Rumors resurfaced this week that the new 15-inch MacBook Air will be Apple’s next major Mac release. But whether it arrives before, during, or after WWDC or at the Mac’s fall event, it’s true: it’ll be the ultimate Apple laptop in no time.
This may seem like a stretch, but listen to me. Assuming the rumors and our own assumptions are correct, the 15-inch MacBook Air will be the perfect laptop for just about every user due to its combination of size, processing power and value. The MacBook Air is already Apple’s most popular laptop, and the 15-inch model will be the crown jewel of the lineup. That’s why.
15-inch MacBook Air: The right size
Apple offers MacBooks in four sizes: 13.3″ (13″ MacBook Pro), 13.6″ (M2 MacBook Air), 14.2″ (MacBook Pro), and 16.2″ (MacBook Pro). With these options, you would think it would be easy to find the right size. But those sizes come with limits and sacrifices that make buying decisions difficult.
If you want a big screen, then the 16-inch MacBook Pro, which has the largest screen on a MacBook, is the obvious choice. But the big screen means it’s heavy – it weighs almost 5 pounds (over 2kg). It may not seem like much, but if you carry your laptop with you all day long, the stress on your back and shoulders becomes noticeable over time.
Foundry
If you’re looking for the lightest MacBook, the 13.6-inch MacBook Air M2 is your choice, weighing just 2.7 pounds (1.24 kg). This makes it lightweight compared to the 16-inch MacBook Pro, but the trade-off is a much smaller screen. If you use professional apps or you’re like me and have a huge number of different app windows open at the same time, those three inches make a big difference.
Apple also offers two other 13-inch laptops that are often overlooked: the 13.3-inch M1 MacBook Air and M2 MacBook Pro. Both are based on older models with comparatively giant black bezels that add to the overall size. The MacBook Air M1, which has a slightly smaller screen than the MacBook Air M2, actually weighs a little more. Similarly, the 13-inch MacBook Pro actually has more footprint than the 14-inch MacBook Pro, despite being an inch smaller and weighing half a pound less.
The 15-inch MacBook Air instantly becomes the new tidbit. The screen will be noticeably larger than 13-inch laptops, and while it certainly won’t be as light as the current MacBook Air, it won’t be as heavy as the 16-inch MacBook Pro either. When you put your 15-inch MacBook Air in your bag, it should fit perfectly, literally and figuratively.
15-inch MacBook Air: Performance right
Bloomberg reported this week that the tested MacBook Air has a processor “on par” with the M2 in the 13-inch MacBook Air. It’s a great chip with fantastic performance, but there are rumors that there might be an M2 Pro variant like the Mac mini.
Compared to the M2 chip in the 13-inch MacBook Air, the Apple M2 Pro processor is 20% faster in CPU performance and 30% faster in GPU performance. Early reports on the 15-inch MacBook Air suggested that Apple might offer an M2 Pro variant with the stock M2 configuration. If so, that’s a huge boost over the current Air.
The performance gain may not seem like much, and most people won’t notice a difference in everyday use. But users who work with large amounts of data need every bit of processing power they can get, and the acceleration from the M2 Pro can save a lot of time.
Apple
However, could Apple use its new M3 chip instead of the M2 Pro? A recent report by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman says that Apple “wants to put its Mac-level processors on an annual refresh cycle, like the iPhone’s A-series chips,” but it’s probably too early for the M3 to arrive. However, it’s an intriguing idea.
The M3 will be Apple’s first chip to use a 3nm process that allows for more transistors and delivers higher performance and power efficiency than the 5nm process used in the M1 and M2 chips. With the 3nm process, the performance improvement could be even greater than the 20 percent we saw when going from M1 to M2.
So whether it’s the M2 Pro now or the M3 Pro later, the 15-inch AIr will be an extremely attractive alternative to the 14-inch MacBook Pro. Even if it has the same cores, the chip probably won’t be as fast as a 14-inch MacBook Pro due to the Air’s fanless design, which reduces performance at high temperatures, and it won’t have as many ports or peak performance. the memory is. But when it comes to power and performance, it will be the better choice, and for many, it will be even more attractive than the 14-inch Pro.
15-inch MacBook Air: the right price
Apple’s current line of MacBooks has a clear price gap. There’s the $999 M1 Air, then the $1,199 M2 model, and then the $1,299 13-inch MacBook Pro M2. Then you go up to $1999 for a 14-inch MacBook Pro. Assuming the 15-inch MacBook Air M2 costs between $1,399 and $1,449, it’s in between Apple’s Pro laptops.
Consider BTO options. You can get the M2 Air with 16GB of memory and a 512GB SSD for $1,699, which is just $300 less than the base 14-inch MacBook Pro with the M2 Pro and the same memory and storage. For a few hundred dollars, you’ll get a heavier laptop with a slightly larger screen and slightly better performance. It’s either price or performance – and no matter which car you choose, there are clear sacrifices.
But the 15-inch MacBook Air with the M2 Pro could fill that gap $1,849-$150 more than the Air and $150 less than the Pro. Of course, the Pro still has the excellent Liquid Retina XDR display and more ports, but the solution is simpler there. If you want a bigger screen but don’t need ProMotion or HDMI, the 15-inch Air is the clear choice and a clear winner.