Apple’s MacBook Air with the M2 chip comes more than a year and a half after its M1-based predecessor. The new device features a complete redesign as well as a few important improvements under the hood that could make it a major upgrade worth considering for many users, though it may not be worth it for some.
The MacBook Air is often chosen by those who need a portable, more affordable Apple laptop, as the device offers a lightweight design at a price well below that of the high-end MacBook Pro models. The M2 MacBook Air joins the Mac lineup at $1,199 — keeping the previous M1 model on sale for the same $999 price it debuted in November 2020.
Whether you’re considering an upgrade from an M1 MacBook Air to a M2 MacBook Air, or you’re in the market for a new MacBook Air and wondering if it’s worth saving $200 by purchasing the M1 model, our buyer’s guide helps you figure out which of the two MacBook Air models is right for you. currently selling is best for you.
Comparing the M1 and M2 MacBook Air models
Despite their different designs, there are still a number of important parallels between the two MacBook Air models:
Similarities
- ~13-inch Retina display with P3 wide color and True Tone
- Ambient light sensor
- Touch ID
- Force Touch trackpad
- Fanless design with passive cooling
- Apple silicon chip with 8-core processor
- Video encoding and decoding engines for hardware-accelerated H.264 and HEVC video
- 256GB, 512GB, 1TB and 2TB SSD storage configurations
- Two Thunderbolt/USB 4 ports
- 3.5 mm headphone jack
- Support for wide stereo sound and Dolby Atmos playback
- Array of three microphones with directional beamforming
- 802.11ax Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0
- Up to 18 hours of battery life
- Available in silver and space gray
Beyond their design, there are significant differences between the M1 MacBook Air and the new, M2 MacBook Air:
Differences
M1 MacBook Air
- 13.3-inch Retina display (2560 by 1600 pixels)
- 400 nits brightness
- Apple M1 chip with up to 8-core GPU
- 68.25 GB/s memory bandwidth
- 8GB and 16GB unified memory configurations
- 720p FaceTime HD camera
- Stereo speakers
- 3.5 mm headphone jack
- 49.9 watt-hour lithium-polymer battery
- 30W USB-C power adapter
- Available in gold
M2 MacBook Air
- 13.6-inch Liquid Retina display (2560 by 1664 pixels)
- 500 nits brightness
- Apple M2 chip with up to 10-core GPU
- ProRes encoding and decoding engine for hardware-accelerated ProRes and ProRes RAW video
- 100GB/s memory bandwidth
- 8GB, 16GB and 24GB unified memory configurations
- 1080p FaceTime HD camera
- Sound system with four speakers
- 3.5mm headphone jack with extended support for high impedance headphones
- 52.6-watt-hour lithium-polymer battery
- 30W USB-C Power Adapter (with 8-core GPU model) or 35W Compact Dual USB-C Port Power Adapter (with 10-core GPU model)
- Supports fast charging with 67W USB-C power adapter
- Available in Starlight and Midnight
Design
The most noticeable difference between two MacBook Air models is their design. While the M1 MacBook Air echoes the design of previous models with a tapered, “wedge” design, the M2 model takes design cues from the latest 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with the same thickness and flat top edge with rounded bottom edges.
Tapered design of the M1 MacBook Air Ultimately it’s a matter of personal preference which design you prefer, but the M1 MacBook Air features the exact same design that the device has had since 2018, which itself carries over the tapered style that Apple has been using since 2010. The M2 MacBook Air uses Apple’s latest design language and looks like a much more modern device. The uniform thickness of the M2 MacBook Air. Another design difference worth highlighting is that the M2 MacBook Air features a full-height row of function keys instead of the half-height one on the M1 model, and has a different Touch ID scanner design. Magic Keyboards are otherwise the same. The full-height feature row is unlikely to sway purchase decisions, but it’s still worth highlighting amid larger improvements.
Dimensions and Weight
The M2 MacBook Air is 0.19 inches (4.8 mm) thinner than the previous model’s thickest point. Both designs have the same width, but the M2 model is slightly longer. Although it doesn’t have a tapered design, the new MacBook Air offers a 25 percent reduction in bulk compared to the previous generation and should feel lighter in the hand.
True to its name, the M2 MacBook Air is also 0.1 pounds (45 grams) lighter than the previous model. M1 MacBook Air
- Height (at thickest point): 0.63 inches (1.61 cm)
- Height (at thinnest point): 0.16 inches (0.41 cm)
- Width: 11.97 inches (30.41 cm)
- Depth: 8.36 inches (21.24 cm)
- Weight: 2.8 pounds (1.29 kg)
M2 MacBook Air
- Height: 0.44 inches (1.13 cm)
- Width: 11.97 inches (30.41 cm)
- Depth: 8.46 inches (21.5 cm)
- Weight: 2.7 pounds (1.24 kg)
While the M2 MacBook Air doesn’t offer a huge change in terms of portability, its reduction in weight and bulk will likely be welcomed by users who often need to carry their device with them. The M1 MacBook Air is by no means a large or overly heavy device, but the M2 MacBook Air is more likely to fit easily into tight bag compartments and be very slightly less bulky. The new design may be more striking and visually appealing, but overall it’s not worth buying the latest model just for better portability.
Color options
Like many Apple devices, both models come in silver and space gray. The M2 MacBook Air does not come in gold, but does offer Starlight and Midnight options.
If you have other Apple devices in Starlight and Midnight, such as an iPhone 13, iPad mini or iPad Air, or an aluminum Apple Watch Series 7, you may prefer to get the M2 model to get a matching color. The unique champagne tone of the Starlight or the dark blue shade of the Midnight might just be more appealing, but Silver and Space Gray users have no reason to prefer the M2 model based on color alone.
Display
Both models feature a high-resolution Retina display with P3 wide color and True Tone, but Apple boasts that the M2 MacBook Air features its latest “Liquid Retina Display.” This allows it to have thinner bezels, fitting a larger display into a similarly sized device, and the edges of the display curve around the top corners of the lid for a more modern look.
The display on the M2 MacBook Air provides an additional 0.3 inches of diagonal space, making a little more room for on-screen content, and the display can be 25 percent brighter than the M1 model, making it better for use outdoors, directly sunlight or bright environments.
The M2 MacBook Air features a “notch” to house the FaceTime HD camera that cuts into the top of the display. Although the displays feature different resolutions, they share the same 16:10 aspect ratio below the notch, so this shouldn’t be a major consideration for most buyers, especially since the macOS menu bar takes advantage of that extra vertical model space M2.
The M1 MacBook Air still has a more than workable Retina LCD display that will meet the needs of most customers. There are few significant differences between the displays in terms of specs that make it worth buying one over the other or upgrading, but the larger bezels around the smaller display on the M1 model certainly make it look more dated, which can to steer some customers to the newer model.
M1 vs. M2
One of the most important differences between the current and previous generation MacBook Air is their Apple silicon chip. The M1 chip, introduced in November 2020, is based on Apple’s A14 Bionic chip. On the other hand, the M2 is based on the A15 Bionic chip from the iPhone 13.
While both chips feature an octa-core processor with four performance cores and four efficiency cores, the M2 cores offer modest performance and efficiency improvements and up to two additional GPU cores. Apple says that with the M2 chip, “intensive workloads like editing complex timelines in Final Cut Pro are nearly 40 percent faster than the previous generation… Applying filters and effects in apps like Adobe Photoshop is up to 20 percent faster faster than before.’
Like the M1 Pro, the M2 features a media engine for hardware-accelerated encoding and decoding of ProRes and ProRes RAW video. On the other hand, the dedicated media engine on the M1 chip can only accelerate H.264 and HEVC video. Apple says this dramatically speeds up video workflows on the latest MacBook Air, allowing users to play more 4K and 8K video streams and convert video projects to ProRes significantly faster than before.
For casual users, the M2 chip is unlikely to make much of a difference compared to the M1 chip in everyday tasks, with improvements more noticeable in professional workflows. For more information on the specific differences between the M1 and M2 chips, see our detailed guide:
Unified memory
Both the M1 and M2 can be configured with 8GB or 16GB of combined memory, but the M2 offers an additional top-level memory option of 24GB. Multitasking and memory-hungry workflows, such as working with large assets, benefit from the larger memory option as a result.
In addition, the M2 has 100 GB/s memory bandwidth, compared to 68.25 GB/s on the M1, meaning the latest MacBook Air can access more memory faster.
Camera
The M2 MacBook Air includes a new 1080p FaceTime HD camera with twice the resolution and low-light performance of the previous generation, according to Apple. This will surely improve video chats a lot…
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