A new Apple MacBook Air M2 (2022) has been announced at the start of Apple’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), paving the way for the next era of Apple Silicon. Along with a new look, the Apple MacBook Air M2 specifications point to a much-improved machine.
Apple MacBook Air M2 (2022)
This is what users want on a product refresh! Something new, different, and not just a minor ‘tweak’ under the hood. The new Apple MacBook Air M2 is distinguishable from its predecessor and different on paper.
It also marks the start of the M2 era of devices powered by Apple silicon. The various M1-powered devices and the more recent M1 Pro & Max versions won rave reviews and signalled the end of Intel-powered Apple MacBooks.
Along with a new chip, Apple has changed the wedge styling of previous Air models and aligned the new M2 Air with a more MacBook Pro design, yet it’s still thinner!
“Completely redesigned around M2, MacBook Air is thinner, lighter, and faster with a bigger display, better camera, and all-day battery life
Apple
Apple MacBook Air M2// Features
Air has been a favourable option for travellers due to the slim, lightweight design and ‘ok’ Apple power; with the introduction of the M2 chip, Apple claims that this new model gets a significant performance boost and does so without demanding more power.
Once again, Air is fanless, so to avoid overheating, Apple will hold back on unleashing the full potential of the M2 chip. I will continue to live in the hope of the day Apple gives us the MacBook Pro power and performance in an Air chassis.
And it’s the chassis in 2022 that is stealing some of the limelight from the new M2.
Wedge No More
When the first Air was launched in 2008 and pulled from an envelope, it sported a wedge, or tapered, style to give the illusion of being thinner than it was.
Fast forward to 2022, and the new MacBook Air has the same even thickness throughout, yet amazingly, it has gotten thinner and lighter than the recent 2020 model but remains a little light on ports with just two Thunderbolt slots.
The new frame is more aligned to the MacBook Pro in shape but will come in more colour options.
There was an expectation Apple would match the new Air with the colourways seen on the current iMac. Instead, they’ve opted to stick closely to the M1 line but with an exciting new Midnight style. If these press images are anything to go by, it will be a trendy colourway.
New Display = Notch
Liquid Retina has arrived on MacBook Air and will no doubt look amazing. Apple has further reduced the bezel around the screen to deliver a more significant 13.6″ display into a smaller frame than 2020’s Air which could only boast 13.3″.
There’s a catch, though. A notch!
As much as I dislike notches, Apple appears to have incorporated it on the Air well by sitting it “within” the Menu bar. An area often not used by most Apps. However, watching a movie will add a narrow black bar at the top to hide it.
Apple MacBook Air M2// Specifications
| M1 MacBook Air (2020) | new M2 MacBook Air (2022) | |
| Dimensions | 161 x 30 x 21mm | 113 x 30 x 21mm |
| Weight | 1.29kg | 1.24kg |
| Colour Options | Gold Silver Space Grey | Midnight Silver Space Grey Starlight |
| Display | 13.3″ Retina | 13.6″ Liquid Retina |
| Chip | Apple M1 | Apple M2 |
| Memory | 8GB 16GB | 8GB 16GB 24GB |
| Storage | 256GB SSD 512GB SSD 1TB SSD 2TB SSD | 256GB SSD 512GB SSD 1TB SSD 2TB SSD |
| Speakers | Stereo Speakers | 4 Speakers Spatial Audio Support |
| Camera | 720p | 1080p |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth 5.0 Wi-Fi 6 2 Thunderbolt/USB-4 Touch ID 3.5mm Audio | Bluetooth 5.0 Wi-Fi 6 2 Thunderbolt/USB-4 Touch ID 3.5mm Audio |
| Power | Up to 18 hours | Up to 18 hours |
| Website | apple.com/macbook-air-m1 | apple.com/macbook-air-m2 |
Apple MacBook Air M2// Price
The new Apple MacBook Air M2 (2022) will go on sale in July (date TBC) at apple.com.
Pricing will start at $1,199/£1,249 for the 8-Core CPU, 8-Core GPU, 8GB Unified Memory, 256GB SSD model and $1,499/£1,549 8-Core CPU, 10-Core GPU, 8GB Unified Memory, 512GB SSD Storage version.
Apple will continue to sell the M1 MacBook Air for 9/£999, and if you’re based in North America, Best Buy has already dropped the price of these models by .
I’m quite happy with my Mac Air, but this is a good step up, and I like the sound of some of the improvements they’ve made.