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Midnight MacBook Air M2 is here! First impressions and photos thread

Falhófnir said:
A shame, I hope they will have enough room on the 15" version to keep the upward firing speakers. Hearing mixed reviews on the audio quality, some saying as good as ever, some saying sounds worse than the 14/16" (to be expected tbh even just given the smaller size to work with) but some saying doesn't even sound as good as the M1 Air/M1 Pro (in which case I assume the indirect route the sound needs to take to escape the chassis is the culprit?).
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To me it sounds like speakers on the Air always have done tbh. They're good and loud enough, but nowhere near as good as those on the MBPs.
 
Hello!
I got it too.
Do you also have lighting in the lower corners of the display in the dark, with a dark image, high brightness? It's stronger on my left side.
1.jpg

Example test: (dark room, high brightness, full screen). Thanks
 
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phobos60 said:
Hello!
I got it too.
Do you also have lighting in the lower corners of the display in the dark, with a dark image, high brightness? It's stronger on my left side.
View attachment 2030486
Example test: (dark room, high brightness, full screen). Thanks
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That’s pretty egregious backlight bleed. In my experience that’s very uncommon for Apple screens as this is usually something they have a tight rein on QC-wise. If it bothers you enough to post it about it here I would exchange it if you are willing or able to.
 
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daavee80 said:
That’s pretty egregious backlight bleed. In my experience that’s very uncommon for Apple screens as this is usually something they have a tight rein on QC-wise. If it bothers you enough to post it about it here I would exchange it if you are willing or able to.
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for now, I'm collecting information, so I'd like some of you to take a look, because I've seen this in the store too, and maybe the new display is just like that.
 
thadoggfather said:

Magic Keyboard for MacBook Air

Learn about the keyboard, function keys, and Touch ID on your MacBook Air.
support.apple.com support.apple.com
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Yes, that one was called Magic Keyboard, too. My mistake. Still, it’s not the same keyboard as the one found on M2 Air or 14” and 16” MBPs, and everything else I said still stands. The M2 Air and the 14/16” MBPs have a newer, slightly better keyboard than the M1 Air and 13” MBP. But all of these keyboards are a lot more reliable than the older butterfly-switch keyboards.
 
Boardiesboi said:
Just received delivery of my M2 MBA in midnight, 8C/10C, 8GB RAM, 512GB SSD. Original delivery estimate was July 18.

First impressions:
  • The midnight colour is SEXY as. Dark navy blue in certain good lighting and changes to black in other angles
  • Midnight is a fingerprint magnet. Every single touch will show up. That's what the polishing cloth is for right?
  • The Apple logo on the lid is bigger than the M1 MBA (I have a skin with a cut out for the logo for the M1)
  • Notch noticeable at first (never had the 14 MBP) but is starting to fade into the background
  • Feels thinner and lighter than the M1 MBA in the hand.
  • Substantially lighter than the iPad Pro 12.9" with smart keyboard
  • Keyboard feels great to type on, and the non-wedge shape angle is a non issue. It feels more tactile than the M1 keyboard. Aren’t they the same?
  • Speakers are directly under the screen now and not on the sides of the keyboard.
Will add more impressions as I start using it.

Some photos below. They don't do the midnight justice so pop into a store to check it out in person!

View attachment 2029908View attachment 2029909View attachment 2029911View attachment 2029910View attachment 2029912View attachment 2029913View attachment 2029915View attachment 2029914
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New laptop looks great, enjoy it.
Do you have a link to the iPad wallpaper you’re using?
 
ascender said:
After nearly a full day of using it... the fingerprints aren't as bad as I thought they would be - part of the issue might be just how well lit these YouTubers setups are! Yes, it can pick up marks, but Midnight is a very changeable colour depending on the light. I'll see what I think is a smudge when walking back to it, but then I can't see it unless I go looking for it. Not sure if that makes sense or not.

I love the colour though. It goes from a very dark black to a metallic-blue depending on the lighting.

A minor thing, but the new Air plays Football Manager just as well as the MBP 14 & 16 in terms of processing speed; match interface smoothness and there's no fans which I'd occasionally get on the 14 during the matches. The laptop warms up a bit while playing but its not hot like the old Intels used to be.

It also cools down very quickly which is nice.

As others have remarked, the screen is nice; its very light when using on the lap and picking it up with one hand from the corner; speakers are ok but nowhere near as good as those on the Pros; its incredibly fast and responsive, just like all of the Apple Silicon Macs are.

Magsafe... why did Apple not put a colour-matched usb-connector on the cord? Its a minor thing, but really stands out.

All in all, really pleased with it.
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Omg thank you, i play football manager (2016) currently on a 2016 macbook pro and the fans are always on when im playing, so was worried fanless would Just throttle. That’s the only intensive thing i do, would much prefer the smaller form factor so really pleased you wrote this :)
 
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I have my opinions about the new MBA but that color looks hot 🔥 I sure hope they make an iPhone Pro in that color way.
 
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I'll throw out some impressions:

  • Coming from a Gold M1 Air, so M2 isn't life changing but appreciated
  • I miss the warm Gold color of the M1 but Starlight is too Silver for me so went Midnight
  • I owned the original black MacBook in 2006 - Midnight gives a similar vibe, but the deep blue tone is cooler
  • The fingerprint thing is way overblown - wash your hands to get oils off and its a non issue (judging the color based on Apple Store models is nuts given the thousands of grubby hands that touch it all day)
  • Buy a microfiber cleaning cloth and enjoy the color
  • The design is nicer, but it's harder to pick up off a flat surface now that the edges aren't elevated by the bottom bulge
  • Strange using such a dark color on a Mac after so many years of silver, gold, and space gray but that adds to the appeal of Midnight

IMG_3054.jpeg
IMG_3055.jpeg
IMG_3052.jpeg
 
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It is nice having a different colour Mac for a change. I'm still baffled they didn't go with more bold co
PatriotInvasion said:
I'll throw out some impressions:

  • Coming from a Gold M1 Air, so M2 isn't life changing but appreciated
  • I miss the warm Gold color of the M1 but Starlight is too Silver for me so went Midnight
  • I owned the original black MacBook in 2006 - Midnight gives a similar vibe, but the deep blue tone is cooler
  • The fingerprint thing is way overblown - wash your hands to get oils off and its a non issue (judging the color based on Apple Store models is nuts given the thousands of grubby hands that touch it all day)
  • Buy a microfiber cleaning cloth and enjoy the color
  • The design is nicer, but it's harder to pick up off a flat surface now that the edges aren't elevated by the bottom bulge
  • Strange using such a dark color on a Mac after so many years of silver, gold, and space gray but that adds to the appeal of Midnight
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Nice looking setup there!

I'm still surprised by just how dark Midnight looks when its not in bright light. I'm so pleased they've finally offered a very different and darker colour, but wish they'd just give in and do a range of bold colours like the back of the iMacs.

Agree with the fingerprints - day two and its really not an issue. Plus, who cares, life's too short to worry about that.

This really does feel like they've taken the MBP 14" and just squashed it down.
 
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PatriotInvasion said:
The fingerprint thing is way overblown - wash your hands to get oils off and its a non issue (judging the color based on Apple Store models is nuts given the thousands of grubby hands that touch it all day)
Click to expand...

Well, except in real life usage it is actually a "thing" for lot of folks.

Obviously it's ideal to wash your hands first all the time, but that generally flies in the face of actual day to day usage quite often.
 
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erikkfi said:
This is a devastating comparison for Apple. I still can't believe they brought the notch to the Mac.
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In my opinion they do it for branding every bit as much as they do it for technical reasons. It’s why they were able to remove the screen-printed branding from the bottom bezel to help streamline the design.
If you showed that picture to a random member of the public they would likely have no idea who made it. Show them a MAcBook with a notch and there’s a good chance they’d know it was made by Apple going by the notch alone. Branding is everything to Apple. And the design is the brand.

Absolutely fantastic looking laptop btw (those LED function keys aside).*


*As is the Air M2, notch and all.
 
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