - set up exactly as I like and doing what I do and so far screen time is showing 11h 10m
and there is 30% battery left. This suggests there is about 4-5h of battery left if I continue to use the same way. So it matches Apples 15h web browsing, text docs, YouTube, etc.
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Just got mine a few days ago, I couldn't resist after a 2 minute test at the Apple Store.
It is light. I am coming from a Mac mini M1 and an iPad Pro 2018 12.9" with Smart keyboard and I do not really notice much difference.
Screen is nice. I always miss a bigger screen when I try to do any serious stuff on my iPad Pro. I use my MBA also attached to a 32" 4K screen, but using it in laptop mode is also nice. I feel comfortable, which is a lot for me.
Battery life is amazing. I charged it once and keep it using without any worries.
It works like a charm. Very quick. I feel it quicker than my Mac mini. Maybe because of the 2 years of usage. Maybe M2. Maybe just the hype.
I got it on Midnight Blue. It is BEAUTIFUL. Yes, I see some finger prints from time to time but I am not that concerned at all. Maybe my fingers are not too oily, I don't know. I also have a nice cloth with me to clean it from time to time, but I am rarely using it.
All in all. Nice laptop. Very nice. Happy user. I just need to change my workflows to more Macbook stuff and less iPad sometimes.
It is light. I am coming from a Mac mini M1 and an iPad Pro 2018 12.9" with Smart keyboard and I do not really notice much difference.
Screen is nice. I always miss a bigger screen when I try to do any serious stuff on my iPad Pro. I use my MBA also attached to a 32" 4K screen, but using it in laptop mode is also nice. I feel comfortable, which is a lot for me.
Battery life is amazing. I charged it once and keep it using without any worries.
It works like a charm. Very quick. I feel it quicker than my Mac mini. Maybe because of the 2 years of usage. Maybe M2. Maybe just the hype.
I got it on Midnight Blue. It is BEAUTIFUL. Yes, I see some finger prints from time to time but I am not that concerned at all. Maybe my fingers are not too oily, I don't know. I also have a nice cloth with me to clean it from time to time, but I am rarely using it.
All in all. Nice laptop. Very nice. Happy user. I just need to change my workflows to more Macbook stuff and less iPad sometimes.
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You know you've decied, just the matter of when!
For the Midnight owners (or any MacBook), I've been using RadTech ScreenSavrz for literally decades - ever since the PowerBook days.
They act as great protection between the MacBook's keyboard and display while closed and in a bag or backpack, and for those of us who prefer to wipe down more often, a nice cleaning cloth will always close by.
They're made well and precision cut to fit the MacBook model you choose. Same goes from the thickness of the microfiber (so that there are no issues with the display properly engaging with the magnets when closing the lid).
They act as great protection between the MacBook's keyboard and display while closed and in a bag or backpack, and for those of us who prefer to wipe down more often, a nice cleaning cloth will always close by.
They're made well and precision cut to fit the MacBook model you choose. Same goes from the thickness of the microfiber (so that there are no issues with the display properly engaging with the magnets when closing the lid).
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First impressions. Very good. Really good. The keyboard on my 1st MBA15 was a touch soft, I'm glad I changed it for new MBA15 as this keyboard is really good - on par with the MBP. Screen is gorgeous, again better than my 1st MBA. Loving it so far compared to my M1 13.3. Dare I say "a proper laptop" ie the screen makes it feel proper, for me.
And battery is really good. Lasts all day unlike my 13.3. I feel its alittle expensive and would have preferred to buy on discount in 6 months but having used it I can't go back to M1 13.3. 2" extra screen is nice.
And battery is really good. Lasts all day unlike my 13.3. I feel its alittle expensive and would have preferred to buy on discount in 6 months but having used it I can't go back to M1 13.3. 2" extra screen is nice.
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I'm switching from a 2021 iMac because I'm just not using a stationary computer as much as I would a notebook. I bought a 15 MBA 16gb 1TB from Apple Store, and then realized Best Buy had the 14 MBP with 16gb 512gb on sale for $1799. I've been using both all week and it's such a tough decision. I'm not a power user so that aspect is irrelevant. It's coming down to the screen size/quality and the overall size of the computer. When using the MBA, that extra 25% of screen real estate seems so much bigger than the MBP. When using the MBP, it still feels like a small portable computer (not a bad thing) whereas the MBA is a bit more immersive.
Despite the MBP screen being superior, I find myself still drawn to having the larger screen on the MBA. I also just like the look and feel of it better. From a value proposition, the MBP is a lot more bang for the buck especially compared to the specs/price of the MBA 15 I have.
I've got til July 10 to decide, but right now I think the MBA is going to be the winner. It was the catalyst in the first place to get me to want to switch from the iMac, whereas when the 14MBP came out, I didn't even consider trading out my iMac for a notebook.
Despite the MBP screen being superior, I find myself still drawn to having the larger screen on the MBA. I also just like the look and feel of it better. From a value proposition, the MBP is a lot more bang for the buck especially compared to the specs/price of the MBA 15 I have.
I've got til July 10 to decide, but right now I think the MBA is going to be the winner. It was the catalyst in the first place to get me to want to switch from the iMac, whereas when the 14MBP came out, I didn't even consider trading out my iMac for a notebook.
After having a play with the 15" and 13" MBA's today in my local Apple store, I could feel myself leaning towards the smaller one for its compact size and better proportions - then I trialled the speakers. The difference is night and day with the 15" having a similar fullness to the Pro iPads while the 13" sounded like an iPhone. Then I tried the 14" MBP and was spoilt with the size and screen quality, it felt like the sweet spot. Sadly I won't be able to use the 14" as the display appears to strain my eyes after 10 minutes of use.
Left the store still unsure......different day, same first-world problems.
Left the store still unsure......different day, same first-world problems.
Yet, as that photo comp shows, the 15” is HUGELY bigger than the current crop of 13” MBAs!
Is that because of it being the older Intel model — or, if an M1 MBA, how old and degraded the battery is?
When the M1s first came out, users eported that the M1 MBA could last up to 20 hours — easily all day!
Apple's comparison shows them with an equivalent “up to 18 hours”. Is there something wrong with that figure? Have the M1s degraded rapidly — or are you simply a heavy user?! 😎
Just picked mine up and it is absolutely beautiful!
An odd trick of the mind, my existing laptop screen (Dell 7577 with 15.6 display) actually looks SMALLER than the 15.3 on the Air due to the gigantic bezels surrounding the Dell!
I'm also happy to report unlike the M1 Air I had at one point it doesn't wobble on one corner on my desk either!
An odd trick of the mind, my existing laptop screen (Dell 7577 with 15.6 display) actually looks SMALLER than the 15.3 on the Air due to the gigantic bezels surrounding the Dell!
I'm also happy to report unlike the M1 Air I had at one point it doesn't wobble on one corner on my desk either!
I would love to get one of these. I don't see one that fits the 15" one though? I will definitely purchase one when they become available.
I wear computer reading glasses from Warby Parker. They block blue light. I have no problem with eye strain on the 14" MBP M2.
I'm PWM sensitive, so like many of Apple's top-tier products, I cannot use the 14" MBP. This frustrating sensitivity is a huge reason why I end up buying nothing as I feel like I'm spending a lot of money on models which are not my preference.
The 15" & 13" Airs felt OK on my eyes.
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I was in pretty much the exact same situation as you, and I kept the 15 Air.
My 13.3 M1 has 85% battery health so it typically didnt last all day - this is what made me consider the 15" in the first place (the health). But I have made my workflow more efficient / less battery intensive since moving to the new 15 so it might be better now, but I won't go back to it because of the 15" screen.
Have you tried M2 MBA in person? My eyes is also quite sensitive, but the M2 MBA display is more comfortable than M1 MBA or even iPad Pro 11" display, even though it's still not as good as MBP 13" 2014 display.
You can buy almost any of those… E.g. the one for 14” MBP should cover the 15” MBA keyboard nicely.
I have the “big” one on MBP16, and am using an old one from MBP13 for the new Air.
The clothes are thin so even if they are bigger than keyboard area you can fully close the laptop.
In store, when I tried to set the resolution higher than “more space” with switchResX it maxed at 2800, without changing the SIP setting with a reboot and installing the Helper tool. Anyone with this computer able to get the resolution up to 3300 or 3800 (4k) on the laptop screen?
I know it’s really small text but it’s still useful in multitasking flows.
I know it’s really small text but it’s still useful in multitasking flows.
