Apple is taking advantage of WWDC 2022 to announce not only its new Apple Silicon M2 but also its new MacBook Air M2 with a new design.
Newly announced on WWDC 2022 yesterday, Apple could not offer a device using the new Apple Silicon M2 (details HERE). So here’s the new one Macbook Air M2 which has yet to replace the MacBook Air M1 because the latter remains available in the Cupertino manufacturer’s catalog.
We will not go back to the details of the announcement to be found HERE. On the other hand, since we are in Apple Park, we have controlled these new MacBook Air M2s and needless to say that Apple is once again offering machines that are very good quality and more than attractive for fans. .
The new design
We started with the design and the least we can say is that the MacBook Air is thin, very thin, as it is only 11.3mm thick for a 1.24kg weight (versus 1.29kg for the MacBook Air M1) . Once there, we know how light the MacBook Air M2 is, its weight is better distributed and we have this impression of being lighter compared to the M1 while the difference is small.
Once the weight surprise was over, we discovered this new design reminiscent of the very new MacBook Pro 14 and 16. In fact, the design is sleeker compared to previous generations and above all, we see this screen with a notch. If you don’t need to find an XDR screen, the MacBook Air M2 screen is still Liquid Retina with slightly increased brightness compared to the M1. About the notch, after a few months of using the MacBook Pro 14, we completely forgot about it and it’s part of our daily lives.
M2 performance
Inside, we find the new Apple Silicon M2. It was just announced by Apple and of course, we haven’t tested it yet. The only thing we can say is that according to Apple, the M2 offers 20% more CPU and 38% more GPU compared to the M1 and above all up to 15 times more powerful than the latter.The MacBook Air has an Intel processor.
From our small demos we did on the site, the MacBook Air M2 has become much more ready for all events for creatives than the M1 version. Now it’s mostly about video because actually the MacBook Air M1 is already a racing beast and two years after its announcement we still use a device with an Apple Silicon M1 every day and we never complain. . Everything is still super smooth and responsive.
Obviously, gear will change and one day we’ll reach the limits of the M1 but very frankly, it’s not for immediately. This is probably the reason why Apple kept the MacBook Air M1 in the catalog because the latter became one of the most interesting value for money.
Others
In terms of autonomy, Apple promises autonomy similar to what we have on the MacBook Pro 14 and 16. It’s not as good as the MacBook Air M1 but it’s very good. We thought the MacBook Air M2 would easily guarantee a busy day.
2022 obligatory, the MacBook Air M2 offers a notch with a 1080p webcam. I know some find this normal, but we remember that not long ago, we were stuck with 720p webcams. On the other hand, Center Stage is still not a permanent asset on iPads, iMacs and most recently Studio Display. This shouldn’t really surprise us because MacBooks remain more personal devices.
On the other hand, we were happy to find 3 microphones like the MacBook Pro, which allows the MacBook Air M2 to be a perfect companion for recording sound with enough quality for some projects. Also, we found a very good MagSafe port that releases a USB-C port in case.
The things we would have liked
If the euphoria of the announcement is over, it’s a lie not to admit that we remain super excited about such a product. The MacBook Air M2 proves itself to be one of the fastest laptops at featherweight and beyond a small footprint. Now, we would like a few things to make it the ultimate machine for creatives while on the go.
So we thought of an XDR screen like its big siblings, the MacBook Pro 14 and 16, an SD port, always practical and which we found to be more important than an HDMI output (especially since we’ve seen more Thunderbolt products). We nitpick, we know.
Prices and availability
The new MacBook Air M2 will be available next month from 1499 euros for the first model and 1849 euros for the second model, slightly faster and above all with more storage.