Spot on with the comparison to the 2016-2019 15" MacBook Pro. (They are actually very close to each other in terms of dimensions) I always thought that generation was easily the sexiest laptop ever made, but it did come with tons of compromises. The 15" MacBook Air brings back all of the sexiness of that design without the issues.
Got both! After a year working remotely with 16in MBP M1 and traveling around the world, I sprung for the 15in MBA base model. Instead of planning my vacations working strictly from my hotel room due to the size of the MBP 16, I can now travel around the city and chill at the beach, cafe, and pool! At the time I bought it, was the only way to get the bigger screen which I need for my work
His genuine love of the computers just makes the video so much better. His the one that helped me make the decision to get the M1 iMac and I’ve begun to customize my 2017 21imac from his videos
I'd actually liked to see a comparison between the Intel MBP and the 15" M2 Air. A lot of us are still rocking that config and are deciding between a M2 MBP and the 15" Air.
I'm watching this video on a 15" M2 MBA. I really like it a lot. So far I haven't had ANY problems with slowdown, but I haven't pushed it - just every day usage. I LOVE the size of the screen. I did upgrade the RAM to 16GB to reduce need for swap on the SSD. Instead of upgrading SSD size, I bought a USB4 enclosure and 2TB Gen 4 SSD that actually reads and writes faster than the included SSD. So for about the price to upgrade from 256 to 512, I added 2TB. Yes, it's external, but it is there if I need it. The sound is great for a laptop. It's extremely snappy, the trackpad is great, and I'm really happy that I bought it. Typing with it in my lap while on vacation - just light, powerful, nice.
I think the M2 MBA 15 will become Apple's best seller. The M2 MBA 13 has had significant competition from the M1 MBA, primarily on price, but there isn't an Apple product that is competing with the base model MBA 15. Of course, if you spec up the MBA 15 you're in Pro territory and it becomes a whole different story.
It'll be interesting to see if/when it becomes a best sell. ATM not a lot of people are upgrading laptops as most people bought laptops during the pandemic era and the need to upgrade is small. Though who knows.
Um I disagree. Yes if you speak up to a 16/512 configuration it’s only 300 bucks away from the small pro. But still about 800 away from the 16 inch pro. So your comparison doesn’t make much sense.
Thank you for openly pointing out that upgrading this machine quickly approaches 14" MBP territory. This is something that so many others gloss over when reviewing & talking about base model machines.
@person5886 he meant you can easily get MBP 14" at $1749 prices. So if you are paying full MSRP for MacBook 15" air vs discounted 14" MBP at $1749, the 14" is the better deal. However we can expected the 15" air to be at $200 discount as well later in the holiday season.
I’m still rocking a base model M1 MacBook Air and it’s not really been any issue. I did delete GarageBand cause with all the updates it was taking up like 70gb and I never used it after the first couple of weeks. It’s my home entertainment.. lotta streaming music and movies/tv Can’t even imagine the 15”
Great review! I'd say it's near perfect, except for one significant shortcoming: it only supports a single external display and my workflow requires at least two, so am sticking with the 14" Pro. Am hoping that when the M3 version comes out that we'll get support for at least two external displays.
Well you can use ultrawide, but albeit only SD version (3440x1440) as basic Apple Silicon can’t support resolutions above 6k. And whilemtechnically you can connect 5k2k ultrawide, it’s not ideal as max scaled HiDPi res is 3008x1260 (subsampled from 6016x2520). So you get high density and nice sharp picture but at suboptimal usable screen estate
@@ZhuJo99 Thanks -- yes, I've looked into the ultra-wide option, but having two separate external displays works better for my workflow as it makes for a cleaner separation of workspaces (e.g. toggling between windowed and full screen, etc.). I've been running dual Apple Thunderbolt displays (SD) for many years, but recently got a killer deal on second hand LG 5K monitors (I got them for $300 each), and I'm now totally sold on HiDPi res and won't go back. Would love to have the larger 15" MacBook Air screen and lighter than the 14" for when I travel, so hoping for an M3 with dual external display support for 2024🙂
Awesome vid :) loving your stuff as a new subscriber, but cant help but notice some quiet beeping in the background of your voiceover mic at around the 8:00 mark! Really enjoying binging your vids at the moment man, got an M2 Ultra Mac studio on the way so your vids are helping me with the hype, big time!!
I have a refurbished late 2021 M1 Pro MBP 16 inch to partner our favourite 2015 15 inch MBP which we love. I still have my mid-2009 MBP one which is still working.
This is a home run for Apple I feel, I wasn’t sure if a 15 inch air would make sense, but it really feels like it fills the gap between models, I can’t wait to get one of these.
So I pulled the trigger and bought the 15" MBA in starlight BRAND NEW (my first apple computer I bought directly from apple brand new) I am upgrading from a 2015 15" MBP i7 so this is a big step up and I am excited
@@peporgan I would rather a mini-LED 120Hz display over an extra inch, and would rather 16GB RAM even without the extra performance purely for futureproofing (and frankly that future is almost already here).
There are plenty of buyers who will not buy refurb/used machines, particularly for schools or businesses. And a 15" size is going to be a huge upgrade to a lot of those users. Longer term when these get cheaper a used 15" Air will be a solid buy.
@@ai42 The majority of buyers won't be businesses and definitely not schools. And I'm sure when you spend £1400 on a laptop you would want it to last a long time with the extra RAM at a minimum. 8GB is not enough RAM for such a high price at all, and this will just catch people who think bigger is better.
@@anticringeclub great if that's your stance buy whatever you want. But saying it doesn't make sense to you, doesn't mean it will not be a home run for other market segments. These days there are so many levels of Macbooks Apple can target nearly all of the segments. Go buy a Pro and don't worry about the Air's for pleb users who are doing almost all of their work in a web browser, like teachers, and businesses.
I would love to see a comparison/buyer’s guide video. I fall into that category of wanting the 15” MBA but with a couple spec upgrades which puts me in the in the 14” MBP category and I just can’t decide! I want the 15” screen rather than the 14” screen but I want the 14” specs haha. And the 16” MBP is just *so* expensive.
I am kind of in your position as well except that also for me, value per dollar is a key factor for me as well, which is why I am leaning more & more in the direction of the 14" MBP & I will decide for sure when I take a trip to check out the machines in person. I have researched the internal differences thoroughly. I will likely miss the 1.1 inches of screen real estate, but it's the only loss for me by going for the 14" pro whereas there would be more losses/compromises if I went for the 15.3 MBA over the 14.2 MBP, but that's just me & my needs
@@nathanreedy4380 I got the 14" MBP and honestly have zero regrets, the screen is bigger then what I was used to (2012 13" retina MBP) and the batter, performance and FANS make a ton of difference. I did a teardown of the 14 and the 13 and the difference in fan size is ridiculous haha, the 14 can move a ton of air and if either of y'all are going to be doing time consuming heavy workloads (think compiling a ton of code, heavy illustrator/photoshop/premiere files) the fans make a huge difference. But if your workloads are rather light, or work mostly in the cloud, or the form factor of the air is important then go for that!
Oh man, you've been in this business for so long. And with this review it really comes across, how excited you are for this so long awaited product. Great work as always.
I haven't bought a brand new MacBook in many years. This is the machine that will probably change that for me. It's got enough performance and screen real estate at just the right price point. Thanks for the video with the comparisons.
Great video. If m1 14” pro 16/512 model is similar price (on sale) as base 15” MacBook Air, which one would you suggest to go with? Nothing pro usage but more of a machine that would be good for some time to come.
I absolutely want the lightweight MacBook Air, but the nice 15" screen. I'm so looking forward to getting it. I can't the thought of a bulky laptop especially one with a fan. And I love starlight is not a fingerprint magnet. I've been wanting this my entire life.
So happy for you that this product finally came out! Agree 100% it’s like the Retina MBP’s without any of the bad stuff like their keyboards, heat, etc.
I just got mine this afternoon. I am replacing my 2018 MacBook Pro 15 inch. I have been running the data transfer and my old MacBook has gotten extremely hot and my new one has stayed around room temperature. This will be a great replacement. Not to mention, I paid over $1,000 less than my 2018 was.
Watching this Video on my 11" 2015 MacBook Air, still the best aspect ratio for my. I've bought an M1 MacBook Air on release in 2020, but still keep using the 11" to this day
Great video, Luke. I'm pondering whether to get a 15inch MBA or a second hand MBP 16inch. I need the screen real estate. I'm thinking long-term. If I upgrade the 15inch MBA to 16GB RAM, 1TB, it's near the 16inch second hand, within a couple of hundred. But the Pro has the screen, better speakers, faster chip, and will last longer. Which machine to buy - weight notwithstanding - if we're thinking five years down the line?
My dream MacBook would be this new MacBook Air with the display quality (higher resolution, mini led, 120hz) of the MacBook Pro 16. Combine the amazing display that once I’ve used (on the m1 iPad Pro) I can’t ever not use with the thin and light design of the Air
Love the new MacAir 15”, question? would you say the base model will be good enough to run Photoshop and Lightroom because of the M2 chip? Would upgrading it be necessary?
Great content as always Luke! And thx for getting it in quick so we Apple enthusiasts not known for patience will have great content covering this new Mac before we go out and buy it.
I just got the 15" Air in silver today to replace my not-that-old M2 13" Air. So far, after setup and app installs, I am really liking it. I'm gonna use it for a day or two before deciding whether to keep it. See how it does as my daily driver as I travel between customers and such. It's definitely gonna take up more space in my bag--in fact, I may need to switch bags--but as I've grown older, I am appreciating the larger screens (and larger text more for sure. 🤨 Thanks for the excellent vid!
Apple still have the refurbished M1 Pro, 16Gb RAM, 512Gb SSD 16" MacBook on their US website for $1929 and a new M2, 15" MacBook Air with the same RAM and SSD comes in at $1699 so there is still a case to be made for the older model but I must admit I probably would have gone for the 15" Air instead of the 16" Pro if they'd both been out last year.
I am on my 2nd year of graduate school with my 2017 Mac air 13". The most taxing thing I do is have Spotify running while doing word documents with google tabs open or running fairly large excels spreadsheets. Is the performance of this worth the upgrade?
My mum just went through deciding between a 16" MBP or waiting for the new 15" Air, as her aging 15" Pro was having issues. And just 2 weeks before WWDC she decided to get a new M1 (yes M1) 16" MBP which a shop had still in its original box for a good price. We figured by the time she upped the storage and RAM it was the better choice, not to mention the much better screen even if she will never use the performance.
Hey tech enthusiasts I was thinking of getting the m2 model either in the 13"or the 15" version... wich one should i get? and will i be able to get away with getting the base model of the laptop (8gb/256gb)
I’ve had an iMac for ten years and I need an upgrade. I’ve looked at M3 iMac and I’m a regular user who uses scrivener for writing, the odd GarageBand podcast recording and I play a bit of football manager. But I want the portability of the laptop as well and can’t afford both. Perhaps the 15 inch is the compromise machine that’ll cover all? It annoys me having to pay so much to upgrade ram though. Other option is maybe a Mac mini with cheaper screen setup and a M1 MacBook Air. But not sure if I will feel a bit letdown by it all as I’d be getting the Mac mini base model. Ideally it would all be base model but UA-cam has planted doubt that 8gb of ram is enough. Any thoughts?
This is going to be a best selling machine, this might be the replacement of my power hungry 16 Intel MacBook pro late 2019 which I still love and it works well
I still think there is one category missing. Thin and light with all the “pro” features except processing power since that is the only thing making it thick. Most users don’t actually need the extra power but would love the better screen and extra ports. Of course it would make the lineup too confusing but I still think a lot of people would want that
*Why do we have to buy a MacBook Pro just to get normal speaker grills? They should give the air normal speaker grills aswell. Every laptop no matter how cheap has speaker grills.*
Oh, but how is it outside? is 500 nit brightness good to use under the sun or do I need that macbook pro 14 inch to be able to use it outside? and what about the screen isn't it LCD screen? that pretty bad even if they have some fancy true tone. I am aiming to get one soon, but want to be able to use it outside. The monitor on this desktop that I am using is a VA and the screen I have on tablet is amolod display and it only cost me around $600. I would like it to to at least not be wash up and be able to look at it from different views at least better than an LCD with TA panel and better than LCD IPS. is the macbook pro 14.2 inch heavy for using it portably or no? the price is a bit to much, but that mini LED it uses sound like it is better than LCD with IPS, but I do like having way more battery life. Oh, man this is hard to pick.
I've got the 13 inch and 15 inch air. I bought the latter as I wanted the screen size upgrade, but it feels substantially less portable. I actually prefer the 13 inch.
Apple has done such an awesome job with their Apple Silicon lineup. The only downside for me is the M1 is just so dang good I can't justify jumping ship from my M1 MacBook Air yet(plus I tend to keep my computers until they break or don't fulfill their purpose anymore), and this thing will probably still be a solid computer for several years to come! Whenever I do decide to refresh, I am and am not looking forward to it because there will be so many great models to choose from. 😅
i have a 2016 touch bar macbook pro and i realized over the years i really didn’t need a pro. the 13 inch air is perfect for me because not only does it meet my day to day needs it’s also more portable than my current macbook pro. this 15 inch air on the other hand is actually heavier than my current macbook pro.
Thank you for the excellent review! I got the MBA 15 M3, didn't want the MBP 14 inch because this one looked much larger in the store than the MBP, much larger than the one inch implies haha. Also, don't need the performance and it seemed more compact. Fanless is also nice, so I don't have to worry about dust and fans.
This. It also would have been interesting to have the 14-inch MacBook Pro included in the speaker comparison. We know the 14-inch MBP speakers are better than the 13-inch MBA speakers; but not as good as the 16-inch MBP speakers. The 14-inch MBP and the 15-inch MBA speakers both fall in that same slot, but we still don't know in which order!
I've said a long time "I want my 2010 MacBook Pro 13, but with new internals, better screen, better trackpad, and modern ports, and better battery life", and the MacBook Pro 14 is just that and so much more. its an incredible device and although the air 15 is really nice, that compact with ports is more important to me than a bigger screen but slim and few ports. imo, the MacBook Pro 14 is the best laptop apple has ever made hands down. the MacBook Air 15 may be a better deal for most people at launch price, but as a cohesive package of usability, and market price drops, the MacBook Pro 14 is where its at imo. I have a 2013 MacBook Pro 15 and a 2019 xps 13 and the MacBook Pro 14 is literally the perfect combination of both those devices in every single aspect aside from dual booting windows, and upgradability although it would probably still have better performance and and maybe even better battery life running windows in parallels than my xps 13 or MacBook Pro 15 lol
I like a lot of travel and heavy feedback in my trackpad click, does the 15" Air have the ability to adjust the travel with the set screws like you used to be able to do on the older MacBook Pros?
This is a good computer, but I don't see its appeal against the M1 Pro 14". They are basically the same price now, but the 14" has a much better screen, better speakers, a cpu that is similar in light tasks and much better in heavy tasks and gpu tasks, by default double the ram and ssd, and many more ports. It also weighs almost the same and its screen is only marginally smaller. I don't know why you'd get the 15" air compared to the 14" M1 Pro tbh.
I assume it is not running Sonoma yet? Is it true the Midnight paint rubs off? I am about to order one of these, probably 1TB Midnight. To replace my original 1TB faster CPU M1
Would a 15 inch MBA with 16gb/512 outperform a 2016 MBP with same spec? (and is the screen on the MBA better than the antiglare version of the old MBP?)
Thanks for this very interesting review. Could you do a comparison between the 15' macbook air and an "old" 15' macbook pro (screen, speakers, performances...). I have to replace mine and I'd like to be sure I make the right choice. Just like you I waited for years to see a 15' air model and I'm very excited about it.
QHAT we all really need to know is - Do we need to upgrade memory? no way on storage as have naS etc already. But for 905% of users doing browsing and office applications is there any benefit to the increased cost of memory? thanks as always for your great reviews
Yes please to comparison/buyer’s guide - not too long tho’. my wife is thinking of ‘upgrading’ her 2009 MacBook Pro. We put in a 256gb ssd and 4gb ddr3. Battery still works. A historical beauty - both the computer and my wife!
I was looking at upgrading from my 13inch MacBook Air M1 to one with a larger display, in the UK the 15inch MBA M2 is £1399 with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of Storage, on CEX in the UK I found a 16inch MacBook Pro M1 Pro with double the storage and RAM for £1499 ... it was a no brainer to buy used.
Buyers guide please! I'm helping my sister to buy a new laptop in a month or so. She wants a big screen and good performance for Autocad and photoshop with a $2000 usd max budget. So I'm between the 15 Air or the 14 Pro.
I'm sold! The perfect laptop. I currently have a 15-inch mid-2012 non-Retina as my main laptop, and M1 Ultra Mac Studio as the desktop. I don't really need an updated laptop. If I did, I'd be all over this.
Out of all the reviews I've seen on the new 15" MacBook Air, yours is the only one that has me considering updating my M1 MacBook Air. After I take care of a couple of obligations, I will be ordering one. I love my M1 MacBook and having that extra screen size will simply be wonderful. 👍🏻
Would love to see the buyers guide. I am still using an M1 MacBook Air base model config and it works great. I also think for a buyers guide, it would be interesting for the Pro users, to focus on how many displays you can actually have with what resolution on the M1 Pro/Max MacBook Pros, etc, since it's not exactly clear in Apple's information about them. Awesome video.
Spot on with the comparison to the 2016-2019 15" MacBook Pro. (They are actually very close to each other in terms of dimensions) I always thought that generation was easily the sexiest laptop ever made, but it did come with tons of compromises. The 15" MacBook Air brings back all of the sexiness of that design without the issues.
100%. They look a lot alike. Simply lovely
We had bootcamp on the intel mac
Who cares
@@Yadeehoowho cares, if you want windows, get a fucking pc
Mkbhd said that despite having 15" screen the resolution was the same as the 13" macbook air so the real-estate is the same, it just looks bigger.
Here before the video processes in 1080p
Same 😂😂
sadly same
LMFAO
Same and had to stop, 360p is way to low res for me to watch.
1080 time
Got both! After a year working remotely with 16in MBP M1 and traveling around the world, I sprung for the 15in MBA base model. Instead of planning my vacations working strictly from my hotel room due to the size of the MBP 16, I can now travel around the city and chill at the beach, cafe, and pool! At the time I bought it, was the only way to get the bigger screen which I need for my work
Lol does the 1 inch less of display really make such a dramatic difference 😂 bros acting like he went from a 16” to a 13”
@@Rojasdrumsthe weight difference
His genuine love of the computers just makes the video so much better. His the one that helped me make the decision to get the M1 iMac and I’ve begun to customize my 2017 21imac from his videos
I'd actually liked to see a comparison between the Intel MBP and the 15" M2 Air. A lot of us are still rocking that config and are deciding between a M2 MBP and the 15" Air.
Yes! Exactly what I have been looking for everybody seems to have forgotten about the intel models when doing the size comparisons
Not my case , but I did give it a like.
I'm watching this video on a 15" M2 MBA. I really like it a lot. So far I haven't had ANY problems with slowdown, but I haven't pushed it - just every day usage. I LOVE the size of the screen. I did upgrade the RAM to 16GB to reduce need for swap on the SSD. Instead of upgrading SSD size, I bought a USB4 enclosure and 2TB Gen 4 SSD that actually reads and writes faster than the included SSD. So for about the price to upgrade from 256 to 512, I added 2TB. Yes, it's external, but it is there if I need it. The sound is great for a laptop. It's extremely snappy, the trackpad is great, and I'm really happy that I bought it. Typing with it in my lap while on vacation - just light, powerful, nice.
I think the M2 MBA 15 will become Apple's best seller. The M2 MBA 13 has had significant competition from the M1 MBA, primarily on price, but there isn't an Apple product that is competing with the base model MBA 15. Of course, if you spec up the MBA 15 you're in Pro territory and it becomes a whole different story.
Exactly.
I think the 16/512 config at $1700 will be a pretty popular spec - probably not worth the extra $800 to up to the 16" pro
It'll be interesting to see if/when it becomes a best sell. ATM not a lot of people are upgrading laptops as most people bought laptops during the pandemic era and the need to upgrade is small. Though who knows.
@@polypolyman I agree, but that's pretty close to MBP 14 pricing. That would be a tough call for me.
Um I disagree. Yes if you speak up to a 16/512 configuration it’s only 300 bucks away from the small pro. But still about 800 away from the 16 inch pro. So your comparison doesn’t make much sense.
Thank you for openly pointing out that upgrading this machine quickly approaches 14" MBP territory. This is something that so many others gloss over when reviewing & talking about base model machines.
Yes - but only when comparing Apple price of MBA 15 with street price for MBP 14. Wait some months for a fair comparison. 😁
@@stefanpaul9443 Apple refurb M2 MBP 14's are now available for not much more than the 15 MBA
@person5886 he meant you can easily get MBP 14" at $1749 prices. So if you are paying full MSRP for MacBook 15" air vs discounted 14" MBP at $1749, the 14" is the better deal. However we can expected the 15" air to be at $200 discount as well later in the holiday season.
Ordered mine yesterday. Got the 16gb RAM 512 SSD model, so excited for it to get here! This is gonna be a great laptop for the foreseeable future
The 16gb RAM 512 SSD is the sweet spot! Love mine too....
@user-zn9ke8um8s Yes you will, because you can use external storage if necessary. Memory is more important!
I’m still rocking a base model M1 MacBook Air and it’s not really been any issue. I did delete GarageBand cause with all the updates it was taking up like 70gb and I never used it after the first couple of weeks. It’s my home entertainment.. lotta streaming music and movies/tv
Can’t even imagine the 15”
Great review! I'd say it's near perfect, except for one significant shortcoming: it only supports a single external display and my workflow requires at least two, so am sticking with the 14" Pro. Am hoping that when the M3 version comes out that we'll get support for at least two external displays.
Well you can use ultrawide, but albeit only SD version (3440x1440) as basic Apple Silicon can’t support resolutions above 6k. And whilemtechnically you can connect 5k2k ultrawide, it’s not ideal as max scaled HiDPi res is 3008x1260 (subsampled from 6016x2520).
So you get high density and nice sharp picture but at suboptimal usable screen estate
@@ZhuJo99 is this why my 5120 Samsung monitor looks like shit when I plug in the Mac? Thanks!
@@ZhuJo99 Thanks -- yes, I've looked into the ultra-wide option, but having two separate external displays works better for my workflow as it makes for a cleaner separation of workspaces (e.g. toggling between windowed and full screen, etc.). I've been running dual Apple Thunderbolt displays (SD) for many years, but recently got a killer deal on second hand LG 5K monitors (I got them for $300 each), and I'm now totally sold on HiDPi res and won't go back. Would love to have the larger 15" MacBook Air screen and lighter than the 14" for when I travel, so hoping for an M3 with dual external display support for 2024🙂
Just get a DisplayLink dock. They work perfectly and are a norm in the business world
@@thor.mukbang They work far from perfectly
Awesome vid :) loving your stuff as a new subscriber, but cant help but notice some quiet beeping in the background of your voiceover mic at around the 8:00 mark! Really enjoying binging your vids at the moment man, got an M2 Ultra Mac studio on the way so your vids are helping me with the hype, big time!!
I still love my 2015 retina MBP, but this new Air is looking like the perfect evolution of that machine IMO. Great video!
the 2015 retina is so good. I wouldn't upgrade yet personally.
Me too. I am hoping that the M3 supports at least 2 external monitors, it would be perfect then.
I have a refurbished late 2021 M1 Pro MBP 16 inch to partner our favourite 2015 15 inch MBP which we love. I still have my mid-2009 MBP one which is still working.
I have 2015 MBP as well, the Air M2 15inch is my go to replacement in the future
the best macbook pro is the 2015 :)
Comparison to the Pro 14 would be amazing! Tough choice: Bigger or better screen 😵💫.
I'm watching this from a 2016 15" MBP with volume cranked up to get past the fans howling.
How’s the performance in 2024?
Finally, a reviewer that did a teardown of the 15 inch!
I had to do it to em
This is a home run for Apple I feel, I wasn’t sure if a 15 inch air would make sense, but it really feels like it fills the gap between models, I can’t wait to get one of these.
So I pulled the trigger and bought the 15" MBA in starlight BRAND NEW (my first apple computer I bought directly from apple brand new) I am upgrading from a 2015 15" MBP i7 so this is a big step up and I am excited
The 15" MacBook Air doesn't make much sense in other markets like the UK where you can get a refurb 14" MacBook Pro with M1 Pro for the same price.
Some people prefer something lighter with a biggr screen, and don't need the extra performance.
@@peporgan I would rather a mini-LED 120Hz display over an extra inch, and would rather 16GB RAM even without the extra performance purely for futureproofing (and frankly that future is almost already here).
There are plenty of buyers who will not buy refurb/used machines, particularly for schools or businesses. And a 15" size is going to be a huge upgrade to a lot of those users. Longer term when these get cheaper a used 15" Air will be a solid buy.
@@ai42 The majority of buyers won't be businesses and definitely not schools. And I'm sure when you spend £1400 on a laptop you would want it to last a long time with the extra RAM at a minimum. 8GB is not enough RAM for such a high price at all, and this will just catch people who think bigger is better.
@@anticringeclub great if that's your stance buy whatever you want. But saying it doesn't make sense to you, doesn't mean it will not be a home run for other market segments. These days there are so many levels of Macbooks Apple can target nearly all of the segments. Go buy a Pro and don't worry about the Air's for pleb users who are doing almost all of their work in a web browser, like teachers, and businesses.
This model is finally the one that might make me finally get a MacBook over my windows laptop. Might be that time to switch over!
As soon as you upgrade the RAM or SSD I would consider buying a Base Model 14" Pro
1000% agreed
AKA the best laptop computer of all time
Yeah, apple pricing is decent for base models, but once you upgrade they lose value quickly - 230 EUR for 8 GB ram is borderline criminal
If m1 14” pro 16/512 model can be had for similar price as this 15” air base model, which one would you suggest?
@@hasanc786 m1 pro 14" pro anyday
How do the 15" Air speakers sound compared to the 14" Pro?
I would love to see a comparison/buyer’s guide video. I fall into that category of wanting the 15” MBA but with a couple spec upgrades which puts me in the in the 14” MBP category and I just can’t decide! I want the 15” screen rather than the 14” screen but I want the 14” specs haha. And the 16” MBP is just *so* expensive.
I am kind of in your position as well except that also for me, value per dollar is a key factor for me as well, which is why I am leaning more & more in the direction of the 14" MBP & I will decide for sure when I take a trip to check out the machines in person. I have researched the internal differences thoroughly. I will likely miss the 1.1 inches of screen real estate, but it's the only loss for me by going for the 14" pro whereas there would be more losses/compromises if I went for the 15.3 MBA over the 14.2 MBP, but that's just me & my needs
@@nathanreedy4380 I got the 14" MBP and honestly have zero regrets, the screen is bigger then what I was used to (2012 13" retina MBP) and the batter, performance and FANS make a ton of difference. I did a teardown of the 14 and the 13 and the difference in fan size is ridiculous haha, the 14 can move a ton of air and if either of y'all are going to be doing time consuming heavy workloads (think compiling a ton of code, heavy illustrator/photoshop/premiere files) the fans make a huge difference. But if your workloads are rather light, or work mostly in the cloud, or the form factor of the air is important then go for that!
Most people will appreciate having an extra inch of screen over the higher refresh rate of the 14". Also, the notch is more pronounced on the 14".
you went the whole video without mentioning your 15-inch macbook air campaign website? squarspace would've been a great sponsor for this video 😂😭
finally a more deeper drive into this laptop! Thanks Luke!
Luke, Do you and the 15 inch MacBook Air need a couple of minutes alone?
Oh man, you've been in this business for so long. And with this review it really comes across, how excited you are for this so long awaited product. Great work as always.
I haven't bought a brand new MacBook in many years. This is the machine that will probably change that for me. It's got enough performance and screen real estate at just the right price point. Thanks for the video with the comparisons.
One of the best reviews for such a comparison ever!
Great video. If m1 14” pro 16/512 model is similar price (on sale) as base 15” MacBook Air, which one would you suggest to go with? Nothing pro usage but more of a machine that would be good for some time to come.
I absolutely want the lightweight MacBook Air, but the nice 15" screen. I'm so looking forward to getting it. I can't the thought of a bulky laptop especially one with a fan. And I love starlight is not a fingerprint magnet. I've been wanting this my entire life.
Luke, we’re on the same page, everyone else on UA-cam is complaining about ‘no speaker grills’; you understand aesthetics better than most!
So happy for you that this product finally came out! Agree 100% it’s like the Retina MBP’s without any of the bad stuff like their keyboards, heat, etc.
I just got mine this afternoon. I am replacing my 2018 MacBook Pro 15 inch. I have been running the data transfer and my old MacBook has gotten extremely hot and my new one has stayed around room temperature. This will be a great replacement. Not to mention, I paid over $1,000 less than my 2018 was.
Watching this Video on my 11" 2015 MacBook Air, still the best aspect ratio for my. I've bought an M1 MacBook Air on release in 2020, but still keep using the 11" to this day
Am literally confused should I go for macbook pro M1 14 inch or Macbook Air m2 15 inch.
just delivered to my door a few hours ago. seems gigantic
Great video, Luke.
I'm pondering whether to get a 15inch MBA or a second hand MBP 16inch. I need the screen real estate. I'm thinking long-term. If I upgrade the 15inch MBA to 16GB RAM, 1TB, it's near the 16inch second hand, within a couple of hundred. But the Pro has the screen, better speakers, faster chip, and will last longer. Which machine to buy - weight notwithstanding - if we're thinking five years down the line?
Hey luke, would you recommend getting a used 16” macbook pro m1 pro or the 15” air with 512gb storage, they are about the same price
Your video is really good! Thanks for sharing😃
My dream MacBook would be this new MacBook Air with the display quality (higher resolution, mini led, 120hz) of the MacBook Pro 16. Combine the amazing display that once I’ve used (on the m1 iPad Pro) I can’t ever not use with the thin and light design of the Air
Love the new MacAir 15”, question? would you say the base model will be good enough to run Photoshop and Lightroom because of the M2 chip? Would upgrading it be necessary?
Whats the difference Luke?, between the 35W and 70W charger?
Why is your video limited to 360p
Great content as always Luke! And thx for getting it in quick so we Apple enthusiasts not known for patience will have great content covering this new Mac before we go out and buy it.
I just got the 15" Air in silver today to replace my not-that-old M2 13" Air. So far, after setup and app installs, I am really liking it. I'm gonna use it for a day or two before deciding whether to keep it. See how it does as my daily driver as I travel between customers and such. It's definitely gonna take up more space in my bag--in fact, I may need to switch bags--but as I've grown older, I am appreciating the larger screens (and larger text more for sure. 🤨 Thanks for the excellent vid!
Apple still have the refurbished M1 Pro, 16Gb RAM, 512Gb SSD 16" MacBook on their US website for $1929 and a new M2, 15" MacBook Air with the same RAM and SSD comes in at $1699 so there is still a case to be made for the older model but I must admit I probably would have gone for the 15" Air instead of the 16" Pro if they'd both been out last year.
I am on my 2nd year of graduate school with my 2017 Mac air 13". The most taxing thing I do is have Spotify running while doing word documents with google tabs open or running fairly large excels spreadsheets. Is the performance of this worth the upgrade?
My mum just went through deciding between a 16" MBP or waiting for the new 15" Air, as her aging 15" Pro was having issues. And just 2 weeks before WWDC she decided to get a new M1 (yes M1) 16" MBP which a shop had still in its original box for a good price. We figured by the time she upped the storage and RAM it was the better choice, not to mention the much better screen even if she will never use the performance.
Hey tech enthusiasts I was thinking of getting the m2 model either in the 13"or the 15" version... wich one should i get? and will i be able to get away with getting the base model of the laptop (8gb/256gb)
I’ve had an iMac for ten years and I need an upgrade. I’ve looked at M3 iMac and I’m a regular user who uses scrivener for writing, the odd GarageBand podcast recording and I play a bit of football manager.
But I want the portability of the laptop as well and can’t afford both.
Perhaps the 15 inch is the compromise machine that’ll cover all? It annoys me having to pay so much to upgrade ram though.
Other option is maybe a Mac mini with cheaper screen setup and a M1 MacBook Air. But not sure if I will feel a bit letdown by it all as I’d be getting the Mac mini base model. Ideally it would all be base model but UA-cam has planted doubt that 8gb of ram is enough.
Any thoughts?
Great review Luke, thanks!
This is going to be a best selling machine, this might be the replacement of my power hungry 16 Intel MacBook pro late 2019 which I still love and it works well
I still think there is one category missing. Thin and light with all the “pro” features except processing power since that is the only thing making it thick. Most users don’t actually need the extra power but would love the better screen and extra ports. Of course it would make the lineup too confusing but I still think a lot of people would want that
I'd say you're a genius, the way you started the video was just amazing!
*Why do we have to buy a MacBook Pro just to get normal speaker grills? They should give the air normal speaker grills aswell. Every laptop no matter how cheap has speaker grills.*
How does this compare to buying a used base model 2021 MacBook Pro?
what about the display thought? Am I going to feel like I'm losing out compared to my 2020 MBP?
Reminded me of Napoleon Dynamite when he opened it with the “yesss dude” 😂😂
I just ordered my first ever MacBook and it’s this one. Really excited!
Does this laptop colour leaves finger marks as well?
This could very well be the first laptop I will buy new since 2008 when I bought a 15" core duo MBP new. This M2 air sounds like paradise!
Oh, but how is it outside? is 500 nit brightness good to use under the sun or do I need that macbook pro 14 inch to be able to use it outside? and what about the screen isn't it LCD screen? that pretty bad even if they have some fancy true tone. I am aiming to get one soon, but want to be able to use it outside. The monitor on this desktop that I am using is a VA and the screen I have on tablet is amolod display and it only cost me around $600. I would like it to to at least not be wash up and be able to look at it from different views at least better than an LCD with TA panel and better than LCD IPS. is the macbook pro 14.2 inch heavy for using it portably or no? the price is a bit to much, but that mini LED it uses sound like it is better than LCD with IPS, but I do like having way more battery life. Oh, man this is hard to pick.
I've got the 13 inch and 15 inch air. I bought the latter as I wanted the screen size upgrade, but it feels substantially less portable. I actually prefer the 13 inch.
You’re my favorite now deadass I got mine in midnight tho love it good video
Thank for your vid. What is your choice? Which one do you use the most?
Apple has done such an awesome job with their Apple Silicon lineup. The only downside for me is the M1 is just so dang good I can't justify jumping ship from my M1 MacBook Air yet(plus I tend to keep my computers until they break or don't fulfill their purpose anymore), and this thing will probably still be a solid computer for several years to come! Whenever I do decide to refresh, I am and am not looking forward to it because there will be so many great models to choose from. 😅
I dabble a little in video edition in HD format, would the macbook air 15' do the job ?
i have a 2016 touch bar macbook pro and i realized over the years i really didn’t need a pro. the 13 inch air is perfect for me because not only does it meet my day to day needs it’s also more portable than my current macbook pro. this 15 inch air on the other hand is actually heavier than my current macbook pro.
how easy is it to replace the battery?
Thank you for the excellent review! I got the MBA 15 M3, didn't want the MBP 14 inch because this one looked much larger in the store than the MBP, much larger than the one inch implies haha. Also, don't need the performance and it seemed more compact. Fanless is also nice, so I don't have to worry about dust and fans.
Can we connect this to the monitor screen
When a product makes Luke excited it’s the real deal
Please do a comparison between the 15 air and an m1 pro mbp 14. It should be educational.
This. It also would have been interesting to have the 14-inch MacBook Pro included in the speaker comparison.
We know the 14-inch MBP speakers are better than the 13-inch MBA speakers; but not as good as the 16-inch MBP speakers. The 14-inch MBP and the 15-inch MBA speakers both fall in that same slot, but we still don't know in which order!
Luke I’m going for the 15 inch with 256gbs with 16gbs of unified memory
I've said a long time "I want my 2010 MacBook Pro 13, but with new internals, better screen, better trackpad, and modern ports, and better battery life", and the MacBook Pro 14 is just that and so much more. its an incredible device and although the air 15 is really nice, that compact with ports is more important to me than a bigger screen but slim and few ports. imo, the MacBook Pro 14 is the best laptop apple has ever made hands down. the MacBook Air 15 may be a better deal for most people at launch price, but as a cohesive package of usability, and market price drops, the MacBook Pro 14 is where its at imo.
I have a 2013 MacBook Pro 15 and a 2019 xps 13 and the MacBook Pro 14 is literally the perfect combination of both those devices in every single aspect aside from dual booting windows, and upgradability although it would probably still have better performance and and maybe even better battery life running windows in parallels than my xps 13 or MacBook Pro 15 lol
I like a lot of travel and heavy feedback in my trackpad click, does the 15" Air have the ability to adjust the travel with the set screws like you used to be able to do on the older MacBook Pros?
I have a base M1 Macbook Air and a 27" 1440p monitor at home. It's the perfect combination of portability and having a big display for work at home.
What about the 13” MacBook Pro?? If you want a small screen with par performance and a touchbar, there
Do you think its better waiting for the m3 model if there no more expensive?
Im not sure if I should get this or a refurbished 14 inch m1 mbp. Any thoughts?
This is a good computer, but I don't see its appeal against the M1 Pro 14". They are basically the same price now, but the 14" has a much better screen, better speakers, a cpu that is similar in light tasks and much better in heavy tasks and gpu tasks, by default double the ram and ssd, and many more ports. It also weighs almost the same and its screen is only marginally smaller. I don't know why you'd get the 15" air compared to the 14" M1 Pro tbh.
That is why early reviews between 14" and 15" are non-existent atm. They are always between M2 13, 15, and 16.
I got it because i wanted a bigger screen while stay light weight. I even upgrated from the base model 😅
LUKES MUSIC TASTE THO?? 😍😍😍
I assume it is not running Sonoma yet? Is it true the Midnight paint rubs off?
I am about to order one of these, probably 1TB Midnight. To replace my original 1TB faster CPU M1
Great video. Please also make a buyer’s guide!
Does this MacBook have the same 256gb slow SSD issue like in the 13inch version?
Dude's excitement sounds almost NSFW
Would a 15 inch MBA with 16gb/512 outperform a 2016 MBP with same spec? (and is the screen on the MBA better than the antiglare version of the old MBP?)
Thanks for this very interesting review. Could you do a comparison between the 15' macbook air and an "old" 15' macbook pro (screen, speakers, performances...). I have to replace mine and I'd like to be sure I make the right choice. Just like you I waited for years to see a 15' air model and I'm very excited about it.
QHAT we all really need to know is - Do we need to upgrade memory? no way on storage as have naS etc already. But for 905% of users doing browsing and office applications is there any benefit to the increased cost of memory? thanks as always for your great reviews
Yes please to comparison/buyer’s guide - not too long tho’. my wife is thinking of ‘upgrading’ her 2009 MacBook Pro. We put in a 256gb ssd and 4gb ddr3. Battery still works. A historical beauty - both the computer and my wife!
I was looking at upgrading from my 13inch MacBook Air M1 to one with a larger display, in the UK the 15inch MBA M2 is £1399 with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of Storage, on CEX in the UK I found a 16inch MacBook Pro M1 Pro with double the storage and RAM for £1499 ... it was a no brainer to buy used.
Buyers guide please! I'm helping my sister to buy a new laptop in a month or so. She wants a big screen and good performance for Autocad and photoshop with a $2000 usd max budget. So I'm between the 15 Air or the 14 Pro.
Nice tear down and excellent review! Thank you Luke. Did the MacBook Air get really warm while you were running those benchmarks?
I'm sold! The perfect laptop. I currently have a 15-inch mid-2012 non-Retina as my main laptop, and M1 Ultra Mac Studio as the desktop. I don't really need an updated laptop. If I did, I'd be all over this.
Are the speakers for the 14” MacBook Pro va the 16” MacBook Pro the same or is the 16” still have a better set of speakers?
Out of all the reviews I've seen on the new 15" MacBook Air, yours is the only one that has me considering updating my M1 MacBook Air. After I take care of a couple of obligations, I will be ordering one. I love my M1 MacBook and having that extra screen size will simply be wonderful. 👍🏻
I’ve got the original m1 MacBook Air and am always running low on memory. I love the size, though.
Would love to see the buyers guide. I am still using an M1 MacBook Air base model config and it works great. I also think for a buyers guide, it would be interesting for the Pro users, to focus on how many displays you can actually have with what resolution on the M1 Pro/Max MacBook Pros, etc, since it's not exactly clear in Apple's information about them. Awesome video.
What are the thermals? The last M2 MacBook Air had unacceptable overheating problems.
I've never heard the speakers on a MacBook Pro. That being said. I was blown away by my MacBook Air 15's sound. It sounds *really* good.