The MacBook Air is often chosen by those who need a portable, more affordable Apple laptop, with the device offering a lightweight design at a price far below the high-end MacBook Pro models. The M2 MacBook Air joins the Mac lineup at $1,199 – with the previous M1 model remaining on sale at the same $999 price that debuted in November 2020. Whether you’re considering upgrading from the M1 MacBook Air to the M2 MacBook Air or you’re in the market for a new MacBook Air and wondering if it’s worth saving $200 on the M1 model, our buyer’s guide helps you decide which of the two MacBook Air models to get. currently available 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-angle color and True Tone Ambient light sensor Touch ID Force Touch trackpad Fanless design with passive cooling Apple silicon chip with 8-core CPU Video encoding and decoding engines for H.264 and HEVC video with hardware acceleration 256GB, 512GB, 1TB and 2TB SSD storage configurations Two Thunderbolt/USB 4 ports 3.5 mm headphone jack Support for large 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 Grey
Beyond their designs, there are crucial differences between the M1 MacBook Air and the new, M2 MacBook Air:
Various
M1 MacBook Air
13.3-inch Retina display (2560 by 1600 pixels) Brightness 400 nits Apple M1 chip with up to 8 core GPU 68.25 GB/s memory bandwidth Integrated memory configurations of 8 GB and 16 GB FaceTime HD 720p camera Stereo speakers 3.5 mm headphone jack 49.9 watt-h lithium-polymer battery USB-C 30W adapter Available in Gold
M2 MacBook Air
13.6-inch Liquid Retina display (2560 by 1664 pixels) Brightness 500 nits Apple M2 chip with up to 10 core GPU ProRes encoder and decoder for hardware-accelerated ProRes and ProRes RAW video 100 GB/s memory bandwidth 8GB, 16GB and 24GB single memory configurations FaceTime HD 1080p camera Audio system with four speakers 3.5mm headphone jack with advanced support for high impedance headphones 52.6 watt-h lithium-polymer battery 30W USB-C Power Adapter (with 8-core GPU model) or 35W USB-C Dual Port Compact Adapter (with 10-core GPU model) Supports fast charging with USB-C 67W power adapter Available in Starlight and Midnight
Plan
The most noticeable difference between two MacBook Air models is their design. While the M1 MacBook Air mirrors the design of previous models with a tapered “wedge” design, the M2 model takes design cues from the latest 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with a uniform thickness and a flat top with rounded bottom edges. . The M1 MacBook Air Tapered Design It’s ultimately a matter of personal preference which design you prefer, but the M1 MacBook Air has the exact same design as the device from 2018, which carries over the tapered style Apple has used 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 has a full-height row of function keys, instead of the half-height row of the M1 model, and has a different Touch ID scanner design. The Magic Keyboards are otherwise identical. The full-height feature set is unlikely to sway any 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 are exactly the same width, but the M2 model is slightly longer. Despite not having 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 lbs (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 lbs (1.24 kg)
While the M2 MacBook Air doesn’t offer a huge change in terms of portability, its reduction in weight and bulk is likely to be welcomed by users who often need to carry their device around. 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 luggage compartments and be very slightly less bulky. The new design may be more impressive and visually appealing, but it’s generally not worth buying the latest model purely for better portability.
Color options
Like many Apple devices, both models are available in Silver and Space Gray. The M2 MacBook Air is not available 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 purchase the M2 model to get a matching color. The unique champagne tone of the Starlight or the navy shade of the Midnight may also be more appealing, but Silver and Space Gray users have no reason to prefer the M2 model simply based on color.
Display
Both models feature a high-resolution Retina display with wide P3 color and True Tone, but Apple boasts that the M2 MacBook Air features the latest “Liquid Retina display.” This allows it to have slimmer bezels, fit a larger screen into a similarly sized device, and the edges of the screen curve around the top corners of the lid for a more modern look. The M2 MacBook Air display offers an additional 0.3 inches of diagonal space, making slightly more room for on-screen content, and the screen can be 25 percent brighter than the M1 model, making it better for use outdoors in direct sunlight. sunlight or in bright environments. The M2 MacBook Air features a “notch” to accommodate the FaceTime HD camera that cuts into the top of the screen. While the screens have different resolutions, they share the same 16:10 aspect ratio below the notch, so it shouldn’t be a big deal for most buyers, especially since the macOS menu bar takes advantage of that extra vertical space on the M2 model. The M1 MacBook Air still features a non-repairable Retina LCD display and will meet the needs of most customers. There are few hardware 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 M1’s smaller display definitely make it look older, which may put off some customers to the newer model.
M1 vs. M2
One of the most significant differences between the current and previous generation MacBook Air is Apple’s silicon chip. Introduced in November 2020, the M1 chip 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 eight-core CPU with four performance cores and four performance cores, the M2’s cores offer modest performance and performance 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 applications like Adobe Photoshop is up to 20 percent faster than before.” Like the M1 Pro, the M2 features a media engine for hardware-accelerated ProRes and ProRes RAW video encoding and decoding. On the other hand, the M1 chip’s dedicated media engine 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 much faster than before. For casual users, the M2 chip is unlikely to make much of a difference over the M1 chip in day-to-day tasks, with the improvements being most noticeable in professional workflows. For more information on the specific differences between the M1 and M2 chips, check out our detailed guide:
Single Memory
Both the M1 and M2 can be configured with 8GB or 16GB of integrated memory, but the M2 offers an additional top-tier memory option of 24GB. As a result, multitasking and memory-intensive workflows, such as working with large items, benefit from the higher memory option. Additionally, the M2 has a memory bandwidth of 100 GB/s, compared to 68.25 GB/s with the M1, meaning the latest MacBook Air can access more memory faster.
camera
The M2 MacBook Air includes a new FaceTime HD 1080p camera with twice the resolution and low-light performance of the previous generation, according to Apple. This is sure to greatly improve your video calling experience…
