MacBook Air M2 (2022) review: Apple’s best laptop to date. Even more refined design and power to spare. Plus an incredible autonomy.
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The new MacBook Air M2 gets a brighter (and notch) screen, a new M2 processor and first-class battery life that make it the best laptop Apple has ever made to date. However, it is not free from defects, however negligible. Let’s find out more in our full review.
Design – MacBook Air M2
The MacBook Air is the most popular and loved MacBook by Apple users. In 2022 it was renewed both in aesthetics and hardware, becoming, among other things, the first to equip the new M2 chip together with the 13-inch MacBook. To change, as mentioned, is also the design that has always been iconic on the Air line. The new MacBook Air M2 is even thinner than its predecessor, but this time it abandons the “angular” shapes in favor of a more rounded aesthetic, taken from the latest generation MacBook Pros.
From an aesthetic and functional point of view, the new Air is all new (and improved) compared to the M1 model. The closing hinge is firmer, the keyboard offers better feedback, the trackpad guarantees the same pressure levels but with improved precision. For some reason, even the Touch ID seemed faster and more precise, but it is probably just a matter related to the enlargement of the keys that makes it easier to position the finger. The screen, then, becomes much more immersive in use and the merit is not of the notch, as you might think, but of the rounded edges that help to give a strong feeling of “new”.
Screen and audio
Opening the MacBook Air we will be greeted by the new 13.6-inch screen, 25% brighter than in the past and equally defined. There is also support for the P3 range, True Tone and Night Sift functions to lighten the impact on the eyes during prolonged use. As already mentioned, there is also the notch. I thought I noticed it more, but all in all it is often hidden by full-screen apps and in general it is not as impactful as suspected.
Hidden just below the screen is the MacBook Air M2 audio system. In fact, we cannot speak of real speakers because the audio comes out of the hinge of the Mac, still giving a good sound and a fairly high volume level.
Among the novelties of this model we also point out a small improvement for the FaceTime camera which, however, still does not support Apple’s Center Stage technology, much less unlocking with the Face ID, which now, with the notch, would make a lot of sense. On the hardware front, however, there is macOS Monterey to move everything, with the update to Ventura around the corner.
How are you
In our test we were able to use a MacBook Air in “Starlight” color with an 8-core M2 chip and a 10-core GPU, which were combined with 16 GB of RAM and 1 TB of SSD. Certainly not the basic model, therefore, but not one of the more bodied ones. It could be one of the compromise setups that might suit most people. In some ways, however, we would have liked to have been able to experiment with the basic version of the new Air, also to probe the record situation that has caused so much discussion in recent weeks.
On our machine we have never noticed any drops in performance or unsatisfactory speeds. I’m not just talking about the disc, in fact among the fastest in the category, but also about the performance offered by the M2 chip that is above all expectations. My comparison is always the practical workflow of making a video in 4K, rather than an aseptic benchmark. From importing files to rendering, editing and exporting to artwork on the cover, the review of the new Apple laptop has been edited right on him with better performance and fewer indecisions than what is possible with a MacBook. 16 ″ with i9 chip and 16 GB of RAM.
Temperature management
The interesting aspect is also in the management of temperatures, but here we must specify: the MacBook Air M2 is fanless, so it has no fans to keep temperatures low during use. However, despite this, it ensures relatively low operating temperatures. This is made possible by the M2 which always proves to be very discreet in delivery and consumption. However, with particularly heavy workflows it is inevitable to perceive a heating, especially in the upper area of the keyboard. This, in prolonged use, can lead to a slight deterioration in the performance offered by the M2 chip. However, nothing that actually affects your work.
In the hypothesis, however, of using the MacBook Air 2022 as the only machine, perhaps also connecting it to an external screen (and only one, it does not support more) you could probably consider the idea of turning to a MacBook Pro which, basically, it keeps temperatures even lower as it is equipped with active cooling. However, we do not believe this is the most appropriate use of the MacBook Air: its favorite battlefield is work situations on the move, on the train, on the plane or wherever it happens. In this the Air was and is unbeatable. Especially now with the power of M2.
Battery
One of the most important improvements over the MacBook Air M1 concerns the battery of this laptop. Although the M1 model already guaranteed high energy efficiency, the M2 exceeds all expectations and offers up to 16 hours of use. More than enough to cover a soft day of work. Clearly these hours are reduced if the use of the Mac is more extreme, for example during video editing, graphics and with the use of an external monitor. All scenarios in which the MacBook Air M2 will do great anyway. According to my benchmark, in fact, the realization from zero to one hundred of a video in 4K took me away less than half of the available battery. A truly exciting result.
Charging is then very fast using both the 35W power supply (the Mac charges 50% in one hour) and the fast 67W one, capable of charging the laptop to 100% in just one hour. Very comfortable, but unfortunately not included in the basic model package. In addition, there is the return (very welcome to me) of the MagSafe which has a double advantage: the first, more trivial, lies in the safety of not dragging the Mac with you in case you trip over the wire while charging. The second concerns the USB-C ports, now two, which remain available for external peripherals. Not a little!
Conclusions and prices – MacBook Air M2
The MacBook Air M2 has been completely redesigned and now comes with a new look and new performance (as well as configurations) compared to the previous M1. Like all evolutions, however, this one also comes with a price. And if the MacBook Air with the M1 chip started in the basic configuration of € 1159 for the version with 256 GB, now the M2 starts from the beauty of € 1529 always in the 256 GB size. A sharp increase of € 370 that are felt but which are partly justified by the new design, by the introduction of a more modern screen, by the return of the MagSafe and above all by the presence of the M2 chip.
The MacBook Air M2 is arguably the best laptop Apple has created to date. However, it is not necessarily the most suitable Mac for you. There are other options in the lineup that you may still want to consider, starting with the 13 ″ MacBook with M2 chip, up to the last generation Pro, if not iMac and Mac Studio. It depends on the needs. If yours are as light as the Air, then you could definitely consider it as a work machine to always carry with you.
- The M2 makes the difference in performance and consumption, but once again what makes us fall in love with the new MacBook Air is its philosophy. It is so light and thin that you really take it anywhere. Productivity also passes through here: it doesn’t matter how powerful a laptop is, but how much you manage to carry it with you without feeling it as an extra burden.