yeah for uni students 15/16 inch is like the only way... most uni students will not have room for a monitor and even if they do will do most work outside of dorm, bigger screen really helps
I’m the crazy person who actually bought the 16/512 Air. I followed all the RUclips reviewer advice and went from the 8/512 to the 14 inch pro, but I love the form factor, size and weight so much that after a week and change, I swapped back to the upgraded Air today. You just have to buy what you like sometimes.
not crazy. I bought the same one. These youtube laptop nerds dont get that a lot of people would prefer the air over the pro because we want a light , portable laptop and don't need 64 gb Ram and 2TB of storage.
I'm the super-crazy person who bought a Macbook Air 15" with 24GB/1TB. Why didn't I get the Macbook Pro? I really cared about portability and thinness, since I have to carry around a work laptop (I have an ultra-thin Pixelbook running ChromeOS for that) and a personal development laptop (the Macbook Air 15"). My use case is going to involve using VM's, and so I wanted the storage space for VM images and the extra RAM so the Macbook wouldn't be swapping its brains out. So that might not be a typical use case for a higher-end Macbook user, since I'm not doing things that use a huge amount of CPU, such as video editing. And when I do need to do huge compiles, I can push my builds to either my desktop development system or to a Google Compute Engine build server in the cloud. I only need to do the big compile jobs on the Macbook when I don't have good network connectivity to more capable machines.
not crazy. it’s 2024. even the base model is expensive. at that point it is more worth your money upgrade to something that will be usable for the next 5 years no hassles. I just got the 16gb/512gb 15 M2 on sale for the price of the base model 15 M3 and could not be happier
@geraxhoI had the 14 inch Pro, it was fast, the screen was amazing the speakers were very good. But for everyday use yes it was heavier, the battery was a disappointment if I got 8 hours I was doing good. Probably 6 hours was the average. I bought the MacBook Air 16gb/512 13 inch model and speed was still really good the screen was not a bright but I got all day battery life easy. And to take with me around for work is such a pleasure. Back to school days I am thinking of upgrading to the 15 inch model. The Air for many is the computer to get, but the 16gb/512 is the sweet spot too
Right when I think I am going to maybe go with the MacBook Pro, I get pulled back in with a review like this for the 15-inch MacBook Air. Great review, thanks!
The speakers sound pretty rich to me. I came from the Macbook Air 13" 2020 model. Night and day difference and a much welcome improvement compared to the 13".
agree! Digital nomad here, here's my current set up: 1) MBP 16in M1 I got last year lives on my desk powering 2 displays, 1 wide screen and 1 normal when I really need to work a lot at home 2) MBA 15 in base model for insane traveling. Not kidding, my last vacation I took this from my hotel room, to the pool, to the gym, to the mall nearby, and to the patio. This portability allowed me to earn 1 full day of wages JUST BECAUSE it was more portable than my MBP. Which immediately drove the price of the MacBook down by $200 since I worked extra that week I got the MBA. The MBP would only allow me to work from my hotel room because of its weight. The 8gb ram isn't a problem for me, using iStat, shows that at any given time, I'm not using more than 75% of the ram with my work flow. 3) PS5 connected to my wide screen display for gaming. I like to compartmentalize so I don't game at all on my Mac, and reserve it for a device purely for gaming like the PS5. 4) Rare instance I wanna game-on-the-go, I have my Nintendo switch. Overall, everyone needs to examine how a device will fit in their workflow. I forked up the 2500 last year for the 16 in MBP just because I needed extra productivity over my OG MBA 13in M1. Yet, I would basically be stuck in my hotel room because of its weight. when this came out, it matches my high productivity need + extreme mobility
I don’t want to say that I love this laptop.. But it’s true I love this laptop. It’s everything I wanted in the MacBook Air. I remember back in my late 20’s I got the white 13 inch MacBook, it was great. I loved the 13 inch screen. With the exception of my company-issued laptops all of my personal laptops (Windows and Mac) ever since have been 13 inches. Now that I’m in my mid 40’s I hate the 13 inch screens. I share a M1 Air with my teenage and I just don’t like using it because it’s just to small. I held off on buying 13 inch M2 because of the rumors that a 15 inch was coming. I’m really glad I did, I love this laptop. The size of the screen makes all the difference. Having the extra real estate transforms the whole experience. I know this screen is not as good as the MacBook Pro but it’s awesome that I didn’t have to pay for a MacBook pro to get a bigger screen. I picked up the base model and it’s perfectly fine. It’s cool and silent and packs a punch. The battery life is crazy, I don’t know how long it last but it’s definitely several days. I would have liked to get more RAM but I’m one of those folks that is really offended by what Apple changes for RAM. If this was my only machine I would have sprung for the extra RAM. It’s not my main machine so it really doesn’t bother me. If I need to do any real heavy lifting then I use my M1 Studio. My only gripe is I wish they would have put a USB-C port on the right side of the laptop. It would have been nice to be able to charge from either side of the laptop. All in all this is a fantastic laptop and I’d recommend it to almost anyone
@jig1056....i also had the white MacBook which was incredible, moved on to the 2014 MacBook air and now the MacBook Air 15 with 16gb ram TB HD. I actually returned the 14 MBP because it felt small to get the MacBook Air 15 and found the perfect Mac!
Hey there! I'm really curious about your thoughts on the MacBook Air 13". I've been considering purchasing the refurbished model with 1TB storage and 16GB of RAM, and it's priced at approximately $1492. On the other hand, there's also an upgraded 15" version with 16GB RAM and 512GB storage, but it comes at a slightly higher price of $1699. I'm torn between the two options, and I'd love to hear your opinion. Which one do you think offers better value for the money? Your insights would be greatly appreciated!
I just got the 13 inch today. It's small but Im small myself so it isnt so bad. Im curious about the 15 inch though because my work laptop is gigantic and Im so use to that one. But the 13 inch is nice. Ill suck it up especially because I got the student discount. I cant complain. Its slimmer and will be easier to tote around
Great video! I’m an average user and have had a couple of Apple’s 256 GB laptop and Mac Mini models I just use for basic tasks (email, web browsing, light photo editing, etc.) Never came close to running out of storage nor would their target buyer for the Air in my opinion. I don’t think this is intended for gamers, video editors, etc with heavy workflows. But Apple should offer more storage and/or more RAM for the money or price it cheaper to start.
Yes, YT creators are not the average core users so their subjective opinion on the base model is misleading and unqualified for the majority. I have used 8GB/256GB for a year on the 13-inch and have no issues. I use about 60GB of storage and have never run out of RAM (ie slowdown). I understand that nearly 60% buy the base model and that is because of price. It is inconceivable that Apple would sell a base version at 16GB/512GB for the same price as it would destroy their MB Pro 14 sales.
I never considered any color other than silver when selecting a MacBook. I don’t like fingerprints on my MacBook or very noticeable scratches. The silver MacBook does not show scratches and fingerprints like the colored versions.
I ordered mine with 16gb and 256gb. I then brought a 4tb external drive for £210 which is what id have spent on an extra 256gb. I also use icloud storage which just makes it so convenient. 256 isnt a huge issue if you use a small external drive and icloud. My old laptop had 8gb of ram and 256gb and i never filled the storage up. ram was always my issue with it constantly filling up
Great review Sir! I'm looking at picking one up to replace my older model 13" Air and with a separate monitor, to replace my 27" iMac. My son, a network architect, recommends that I bite the bullet and pick up a 14" MacBook. I like the idea of the portability of the Air though. Keep up the great work.
8/256 is enough for the overwhelming majority of users. Stop the madness, and save your money where you can. No sense in spending hundreds of extra dollars.
From experience. 1 16gb 512 m1 macbook pro. 1 8gb 256 m1 Air. Reality check, both doing EXACTLY the same tasks every day. 8gb writes less to the ssd by a factor of 10. Bothe set up EXACTLY the same. Stop the rubbish and just get whatever you need screen wise.
i do not agree on 256-8gb ram, just because this laptop has specific target: basic users and studends. This laptop is meant to be used for things such as enjoying content, light excel, word, powerpoints, light photo/video editing, coding (nothing massive but i can code on it pretty efficiently) and stuff like that, NO point on upgrading ram and storage (NO WAY for basic users to notice the "slowness" of ssd on m2 mba) just get an m1 mbp then.
Definitely agree about the base line. That's what's holding be back, for sure. Otherwise, it's hard not to admire (!) the performance/battery life ratio. It's amazing.
I’m so excited, I use an all apple ecosystem but I’ve never owned a Mac before. Ordered the 16gb ram/512 gb storage version of the 15 inch air in midnight this morning and this video made me even more excited! 😍can’t wait to get my hands on it!
Here’s a question that i have: my wife needs a new laptop for video conferencing/counseling, which she will be using around 7-8 hours per weekday. Is the 15” M2 Air all she needs, or go for the 14” Pro with Pro chip?
I understand where you are coming from, your own personal take, but the majority of buyers of the Air are casual users, having no fan, exactly what the Air was designed for, even though it is performantly capable. So my take is coming from the target audience rather than a creator. I see the base model as a great entry point for an ultrabook buyer, and the 15-inch Air is undoubtedly the best 15-inch ultrabook currently sold. I have seen it with discounts already and it really is a great choice for that core market. My experience using the 13 Air M2 for a year and have no issues with RAM or storage and have no hesitation in saying for basic office and/or personal use the base model will be fine. Now if you are a prosumer, or use RAM-intensive workflows then 16GB would always be the starting point anyway. Pay the extra as it will be cost-effective. 256GB is more than enough, and I would be okay with 128GB as would my other family members. I currently use about 60GB as most of my stuff is in the cloud (photos, docs, etc) with just a placeholder on my Mac. We are not all the same users and the target audience is not creators or gamers. So potential buyers do not get moved by the YT consensus that you need more specs, that is not true for the majority this device is aimed at.
Thanks for sharing your opinion! Appreciate you! My only reservation is, even with regular users that won’t be doing heavy stuff on the laptop, most regular users will keep their mags for 5-10 years. At which point spending an extra $200 bucks now for having better RAM longetivity over 5-10 years will seem like a no brainer imo. Thanks for chiming in dude!
It’s not only the finger prints, it’s also the fact that it looks so incredibly blue in real life, way too light blue for my likin. That’s why I went with the silver. If there was a space black color I would have went with that, sadly there isint.
Did any one else get some anxiety when he threw the laptop in the air?? I'm also using the baseline as MBA 15 inch right now as we speak. Honestly, I personally love the extra real estate fo the weight. The battery life is amazing and I'm going to say that I don't think I will be able to get back to anything smaller. I thought about sticking with Windows, but everything was just a bit bulkier then what I wanted. This is the year that I start to worry about me and get my ideas up and going.
Yep I bought a MacBook Pro in 2013 and it came with 256 ssd. That was 10 Years ago and they still start with the same storage now even though file sizes have grown in that time.
You just answered your own cons in this video. “The only reason you’re getting this, is for the portability and convienience factor” people don’t buy an Air to play games or edit videos. It’s for causal internet browsing. Maybe small editing tools and using email
This would be a valid statement if the other one didn’t cost almost twice as this one. Some of us are engineering students/professionals that actually need the ram but ain’t rich to spend that much on a laptop🥲
I'm so torn between these laptops. In EU the prices are way higher for all models (base air M2 is EU1599, Pro 14 is EU2300). If you upgrade the Air to 16GB/512SSD the price is around 2100, and I wouldn't really mind paying a bit more for performance to get the 14. The problem is, is that I like the 15 inch screen size way better for professional/desk usage. I thought the 14 inch was significantly smaller in the store. Also because of the lighter weight and how thin the Air is it feels way more practical to use as a portable machine. I personally love working from my lap, and the bigger space to rest your hands and how much thinner it is makes it way more comfortable for that + the bigger screen. Of course the better specs of the pro 14 are also nice, but I wonder if I will really notice them if I use my laptop for just some video editing/animating, photoshop and web use.
Yeah that’s definitely a touch one. I’d you’re video editing animating etc. you may eventually start doing more heavy stuff in which case I would assume you’d appreciate the more powerful 14/16ich pros. But if mobility is #1 for you then you can’t beat the Air.
@@maurice-putz please tell me your tricks! Haha. I was just wondering if there’s a way to get an upgraded model imported from US or something. I’m really curious if you’re willing to share a bit more ;)
15" is literally 8 grams lighter than the 14", that is all, and it's volume and the space it takes up is more than the 14". The 14" speakers and screen are the best available on any laptop - I prefer the natural colours over OLED, and the spatial audio is top notch. I have the 14, and its been AMAZING for 2 years, I have also invested in a colour-accurate monitor - best of both worlds.
What a beautiful review. I like the music in each section. Are you planning to make an intro with a logo and stuff like that? I am so glad I found this channel! You are awsome at reviews!
I just returned the 13 inch M1 $800 for this model.. I stole it from Best Buy, open box for $859. I went in thinking it was going to be $1059 .. I was thrilled .. My Mac book pro 16inch just died after 10 years.. Actually dropped it and the screen stoped workin but it still works with a monitor.. If your on the fence of Mac or PC I had 2 pcs before my Mac Pro and Both of them had to be duct taped to hold together after 3 years.. I did attempt a $700 Google chrome book recently and returned it after a day. The track pad was glitchy and speakers were terrible.. Once you go Mac you never go back..
hey, the video was excellent. I have a doubt that I have Windows 11 laptop and planning to switch to Mac for the first time. My main work is running and learning Python and linux on it. other than that designing images & pictures and rarely use AutoCAD for 2d and 3d rendering..can this MBA be used for these purposes?
That take on the ssd space is wrong imho. If you get the base version you are not looking to install games on it, but to make office work and good luck filling 231GB with office work.
I want to get the same specs, but currently im a university student and I intend to be able to use my mac for atleast 7-8 years. Would you say 8/512 is good enough or should I go for 16/512?
Having an M1 MacBook Air, 8GB is not enough memory even for basic daily since 6GB is used by operating system and apps, a safer bet is 10GB minimum for daily use and at least 512GB. The biggest reason to upgrade is the screen size if you dont connect to an external display and I prefer the 13in or the IPAD for portability. My first MacBook lasted 5 years since I was able to upgrade the memory and SSD but Apple is forcing consumers to upgrade earlier or spend almost 400 dollars for memory/SSD where you can buy for less than 50 dollars.
I love Apple but 256/8gb makes it a 1-2 year machine tops. The OS uses 6 so I imagine over the next year of updates that it’ll be running primarily off swap on its slow ssd.
Depends on use. I have a 2019 MacBook Pro(Intel) with 256/8 that I just passed down to my daughter. It still does everything she will need it to do. It was still great for what I used it for as well. The M2 is much better than my Intel processor so to say it will get 1-2 years tops is unlikely unless you are really pushing it. If that’s the case you shouldn’t buy the Air to begin with.
Lol macOS does not take up 6gb ram stop lying I have the M2 Air with only 2 gb ram taking over leaving 6 and I threw everything I could at it and it ripped through everything, you will get at least 5 years from minimum from this laptop.
one thing you forgot to point out: as you know, Apple will buy your existing Macbook if it is fully functional and the body is in a decent condtion. in the UK, the Macbook Air M2 15" with 16Gb RAM and 512Gb SSD costs £1799 - however, if you trade in a Macbook Air M1 2020 base model, they’ll pay you £390 for it - and now, your well-specced Macbook Air M2 15" is down to £1410. And THAT, my friend, is a bargain.
Thank you for the video! I still am struggling a lot which one to buy. I need macbook for Figma projects on UX UI Design, some light photo editing, open various YT channels and Spotify music. I want to buy MBA 16 or 24 RAM. I travel a lot so I tried MBA and it is so light. The biggest issue for me on MBP was that it hurts my hands on touchpad :D Because it is so high!! Never thought it would be an issue...Do you think it can handle Figma?? Please sos!!
Very conflicted between getting a 15 inch air or a refurbished MacBook Pro 14 inch. I’d get 16gb ram and 512gb ssd in either case. I mostly need for web browsing, light video editing, and occasional music production on Logic Pro. Very conflicted 🤔 the price is so close but the lightweight form factor is tempting me for travel
That’s quite the predicament haha. I love the flexibility and ports of my pro tbh. But I’d be lying if I said the air didn’t tempt me daily with its super sleek finish and body. But functionally you’d appreciate the 14 I think. sd card slot built in for video editing, and if you ever end up doing more serious edits you got a fan to back you up. Also screen is higher quality.
I also had to make a very similar decision. I already had the MBP, but once I tried out the MBA, I couldn't get over the thinness of it. It's so much more portable than the MBP. It may weigh almost the same, but the MBA feels lighter in hand and even in your bag. It's very hard to describe until you try it. In the end, I kept the MBP due to the better screen. I don't need the power, but the MBP's screen gave it the edge. Don't get me wrong, the MBA was great, but when put side by side you will see the difference (and for me, I cant unsee it). I hope they add the XDR screen to the Air one day.
@@TausifHussain Thank you for the response. Yeah I'm leaning towards the 14 inch pro. When I'm not traveling the laptop will be docked at my desktop setup 75% of the time and it looks like the 15 inch air is only very slightly lighter than the pro
For anyone worried about price try seeing about refurbished MacBook Air either from Apple themselves or one of their retailers you trust that sells refurbished products.
Word. Very good video. Also why no lively colors? Orange, yellow, red,green, etc. So stupid not to have them. One thing about the video, a couple of times the music was too loud and it was covering your voice. Thanks for sharing.
Yeah I really would like more color options as well. Thankfully we have wraps at least lol. And yeah I see what you mean. Thanks for the feedback! I’ll make sure I pay attention to reduce those more next time. I think there’s a difference when I edit with speakers and edit with headphones
Hard to swallow pill: Air or Pro performance is indistinguishable if both are 16/512 config. You get 1-2 minutes faster export times for videos, which is a background process anyway. The dangerous bottleneck is the RAM. 8gb is iPads territory -> no multitasking.
Another review that does not get it. One buys the 15 MBA for the form factor! I went with the MBA 15 w/16 GB memory and 512 GB memory. A fantastic travel Mac.
That’s exactly what I said in the video lol. That this is the perfect laptop still for the average person and majority of people. Did you watch the full video?
actually you get less than 256 out of the box before the OS because all drives are rated for a percentage lower than their advertised, ie some 256 drives are closer to 244 out of the box
I'm a UX designer, for my work I need to use Figma a lot and sometimes need to open 15/20 chrome tabs. Do you think the base variant will be good enough? Is the screen big enough for designing in Figma?
Remember what YT creators ignore and that is Apple uses compressed RAM and swaps so 8GB is nearer 10-12GB. Add in that browsers have power-saving modes that freeze the page releasing resources that can help when tabs are not being used. I assume those 15-20 tabs are not all in the foreground running?
@@andyH_England yeah that's true, all of the apps aren't running in the foreground. Right now I'm using a i3 3th gen windows PC which is performing kind of okay (sometimes it struggles a little bit) for my need with 6gb of ram. When such an old PC can do the job I think this M2 processor with 8gb ram can be great but I have never used a MacBook, I'm just not sure what to do.
Haha yeah that screen size is def tempting for the size and weight. You might be able to find refurbished in a few months and sell yours to offset costs.
I have iphone 14 pro with 256 gb storage, and after a year of use i have 200 gb free space. And that is a phone, where you take photos and videos and install all sorts of apps. I think 256 gb even for a laptop is enough
samsung book 3 pro is way better than Mac air . the reviewer did not cover several critical points. Considering the price, value is lesser at base model.
Macbook Air 15" with 16GB RAM + 512 GB memory is selling at the same price = MacBook Pro 14" with 512 GB memory, which is crazy. Apple is just looting the idiots with money/EMI trap.
yeah for uni students 15/16 inch is like the only way... most uni students will not have room for a monitor and even if they do will do most work outside of dorm, bigger screen really helps
I’m the crazy person who actually bought the 16/512 Air. I followed all the RUclips reviewer advice and went from the 8/512 to the 14 inch pro, but I love the form factor, size and weight so much that after a week and change, I swapped back to the upgraded Air today. You just have to buy what you like sometimes.
not crazy. I bought the same one. These youtube laptop nerds dont get that a lot of people would prefer the air over the pro because we want a light , portable laptop and don't need 64 gb Ram and 2TB of storage.
Agreed. I went in to Best Buy to test out the pro and ended up buying the m2 air - it's everything a laptop should be.
I'm the super-crazy person who bought a Macbook Air 15" with 24GB/1TB. Why didn't I get the Macbook Pro? I really cared about portability and thinness, since I have to carry around a work laptop (I have an ultra-thin Pixelbook running ChromeOS for that) and a personal development laptop (the Macbook Air 15"). My use case is going to involve using VM's, and so I wanted the storage space for VM images and the extra RAM so the Macbook wouldn't be swapping its brains out.
So that might not be a typical use case for a higher-end Macbook user, since I'm not doing things that use a huge amount of CPU, such as video editing. And when I do need to do huge compiles, I can push my builds to either my desktop development system or to a Google Compute Engine build server in the cloud. I only need to do the big compile jobs on the Macbook when I don't have good network connectivity to more capable machines.
not crazy. it’s 2024. even the base model is expensive. at that point it is more worth your money upgrade to something that will be usable for the next 5 years no hassles. I just got the 16gb/512gb 15 M2 on sale for the price of the base model 15 M3 and could not be happier
@geraxhoI had the 14 inch Pro, it was fast, the screen was amazing the speakers were very good. But for everyday use yes it was heavier, the battery was a disappointment if I got 8 hours I was doing good. Probably 6 hours was the average.
I bought the MacBook Air 16gb/512 13 inch model and speed was still really good the screen was not a bright but I got all day battery life easy. And to take with me around for work is such a pleasure.
Back to school days I am thinking of upgrading to the 15 inch model.
The Air for many is the computer to get, but the 16gb/512 is the sweet spot too
Right when I think I am going to maybe go with the MacBook Pro, I get pulled back in with a review like this for the 15-inch MacBook Air. Great review, thanks!
The speakers sound pretty rich to me. I came from the Macbook Air 13" 2020 model. Night and day difference and a much welcome improvement compared to the 13".
agree! Digital nomad here, here's my current set up:
1) MBP 16in M1 I got last year lives on my desk powering 2 displays, 1 wide screen and 1 normal when I really need to work a lot at home
2) MBA 15 in base model for insane traveling. Not kidding, my last vacation I took this from my hotel room, to the pool, to the gym, to the mall nearby, and to the patio. This portability allowed me to earn 1 full day of wages JUST BECAUSE it was more portable than my MBP. Which immediately drove the price of the MacBook down by $200 since I worked extra that week I got the MBA. The MBP would only allow me to work from my hotel room because of its weight. The 8gb ram isn't a problem for me, using iStat, shows that at any given time, I'm not using more than 75% of the ram with my work flow.
3) PS5 connected to my wide screen display for gaming. I like to compartmentalize so I don't game at all on my Mac, and reserve it for a device purely for gaming like the PS5.
4) Rare instance I wanna game-on-the-go, I have my Nintendo switch.
Overall, everyone needs to examine how a device will fit in their workflow. I forked up the 2500 last year for the 16 in MBP just because I needed extra productivity over my OG MBA 13in M1. Yet, I would basically be stuck in my hotel room because of its weight. when this came out, it matches my high productivity need + extreme mobility
Totally agree Niel, the air really has it's place in a nomad's arsenal! Perfect balance of usable screen space & portability!
I went on vacation and worked. lol alright
@@Sloimer unfortunately sad reality for lots of us 😅
I don’t want to say that I love this laptop.. But it’s true I love this laptop. It’s everything I wanted in the MacBook Air. I remember back in my late 20’s I got the white 13 inch MacBook, it was great. I loved the 13 inch screen. With the exception of my company-issued laptops all of my personal laptops (Windows and Mac) ever since have been 13 inches. Now that I’m in my mid 40’s I hate the 13 inch screens. I share a M1 Air with my teenage and I just don’t like using it because it’s just to small. I held off on buying 13 inch M2 because of the rumors that a 15 inch was coming. I’m really glad I did, I love this laptop. The size of the screen makes all the difference. Having the extra real estate transforms the whole experience. I know this screen is not as good as the MacBook Pro but it’s awesome that I didn’t have to pay for a MacBook pro to get a bigger screen. I picked up the base model and it’s perfectly fine. It’s cool and silent and packs a punch. The battery life is crazy, I don’t know how long it last but it’s definitely several days. I would have liked to get more RAM but I’m one of those folks that is really offended by what Apple changes for RAM. If this was my only machine I would have sprung for the extra RAM. It’s not my main machine so it really doesn’t bother me. If I need to do any real heavy lifting then I use my M1 Studio. My only gripe is I wish they would have put a USB-C port on the right side of the laptop. It would have been nice to be able to charge from either side of the laptop. All in all this is a fantastic laptop and I’d recommend it to almost anyone
@jig1056....i also had the white MacBook which was incredible, moved on to the 2014 MacBook air and now the MacBook Air 15 with 16gb ram TB HD. I actually returned the 14 MBP because it felt small to get the MacBook Air 15 and found the perfect Mac!
Just picked up the 13" version to go along with my Mac Mini. I am very satisfied.
Hey there! I'm really curious about your thoughts on the MacBook Air 13". I've been considering purchasing the refurbished model with 1TB storage and 16GB of RAM, and it's priced at approximately $1492. On the other hand, there's also an upgraded 15" version with 16GB RAM and 512GB storage, but it comes at a slightly higher price of $1699.
I'm torn between the two options, and I'd love to hear your opinion. Which one do you think offers better value for the money? Your insights would be greatly appreciated!
I just got the 13 inch today. It's small but Im small myself so it isnt so bad. Im curious about the 15 inch though because my work laptop is gigantic and Im so use to that one. But the 13 inch is nice. Ill suck it up especially because I got the student discount. I cant complain. Its slimmer and will be easier to tote around
Great video! I’m an average user and have had a couple of Apple’s 256 GB laptop and Mac Mini models I just use for basic tasks (email, web browsing, light photo editing, etc.) Never came close to running out of storage nor would their target buyer for the Air in my opinion. I don’t think this is intended for gamers, video editors, etc with heavy workflows. But Apple should offer more storage and/or more RAM for the money or price it cheaper to start.
Great insight on this. Yeah i think you fit the target market perfectly! Thanks for watching!
@@TausifHussain as salam alaikum tausif
Yes, YT creators are not the average core users so their subjective opinion on the base model is misleading and unqualified for the majority. I have used 8GB/256GB for a year on the 13-inch and have no issues. I use about 60GB of storage and have never run out of RAM (ie slowdown). I understand that nearly 60% buy the base model and that is because of price. It is inconceivable that Apple would sell a base version at 16GB/512GB for the same price as it would destroy their MB Pro 14 sales.
At least 16GB of RAM. Storage isn't a deal breaker for light users who don't game.
@@TausifHussain Where did you get your wallpaper? for your Mac.
I never considered any color other than silver when selecting a MacBook. I don’t like fingerprints on my MacBook or very noticeable scratches. The silver MacBook does not show scratches and fingerprints like the colored versions.
I ordered mine with 16gb and 256gb. I then brought a 4tb external drive for £210 which is what id have spent on an extra 256gb. I also use icloud storage which just makes it so convenient. 256 isnt a huge issue if you use a small external drive and icloud. My old laptop had 8gb of ram and 256gb and i never filled the storage up. ram was always my issue with it constantly filling up
Why you don’t went for the pro then?
@@abeldiaz111 cos it was still £400 cheaper then a pro at the time
Great review Sir! I'm looking at picking one up to replace my older model 13" Air and with a separate monitor, to replace my 27" iMac. My son, a network architect, recommends that I bite the bullet and pick up a 14" MacBook. I like the idea of the portability of the Air though. Keep up the great work.
Yeah it’s definitely a predicament. The 14 does have its benefits. This is also a fantastic laptop though! Let me know which way you go!
@@TausifHussain Will do!
I have a 24 gb ram,2 TB version and I love it .Lighter than my 16” MacBook Pro and it does everything for me .Now time to sale my 16” :)
👀the Porsche background 👍🏾🔥
8/256 is enough for the overwhelming majority of users. Stop the madness, and save your money where you can. No sense in spending hundreds of extra dollars.
16gb ram/512gb ssd vivobook 16x for half that price.
I dont see like this..the SSD will be stressed more then with 16 GB RaM. Shame on this product with this low specs for memory..No Buy!
@@ozymandias8523well what's the battery life and comfort of use on that?🤣🤣
@@ozymandias8523 and half the performance?
From experience. 1 16gb 512 m1 macbook pro. 1 8gb 256 m1 Air.
Reality check, both doing EXACTLY the same tasks every day. 8gb writes less to the ssd by a factor of 10.
Bothe set up EXACTLY the same.
Stop the rubbish and just get whatever you need screen wise.
i do not agree on 256-8gb ram, just because this laptop has specific target: basic users and studends.
This laptop is meant to be used for things such as enjoying content, light excel, word, powerpoints, light photo/video editing, coding (nothing massive but i can code on it pretty efficiently) and stuff like that, NO point on upgrading ram and storage (NO WAY for basic users to notice the "slowness" of ssd on m2 mba) just get an m1 mbp then.
Stop the madness the 256 GB is enough ..💯💪
Definitely agree about the base line. That's what's holding be back, for sure. Otherwise, it's hard not to admire (!) the performance/battery life ratio. It's amazing.
I’m so excited, I use an all apple ecosystem but I’ve never owned a Mac before. Ordered the 16gb ram/512 gb storage version of the 15 inch air in midnight this morning and this video made me even more excited! 😍can’t wait to get my hands on it!
How are you liking it so far? Are fingerprints or smudges as big of an issue as ppl make out? Any issues with scratching/chipping?
Here’s a question that i have: my wife needs a new laptop for video conferencing/counseling, which she will be using around 7-8 hours per weekday. Is the 15” M2 Air all she needs, or go for the 14” Pro with Pro chip?
I understand where you are coming from, your own personal take, but the majority of buyers of the Air are casual users, having no fan, exactly what the Air was designed for, even though it is performantly capable. So my take is coming from the target audience rather than a creator.
I see the base model as a great entry point for an ultrabook buyer, and the 15-inch Air is undoubtedly the best 15-inch ultrabook currently sold. I have seen it with discounts already and it really is a great choice for that core market. My experience using the 13 Air M2 for a year and have no issues with RAM or storage and have no hesitation in saying for basic office and/or personal use the base model will be fine. Now if you are a prosumer, or use RAM-intensive workflows then 16GB would always be the starting point anyway. Pay the extra as it will be cost-effective. 256GB is more than enough, and I would be okay with 128GB as would my other family members. I currently use about 60GB as most of my stuff is in the cloud (photos, docs, etc) with just a placeholder on my Mac.
We are not all the same users and the target audience is not creators or gamers. So potential buyers do not get moved by the YT consensus that you need more specs, that is not true for the majority this device is aimed at.
Thanks for sharing your opinion! Appreciate you! My only reservation is, even with regular users that won’t be doing heavy stuff on the laptop, most regular users will keep their mags for 5-10 years. At which point spending an extra $200 bucks now for having better RAM longetivity over 5-10 years will seem like a no brainer imo.
Thanks for chiming in dude!
I bought 8/512 midnight, super awesome laptop
Your channel is really underrated
I got 16GB/1TB M2 15" MBA! I love it but I miss my 16" MBP M1 Pro but just for the display.
It’s not only the finger prints, it’s also the fact that it looks so incredibly blue in real life, way too light blue for my likin. That’s why I went with the silver. If there was a space black color I would have went with that, sadly there isint.
Great video and review! Thanks for nice explanation and amazing comparisons
"I'm an Apple fanboy" I mean, you do look like you're dressed as steve jobs here haha
Did any one else get some anxiety when he threw the laptop in the air?? I'm also using the baseline as MBA 15 inch right now as we speak. Honestly, I personally love the extra real estate fo the weight. The battery life is amazing and I'm going to say that I don't think I will be able to get back to anything smaller. I thought about sticking with Windows, but everything was just a bit bulkier then what I wanted. This is the year that I start to worry about me and get my ideas up and going.
Yep I bought a MacBook Pro in 2013 and it came with 256 ssd. That was 10 Years ago and they still start with the same storage now even though file sizes have grown in that time.
The base storage for my 2019 macbook pro was 128gb, 256gb was an update then
You just answered your own cons in this video. “The only reason you’re getting this, is for the portability and convienience factor” people don’t buy an Air to play games or edit videos. It’s for causal internet browsing. Maybe small editing tools and using email
This would be a valid statement if the other one didn’t cost almost twice as this one. Some of us are engineering students/professionals that actually need the ram but ain’t rich to spend that much on a laptop🥲
What could you say about the midnight and space gray?
I've been swinging from one color to another. Please help me make up my mind..
Get Silver. Avoid Midnight and Space Grey. Speaking from experience
@@D37fit what kind of experience have you had with those colors?
Calm down buddy. Very Good review though 👍
I'm so torn between these laptops. In EU the prices are way higher for all models (base air M2 is EU1599, Pro 14 is EU2300). If you upgrade the Air to 16GB/512SSD the price is around 2100, and I wouldn't really mind paying a bit more for performance to get the 14. The problem is, is that I like the 15 inch screen size way better for professional/desk usage. I thought the 14 inch was significantly smaller in the store. Also because of the lighter weight and how thin the Air is it feels way more practical to use as a portable machine. I personally love working from my lap, and the bigger space to rest your hands and how much thinner it is makes it way more comfortable for that + the bigger screen. Of course the better specs of the pro 14 are also nice, but I wonder if I will really notice them if I use my laptop for just some video editing/animating, photoshop and web use.
Yeah that’s definitely a touch one. I’d you’re video editing animating etc. you may eventually start doing more heavy stuff in which case I would assume you’d appreciate the more powerful 14/16ich pros. But if mobility is #1 for you then you can’t beat the Air.
@@maurice-putz please tell me your tricks! Haha. I was just wondering if there’s a way to get an upgraded model imported from US or something. I’m really curious if you’re willing to share a bit more ;)
@@juliusjacob1416hi bro! 16 + 512 is 1886 € in Germany with a trick (which I can tell you). Where do you live? Which country?
@@Spahiuvalmond That sounds awesome! I'm from the Netherlands so a close neighbour.. I'm very curious if you can tell me more ;)
15" is literally 8 grams lighter than the 14", that is all, and it's volume and the space it takes up is more than the 14". The 14" speakers and screen are the best available on any laptop - I prefer the natural colours over OLED, and the spatial audio is top notch. I have the 14, and its been AMAZING for 2 years, I have also invested in a colour-accurate monitor - best of both worlds.
What a beautiful review.
I like the music in each section.
Are you planning to make an intro with a logo and stuff like that?
I am so glad I found this channel! You are awsome at reviews!
I just returned the 13 inch M1 $800 for this model.. I stole it from Best Buy, open box for $859. I went in thinking it was going to be $1059 .. I was thrilled .. My Mac book pro 16inch just died after 10 years.. Actually dropped it and the screen stoped workin but it still works with a monitor.. If your on the fence of Mac or PC I had 2 pcs before my Mac Pro and Both of them had to be duct taped to hold together after 3 years.. I did attempt a $700 Google chrome book recently and returned it after a day. The track pad was glitchy and speakers were terrible.. Once you go Mac you never go back..
New viewer, nice video. Where did you get that monitor stand behind you? The one with the little metal drawer? Thanks
Hey! Thanks for watching and welcome! You can find that in my desk setup from last year. I think I should have it linked there.
hey, the video was excellent. I have a doubt that I have Windows 11 laptop and planning to switch to Mac for the first time. My main work is running and learning Python and linux on it. other than that designing images & pictures and rarely use AutoCAD for 2d and 3d rendering..can this MBA be used for these purposes?
Does it overheat if watching movies or playing games?
That take on the ssd space is wrong imho. If you get the base version you are not looking to install games on it, but to make office work and good luck filling 231GB with office work.
I won't buy a mb air when i have a mb pro. Don't even start on the weight and portability rant, they're basically the same!
Got a silver 15 inch 8/512! Couldn’t be happier
I want to get the same specs, but currently im a university student and I intend to be able to use my mac for atleast 7-8 years. Would you say 8/512 is good enough or should I go for 16/512?
@@vasundharasingh11 depends on a lot of factors like what your major is in university
@@vasundharasingh11 16/1TB Go For it
@applecore365 glad to hear brother! Enjoy it!
@vasundharasingh11 for that long of a use case, I’d definitely go 16. You’ll appreciate it over time.
Having an M1 MacBook Air, 8GB is not enough memory even for basic daily since 6GB is used by operating system and apps, a safer bet is 10GB minimum for daily use and at least 512GB. The biggest reason to upgrade is the screen size if you dont connect to an external display and I prefer the 13in or the IPAD for portability. My first MacBook lasted 5 years since I was able to upgrade the memory and SSD but Apple is forcing consumers to upgrade earlier or spend almost 400 dollars for memory/SSD where you can buy for less than 50 dollars.
would you recommend the laptop to a student studying for chartered accountancy, I have heard macs are not good for finance students.
I love Apple but 256/8gb makes it a 1-2 year machine tops. The OS uses 6 so I imagine over the next year of updates that it’ll be running primarily off swap on its slow ssd.
That’s my biggest fear and hesitation as well. Had to bring it up in my review
Depends on use. I have a 2019 MacBook Pro(Intel) with 256/8 that I just passed down to my daughter. It still does everything she will need it to do. It was still great for what I used it for as well. The M2 is much better than my Intel processor so to say it will get 1-2 years tops is unlikely unless you are really pushing it. If that’s the case you shouldn’t buy the Air to begin with.
Lol macOS does not take up 6gb ram stop lying I have the M2 Air with only 2 gb ram taking over leaving 6 and I threw everything I could at it and it ripped through everything, you will get at least 5 years from minimum from this laptop.
@@tonysoprano655 everything except chrome tabs apparently lol
Does midnight color get scratches so easily?
OP is the best apple saller, OP should works in apple store as a sales man
one thing you forgot to point out: as you know, Apple will buy your existing Macbook if it is fully functional and the body is in a decent condtion. in the UK, the Macbook Air M2 15" with 16Gb RAM and 512Gb SSD costs £1799 - however, if you trade in a Macbook Air M1 2020 base model, they’ll pay you £390 for it - and now, your well-specced Macbook Air M2 15" is down to £1410. And THAT, my friend, is a bargain.
Great content bravo
Should I get this or an M1 Pro 16 inch Macbook Pro?
Really depends on your usage?
Thank you for the video! I still am struggling a lot which one to buy. I need macbook for Figma projects on UX UI Design, some light photo editing, open various YT channels and Spotify music. I want to buy MBA 16 or 24 RAM. I travel a lot so I tried MBA and it is so light. The biggest issue for me on MBP was that it hurts my hands on touchpad :D Because it is so high!! Never thought it would be an issue...Do you think it can handle Figma?? Please sos!!
my 12” died. i still miss it. really wish for that 2 lbs portability
Very conflicted between getting a 15 inch air or a refurbished MacBook Pro 14 inch. I’d get 16gb ram and 512gb ssd in either case. I mostly need for web browsing, light video editing, and occasional music production on Logic Pro. Very conflicted 🤔 the price is so close but the lightweight form factor is tempting me for travel
14 in all day. You can enjoy the power of a pro. It’s the same weight as the 15 in mba. Just beefier feeling.
That’s quite the predicament haha. I love the flexibility and ports of my pro tbh. But I’d be lying if I said the air didn’t tempt me daily with its super sleek finish and body. But functionally you’d appreciate the 14 I think. sd card slot built in for video editing, and if you ever end up doing more serious edits you got a fan to back you up. Also screen is higher quality.
I also had to make a very similar decision. I already had the MBP, but once I tried out the MBA, I couldn't get over the thinness of it. It's so much more portable than the MBP. It may weigh almost the same, but the MBA feels lighter in hand and even in your bag. It's very hard to describe until you try it.
In the end, I kept the MBP due to the better screen. I don't need the power, but the MBP's screen gave it the edge. Don't get me wrong, the MBA was great, but when put side by side you will see the difference (and for me, I cant unsee it). I hope they add the XDR screen to the Air one day.
@@TausifHussain Thank you for the response. Yeah I'm leaning towards the 14 inch pro. When I'm not traveling the laptop will be docked at my desktop setup 75% of the time and it looks like the 15 inch air is only very slightly lighter than the pro
was in the same situation and I went with the air w/ 512gb. I promise it's a great computer.
For anyone worried about price try seeing about refurbished MacBook Air either from Apple themselves or one of their retailers you trust that sells refurbished products.
Midnight colour is just so special to me
I’m torn between this or a “14 m1 MacBook Pro I just need basic everyday thing like internet emails etc
Word. Very good video. Also why no lively colors? Orange, yellow, red,green, etc. So stupid not to have them.
One thing about the video, a couple of times the music was too loud and it was covering your voice.
Thanks for sharing.
Yeah I really would like more color options as well. Thankfully we have wraps at least lol.
And yeah I see what you mean. Thanks for the feedback! I’ll make sure I pay attention to reduce those more next time. I think there’s a difference when I edit with speakers and edit with headphones
Long term review? Cmon man
A month in the tech space for reviewers is a long time 😂. Is it a stretch, sure lmao. But is it long for me. Yes 😅.
Every review of this is identical.
If you want performance, spent £1k more on the Pro... Cheers for that nugget of common sense
just got mine today, spec is 16 gig ram and 1 Terabyte drive.
What about heating issues . Big screen with no fan .
Hard to swallow pill: Air or Pro performance is indistinguishable if both are 16/512 config.
You get 1-2 minutes faster export times for videos, which is a background process anyway.
The dangerous bottleneck is the RAM. 8gb is iPads territory -> no multitasking.
i have a macbook for ultimate portable device while Windows PC for maximum raw power. A perfect couple
Another review that does not get it. One buys the 15 MBA for the form factor! I went with the MBA 15 w/16 GB memory and 512 GB memory. A fantastic travel Mac.
That’s exactly what I said in the video lol. That this is the perfect laptop still for the average person and majority of people. Did you watch the full video?
Watch your hands !!!
hello, do you need 15” for daily use?
It’s definitely a nice to have! Given the size and thinness, it doesn’t feel big at all!
Damn, this was a smooth flip at the beginning
I don't know what you're seeing on your end but a brand new one with a1tb and 16 gigs of Ram is $1,609 on apple.
actually you get less than 256 out of the box before the OS because all drives are rated for a percentage lower than their advertised, ie some 256 drives are closer to 244 out of the box
Ok so my math be correct? 😂
@@TausifHussain yeaaa😂
i was impress to by the fingerprints
Where are you from bro? India or Bangladesh?
great job
7:10 ETH to USD bookmark? My boy!
Up 31% since this video was released.
That flip, oh my heart
if ur tryna do some serious work on the macbook get 16gb ram and tbh the amount of storage u want is entirely up to u
great laptop but horrible pricing when it comes to upgrades
Yeppppp
I need that Porsche wallpaper, pleaseeeee.
8gb is a joke. Same for watching movies on the laptop
All FAQs, answered! 🎉🎉
Does it have to have an anti Virus ?
In todays day and age might be good to have something that provides all around protection including vpn just in case. Everything is online now days.
I'm a UX designer, for my work I need to use Figma a lot and sometimes need to open 15/20 chrome tabs. Do you think the base variant will be good enough? Is the screen big enough for designing in Figma?
It is enough
Remember what YT creators ignore and that is Apple uses compressed RAM and swaps so 8GB is nearer 10-12GB. Add in that browsers have power-saving modes that freeze the page releasing resources that can help when tabs are not being used. I assume those 15-20 tabs are not all in the foreground running?
you really want 16gb
@@andyH_England yeah that's true, all of the apps aren't running in the foreground. Right now I'm using a i3 3th gen windows PC which is performing kind of okay (sometimes it struggles a little bit) for my need with 6gb of ram.
When such an old PC can do the job I think this M2 processor with 8gb ram can be great but I have never used a MacBook, I'm just not sure what to do.
@@psuvlogs what kind of apps do you use?
Gaming on the Mac. Ye right.
Bro don’t hate I run League on it 😂 and it does well hahaha
really tempted by this! however my m1 air is barely a year old haha.
Haha yeah that screen size is def tempting for the size and weight. You might be able to find refurbished in a few months and sell yours to offset costs.
@@TausifHussainI’m hoping to get this refurbished in a few months! When do you think realistically is the soonest they will sell refurbished
I have iphone 14 pro with 256 gb storage, and after a year of use i have 200 gb free space. And that is a phone, where you take photos and videos and install all sorts of apps. I think 256 gb even for a laptop is enough
same wallpaper!
Real recognize real
@@TausifHussain yeahh!
Long term review?
Bought the baseline 15inch for coding classes so it should be enough. anything that needs more power i have my gaming pc so i should be good lol
It is tinn, but not light,
I'm more concerned with his flipping on the macbook.
İts the best for its price!
samsung book 3 pro is way better than Mac air . the reviewer did not cover several critical points. Considering the price, value is lesser at base model.
First gang
Damn. Appreciate the support dude ❤️!
GANGO MANGOOO NELSOOON
could I get your porsche 911 desktop wallpaper? thanks
0:21 WOW
not worth the price for mediocre spec, better to get m1pro for cheaper and much better spec
Macbook Air 15" with 16GB RAM + 512 GB memory is selling at the same price = MacBook Pro 14" with 512 GB memory, which is crazy.
Apple is just looting the idiots with money/EMI trap.
I have this on MacBook Air and Mac Pro 2019 with windows , if u don’t need gaming and widows go for air, if you like gaming go for 2019 MacBook pro
They finished it at around 500 dolla and you guys buy it at thrice the price😖
🔥🔥💯
Thanks for watching!
unfortunately this has become a flop for apple