First Benchmark Result Surfaces for MacBook Air With M2 Chip

[MacRumors]

An early benchmark result for the new MacBook Air has surfaced, providing a closer look at the M2 chip's performance in the notebook.

In a Geekbench 5 result spotted by "Mr. Macintosh" on Twitter, the MacBook Air with the M2 chip and 16GB of unified memory achieved a single-core score of 1,899 and a multi-core score of 8,965. These scores are approximately the same as those achieved by the 13-inch MacBook Pro with the M2 chip, confirming that the notebooks have virtually identical performance in synthetic testing, as was the case with the M1 models.

While the M2 chip performs equally in the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro in Geekbench testing, the MacBook Pro could still fare better in real-world usage during sustained, demanding workloads since, unlike the MacBook Air, it has a fan.

The previous-generation MacBook Air with the M1 chip has an average single-core score of 1,706 and an average multi-core score of 7,420, meaning the M2 MacBook Air delivers up to 20% faster multi-core performance compared to the M1 model.

The result also confirms that the M2 MacBook Air outperforms the base model Mac Pro tower with an 8‑core Intel Xeon W processor despite costing nearly $5,000 less. While that is not an apples-to-apples comparison, it is nevertheless a testament to the impressive performance of Apple silicon chips in more affordable Macs.

It remains to be seen if the base model M2 MacBook Air with a 256GB SSD is equipped with only a single NAND storage chip. Last month, it was discovered that the base model M2 MacBook Pro has significantly slower SSD speeds compared to the equivalent M1 model due to having a single 256GB storage chip instead of two 128GB chips. Due to virtual memory swapping, slower SSD speeds can impact overall system performance at times.

Apple began accepting pre-orders for the new MacBook Air on Friday, July 8, and the first deliveries to customers and in-store availability will begin on Friday, July 15. Pricing for the new MacBook Air starts at $1,199 in the United States, while the previous-generation MacBook Air with the M1 chip remains available for $999.

Article Link: First Benchmark Result Surfaces for MacBook Air With M2 Chip

 

[WiiDSmoker]

Looking forward to those SSD speeds. Tim stays cheaping out. Hope I’m wrong though 🙃

 

[TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️]

Huge difference/improvement but let’s test out the SSD test. That’s what the people are waiting for.

 

[falkon-engine]

To be fair, most current-gen laptop chips from AMD and Intel also outperform that old base-level Xeon.

 

[arkmannj]

I can’t imagine Apple would do anything different for the SSD in the Air. I doubt Apple would accept a higher build cost for the Air than the Pro. But who knows I could be totally wrong, we will
find out in about a week.

 

[StupidOpinion]

need to stop comparing the apple silicon chips to the mac pro xeon chips because those xeon chips never had good value to begin with.

 

[tweaknmod]

Huge difference but let’s test out the SSD test. That’s what the people are waiting for.

For my uses, these machines will blast through anything I would throw at them on any given day — plus, I’d be getting the 1TB model, which supposedly won’t be effected by the slower SSD issue.

What I’m mostly curious about is the screen. On paper, it’s virtually identical to the previous MBA, but I’m hoping for a decent improvement in person.

 

[jtopp]

Huge difference/improvement but let’s test out the SSD test. That’s what the people are waiting for.

Most people don't concern themself with SSD speed specs. They just want a great user experience and reliability. People who need performance and do video/audio or more demanding work aren't the target customer for an entry level MacBook Air with low storage capacity.

 

[Captain_Mac]

Nothing to see here really. This is what we've been expecting.

 

[macsareveryinteresting]

need to stop comparing the apple silicon chips to the mac pro xeon chips because those xeon chips never had good value to begin with.

Exactly. They have been compared so many times to the Mac Studio or even the M1 iMacs and they literally beat them out. Intel is falling behind

 

[ticzon]

This will be a welcome upgrade from my mint MacBook Pro 2010 with 16GB of RAM and 2TB Samsung SSD. I ordered my maxed-out MacBook Air (24GB RAM, 2TB SSD), which should last me as long as my MacBook Pro. I didn't really need to do the upgrade but thought it is time I go into a new machine.

 

[reallynotnick]

Exactly. They have been compared so many times to the Mac Studio or even the M1 iMacs and they literally beat them out. Intel is falling behind

The Intel chip in the Mac Pro is quite old having been released 3 years ago. So it's just not even a great comparison point as Apple has neither updated the machine or lowered the price.

 

[Jack Neill]

That notch makes me appreciate my current M1 Air..

 

[tweaknmod]

Nothing to see here really. This is what we've been expecting.

Confirming — or or refuting — expectations is absolutely worth reporting. There’s always the chance for a curveball.

 

[XXPP]

Looking forward to those SSD speeds. Tim stays cheaping out. Hope I’m wrong though 🙃

Apple has a big problem. Inflation and strong dollar. In Europe they have to increase prices for 20% and new iPhone will be even much more expensive.

 

[dmylrea]

This will be a welcome upgrade from my mint MacBook Pro 2010 with 16GB of RAM and 2TB Samsung SSD. I ordered my maxed-out MacBook Air (24GB RAM, 2TB SSD), which should last me as long as my MacBook Pro. I didn't really need to do the upgrade but thought it is time I go into a new machine.

Curious what your need is for 2TB of storage? Looking at the specs of that 2010 MBP, I can't imagine doing anything productive on a 12-year old MacBook with an Intel Core2Duo?

 

[KPOM]

I can’t imagine Apple would do anything different for the SSD in the Air. I doubt Apple would accept a higher build cost for the Air than the Pro. But who knows I could be totally wrong, we will
find out in about a week.

Agreed. It may also be a supply chain consideration. It may be easier to source a single 256GB module than two 128GB modules.

 

[contacos]

Why is no one comparing these machines with the 14inch MacBook Pro with M1 Pro

 

[Mr. Dee]

The last thread, everyone seemed spooked by the slow SSD and I noticed more pre-orders of 1 TB and 512 GB configs. I just never saw the Air as a model meant for heavy duty work. But its a shame Apple is still defaulting to 256 GBs for storage.

 

[Imory]

For my uses, these machines will blast through anything I would throw at them on any given day — plus, I’d be getting the 1TB model, which supposedly won’t be effected by the slower SSD issue.

What I’m mostly curious about is the screen. On paper, it’s virtually identical to the previous MBA, but I’m hoping for a decent improvement in person.

The screen will most likely be of equivalent quality to the current M2 13" MacBook Pro/2016 - 2019 Macbook Pro's. The specs are practically identical. What I don't like about the new M2 Air is that they didn't increase the resolution like the 14" M1 MacBook Pro. 2560x1600 results in screen real estate of 1280x800 which is too small.

 

[A.wang28]

Why is no one comparing these machines with the 14inch MacBook Pro with M1 Pro

this. yes, please!
the 16gb/256gb M2 MBA is close enough in price to the base 16gb/512gb 14inch MBP that I'd consider switching.
The big question for me is the battery life difference.

and if the 256gb M2 MBA turns on to have a slower SSD, I may cancel the preorder.
I should consider the extra week after launch I get to wait for my MBA pick up date a blessing!

 

[Shirasaki]

Curious what your need is for 2TB of storage? Looking at the specs of that 2010 MBP, I can't imagine doing anything productive on a 12-year old MacBook with an Intel Core2Duo?

High-speed access of all files needed wherever you are and whenever you are, without compromise.

 

[ticzon]

Curious what your need is for 2TB of storage? Looking at the specs of that 2010 MBP, I can't imagine doing anything productive on a 12-year old MacBook with an Intel Core2Duo?

My 2010 MacBook Pro stores all my receipts from many previous years of my business (thousands of PDFs). All the receipts are OCR to be searchable. Also, I keep track of all my tax deductions on this machine. And yes, I do have it backed up (since this data is very important should I get audited). I wanted a large SSD since I write the data once, and have plenty of room on the SSD. Since the new MacBook Air SSD is not upgradable, I decided I should max it out so I don't have to worry about running out of space.

 

[jz0309]

The last thread, everyone seemed spooked by the slow SSD and I noticed more pre-orders of 1 TB and 512 GB configs. I just never saw the Air as a model meant for heavy duty work. But its a shame Apple is still defaulting to 256 GBs for storage.

Why? A lot of people don’t need more.
Those who do photos/videos will want much more than even 512. Those who use MBA in office environment don’t need more than 256.
Besides, every entry level PC laptop is offered with 256 too.

 

[CTHarrryH]

I think the average user won't find the SSD - Obviously, people who use for professional purposes will.
I assume it will be faster than my 2017 Air which in most cases if fine from a performance standpoint. I'm probably closer to average usage than many on this forum that uses their Air's for professional work. I'm replacing because my keyboard and track pad are starting to cause some issues.

I have 100 GB out of the 256 GB still available so I didn't need the larger drive.