Video Review: One Month With the New M2 MacBook Air

[henrikhelmers]

I do think 256gb is too small because those everyday users do take a lot of photos

If 256gb is sufficient on a phone, why would you need more space for photos on a laptop?

One reason I can think of is backups. You always need a Mac with a large capacity HD for each account. I think a better solution would be if Apple offered a proper backup solution for media (Music/Photo libraries). Then you can live the Phone/iPad/tiny HD laptop life and still back up what matters.

 

[Ma2k5]

I like mine except for the down firing speakers which seem to distort/echo/muffle on certain frequencies/volume - which is more obvious if it is on a hard surface. I don’t always like using headphones and generally got quite used to using the speakers/mic from my 16” for a lot of work team calls and generally viewing content/YouTube. It is bothering me enough to consider actually returning it. Other than that I actually really like the machine.

 

[jamcgahey]

I am typing this on my 2017 MBP. I am planning on buying a new Mac literally any day now, but looking at the price difference for M1 MBP with similar specs (outside of the M2 obviously) and I still think I would go with the MBP. For an extra $200 I can get better speakers/screen. I think I'll wait it out for the next MBP update. Nice looking computer though and I'm happy with the direction apple is going with these computers.

 

[rp2011]

He starts off that this is the "perfect laptop" then goes in why the base model is not the one to get for all the reasons we all know it is NOT the perfect laptop.
The Air is supposed to be the computer for basic tasks and the base model SHOULD be that model. But once you start adding up everything that you need to make it a "perfect laptop" for everyday tasks, well then it's an overpriced underpowered machine where a 14" MacBook Pro would be the better choice.

Again, as all of us who are not wrapped up in the Youtube echo-chamber, the M2 Air has no reason to exist. You either buy the base M1 Air as the perfect computer for light every day tasks or the 14" MacBook Pro. Both are better computers and are way better values. The M2 Air is just a big waste of money and has no reason to exist.

 

[hypobid]

Do you find yourself missing the MBP’s ProMotion display when using the MBA? I looked at both in a shop and found the difference in smoothness striking… (I compared the MBA with the 14“ MBP.)

I completely agree with this statement. I work at Mastercard in software dev, and they recently upgraded a bunch of us to the MBP 16" M1 Max with 32 GBs RAM. What a sweet machine! I have my MB Air M2 for personal use, and I have compared them side-by-side a few times. Definitely a big difference when it comes to the display!

 

[DENZIE]

Its very tempting to buy but that insane limit of 1 external display makes it useless to me. I depend on 2 monitors plus open-shell as my setup. The MBP is complete overkill for me. I really hope this limitation is solved in the future.

displaylink adapters mate. I got one to drive a second external and it works without any issues whatsoever. I nearly took the m2 back and kept my 14 m1 pro - but then tested DisplayLink. So I sold my 14 m1 pro and am stoked.

 

[ilikewhey]

meanwhile the 14 inch base is at 1599 at best buy lol

 

[JPS127]

I love mine. Use it more and more each day. The keyboard is the standout thing for me. Coming from a 2017 MacBook Pro the keyboard is light years ahead.

I agree. I went from a 2017 MBP, which I came to hate. The keyboard was a little cramped, leading me—a professional novelist—to make endless and annoying errors. The MBA2 is amazing. It's fast, the keyboard is nearly silent, the keys better spaced apart, and the look and heft is just right. Best Mac laptop I've ever owned, and I've had them since they began selling them way back when. And the battery life is amazing. with my MBP (2017), I'd have to recharge every 90 minutes or so. The battery on the new one lasts for hours. And hours. And hours.

 

[CarAnalogy]

Usually fingerprints don’t bother me all that much but wow, even in the thumbnail that thing is fingerprint city. Glad it can still be had in Space Gray.

 

[CarAnalogy]

I bought the two configurations of the base models of the MacBook Air 2 (256/512) and it just didn't cut it for me. In both base models I found that the computer gave me memory issue when I attempted to do basic tasks like using Drop Box web manager. I often have three/four light writing programs opened and multiple (like a lot of) safari tabs opened, and it didn't do well. I considered updating to 16 gig/512 storage but the cost for that machine was only $150 shy of the MacBook Pro 14inch. I decided to go with the Macbook For 14inch, and I could not be any happier.

I needed a computer that I could take on the go and use for everything.The bigger/better screen and volume alone are worth the extra $150 for the Macbook 14. Also, little things like being able to hook it up to more than one monitor, having ports on both sides, and not needing dongles and considering that the factor is not that much bigger from that of the MacBook Air 2 (besides being slightly heavier,) makes it the perfect machine.

If you care about the size and form factor more than anything else or if you are a very light computer user and can handle the base model of the MacBook Air M2 def go for it. If you need to upgrade, I recommend upgrading to the MacBook Pro 14, best machine if ever had.

One thing to consider was that the MacBook Air did have amazing battery life. You can go almost two days or a day an half without charging it.

Could not agree more and I wonder if this was Apple’s plan. 8 GB is just barely enough for the most casual users. If one is spending this much on a computer anyway might as well throw a few hundred more bucks at it and get the monster machine.

The only downsides at all are slightly more weight and slightly less battery, but for me the battery life is only very slightly less and the experience is way better.

 

[JippaLippa]

No, Im using a desktop PC for After Effects. I haven't even tested it my MBA with it yet for some reason. Will be interesting so see what it can do tho.

I'm using apple silicon (M1 Ultra) with After Effects, and it seems to be a mixed bag.
Tasks that require "raw force power" (like analyzing clips and renders) are lightning fast, while some other things like shape layer handling is comparatively quite slow.
I hope that the next version of After Effects will bring further improvements.

 

[neo_cs193p]

I agree. I went from a 2017 MBP, which I came to hate. The keyboard was a little cramped, leading me—a professional novelist—to make endless and annoying errors. The MBA2 is amazing. It's fast, the keyboard is nearly silent, the keys better spaced apart, and the look and heft is just right. Best Mac laptop I've ever owned, and I've had them since they began selling them way back when. And the battery life is amazing. with my MBP (2017), I'd have to recharge every 90 minutes or so. The battery on the new one lasts for hours. And hours. And hours.

Which spec/color did you get, if you don't mind me asking?

 

[znj]

I have the base MBA2 and it's a major upgrade from my old ASUS Ultrabook.

However, I'm not experiencing the 18 hours battery life that is advertised. Probably only lasts 10 hours using basic programs (Chrome, Skype, Safari, Notes). Is there a test software that accurately gauges how long a single charge would last? I used to have a MBP 2017 and I think that lasted way longer than my current MBA2.

 

[jdb8167]

I have the base MBA2 and it's a major upgrade from my old ASUS Ultrabook.

However, I'm not experiencing the 18 hours battery life that is advertised. Probably only lasts 10 hours using basic programs (Chrome, Skype, Safari, Notes). Is there a test software that accurately gauges how long a single charge would last? I used to have a MBP 2017 and I think that lasted way longer than my current MBA2.

What do you have your screen brightness set to? Higher brightness is a huge battery drain. I usually set mine around 1 tick below halfway.

 

[Yvan256]

Click on it and see the full image mate

This member limits who may view their full profile.

 

[name99]

So in conclusion, all those tech experts are just exaggerating this M2 Air's small issues.

Tech PUNDITS not tech experts...
If your starting point is you don't know the difference between energy, power, and energy-delay product, and which to use when, then you don't count as close to expert...

 

[aknabi]

If you care about the size and form factor more than anything else or if you are a very light computer user and can handle the base model of the MacBook Air M2 def go for it. If you need to upgrade, I recommend upgrading to the MacBook Pro 14, best machine if ever had.

One thing to consider was that the MacBook Air did have amazing battery life. You can go almost two days or a day an half without charging it.

Interesting... I think a good argument could be made that if you don't need the Pro then the M1 Air is a far better value and the 16GB version the one to get and you'll be great and save quite a bit (as they're discounted)... and if you want more then go with the 14 MBP... the M2 right now is in a strange spot price/performance-wise when you have the M1 and Pro 14... but if you want the best looking small size with colors, sure go for it...

I'm still waiting for the MacBook 12 size machine (I have a 16" MBP, M1 MBA, yet here I am in my lounge chair typing on my years old MB12 because it's just such a lovely size and weight... peeves me Apple could easily make this exact machine with a M1 and it would be a fantastic, perfect lounge machine... sorry the iPad Pro doesn't cut it for much of my lounge activities).

 

[mac9650]

Apple in July released the redesigned MacBook Air, one of the first machines to feature the second-generation M2 chip. MacRumors videographer Dan has been using the new MacBook on a daily basis, so we thought we'd do a deep dive into his experience for MacRumors readers who might still be considering a purchase.

Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos.​

Make sure to watch the video up above to see everything Dan has to say about the MacBook Air, but spoiler alert: We think that this is the best Mac notebook option for most people. It's sleek, compact, modern, and blazingly fast with the updated M2. It's more expensive than the M1 model, but the M2 chip and fresh design are going to be worth it for many people.

Have an M2 MacBook Air? Let us know what you think of it in the comments below.

Article Link: Video Review: One Month With the New M2 MacBook Air

I went from a 2015 MBP i7 16GB/512GB to the M2 Air 24GB/512GB. It's definitely fast. The fingerprints on the midnight color are a little annoying but other wise solid machine. It's light and super thin, battery life has been very good for my needs, mostly web, outlook, excel, few other business apps, nothing that is super intense processing. Have a few Surfaces as well, definitely take the M2 Air over those.

 

[rmadsen3]

One thing to consider was that the MacBook Air did have amazing battery life. You can go almost two days or a day an half without charging it.

I keep hearing battery praise but I just don't see it. I go to Apple store. I stand in front of MBA and MBP, each running on battery, and I adjust settings every hour or so. When brightness is max, MBA 'time remaining' is under twelve hours -- and that's when the charge is full, too!

Does the 'amazing battery life' require low-power mode? I can't enable it at the App Store.

The return period for my MBP14 ends soon. I'd really appreciate battery comments!

 

[neo_cs193p]

I keep hearing battery praise but I just don't see it. I go to Apple store. I stand in front of MBA and MBP, each running on battery, and I adjust settings every hour or so. When brightness is max, MBA 'time remaining' is under twelve hours -- and that's when the charge is full, too!

Does the 'amazing battery life' require low-power mode? I can't enable it at the App Store.

The return period for my MBP14 ends soon. I'd really appreciate battery comments!

Max brightness is one of the most battery consuming things you can do to any MacBook. If you check the reviews on notebookcheck.net you will see that both the MBP14 and the MBA M2 get around 6-7 hours of web browsing time with max brightness. If this is often your use case, judging by their numbers, it's not realistic to expect more juice from the MBA than your MBP. I'd say if you get over 6h from your MBP on max brightness, and this is your main criterion, just keep it.

 

[rmadsen3]

Max brightness is one of the most battery consuming things you can do to any MacBook. If you check the reviews on notebookcheck.net you will see that both the MBP14 and the MBA M2 get around 6-7 hours of web browsing time with max brightness. If this is often your use case, judging by their numbers, it's not realistic to expect more juice from the MBA than your MBP. I'd say if you get over 6h from your MBP on max brightness, and this is your main criterion, just keep it.

Thank you for this feedback!

Yup, yesterday, at Apple Store, I stood in front of MBA+MBP for hours, reading MBA notebookcheck review whilst using the MBA and reading MBP review whilst using the MBP. 🤣 Even when I set MBP brightness to max and MBA brightness to 150nits, I saw only an hour or two improvement in MBA time remaining as compared to MBP time remaining. [*] Makes me think low-power mode is superimportant for those superlong time remainings?

[*] Instructions from notebookcheck for 150nits: -7 big steps and -2 small steps from max.

Also: How much do RAM + SSD upgrades matter? Does 24GB+2TB have much worse battery life than the 8GB+256GB units on display at Apple Store?

 

[neo_cs193p]

Thank you for this feedback!

Yup, yesterday, at Apple Store, I stood in front of MBA+MBP for hours, reading MBA notebookcheck review whilst using the MBA and reading MBP review whilst using the MBP. 🤣 Even when I set MBP brightness to max and MBA brightness to 150nits, I saw only an hour or two improvement in MBA time remaining as compared to MBP time remaining. [*] Makes me think low-power mode is superimportant for those superlong time remainings?

[*] Instructions from notebookcheck for 150nits: -7 big steps and -2 small steps from max.

Also: How much do RAM + SSD upgrades matter? Does 24GB+2TB have much worse battery life than the 8GB+256GB units on display at Apple Store?

RAM may have a small impact, but it depends more on your work load. 8GB will use slightly less power than 16GB for very light loads (you might win 15 min. on a charge or something like that), but if you need 16-24GB and your machine only has 8GB, it will swap a lot, and end up using more power than if you had more RAM. So I would say it's better to have as much memory as you need. In my opinion the battery impact is close to negligible. As for SSD, even more negligible (if you have the slower 256GB and often copy large files, your computer will work longer to achieve the same task, but other than that I would say the battery impact is close to 0).

 

[einsteinbqat]

At first, I wanted to go with the midnight, but with all the talks about it being a fingerprint magnet, I cancelled my order and went for the starlight. It’s really a gorgeous colour, and I don’t have to think about the fingerprints that I leave behind. LOL

I went for the M2 8-10-16 cores, 24 GB RAM, 1TB storage.

 

[jdb8167]

Thank you for this feedback!

Yup, yesterday, at Apple Store, I stood in front of MBA+MBP for hours, reading MBA notebookcheck review whilst using the MBA and reading MBP review whilst using the MBP. 🤣 Even when I set MBP brightness to max and MBA brightness to 150nits, I saw only an hour or two improvement in MBA time remaining as compared to MBP time remaining. [*] Makes me think low-power mode is superimportant for those superlong time remainings?

[*] Instructions from notebookcheck for 150nits: -7 big steps and -2 small steps from max.

Also: How much do RAM + SSD upgrades matter? Does 24GB+2TB have much worse battery life than the 8GB+256GB units on display at Apple Store?

I can tell you that at 1/2 brightness on both the M1 and M2 MacBook Air you can go well over 10 hours with a normal workload. I used my previous M1 and now my M2 MBA all day doing software development and I usually end an 8 hour day with 40%-50% remaining.

Edit: The M1 was 16 GB/1 TB and the M2 is 24 GB/1 TB.

 

[Makanmata]

I've enjoyed my new MBA as well and have no major complaints . . . but I do have a few minor ones. I'm not a power user and haven't noticed the lack of a fan resulting in throttling performance, but I have had my machine simply shut down in moderate summer sun from overheating . . . even when it's not that hot. Of less importance, I also don't like the fingerprints, and I wish that I had ports on both sides of the machine, or only on the right side if it has to be on a single side.