FINALLY! An ACTUAL video by an ACTUAL person doing ACTUAL audio, photo, and video work (including tethered capture), with a decently spec’d M2 Air, instead of yammering on about the limitations of the base model. Your mention of the Studio Display’s performance was the only videoI’ve seen that took external display performance into account. VERY helpful!
I used to watch MaxTech video's a lot, but I got more and more annoyed by their clickbait titles and overdramatic tests and reactions. Also too much benchmarking and not real world work. Your video is a lot better and explained in a clear way. I love it! Very informative, thank you.
Doing some research because I just ordered my M2 MacBook air and thought I made a mistake! But so glad I came across your video very informative and thank you for being honest, bringing the facts, and not being negative! 😊 Definitely gained a new follower!!
Dude this was one of the most useful videos seen on the Macbook Air M2. Thank you. I'm a newspaper photographer, and I've been thinking about one of these laptops specifically for photo projects, and it was super valuable to hear your experience shooting tethered, editing, and exporting. Also it was great to see what a specced out M2 Air can do as many, many of the reviews are folks editing like twenty 4k video clips on the slower 256gb HD with 8 gigs of ram. And it's like, we know how the M1 works and this is similar enough so why do we need to act disappointed when ram heavy applications do not run well on a computer with low ram and a slow HD? TLDR; Thank you!
A lot of people saying it cant handle specific tasks like hello its 2022, even old Macs can handle those tasks! Such crazy presumptions just because the dev does not have a fan. Hahahaha
I use my M1 base Macbook Air with 7 core GPU and with 16gb of ram and 512gb ssd, for all my wedding photography and video editing and to keep this short, it is extremely capable at editing 42 mega pixel images in Lightroom and 4k footage with Fcpx with zero problems. Exporting video in Fcpx can be a bit slow but that's about it. Nothing else to complain about.
Best review so far about the m2 MacBook Air. No bullshit, no sensationalism, only valuable, real world based opinions. Well done! Would love to hear what you think about whether 24gb of ram are a worth upgrade long term.
100% agree - It drives me crazy when people refer to M1/M2 machines as “perfect for email/web browsing” when they are seriously capable. I work on professional projects using Photoshop, Illustrator, Premiere and After Effects (not to mention slack, chrome etc) simultaneously on my 16GB M1 and it flies through it all 😍
It's hard to overcome this when ppl ask about what laptop to get because Apple also markets them that way - as in Air for day-to-day, 13" pro for amibitious prosumers... When they're really performing the same in 95% of cases and the Air just gives you much better quality-of-life features.
Right on. Considering the M1 base matches or beats older gen Intel i9 chips in many areas, its crazy how people underestimate it just because its in a consumer level laptop
I’m honestly super glad I clicked on your video. Loved the open honesty and the during the workflow process. Because I can sacrifice some longer export times. At the time being a cheaper very well capable machine would do me justice.
I have been using a maxed out M1 Macbook Air now since it came out for everything, including daily 4k video editing - and really have nothing to complain about. It works beautifully with no stutters or waiting anywhere. And having such an ultra lightweight computer as the main computer is wonderful. Just plug it into the big monitor at home. The only thing I imagine could be faster with more cores is exporting videos, but who cares, it's nice with a coffee break after finishing a project.
The dropped frames when editing on a Studio Display is an important observation and one I have not seen on any other reviews of this laptop. Very helpful to know this, particularly since your MBA is outfitted the way I would choose to outfit one (10 core GPU/16 GB RAM/1TB storage). Thanks!
loved this video Tyler! Seems like a lot of Tech RUclips has been jaded by the amount of capability the M series systems have offered so its great to see a fresh perspective!
I don't see how it's only for "occasional" photo and video editing. You can use it non-stop everyday for that without problems. Sure it has sustained load throttling, but that's only if you push it like that
I have delusions of grandeur that I’m a high end video and photographer so I always want to have a high spec machine when the reality is I maybe edit vids and photos a handful of times a year. I think the other part of me that wants a high end machine is my Inner teenage computer geek.. luckily for my bank account my head rules over matters of the heart 😂
Here's my dilemma, nothing in apples line up offers good value like the og m1 air did. I could go cheap and get base m2 air, but it's crippled, could spend a lot more to upgrade the m2 air but then that gets into 14" mbp money, so may as well get the much better 14", but that is way overkill for my needs. I don't want to spend more than I need to on something I wont utilize (14" mbp), I don't want to spend the same money on something inferrior (spec-d up m2 air), I don't want to spend less money on something crippled (m2 air base model) and I don't want to spend even less on an older outdated model (m1 air). If this was goldy locks all the options are either to hot or to cold, there is no "just right" :(
@@stalman I sometimes have a couple dozen tabs open, run a photo editing app inside parallels, and have fcpx going all at the same time. My current 2018 mbp 16gb i5 qc handles my needs fine, but the fan noise drives me nuts and the butterfly keyboard sucks, m2 air would be perfectly suitable for my needs. But to get m2 air 16/512 in my country is only $100 short of the vastly superior 14" pro so it isn't good value but then the 14" is overkill for my needs. So I either pay more for something I dont need or I pay the same amount for something inferior, neither is a good option imho. Also I already have an m1 air so i don't want to get another and have 2 older Gen designs. I want to upgrade but for me personally there isn't a model that immediately entices me.
You should look at ArtisRight, he has a RUclips about it. He has a video showing M2 performance with a 16/256 and an 8/512. He also included the M1. The ram appears to be the better upgrade in terms of performance. Additionally app wise, the M2 does not have optimized apps the way the M1 does which does actually matter in some of these cases. As far as cost, in the US, the 16/256 M2 cost me 1149 with educational discounts. The 14 Pro was still over 1700. That's not a small difference.
Under utilizing the MBP 14in m1 pro is absolutely incorrect. Think of it like a car, 4 cylinder vs 6 cylinder engine if you have a smaller engine it’s going to hit the higher RPMs, heat up more often, and consume more fuel to handle those fast accelerations to get on the highway and consumption increases for cooling the motor. Add more passengers and cargo (weight/loads) it tacks the engine for different periods of time. Depends on your workflow work loads and how many days of the week and is it every month. Heat destroys engines it will do the same for hardware and that slowdown the computer. Often we mistake it as operating systems being at fault. Neglecting the idea of age and heat reducing hardware efficiency which affects software not just the operating system. Back to the car example, would you use a 4 cylinder or 6 cylinder or 8 cylinder to haul 200kg cargo plus 3 passengers and yourself on to a highway that requires speed limit of 100 KPH? You don’t have the option to add RAM or GBs to the GPU. It’s all integrated on the same m1 or m2 chip. Is buying a USB Hub beneficial cost & carrying it vs the MBP 14in? For the use of HDMI to Monitor/HDTV. Lastly, buying a refurbished MBP 14in is that better for you.
Excellent review and overview, Tyler. There’s something about this Mac that makes me really want one even though I’ve got the M1 Pro 14” MBPro. It would make ZERO sense to get one, but I love the idea of using it for all of my writing and productivity tasks I typically do away from the studio. Starlight looks good!
5:38 Thanks for mentioning this! I haven’t seen any other review that would admit such problem with an external monitor even exists. That removes the air from my list unfortunately.
@@Salty_Biscuitz88 Most likely, I’m like 85-90% there! 😄 As most RUclipsrs say, I’m entering the MBP 14” territory BUT I already have 2 other Intel 15” MBPs 2016 & 2018 I use (one for work, one personal) which work quite decent for my tasks (4K/1080p video reels, 4K/1080p short form videos, Lightroom, Photoshop and some Logic Pro here and there. This 2022 MBA purchase for me is more about portability (editing photos & videos on the move, when I travel, etc). And luxury ofcourse because… just look at that midnight! 😄
I've ordered the Macbook Air M2 for programming usage. I will not tax the storage, but I do need the CPU horsepower. Most programming tools are build single threaded, so going M2 is better than going for M1 pro. (M1 pro shines really well in multi-threaded programs, like video editor). I only upgrade the ram to 16gb. keep the ssd to 256gb. I also have bought an external 1TB SSD (RM480). (256gb ->512gb costs RM800 here in Malaysia)
I'm just worried about hooking it up to my studio display my M1 pro 13 got quite warm when it was hooked up through the thunderbolt port, im not sure how the fanless design would work on the air for heat and those dropped frames you saw
Great video! You did accidentally call it the MacBook Pro a few times though. Also, you compared the export time to the m1 max MacBook Pro which I feel is a little unfair, compared to that being the highest end laptop chip apples makes so it’s of course going to beat a razor thin MacBook Air. I feel like a more fair comparison would be the m2 MacBook Pro. (Edits: spelling correction)
The m1 has more than enough power for me. $1000 bucks here we go! But I want the new design. Just $200 more? ok. But 256 is no where near enough neither is 8gb. $400 more. Ugh Wait I can only connect one display? Hmm I don't know about that. Oh wow the 14 inch pro is on sale for 250 off at best buy? That is only 150 more, it has more ports, better and bigger display and more power, but it's bigger and heavier and no midnight color. And here I am paying almost double what I started out at. Apple got me again damnit
I am a food and portrait photographer.. and I may get into videos a bit and the videos I’ll be doing are less than 3 minutes and the rest is photo editing. I was waiting so much for your review and it didn’t disappoint!
hey Tyler, great video as usual, I have a question regarding the monitor issue you showed at 5:30 I have a 14" MBP (M1 Pro 10 core CPU 16 core GPU | 16 GB RAM | 1 TB SSD) and sometimes while connected via HDMI to my external 27" monitor it just crashes and restarts by itself. this usually happens when switching tabs while playing League of Legends, but there are no signs of the computer being under too much pressure (fans are always off). any idea on why this might happen and how could I prevent it?
MacBook Air is aimed for average and semi pro users, that’s what lots of people don’t know, M chip is like an i3 processor, M Pro and Max like i5 and i7 and ultra like i9
I got the 13.6 inch M2 MacBook Air with 16 gigs of ram, and 512 SSD storage but, kept the 8 core GPU. Tyler you said you have Photoshop on the Air. It's now subscription, but there is Photoshop Elements. The photograph teacher at the Apple Store said they don't support Photoshop, which I find odd. When I did product photos, and photos of NYC on my Dell desktop, I used Photoshop 5.5. Which do you recommend, as I don't have a website anymore? I'm pretty much taking photos now with my iPhone 13 Pro in NYC. Sad to say my Canon EOS Rebel is collection dusk.
Will update from my i5 dual core mba to either the M1 air or the M2 Pro, dunno which one I should go for. M1 pro and M1 max map are ugly I don't like their design that much. Battery life and longevity is important for me, I also dig that wedge design the M1 air has with that gold color.
Really wish this supported two monitors. I have a second monitor in my voiceover booth and have to use third party software, it causes a lot of problems. But this Air could definitely handle what I need from a machine!!
Excited for my 16gb/1tb midnight model come in. Overkill for my needs to hope to keep it for years to come as a great consumption device with some basic photo editing
I also would get this version 16gb/1tb cause I love the design and thinness of the macbook air but I do need it to be powerful for video editing. cause I dont want that heavy macbook pro. Did it arrive and meet your expectations?
@@marceltheory not yet, due here hopefully Wednesday. I’ve also order a windows laptop that checks off a lot of boxes for me. Going to try them both and see which one I keep.
@@marceltheory windows isn’t “needed” but this laptop gives a lot for the price compared to the air. Amd Ryzen 7 6800hs, 16gb Lpddr5 6400mhz ram, 1tb pci-e gen 4 storage, rtx 3050 and a 14” 3k SRGB display with 120hz. Only 3.2 lbs and cheaper than the air by $200 But, it’s impressive on paper, just have to see how that translates to the real world.
My workflow: 5-10 chrome windows having almost 10 tabs open in each window, a video open in vlc media player(I'll probably won't have to use vlc on a mac), and a file is being downloaded in Utorrent. All of this is happening at once. Is this mac(512gb storage, 8gb ram, 8core GPU) appropriate for my workflow?
Wait, you have to export 8000 photos for some reason?! That’s insane. You should be shooting raw+jpeg, and even then turn off motor drive because you’re just shooting way too many frames. The only reason I can imagine shooting that much is for a time lapse project. How does it handle a reasonable workload, like say 500-1000 full size R5 images, which incidentally I would still consider a lot. Are you getting slow downs in Lightroom with several edits and masks? How long does it take for Lightroom to do an auto mask on a subject? How long to apply that mask to several photos at once?
IMO, the M2 MBA is ideal for the casual user, the average user and the light user. Of course there are limitations. The base model 8/256, is more than powerful enough for the average user. Any heavy user would obviously get the MBP instead and for valid reasons.
Was about to get the Air in 516 GB with 16GB Ram. Then saw the 14 Pro $250 off at Best Buy. That’s only $150 difference. I just went ahead and got the Pro.
@@mikhailshevchenko5271 the Pro? The Pro is much Superior across the board. It’s just does it justify your budget. In reality it’s only a couple hundred more when you match the SSD and RAM if the current reduced price.
@@mikhailshevchenko5271 The 14 pro to me feels very heavy and is sharp against the wrists. Very unpleasant experience. I want something portable -> air. If someone is looking for a crazy work machine -> just get a stationary PC 🤷♀️😅
Great video!! My MacBook Air 2014 died today. I will get the MacBook Air M2. I make RUclips videos (simple) and podcasts. Any pointers on customization? I am lost on that front. Thanks!
I am still stumped whether to get this or the Macbook Pro with M1Pro. I say Im a heavy user but for music I usually never go pass 20 or so tracks, plus the fanless MBA would make music much better to mix and listen to lol
I bought the M2 Macbook Air because I'm an IT Sysadmin and it's valuable to be knowledgeable about MacOS, given the increasing number of companies who are asking for expertise with MacOS administration. It's impossible to get this training without having a Mac computer, so hopefully the future salary increases can justify the cost of the 16GB RAM, 512 SSD variant. I also already have a Dell D6000 DisplayLink dock at home which I believe will let me bypass the absurd single external monitor restriction. That being said, I would never tell someone starting out in my industry to buy a MacBook. There are just too many critical software packages which aren't available for MacOS, and the lack of ability to run Linux VMs kills it. A $800 Windows computer will serve an IT student much better than a MacBook. Additionally, my undergraduate degree was in geography and most of the software, which is extremely intensive, is not available on MacOS. Neither is most scientific or engineering software run on premise (fortunately at the enterprise level it's largely shifting to the cloud). So there are still plenty of workflows which a Mac can't handle, no matter how you spec it up.
I’m an upcoming freshman in college and majoring in IT. I bought the base model for all my school work and anything else that I need for my IT classes. I didn’t buy a windows strictly because they get really slow overtime and horrible battery life. Mac air gets pretty good battery life and also really comfortable to type with.
@@kab9729 Your school classes are going to differ from what’s actually used in a professional setting. Also, speaking as someone who does IT hiring, I don’t give a single crap about theoretical knowledge of access management when the other guy being interviewed has experience with PowerShell scripts, using Active Directory, and has mucked with switch settings. None of these are optimal on a Mac without bad workarounds
@@whenhen oh wow I do planning on learning powershell and other stuff. I heard there’s a way you can download windows on Mac OS. I have a hp laptop but I bought that for like $500 couple years ago and it’s as slow as a turtle right now.
@@kab9729 You can still technically run it on your computer using Parallels, but it’s really glitchy and I wouldn’t recommend it. Also, I’m really tired of MacOS users stating Windows sucks when their only experience is a cheap laptop. No duh that’s a base $1100 computer does better than a $500 one. Higher end Windows laptops perform incredibly well over time, but they cost double or even triple the cost of the budget tier which means most people don’t buy them. I had to replace my personal Windows laptop this year after 4 years of constant use, and that’s only because my dog knocked it off of the table. It was still doing well, but the difference was, I properly specked it out instead of going for a low end CPU and low amounts of ram when I purchased it. At the time, it cost only a little bit more than a base MacBook Air.
@@whenhen true but I’ve used more expensive hp laptops they used to get really loud and hot even doing basic browsing. Also, if you see some comparisons between the m1 Mac air and some other windows laptops.. the $900 laptop outperforms more expensive windows running laptops. I plan on building a PC though but I don’t know when my budget as a student will allow that to happen lol.
Given that Apple [intentionally?] hobbled the 256GM Drives, especially with the base 8GB... this is a BIG upgrade over the base model. For Pros... get the MBA 512GB... and 16GB but then you're close to the M1 Pro price... so really the MBA is for people who really value the size. Unfortunately, it's not the "amazing deal" that the M1 was... slightly disappointing though.
I think if you are a pro user as per this video, you would be a fool to buy the base model. For work like above, 16GB/1TB would be a sensible starting point, but I would not get the Air M2, I would get the MB Pro 14. So this whole saga about the base model is moot if you are a pro-user. As for the base MB Pro 13 M2, I have no issues, but I use it for office stuff, and it flies along, lasting easily one to two days (15-28 hrs)! If I was going to do video or photo editing, I would get 16GB of RAM, as these apps recommend in their instructions. Then the 256GB slower NAND would not be relevant other than for transferring off and on the machine.
Ok I seriously don’t understand. On M1, M1 Pro, and M1 Max I have to wait for everything to render or it’s pretty much unplayable. Doesn’t matter if it’s 1080p or 4K. Either y’all aren’t actually doing anything demanding, or my workflow is absurd. I usually have MANY clips combined into compound clips with masks, color corrections, sharpening, noise reduction, and exposure changes. Is this far more than what others have?
For editing a 4 hour holiday video with pretty much GoPro videos and iphone photos and video would a M2 air do the trick or would it be better to go with the pro... While I'm not using anything to complex because of the amount of videos on a single project I'm not sure if that will freeze up the M2 any thoughts on this I would appreciate it
Thanks for the video and also showing what other applications were running in the background. I was hoping to see you run a quick time lapse of any full editing project for each use as it was kinda mentioned in the title. Ableton (rather than pressing play) and other applications. You did show & tell others but I haven't been able to really see or hear how truly hot throttling gets from a project session in any high end CPU stress testing. So just a thought maybe for your next video. Again thanks for the work you put in for the video.
Please your advice. very simple question. 24mp photo files nothing more nothing less than 300 RAW files, no video editing just Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop, no crazy photoshop 50 layers only minor fixes of the image. Now question the Macbook air M1 or M2 base model 8GB 256GB is comfortably enough or not. I also know about memory swap so that is why I am asking this simple question. forget about the future to be safe and have 16GB or more storage because in the future I can not upgrade bla bla bla
Isn't it true that if your not plugged into the power supply the Mac optimizes for battery thus slowing down export? If this is what it does on battery power then I'm happy.
Outstanding video! First time I've seen your channel and it was an instant subscription. I'm a writer so as much as I love the miniLED on the MBP 14, all that impressive horsepower would be wasted on Word and PowerPoint documents. I could have gone with the M1 Air, but I wanted the brighter screen on the M2. I also have the M1 12.9" iPad Pro which has been my mobile work device, along with the magic keyboard, for the past year. It's new job will be as my main media consumption device with its gorgeous miniLED screen. My space gray M2 16GB/512GB just shipped from those evil Chi-Commie bastards so it will be in my happy hands soon. Looking forward to seeing more of your videos!
Thank you for all the clarifications that it is a great device ,I dream of it a lot , but its price is expensive for me, I hope to get it even if it is used.🙂 💻
I use a mini led 12.9 for media consumption and lite work only. Should I go to the new M2 MacBook or will the screen difference drive me back to the pro motion iPad screen. Thanks!
I don’t really need a mac but I’ve always wanted one I’d really just use it for some stuff for work which at most is a word presentation lol, so I think I’d be okay with m2 air?
Hi! I mostly use illustrator and photoshop for branding projects, sometimes I may work on very basic and simple animations. I currently own a Macbook pro-2019 i5 265 gb and I'm looking to update 🥺 would you recommend the MacBook air M2? or the MacBook pro 14"? because I know MacBooks pro are the best of the best for graphic designers but I'm on a budget and the current air is giving me the impression that it can handle as much as my current MacBook pro does, could you give me your opinion 🙏🏽
Well i hope you can help me here with the new macbook air m2 becuase i am not a light user..... With that i mean using blender, video editing and some other things that i can do on the go, i also think about hoping on minecraft for some time to fly bye.... But i am worried about the thermals and price, because where i live we have higher prices than other countries so yeah.. i dont know if i should go for the macbook air m2 or should i just try to stretch my budget to the macbook pro 14 base....
This is a great and informative video! Regarding the slowdown when using an external display, would you experience this also when using the MacBook Air in clamshell mode? Thanks!
Interesting Davinci Resolve video editing and render 15min video and if air can not do this maby he can in new CapCut that’s easier soft but good for blogging
![BLACK BAG - Official Trailer [HD] - Only in Theaters March 14](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Du0Xp8WX_7I/mqdefault.jpg)
FINALLY! An ACTUAL video by an ACTUAL person doing ACTUAL audio, photo, and video work (including tethered capture), with a decently spec’d M2 Air, instead of yammering on about the limitations of the base model. Your mention of the Studio Display’s performance was the only videoI’ve seen that took external display performance into account. VERY helpful!
Agreed this was the best video on YT
I used to watch MaxTech video's a lot, but I got more and more annoyed by their clickbait titles and overdramatic tests and reactions. Also too much benchmarking and not real world work. Your video is a lot better and explained in a clear way. I love it! Very informative, thank you.
Doing some research because I just ordered my M2 MacBook air and thought I made a mistake! But so glad I came across your video very informative and thank you for being honest, bringing the facts, and not being negative! 😊 Definitely gained a new follower!!
Dude this was one of the most useful videos seen on the Macbook Air M2. Thank you. I'm a newspaper photographer, and I've been thinking about one of these laptops specifically for photo projects, and it was super valuable to hear your experience shooting tethered, editing, and exporting.
Also it was great to see what a specced out M2 Air can do as many, many of the reviews are folks editing like twenty 4k video clips on the slower 256gb HD with 8 gigs of ram. And it's like, we know how the M1 works and this is similar enough so why do we need to act disappointed when ram heavy applications do not run well on a computer with low ram and a slow HD?
TLDR; Thank you!
A lot of people saying it cant handle specific tasks like hello its 2022, even old Macs can handle those tasks! Such crazy presumptions just because the dev does not have a fan. Hahahaha
Most review only focuses on export time. But the experience "during the edit" is more important to me. Great review!
I use my M1 base Macbook Air with 7 core GPU and with 16gb of ram and 512gb ssd, for all my wedding photography and video editing and to keep this short, it is extremely capable at editing 42 mega pixel images in Lightroom and 4k footage with Fcpx with zero problems. Exporting video in Fcpx can be a bit slow but that's about it. Nothing else to complain about.
Best review so far about the m2 MacBook Air. No bullshit, no sensationalism, only valuable, real world based opinions. Well done!
Would love to hear what you think about whether 24gb of ram are a worth upgrade long term.
Great to see the external display use case here, haven’t seen that in other reviews thus far and was a burning question.
Rene Ritchie and MacTech have reviews for external display
100% agree - It drives me crazy when people refer to M1/M2 machines as “perfect for email/web browsing” when they are seriously capable.
I work on professional projects using Photoshop, Illustrator, Premiere and After Effects (not to mention slack, chrome etc) simultaneously on my 16GB M1 and it flies through it all 😍
It's hard to overcome this when ppl ask about what laptop to get because Apple also markets them that way - as in Air for day-to-day, 13" pro for amibitious prosumers... When they're really performing the same in 95% of cases and the Air just gives you much better quality-of-life features.
Right on. Considering the M1 base matches or beats older gen Intel i9 chips in many areas, its crazy how people underestimate it just because its in a consumer level laptop
What is your ssd spec?
@Hmmm 🤔 M1 Air - 8/8 512/16
@@Sb4vc5 Are your videos shot in 4K usually?
I’m honestly super glad I clicked on your video. Loved the open honesty and the during the workflow process. Because I can sacrifice some longer export times. At the time being a cheaper very well capable machine would do me justice.
I have been using a maxed out M1 Macbook Air now since it came out for everything, including daily 4k video editing - and really have nothing to complain about. It works beautifully with no stutters or waiting anywhere. And having such an ultra lightweight computer as the main computer is wonderful. Just plug it into the big monitor at home. The only thing I imagine could be faster with more cores is exporting videos, but who cares, it's nice with a coffee break after finishing a project.
what specs on that macbook air?
Thats such a cool perspective as somebody who travels alot and shoots & edits a ton of video i think this comment really helps
The dropped frames when editing on a Studio Display is an important observation and one I have not seen on any other reviews of this laptop. Very helpful to know this, particularly since your MBA is outfitted the way I would choose to outfit one (10 core GPU/16 GB RAM/1TB storage). Thanks!
What do those dropped frames mean in terms of performance and rendering the video exactly?
This is a smart, sensible, thoughtful review. You’re very good at what you do!
Finally a Review that doesn't feel overly biased. Not click baity. Thanks!
🙏 thanks for someone finally releasing a positive review and not getting clickbaity with throttle gate.
loved this video Tyler! Seems like a lot of Tech RUclips has been jaded by the amount of capability the M series systems have offered so its great to see a fresh perspective!
Can an external fan or cooling mechanism improve extended load performance?
If you can get the heat to the outside with one of the cooling pads talked about in other reviews.
I don't see how it's only for "occasional" photo and video editing.
You can use it non-stop everyday for that without problems.
Sure it has sustained load throttling, but that's only if you push it like that
I have delusions of grandeur that I’m a high end video and photographer so I always want to have a high spec machine when the reality is I maybe edit vids and photos a handful of times a year. I think the other part of me that wants a high end machine is my Inner teenage computer geek.. luckily for my bank account my head rules over matters of the heart 😂
How could I relate to this so much🤣
Sameeee
Here's my dilemma, nothing in apples line up offers good value like the og m1 air did. I could go cheap and get base m2 air, but it's crippled, could spend a lot more to upgrade the m2 air but then that gets into 14" mbp money, so may as well get the much better 14", but that is way overkill for my needs. I don't want to spend more than I need to on something I wont utilize (14" mbp), I don't want to spend the same money on something inferrior (spec-d up m2 air), I don't want to spend less money on something crippled (m2 air base model) and I don't want to spend even less on an older outdated model (m1 air). If this was goldy locks all the options are either to hot or to cold, there is no "just right" :(
I think most people will be fine just upgrading the storage to 512gb. What are you worried would be slow?
@@stalman I sometimes have a couple dozen tabs open, run a photo editing app inside parallels, and have fcpx going all at the same time. My current 2018 mbp 16gb i5 qc handles my needs fine, but the fan noise drives me nuts and the butterfly keyboard sucks, m2 air would be perfectly suitable for my needs. But to get m2 air 16/512 in my country is only $100 short of the vastly superior 14" pro so it isn't good value but then the 14" is overkill for my needs. So I either pay more for something I dont need or I pay the same amount for something inferior, neither is a good option imho. Also I already have an m1 air so i don't want to get another and have 2 older Gen designs. I want to upgrade but for me personally there isn't a model that immediately entices me.
You should look at ArtisRight, he has a RUclips about it. He has a video showing M2 performance with a 16/256 and an 8/512. He also included the M1. The ram appears to be the better upgrade in terms of performance. Additionally app wise, the M2 does not have optimized apps the way the M1 does which does actually matter in some of these cases. As far as cost, in the US, the 16/256 M2 cost me 1149 with educational discounts. The 14 Pro was still over 1700. That's not a small difference.
You are in fact spending more money than necessary thinking you would be saving money.
Under utilizing the MBP 14in m1 pro is absolutely incorrect.
Think of it like a car, 4 cylinder vs 6 cylinder engine if you have a smaller engine it’s going to hit the higher RPMs, heat up more often, and consume more fuel to handle those fast accelerations to get on the highway and consumption increases for cooling the motor. Add more passengers and cargo (weight/loads) it tacks the engine for different periods of time.
Depends on your workflow work loads and how many days of the week and is it every month.
Heat destroys engines it will do the same for hardware and that slowdown the computer. Often we mistake it as operating systems being at fault. Neglecting the idea of age and heat reducing hardware efficiency which affects software not just the operating system.
Back to the car example, would you use a 4 cylinder or 6 cylinder or 8 cylinder to haul 200kg cargo plus 3 passengers and yourself on to a highway that requires speed limit of 100 KPH?
You don’t have the option to add RAM or GBs to the GPU. It’s all integrated on the same m1 or m2 chip.
Is buying a USB Hub beneficial cost & carrying it vs the MBP 14in? For the use of HDMI to Monitor/HDTV.
Lastly, buying a refurbished MBP 14in is that better for you.
Excellent review and overview, Tyler. There’s something about this Mac that makes me really want one even though I’ve got the M1 Pro 14” MBPro. It would make ZERO sense to get one, but I love the idea of using it for all of my writing and productivity tasks I typically do away from the studio. Starlight looks good!
It does make me a little more annoyed when I have to carry around my heavy MBP now
@@stalman Yup, and I'd feel that even moreso if I had a 16" MBP. But I think two Macs is plenty for me right now. 😋
Agreed! I’m digging the form factor & lesser weight.
Go for the Team Starlight! It really looks classy and elegant.
I didnt catch the specs of the macbook air that you used.
10 core GPU 16 GB Ram 1 TB SSD.
5:38 Thanks for mentioning this! I haven’t seen any other review that would admit such problem with an external monitor even exists. That removes the air from my list unfortunately.
FINALLY the spec I’ve been considering. This has gotten me closer to my decision. Thanks Tyler! 😎
Same here !
So you buying the M2 MBA?
@@Salty_Biscuitz88 Most likely, I’m like 85-90% there! 😄
As most RUclipsrs say, I’m entering the MBP 14” territory BUT I already have 2 other Intel 15” MBPs 2016 & 2018 I use (one for work, one personal) which work quite decent for my tasks (4K/1080p video reels, 4K/1080p short form videos, Lightroom, Photoshop and some Logic Pro here and there. This 2022 MBA purchase for me is more about portability (editing photos & videos on the move, when I travel, etc). And luxury ofcourse because… just look at that midnight! 😄
@@kvnmov Take care of the midnight. Really care for it, as it magnets fingerprints and highlights sciffs on the ports.
@@micosstar so I anyway slap a case on ANY Apple product I own. But I MIGHT be eyeing the Space Gray now… 👀
I've ordered the Macbook Air M2 for programming usage. I will not tax the storage, but I do need the CPU horsepower. Most programming tools are build single threaded, so going M2 is better than going for M1 pro. (M1 pro shines really well in multi-threaded programs, like video editor).
I only upgrade the ram to 16gb. keep the ssd to 256gb. I also have bought an external 1TB SSD (RM480). (256gb ->512gb costs RM800 here in Malaysia)
Hello fellow Malaysian 🤪
Dude!! The colours in your videos are so good
I'm just worried about hooking it up to my studio display my M1 pro 13 got quite warm when it was hooked up through the thunderbolt port, im not sure how the fanless design would work on the air for heat and those dropped frames you saw
Still better than what I currently have (2017 MacBook 12, base model).
Great video! You did accidentally call it the MacBook Pro a few times though. Also, you compared the export time to the m1 max MacBook Pro which I feel is a little unfair, compared to that being the highest end laptop chip apples makes so it’s of course going to beat a razor thin MacBook Air. I feel like a more fair comparison would be the m2 MacBook Pro.
(Edits: spelling correction)
They’re so cool!! But as my main and only computer I went with an M1 Max MBP 14” maxed out (besides SSD size) and I’m super happy with it.
u should be for a $2000 US notebook. Go nuts, rich boy
@@herohour6496 I spent $4530.52 on a fully maxed out m1 max. I'm not rich but I did crazy over time xDD
Wanna see how it handle Premiere or After effects test in this machine. Thank you
The m1 has more than enough power for me. $1000 bucks here we go!
But I want the new design. Just $200 more? ok.
But 256 is no where near enough neither is 8gb. $400 more. Ugh
Wait I can only connect one display? Hmm I don't know about that.
Oh wow the 14 inch pro is on sale for 250 off at best buy? That is only 150 more, it has more ports, better and bigger display and more power, but it's bigger and heavier and no midnight color.
And here I am paying almost double what I started out at. Apple got me again damnit
I am a food and portrait photographer.. and I may get into videos a bit and the videos I’ll be doing are less than 3 minutes and the rest is photo editing. I was waiting so much for your review and it didn’t disappoint!
hey Tyler, great video as usual, I have a question regarding the monitor issue you showed at 5:30
I have a 14" MBP (M1 Pro 10 core CPU 16 core GPU | 16 GB RAM | 1 TB SSD) and sometimes while connected via HDMI to my external 27" monitor it just crashes and restarts by itself. this usually happens when switching tabs while playing League of Legends, but there are no signs of the computer being under too much pressure (fans are always off). any idea on why this might happen and how could I prevent it?
I love the vibe of your videos, Tyler! They really make me happy!
Thanks for sharing!
Cheers from Brazil!
MacBook Air is aimed for average and semi pro users, that’s what lots of people don’t know, M chip is like an i3 processor, M Pro and Max like i5 and i7 and ultra like i9
Thanks for the thought! I just bought one to replace a 12.9” iPad Pro. Looks like it’ll fill the spot I wanted my iPad to, just like you said
I got the 13.6 inch M2 MacBook Air with 16 gigs of ram, and 512 SSD storage but, kept the 8 core GPU. Tyler you said you have Photoshop on the Air. It's now subscription, but there is Photoshop Elements. The photograph teacher at the Apple Store said they don't support Photoshop, which I find odd. When I did product photos, and photos of NYC on my Dell desktop, I used Photoshop 5.5. Which do you recommend, as I don't have a website anymore? I'm pretty much taking photos now with my iPhone 13 Pro in NYC. Sad to say my Canon EOS Rebel is collection dusk.
your vids a little confusing @2:24 the specs are titled with a "macbook pro" but you go on to discuss everything about the air. typo?
Will update from my i5 dual core mba to either the M1 air or the M2 Pro, dunno which one I should go for. M1 pro and M1 max map are ugly I don't like their design that much. Battery life and longevity is important for me, I also dig that wedge design the M1 air has with that gold color.
Really wish this supported two monitors. I have a second monitor in my voiceover booth and have to use third party software, it causes a lot of problems. But this Air could definitely handle what I need from a machine!!
Get a pro then
I think the advantage of iPad is actually being able to separate the keyboard. Like for illustrations and painters its really useful
I push my current old laptop to 7GB while using it. Should I get 8GB or 16GB?
Excited for my 16gb/1tb midnight model come in. Overkill for my needs to hope to keep it for years to come as a great consumption device with some basic photo editing
I also would get this version 16gb/1tb cause I love the design and thinness of the macbook air but I do need it to be powerful for video editing. cause I dont want that heavy macbook pro. Did it arrive and meet your expectations?
@@marceltheory not yet, due here hopefully Wednesday. I’ve also order a windows laptop that checks off a lot of boxes for me. Going to try them both and see which one I keep.
@@1BadVan oh Nice, hope the MacBook wins 😂. Would you have to dual boot the MacBook if you needed windows?
@@marceltheory windows isn’t “needed” but this laptop gives a lot for the price compared to the air. Amd Ryzen 7 6800hs, 16gb Lpddr5 6400mhz ram, 1tb pci-e gen 4 storage, rtx 3050 and a 14” 3k SRGB display with 120hz. Only 3.2 lbs and cheaper than the air by $200
But, it’s impressive on paper, just have to see how that translates to the real world.
@@1BadVan ok those are good specs. Can’t wait for the results lol
My workflow: 5-10 chrome windows having almost 10 tabs open in each window, a video open in vlc media player(I'll probably won't have to use vlc on a mac), and a file is being downloaded in Utorrent. All of this is happening at once.
Is this mac(512gb storage, 8gb ram, 8core GPU) appropriate for my workflow?
the slow down in external display is disappointing. I use my computer like this most of the time for screen real estate.
Would you recommend the base M2 air or a slightly bumped up used M1 Air with 16GB ram and 512 ssd?
Wait, you have to export 8000 photos for some reason?! That’s insane. You should be shooting raw+jpeg, and even then turn off motor drive because you’re just shooting way too many frames. The only reason I can imagine shooting that much is for a time lapse project.
How does it handle a reasonable workload, like say 500-1000 full size R5 images, which incidentally I would still consider a lot. Are you getting slow downs in Lightroom with several edits and masks? How long does it take for Lightroom to do an auto mask on a subject? How long to apply that mask to several photos at once?
IMO, the M2 MBA is ideal for the casual user, the average user and the light user. Of course there are limitations.
The base model 8/256, is more than powerful enough for the average user. Any heavy user would obviously get the
MBP instead and for valid reasons.
That’s me! I still have 200 plus gigs left on my 2016 MacBook Pro and I run mostly web based apps or remote into my desktop for work!
Nice!
How would it perform connected to an external display in clamshell mode?
Was about to get the Air in 516 GB with 16GB Ram. Then saw the 14 Pro $250 off at Best Buy. That’s only $150 difference. I just went ahead and got the Pro.
do you think this case is much more better?
@@mikhailshevchenko5271 the Pro? The Pro is much Superior across the board. It’s just does it justify your budget. In reality it’s only a couple hundred more when you match the SSD and RAM if the current reduced price.
@@mikhailshevchenko5271 The 14 pro to me feels very heavy and is sharp against the wrists. Very unpleasant experience. I want something portable -> air. If someone is looking for a crazy work machine -> just get a stationary PC 🤷♀️😅
Great video!! My MacBook Air 2014 died today. I will get the MacBook Air M2. I make RUclips videos (simple) and podcasts. Any pointers on customization? I am lost on that front. Thanks!
Can I use this MacBook if I’m an architecture student?
Do you have a link to that deer foot commercial? Would like to see the final result!
Heck yeah - Tyler, the king of real world testing!
The base m2 model can handle like 12 safari tabs and 2 excel tabs? This is like my daily use i dont edit anything.
I am still stumped whether to get this or the Macbook Pro with M1Pro. I say Im a heavy user but for music I usually never go pass 20 or so tracks, plus the fanless MBA would make music much better to mix and listen to lol
What did you end up going with?
@@keremusen1953 Macbook Air m2. Loving it so far
I bought the M2 Macbook Air because I'm an IT Sysadmin and it's valuable to be knowledgeable about MacOS, given the increasing number of companies who are asking for expertise with MacOS administration. It's impossible to get this training without having a Mac computer, so hopefully the future salary increases can justify the cost of the 16GB RAM, 512 SSD variant. I also already have a Dell D6000 DisplayLink dock at home which I believe will let me bypass the absurd single external monitor restriction.
That being said, I would never tell someone starting out in my industry to buy a MacBook. There are just too many critical software packages which aren't available for MacOS, and the lack of ability to run Linux VMs kills it. A $800 Windows computer will serve an IT student much better than a MacBook. Additionally, my undergraduate degree was in geography and most of the software, which is extremely intensive, is not available on MacOS. Neither is most scientific or engineering software run on premise (fortunately at the enterprise level it's largely shifting to the cloud). So there are still plenty of workflows which a Mac can't handle, no matter how you spec it up.
I’m an upcoming freshman in college and majoring in IT. I bought the base model for all my school work and anything else that I need for my IT classes. I didn’t buy a windows strictly because they get really slow overtime and horrible battery life. Mac air gets pretty good battery life and also really comfortable to type with.
@@kab9729 Your school classes are going to differ from what’s actually used in a professional setting. Also, speaking as someone who does IT hiring, I don’t give a single crap about theoretical knowledge of access management when the other guy being interviewed has experience with PowerShell scripts, using Active Directory, and has mucked with switch settings. None of these are optimal on a Mac without bad workarounds
@@whenhen oh wow I do planning on learning powershell and other stuff. I heard there’s a way you can download windows on Mac OS. I have a hp laptop but I bought that for like $500 couple years ago and it’s as slow as a turtle right now.
@@kab9729 You can still technically run it on your computer using Parallels, but it’s really glitchy and I wouldn’t recommend it.
Also, I’m really tired of MacOS users stating Windows sucks when their only experience is a cheap laptop. No duh that’s a base $1100 computer does better than a $500 one. Higher end Windows laptops perform incredibly well over time, but they cost double or even triple the cost of the budget tier which means most people don’t buy them. I had to replace my personal Windows laptop this year after 4 years of constant use, and that’s only because my dog knocked it off of the table. It was still doing well, but the difference was, I properly specked it out instead of going for a low end CPU and low amounts of ram when I purchased it. At the time, it cost only a little bit more than a base MacBook Air.
@@whenhen true but I’ve used more expensive hp laptops they used to get really loud and hot even doing basic browsing. Also, if you see some comparisons between the m1 Mac air and some other windows laptops.. the $900 laptop outperforms more expensive windows running laptops. I plan on building a PC though but I don’t know when my budget as a student will allow that to happen lol.
is it the most affordable machine? it costs more than a base mac mini
What mic 🎤 are you using?
Great vid! Love your real world approach and snappy editing
STARLIGHT MACBOOK AIR M2 really looks so CLASSY. 😍
Can you please provide the specs of your MacBook Air? Have you tested a fully maxxed out version?
What camera you use to shoot your youtube videos
When u connect to external monitor, does it slow down during photo editing ?
Given that Apple [intentionally?] hobbled the 256GM Drives, especially with the base 8GB... this is a BIG upgrade over the base model.
For Pros... get the MBA 512GB... and 16GB but then you're close to the M1 Pro price... so really the MBA is for people who really value the size. Unfortunately, it's not the "amazing deal" that the M1 was... slightly disappointing though.
I think if you are a pro user as per this video, you would be a fool to buy the base model. For work like above, 16GB/1TB would be a sensible starting point, but I would not get the Air M2, I would get the MB Pro 14. So this whole saga about the base model is moot if you are a pro-user.
As for the base MB Pro 13 M2, I have no issues, but I use it for office stuff, and it flies along, lasting easily one to two days (15-28 hrs)! If I was going to do video or photo editing, I would get 16GB of RAM, as these apps recommend in their instructions. Then the 256GB slower NAND would not be relevant other than for transferring off and on the machine.
This was one of the most balanced reviews of the air. Not just benchmarks but real world use.Great Vid. oh and shot well as always
How does it do running zoom on an external while doing office work?
Really diggin that Wolfpac shirt tho.
Ok I seriously don’t understand. On M1, M1 Pro, and M1 Max I have to wait for everything to render or it’s pretty much unplayable. Doesn’t matter if it’s 1080p or 4K. Either y’all aren’t actually doing anything demanding, or my workflow is absurd.
I usually have MANY clips combined into compound clips with masks, color corrections, sharpening, noise reduction, and exposure changes. Is this far more than what others have?
Hi mate, can you link the wall paper
For editing a 4 hour holiday video with pretty much GoPro videos and iphone photos and video would a M2 air do the trick or would it be better to go with the pro... While I'm not using anything to complex because of the amount of videos on a single project I'm not sure if that will freeze up the M2 any thoughts on this I would appreciate it
Thanks for the video and also showing what other applications were running in the background. I was hoping to see you run a quick time lapse of any full editing project for each use as it was kinda mentioned in the title. Ableton (rather than pressing play) and other applications. You did show & tell others but I haven't been able to really see or hear how truly hot throttling gets from a project session in any high end CPU stress testing. So just a thought maybe for your next video. Again thanks for the work you put in for the video.
Is it good enough to code on? I am going to be a Comp Science student so i need a powerful device
Please your advice. very simple question. 24mp photo files nothing more nothing less than 300 RAW files, no video editing just Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop, no crazy photoshop 50 layers only minor fixes of the image. Now question the Macbook air M1 or M2 base model 8GB 256GB is comfortably enough or not. I also know about memory swap so that is why I am asking this simple question. forget about the future to be safe and have 16GB or more storage because in the future I can not upgrade bla bla bla
For music production, you should try to do the same test that Matt Citrano does for the real world since it is the most successful in this field.
This is an excellent video thank you
Good review mate 👏🏽
Isn't it true that if your not plugged into the power supply the Mac optimizes for battery thus slowing down export? If this is what it does on battery power then I'm happy.
You can select battery optimization options but in my tests I noticed no difference between plugged and battery powered
Outstanding video! First time I've seen your channel and it was an instant subscription. I'm a writer so as much as I love the miniLED on the MBP 14, all that impressive horsepower would be wasted on Word and PowerPoint documents. I could have gone with the M1 Air, but I wanted the brighter screen on the M2. I also have the M1 12.9" iPad Pro which has been my mobile work device, along with the magic keyboard, for the past year. It's new job will be as my main media consumption device with its gorgeous miniLED screen. My space gray M2 16GB/512GB just shipped from those evil Chi-Commie bastards so it will be in my happy hands soon. Looking forward to seeing more of your videos!
Thank you for all the clarifications that it is a great device ,I dream of it a lot , but its price is expensive for me, I hope to get it even if it is used.🙂 💻
I use a mini led 12.9 for media consumption and lite work only. Should I go to the new M2 MacBook or will the screen difference drive me back to the pro motion iPad screen. Thanks!
Thanks for the great review on this macbook air!
I don’t really need a mac but I’ve always wanted one I’d really just use it for some stuff for work which at most is a word presentation lol, so I think I’d be okay with m2 air?
what specs you use on the air?
Hi! I mostly use illustrator and photoshop for branding projects, sometimes I may work on very basic and simple animations. I currently own a Macbook pro-2019 i5 265 gb and I'm looking to update 🥺 would you recommend the MacBook air M2? or the MacBook pro 14"? because I know MacBooks pro are the best of the best for graphic designers but I'm on a budget and the current air is giving me the impression that it can handle as much as my current MacBook pro does, could you give me your opinion 🙏🏽
Hi I’m in the exact same situation. Which did you choose?
Well i hope you can help me here with the new macbook air m2 becuase i am not a light user..... With that i mean using blender, video editing and some other things that i can do on the go, i also think about hoping on minecraft for some time to fly bye.... But i am worried about the thermals and price, because where i live we have higher prices than other countries so yeah.. i dont know if i should go for the macbook air m2 or should i just try to stretch my budget to the macbook pro 14 base....
Are we still going to get that video on Professional iPhone Workflows 🥺👉🏾👈🏾?
Is Adobe creative cloud LR and PS compatable with a Macbook Air M2?
What’s the SSD read and write speed for 1tb as compared with the 512gb .
Those two should be the same
@@stalman thanks
Wallpaper?
Where do you get your screen wallpaper?
Iphoedo made them twitter.com/stalman/status/1548830756847251456?s=21&t=BEoRdI2wpaZnXGuMaKw3jQ
This is a great and informative video! Regarding the slowdown when using an external display, would you experience this also when using the MacBook Air in clamshell mode? Thanks!
I would like to know too
What about 2023 macbook air M2 8gb ram and 512gb ssd
This is helpful and well presented, thanks
bruh i’m not spending like 300 dollars more on a pro for 45 second difference LMAO
Interesting Davinci Resolve video editing and render 15min video and if air can not do this maby he can in new CapCut that’s easier soft but good for blogging
I am a student i need macbook air M2 for coding I can upgrade only one thing out of RAM & SSD . what should I upgrade the RAM or the SSD ??
PLZ HELP
I have a lot of open cards in browser 200 :D Can m2 handle it? Plus work on local web server?
@Tyler Stalman I cant find you on Telegram 🧐
Sorry it’s a common spam issue on RUclips, I’ll never ask anyone to contact me on telegram