15" MacBook Air First Impressions

[Sowelu]

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.

Since the keyboards on the 13" and 15" M2 Airs are identical, you can order the one shown for the 13". I use this one on both Airs and they fit the same. They probably just didn't update the site to show the new 15" model yet - which will most likely be the same SKU as the 13" when they do.

 

[Chele]

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.

Since the keyboards on the 13" and 15" M2 Airs are identical, you can order the one shown for the 13". I use this one on both Airs and they fit the same. They probably just didn't update the site to show the new 15" model yet - which will most likely be the same SKU as the 13" when they do.

Thank you both! I will be ordering one soon.

 

[mizzourah]

Since the keyboards on the 13" and 15" M2 Airs are identical, you can order the one shown for the 13". I use this one on both Airs and they fit the same. They probably just didn't update the site to show the new 15" model yet - which will most likely be the same SKU as the 13" when they do.

Thank you for this tidbit of knowledge. We have also been using RadTech for decades all the way back to our mid2014 MBP and I was also waiting for the 15" MBA to drop into the offerings. Based on this, which makes sense, I just placed my order for the M2 MBA offering they have and it will arrive the same time as both of our midnight MBA. I was bummed about waiting to get this vital piece that always was in between my keyboard and screen, but I appreciate the info (I just told my wife that the forums definitely paid off today!) so I could get this procured.

 

[KhunJay]

I'm very slow and plodding with purchase decisions...I think this machine is huuuge...
a far cry from what Jobs sold the world:a portable. Still, I do get the attraction of size.
Inspecting this line-up physically Im most comfortable with the 14" MBP size...the trade-offs
are well balanced and constitute the sweetspot for me.

Im going to wait for M3 and then make a final decision.

 

[playtech1]

I finally got the chance to have a play around with the 15 inch MacBook Air at an Apple Store and came away pretty impressed.

For me the 13 inch M2 Air was nothing particularly special, as it was an incremental improvement over the M1 Air (and I still prefer the wedge shape of the M1) and marginally less comfortable in the hand.

But the new M2 Air design language works IMHO much better on the 15 inch Air. The ratio of its overall size to thinness gives a very pleasing impression. It seems almost magically thin, particularly when compared to the 16 inch MBP. It felt a bit like when I first got my hands on a Ti Book all those years ago.

That weight and handling advantage are making me seriously consider selling my 16 inch M1 Max MBP and replacing it with an 15 inch Air, but probably not until M3 comes out (multi-display support is a must for me). The 16 inch M1 Max is amazing in many ways, but it really is a brick of a machine and the beefy GPU does not seem to impact my use overly much.

The screen on the 15 inch Air looked to be very good for a 60Hz IPS panel, but I really want Pro-Motion, even if Mini LED is reserved for the MBPs. Shame about the notch but that seems set to hang around for years to come and is a less heinous design outcome than the touch bar (I hide it using TopNotch).

The main thing is that the screen feels noticeably larger than the 14 inch MBP, which in use feels much more like a 13 inch MBP than the old 15 inch MBP.

 

[Postal]

I'm very slow and plodding with purchase decisions...I think this machine is huuuge...
a far cry from what Jobs sold the world:a portable. Still, I do get the attraction of size.
Inspecting this line-up physically Im most comfortable with the 14" MBP size...the trade-offs
are well balanced and constitute the sweetspot for me.

Im going to wait for M3 and then make a final decision.

Jobs also introduced the 17-inch PowerBook G4 (and its MacBook Pro equivalent) under his watch, and that was much bigger and heavier than the 15-inch Air. For that matter, the 15-inch PowerBook G4 from 2001 was considerably thicker and heavier.

The 14-inch MBP may still be a better choice if you're looking at overall footprint, but the 15-inch Air is thinner and lighter than that system.

 

[KhunJay]

Jobs also introduced the 17-inch PowerBook G4 (and its MacBook Pro equivalent) under his watch,

Yeah...but the PBG4 wasn't pitched as a portable, like the Air was....they have lost their focus
on portability with this model IMO. I can see how some would explain it off as evolution.

 

[Cape Dave]

I'm very slow and plodding with purchase decisions...I think this machine is huuuge...
a far cry from what Jobs sold the world:a portable. Still, I do get the attraction of size.
Inspecting this line-up physically Im most comfortable with the 14" MBP size...the trade-offs
are well balanced and constitute the sweetspot for me.

Im going to wait for M3 and then make a final decision.

I am only going to buy one if it is a full moon on Friday the 13th. And it's raining. LOL!

 

[dizmonk]

The thing I'm experiencing which I'm curious about is the keyboard. It feels like the keyboard on the 15 MBA I'm trying feels more comfortable than the keyboard on my 14 M1 MBP. Are they the same or different? Thanks.

 

[balnazzar]

As someone that has struggled with eye fatigue on all M-based processors, this is unfortunately more of the same.

Care to elaborate about that? I'm not sure I understand what you mean.

EDIT: ok, got it. See below.

 

[balnazzar]

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

It's strange. I have an M1 MBA and I find its display to be ok, even when working for hours without a break. As a matter of fact the m1 mba's display is easier to look at with respect to many quality windows laptops I had. Note that it has PWM, albeit at 118 KHz (very high, unlikely to annoy), while the 15" MBA you own is totally PWM-free: it uses DC dimming (finally, Apple heard the customers). So, it cannot be PWM. Refesh rate is 60 Hz for both your old and new macbooks. Dithering seems highly improbable to me.

Do try what follows:
- Use dark mode, always (unless environment lighting is overwhelming).
- Do increase screen contrast (in accessibility).

If that still doesn't work, buy a photodiode and a cheap oscilloscope and check that your specimen is effectively pwm-free.

Please report back if any of the above worked.

 

[balnazzar]

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.

But all his eye-fatigue problems do disappear when he switches to his old 2017 macbook...

 

[balnazzar]

I do have issues with M1 air btw

Caused by pwm? Try and use an m2 air for a while in the store, so you can be sure it's pwm. If it still hurts your eyes, I think you have to same problem as the guy above.

 

[Beancamel]

1st impression was just like Goldilocks, 15" is just right!

 

[balnazzar]

I noticed my screen has a problem on the left side. Needless to say I returned it back to Apple today and I'm just going to stick with my old reliable 13" M1 MBA....

That could be easily solvable by ordering another 15". Your specimen was just unlucky.

 

[balnazzar]

In short, the displays on the MacBook Pros are without question superior to the MacBook Air's displays simply due to ProMotion and miniLED

Nobody mentioned MiniLED blooming. I never used a miniled macbook, but I used a 12.9" iPad for a while, and the blooming is VERY annoying, especially since I like to work with black backgrounds.

 

[Surfsalot]

After 1 day.
Pros.
Midnight looks great.
No light bleed.
Speakers are good.
Trackpad size is great.
Keyboard feels good only have my imac to compare.
Good on the lap.
Weight is good for the size.
Reads and wrights are faster than my 24” iMac both 8/512, not really seeing any difference in use though.
Price was the same lol

Cons:
The deal breakers:
Text is not as sharp and doesn’t look as good v my iMac and my 11” iPad Pro. Yes I wear glasses.
No promotion is more jarring on the smaller screen v my iMac.
Won‘t be buying anything from Apple again without it.
Colours are ok but not as vibrant.

Returning and will look for a deal on a 14” M2.

 

[RickTaylor]

Returning and will look for a deal on a 14” M2.

I hope you'll let us know what you think when you find one.

 

[Tenashus1]

I hope you'll let us know what you think when you find one.

Got my M2 a couple of weeks ago. Love the screen, promotion, the speed. It's just a very friendly machine. Runs my Luminar Neo photograpy app quickly and efficiently. Not especially sexy looking, but friendly and powerful.

 

[balnazzar]

Text is not as sharp and doesn’t look as good v my iMac

Mh, strange. I mean, I'm sure it's true, but strange nonetheless. They should be both at 218 ppi.

 

[balnazzar]

Returning and will look for a deal on a 14” M2.

Beware of the blooming.

 

[Surfsalot]

Beware of the blooming.

Beware of light bleed

 

[balnazzar]

Beware of light bleed

Ok, but the bleeding is addressable just by returning the defected unit and ordering a new one. The blooming, by contrast (pun intended), is part of the technology.
That said, I've owned 3 ips macbooks, all of them without bleeding. Note that I'm quite fastidious about it: my two 4k 27" displays (one of which is a damn expensive Eizo) do have it, and albeit tolerable, it's noticeable.. That's to say that I'm not that kind of person who just doesn't care.
I also have an ips ipad pro 11. No bleeding.

 

[dizmonk]

Okay, I've got a question about something I've just noticed. In going from the 15 MBA to the m1 14 MBP the screen on the Macbook Pro feels much harsher to look at. Even when the brightness is the same in the same room, reading the same web pages, the 14 almost hurts to look at. Is anyone else experiencing this and if so, why? Thanks.

 

[Apple_Robert]

Okay, I've got a question about something I've just noticed. In going from the 15 MBA to the m1 14 MBP the screen on the Macbook Pro feels much harsher to look at. Even when the brightness is the same in the same room, reading the same web pages, the 14 almost hurts to look at. Is anyone else experiencing this and if so, why? Thanks.

The brightness on the MBP is higher than the Air. You probably need to turn down the brightness a bit. Sounds like you have it way too high.