Earlier this year Apple released updates to their MacBook Air laptops and while we have reviewed the MacBook Air 15 already we thought it worthy of a second look.
This time I will be taking a close look at the MacBook Air 15 and as someone who has never used a MacBook (or any Apple laptop or desktop) before the MacBook Air 15 is a worthy laptop to start my MacBook review journey.
The MacBook Air 15 with M2 chip starts at $2,199 for the 256GB version. Add another $300 if you prefer to go for 500GB.
Design
Apple are possibly the best in the business at design with not just an eye for aesthetics but also for functionality. The MacBook Air 15 is no departure from this language with it not being impossibly thin and light but also curves in all the right places.
Before opening it, let’s deal with the ports. The MacBook Air 15 has minimal ports but in my opinion you don’t need many ports on a laptop, especially a lightweight one like this where it is designed to essentially be used on the go.
The left-hand side houses two Thunderbolt 4 ports and the magnetic charging port. Although the option is there to charge using the magnetic port I only did it a couple of time, preferring to charge using the Thunderbolt 4 port.
There has been some criticism of the inclusion of only two Thunderbolt 4 ports, with the support for extending only to a single panel but you know what? Who is extending a MacBook Air to more than one external monitor? For me, and a vast majority of users, this solution is more than fine. I was easily able to extend it to my 38in ultrawide QHD Alienware monitor without any lag or issues as you would expect with Thunderbolt 4.
I did try to add in another display using the second Thunderbolt 4 port but it didn’t work. I assume this is so Apple can control the experience better and extending to more than one monitor may slow down the system too much thus impacting on the user experience.
Do Apple still need to include a magnetic charging port? I suspect not and I would have preferred a third Thunderbolt 4 port instead of the charging port – or even an SD card reader but it is what it is. There still has not been a single time where I wished for a third Thunderbolt 4 port while in use though. For those who are worried about someone tripping on a charging cable the magnetic port is handy but for me I can’t see the value. I’d prefer to replace it with another Thunderbolt port so you can charge your MacBook Air while at the same time extending it to another display and using the third port for an Ethernet connection.
The right-hand side of the laptop houses a 3.5mm socket (headphone jack) which I’m not entirely sure we need anymore. Most Apple users have Airpods by now right? Non-Apple users will also most likely have Bluetooth headphones too. Probably costs next to nothing to include it though so why not? I don’t have an issue with it being included though, assuming nothing got bumped from the spec list to make way for it.
Although it is thin, opening the lid is super easy thanks to a notch in the lid, right where you want it to be able to easily open it.
One thing that is less useful than it should be is the fingerprint sensor. I’m not entirely sure this is just a MacBook thing but the TouchID seems to be just for passwords and buying/downloading apps. Turning the MacBook Air on with the power button does NOT log you in and then when the login screen comes on the TouchID will not work to log you in – you will need to enter your password each and every time.
Windows laptops I have used where there is a fingerprint sensor in the power button are much more useful with most of them logging in automatically after turning the laptop on with the fingerprint sensor/power button. Those that don’t still allow you to log in with the fingerprint sensor and then there is also the Windows Hello log in using the built in camera. Sorry Apple but Windows wins this round by a long way.
Keyboard and touchpad
A lot of people aren’t fans with the smaller travel keys that are the bulk of laptop keyboards on the market but not me. I love them – my main day-to-day keyboard is a Logitech MX Keys Mini where the key travel is small.
The keyboard on the MacBook Air 15 is really good. Although the travel is not massive – and of course it is given the thinness of the laptop – there is a real soft touch (sponginess for want of a better word) where the resistance to the press of the key gives a nice feel to it.
These are the small things that Apple excel at, the small things that really give a device a premium feel. The keyboard is that and more. I love typing on it.
The touchpad is big. Having never used the MacBook before I was originally unsure of the various gestures etc available but in the end it seems the gestures are effectively the same as that on Windows. Using them is actually incredibly useful but I put that down to Apple’s implementation within the software.
The touch and tap gesture on the touchpad is soft although I wasn’t a huge fan of having to click it for a touch response as that just felt unnatural. Luckily you can turn that off in the settings so that just touching the touchpad counts as a press.
Display
The display is a nice change from the smaller laptop size I am used to. That is the new feature on the new MacBook Air 15. It is virtually identical to the new MacBook Air 13 but just has that bigger display – and it makes a difference.
The 15.3-inch IPS panel is NOT a touch display which is disappointing as I much prefer that in a laptop – but in the end I don’t really use touch all that much on a laptop so it is not a deal breaker. As most would know from various Windows laptop configs, adding a touch panel to a laptop adds to the price significantly.
The resolution is 2,880 x 1864 pixels which is not the best around given the size of the display but there was not a single time when I thought it needed a higher resolution. If you are needing a high resolution for graphic-intensive tasks then it is highly unlikely you will be purchasing an Air device instead of one of the Pro MacBooks.
One thing about the display which I found really weird was the notch. When you make an app full screen the notch is hidden in the black task bar but when not in full screen you can see that great big black notch in the middle of the grey task bar. Why this task bar couldn’t be black all the time I just don’t know.
This is one area where the Windows laptops designs are much better with the webcam taking up much less room such that it often fits into the bezel – which is as small as that on this MacBook Air.
Gaming
If you are interested in serious gaming then there is no way this is going to be your go to gaming laptop. I tested this out with a few online games and found most played just ok. You won’t be getting that high refresh rate or super high quality resolution gaming experience from the MacBook Air 15, but you can get a decent (very) basic experience. There was some stuttering in some of the games
The MacBook Air 15 would not and should be your gaming MacBook of choice. In a pinch you could play a very basic game if you really want to game and the only laptop you have is this then you will be able to get some use out of it. If you do you will do yourself a favour by putting the game into the lowest possible settings to get a better experience.
Battery life
The battery life on the MacBook Air 15 was astounding. I’ve used a lot of laptops where the battery life wasn’t great, especially those where the devices were smaller. The MacBook Air 15 packs a punch while at the same time providing battery life that exceeds all Windows laptops I’ve used in a small lightweight package.
I was getting over 20 hours of usage – keep in mind that it was not movie watching or anything too intensive but when I ran it on battery playing a movie in a loop it still lasted over 16 hours. That is unheard of in the Windows world from such a compact laptop.
If you are using a MacBook Air 15 for work and just transporting it from one place to another throughout the day, I have no doubt you could get at least two days of use out of it – even if you do not shut it down overnight as the standby mode seemed to be incredibly efficient too.
iPhone integration
It will come as no surprise I’m sure to know that Apple has included so many different ways to integrate your iPhone with the MacBook Air 15 (and all MacBooks). There are specific apps where you can take a photo with your iPhone and have it automatically appear on the MacBook for editing.
One of the main apps that Apple use to show off this capability it FreeForm which allows you to collaborate on a freeform canvas on both iPhone and Mac. It allows you to communicated easily and directly with your iPhone from the MacBook Air 15.
Obviously this is something lacking with Android — now obviously Google has their own OS — Chrome OS — but they do not seem to have the same integration possibilities with Chrome OS as Apple do for the iPhone. The are some devices which try and integrate their devices into the PC world such as Samsung and OPPO but this integration is not built in to the same extent and you need to install apps to allow the integration.
Overall experience
The Apple MacBook Air has a few things lacking but it does what it is designed to do extremely well. It is incredibly light, and thin while at the same time being solid without a piece of plastic in sight. Although it is a 15-inch laptop it still feels easily portable — for those looking to use it entirely on the go you should consider the 13-inch MacBook Air instead for even more portability.
It may be small and light but it was only when gaming that I found it lacking in speed and power. Everyday use was a breeze.
The trackpad is large and easy to use with great feedback. The display is good but not blow-me-away great. It is not touch (which I prefer although rarely use) and is not an OLED display, which if you’ve ever used one, you’ll know are simply amazing and next level. The keyboard is a pleasure to use with decent travel. What more could you need in your portable laptop?
It just works. We’ve heard this from Apple about their products for so long and it is entirely true and at my age I’m all for it. The Apple MacBook Air 15 is fully ensconced in the Apple ecosystem and I actually like it. Apps are easy to find and install and I found the MacBook Air 15 a pleasure to use.
Do I recommend it?
I can comfortably recommend the MacBook Air 15 to anyone who is already in the Apple ecosystem or who wants a laptop that is easy to use, looks good and can be used anywhere. In fact, I will be buying the 13-inch M2 version for my daughter for Uni in the next couple of weeks — nothing speaks more highly of a product than putting your own money where your mouth is.
If you’ve never used a MacBook before, fear not, the change over from Windows is simple and takes only a day or two of use before you are used to all the new shortcuts and idiosyncrasies of a MacBook.
One of the best things about the Apple MacBook Air 15 is that it is relatively affordable, starting at $2,199 for the 8GB/256GB version. If you want the 8GB/512GB version you’ll be forking out an extra $300 but if you are interested in the Air I doubt you will need that much storage.
