M2 MacBook Air review: a new Air-a 👀
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- Опубликовано: 27 июн 2024
- The new MacBook Air has Apple’s latest in-house processor, the M2. It’s got a better screen, thinner and lighter design, better speakers, a much-improved webcam, an excellent keyboard and trackpad, more convenient charging, and excellent build quality. It also comes with a higher price tag - it starts at $1,199, $200 more than the model that preceded it, and a model with a decent amount of storage runs $1,499 or more. And the performance advancements over the M1 model aren’t as stark as the design and feature improvements are.
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Do we miss the wedge-shape? Or is the squared off design a winner?
the wedge was kinda iconic but we are open to change 🤠
I kinda like them both!
Can u please start using kg too?
The squared off design ISSA winner 🏆🏆🏆
If it allows the M2 Air to have a larger battery and not be as stabby when holding certain ways.. than yes it's better 🥰
The fact that Apple not only decided to stick with 256GB as the entry storage, but is in fact SLOWER storage than the previous model is absurd. It should at the very least have a note on their website specifying these details.
I've had 128gb of storage before if you just do internet browsing and writing on it then even 128gb is plenty. 90% of people only use these for browsing so 256gb is more than enough.
It DOES say that on the site.
@@MB-jz3uu If 90% are using it for browsing, why bother get a laptop. Just get a tablet.
@@thanhclips some people still prefer the clamshell form factor. (Personally I love the Surface Pro 8 form factor for just casual things)
the fact people are complaining about apple having a base 256GB is absurd when laptops of this range are still coming with 128GB entry storage. now the speed downgrade is ridiculous considering its 200 dollars more for what feels like 150 max in improvements.
I used the M1 air for a year as my main work computer, as a graphic designer. I got absolutely blown away by its performance with photoshop, illustrator and simple animations and video editing in after effects. I just recently switched to the M1 pro, which is far superior, but I still recommend the M1 base model for anyone who's in need of a good all around computer and portability, specially to those who live outside the US/EU, where prices are really an issue. These machines are extremely capable in such a small form factor. of course, the ports are still an issue, specially when you, like me, have to constantly use external hard drives, Wacom tablets etc, but nothing that a dongle won't solve (and it really is no big deal to carry one with you). if the M2 air screen is the same used in the M1 Pro, its so worth the extra price on top of the M1 air. I really don't mind the notch at all and the only program I had "issues" with was cinema 4D, but that's something you probably wouldn't use on an air model.
PS my experience was with a base model M1 air (8gb ram, 256gb ssd)
The M2 Air doesn't have the same display as the 14 and 16 inch laptops, it's not MiniLED. However it IS brighter and bigger than the M1 Air
@@menjivarTv And it's not Pro Motion (no 120Hz), basically, it's barely better than its predecessor, you only gain the extra space around the notch.
Im going to be using a program that says it uses 2gb of ram, no video editing or gaming just browsing and youtube with that program in the background. Would you recommend base model 8gb/256?
@@oozehag2790 Sure any base model, M1 MBA or M2 MBA will be far more than enough for this kind of usage.
I just love the new rounded corners of the screen that match the rounded corners of the chassis, it is a much needed detail
Does 8 gigs of RAM feel enough these days? I’d prefer 16, but when upgrading to 16 and a 512 GB SSD it’s such an increase that you might as well go for the 14 inch Pro with M1 Pro
in windows probably not but in mac os probably good enough for most
In macOS 8GB is plenty for 99% of people.
Does it *feel* enough these days? Yes, because of SWAP. It's not uncommon to use at least 1GB of SWAP doing normal tasks. If you want better performance or you're doing something using multiple GB of SWAP, you should get 16GB.
I have a 2020 Intel MacBook Pro with 8GB of RAM and I notice no stutter/constant refreshes or anything that makes me think that more RAM would be helpful
@@thor.mukbang but isn't the SSD slower if u get 256 GB of storage? That would degrade swap performance
The Apple M1 MacBook Air sounded remarkably better comparatively to the M2 MacBook Air in the sound test in my opinion.
agreed and the new macbook pro models have grossly exaggerated bass
definitely some cost cutting done right there
Kudos for a very professional, fast paced (but full of useful info) tech review. You did mention the throttling and slower SSD (on the base model) but without the drama and in context of the intended uses of this machine. Best review out there, Dan. Thanks!
Nice to see Dan doing mainline reviews again. Do more please!
Totally disagree, the Air is perfectly capable for coding. I used the M1 8gb for more than a year. I'm a iOS developer and the codebase I work is huge and the performance is a lot better than the previous i9 32gb I had.
What about for developing outside of apple code? Honest question from embedded cpp engineer.
@@sparkequinox currently using M1 Air for some web dev, 8gb is definitely not enough (webpack alone eats a hefty 4gb)
@@undrfined thanks good to know. It's nice to sometimes code on something mobile when stuck with debugging, but definitely needs to cope with it. I think M Chips need another few years before the reasonably priced ones become more reasonable.
Were you paid to write this or something? 8GB of RAM with Xcode lol.. seems like you are just used to the delay while your computer uses swap all the time.
@@sparkequinox I use it for front-end work. If you use Vite and don't use Docker in your machine it should be fine.
I can only consider the base model. Seems like the faster speed of the M2 over the M1 chip is cancelled out by the slower SSD. Aside from Magsafe, I dont really need any of the new features. I want to upgrade from my 2014 air, so will go M1 air base and save a bunch.
Sneaking towards the 3:2 surface laptop ratio, thankfully. A little more square is wonderful for a laptop form factor.
As an aside, I appreciate the total black background on the talking head shots. Really sharp looking
Really love the video. I have a question still - given I am editing a video in 4k, how long of a project do you think would the macbook air be able to sustain consistent speeds before the CPU or GPU throttles? (I do not plan on editing anything over 10 minutes long)
Dan: “The notch is crowding out all my menu bar apps!”
Also Dan: “I seem to get less battery life than my colleagues for some reason”
🤔🤔🤔
Also Chrome.
Can I just point out the quality of this video ? Like the editing and review are both top notch, so pleasing to watch.
The editing is sooooo clean! Much appreciated.
Excellent review, you hit it right on the nail, no hype, no doomsday, just the facts to help people making up their minds if they are on the fence
Great review Dan! Was really informative and a good pace!
Just got to say that I have had the M1 Macbook Pro for about a year now and have been absolutely blown away by the performance. It has never struggled to do anything. Future of computers is Apple.
Is it the 13 or 14” that you’ve ?
Great to see Dan back in front of the camera (I find Monica equally great as well 😊). I would love for you folx to open the new Air up and discuss internals/repairability. Thanks!
M1 Speakers sound better and more balanced, though not as loud as the M2 speakers, at least with your microphone configuration. I work as an audio engineer and am listening to this video on studio headphones.
I would agree. although i listened to this video through some basic speakers. The M1 sounds alot nicer.
4:10 M1 Air's speakers sound better to me in this comparison, slightly more bass than the M2 Air.
Yes, the M2 sounded tinny to me. Better when he showed the webcam clip.
m1 aire already had sucky speakers.... sigh. my 12" macbook have such good speaker thats why i returned the m1 air and probly skp the m2 air.... util they put in speakers as good or better than my 2017 12" macbook.
yea i found them completely tinny sounding, not quite sure what they were talking about when saying it sounded better.
@@fdsaffff I also just upgraded to the M1 MacBook Air from the 12 inch MacBook and I was shocked at how much worse the speakers were on the M1. The volume is so low that I need to use AirPods when watching media on it. I’m even more surprised that none of these so-called ‘tech reviews’ ever mention these real world issues that can have a massive effect on peoples purchase decisions. It’s always “best in class speakers” like that’s supposed to mean anything.
@@shehryar69 these light laptops the speakers is everything, cause we use it to watch media... good loud sound is more important than anything. 12" mac sound blowns everything away, even the newest most expensive mac.
not to mention it's a lb or more lighter than all
That speaker comparison was mind blowing for an edit!
Excellent review, thank you. Just the information I was looking to get.
Does it support two displays in clamshell mode at least?
What is the work around if I want to dock and use on two external monitors?
PLEASE tell me what the calendar app you have on your menu bar is
I’m interested in getting a new MacBook for some light video editing and working with PowerBI, Tableau, and some small SQL projects.
Is it better to go for the Air M2 with 24gb RAM, 512gb/1TB SSD or the base Pro 14” with 16gb RAM and 512gb SSD?
Thanks!
When you are watching a movie on full screen, is the notch noticeable given that the background of the screen is blacked out?
I think the 1 NAND chip base model was a poor choice by Apple. If they really really want, they could make this a running change. Other than that, I love the new design!
Great speaker and webcam use in this video. Clever and informative
I have always loved The Verge and I continue to be happy with all of the reviews you guys put out. Even after Dieter's departure I am glad everything still feels the same even after a legacy member leaving, Keep up the great work guys!
DIETER LEFT???!!!!?
Ik i haven’t watched verge’s reviews in some time but this is shocking
@@akshitsharma474 yeah, he made like a going away video it was sad but they found some good people to replace him
Great review as always!
I love the design.
What brand of dongle that you would recommend? I also need HDMI port for an external mon.
Which calendar app you used in the Menu bar ?
Super professional review hitting all the key points. Thanks!
Such a nice explaination.. really enjoyed
Fantastic, thorough review, Dan!...What is the possibility of a 15" MacBook Air?
One NAND… I was on the trajectory to buy the base model of all the airs… I am out. Sticking to my M1 … Apple see you at M3 …
1 NAND Again 🤔 yeah I'm out
How do they know if they only received a 512gb model
@@MB-jz3uu Its in the video. they asked apple and the response was it was only one nand.
@@MB-jz3uu They asked Apple as stated in the video and the MBP with M2 has the same single NAND setup in the base model.
For what you get, in term of price tag, I would definitely go with the 2020 model and add 16gb + 512gb storage (if not 1tb) directly through the official Apple Refurb Store
I can’t believe how my 2yo MBA is still so performant after all this time for my mid-heavy professional usage.
Love the design but the performance gains for the price increase (and arguably worse speakers) from the M1 Air means I'd probably recommend the M1 to most people.
I'd been waiting for the M2 for nearly a year, but when it did launch the price difference between the 512Gb M2 and the 512GB M1 was nearly ₹40k to ₹50k🥲($600). Realized the upgrades aren't worth that much and just bought the M1 lol.
I am a programmer and mainly my work includes app and web development, some projects and college work . Is 8+256 version of M2 sufficient? Or will i face any problems?
@Vidit Mathur same dilemma as you tbh. Pple usually assured me tt the base model (8Gb/256) is good and sufficient enough...
@Vidit Mathur if you are not doing intensive work for longer durations, the m2 air is what u will be looking at; otherwise, the m1 pro is the way to go.
@@sourav7162 It’s my working laptop. I usually work on Google Sheets & other web based tools
I use two user profiles on my M1. One personal - mainly multiple chrome tabs and other programs, and the other hosts work - VS Code, node server, a lot of chrome tabs, skype meetings, all running at the same time. It honestly breezes through everything no hiccups whatsoever.
Hey, I noticed you’re rocking that old purple/pink wallpaper on your MacBook (4:54)! I’m still rocking that purple wallpaper on my phone as well. It still looks really good even years after you guys released it.
where in the world can I get this wallpaper? it looks amazing.
Excellent review! Thanks, Dan.
Which menu bar app are you using to see your calendar and next meeting at 6:06 ? That awesome!!
6:20 you can choose to make the notch invisible on macOs now on macOS vantura.
I dig the black background for A-roll. You should keep that around
Great review. Good job
is there a heating up problem in m2 air ? Did you check the degrees in a warm environment ? Whet happens if it gets warm much ?
Would like to know MBA M2 8 vs 10 gpu cores in battery and performance comparison, thanks !
@Verge
I want to know, how many NAND chips will be there in a 10 Core GPU model with 256 GiG Storage ??
Starts at €1500 for the 256GB model here in Germany. What a joke
In Brazil is way way worse! 60% taxes plus the Apple profit margin! It’s ridiculous
Schon mal den derzeitigen €/$ Kurs beobachtet? Dann weißt du warum der Preis so hoch ist
Dan, what kind of watch are you wearing?
Good review. 👍🏻
I love how hate for the Touch Bar has transitioned to hate for the notch.
Any suggestions for a nice clear case for this new MacBook Air in midnight?
Where can I get that wallpaper?
The M1 seemes to have better sounding speakers than M2? I have an M1 Air and its incredible.
The
@@ibrokhim13 Th
The black background is stunning verge!
Thanks The Verge for assuring us M1 Air 2020 owners that ours is still A GREAT MACHINE. And that upgrading is not necessary unless you have the extra cash for a purchase. M1 Air 2020 is great still!
Can you still charge via usb c?
im really confused macbook m2 air (10 core gpu )or macbook pro m1 2021 (base model)
What is the headphone at 00:43. Can someone please suggest? Thank you.
Well if you spec the air to 16gb and 512gb the difference to the 14 is only 200€. And for that you get much more performance. But its also bigger and heavier. Also I need two displays so that’s a whole other reason.
Great review, thanks!
Great video! The person in the video made me think of the super dad from Incredibles 😁
I forgot about the notch and the apps that live in the menu bar. I can fill up the menu bar on my 13" MacBook Air.
Nice review and conclusion. Thanks!
The performance graphs says M2 pro, but that's not released yet?
The more I do is python, r and stata. Will 8gb be enough? What do y'all think?
Got mine Friday, it is great (even the Midnight color and its fingerprint magnet-ism)
4:05 fantastic video editing here by Verge
Not worth upgrading from my loaded M1 MBA… I’ll go 14” MBP if I upgrade, but realistically not for a year or two.
Very Good review straight and no drama.
I guess for Americans is not a concern but Apple used to have the same price policy in the US, UK and EU. Now the M1 Air is above 1200€ and the new M2 is on 1500€ in the EU which is huge bummer.
Where did you get that amazing wallpaper??
Google it
I never ever notice the notch on my mbp *shrug*
So personally I need a laptop for uni where I’m studying aerospace engineering and all I’m finding is that if I want the M2 Air or the M2 Pro I should look at bumping up the specs to 16GB Ram and 512GB of storage (plus the 10-core gpu for the Air) but by the time you’ve done that there’s barely any price difference between those and the 14” M1 Pro.
I getting the sense that the Air is for light workloads and the M2 Pro is for slightly heavier but if you’re looking to be use it every day for very large workloads it’s the M1 Pro, I am getting this right?
Just get the 14" Pro base model.
4:55 what is that wall paper? i want it
QUESTION - MacBook vs iPad for video editing and notes taking for study.
If you upgrade from a Mac older than M1, better to jump to this machine than MBA M1. It's hard to resist the return of MagSafe, new color options, better camera and audio, and new design. Not to mention the longevity issue as we still don't know when MBA M1 will not be supported by Apple. In the case of 2013 MBA (like mine), it didn't have the latest OS since last year, that means 8 years. Based on this scenario, if you get 2022 MBA you would have 2 additional years than the M1. But, if your concern is budget or you're a classic design lover, the M1 version is still a very good choice.
3:39 what is that power strip? anyone know?
Does anyone know what track plays at around 7mins?
9:01 Exactly! Couldn't have said it better myself 👍
Thanks for a great review! I have a MacBook Pro from 2017! I really want a new MacBook Air. I don't use it for heavy stuff, just a bit a of photo and video editing every now and then. Also editing podcast. But other than that just using Word and surfing the net. And Netflix. My biggest concern is it getting warm! Do you think this will be a problem for me? :)
Fantastic review!
Mini LED, pay a lot for it? If you spec the M2 Air with 16Gb and 512GB of storage then difference, especially considering you can find the base 14" on sale at many retailers, is very minimal considering you get more ports, faster ports, and SD card slot, more GPU cores, better speakers (as you note) then the larger pro-motion mini LED screen. I LOVE the look and size of this laptop but considering 16/512 is really the minimum needed if you plan to keep it for more than a year the 14" Base makes much more sense.
A 1200 computer is good for writing term papers.... Good to know 😂
Which MacBook Air would you suggest for me. I am an incoming college freshman who will be mostly only be using my laptop for schoolwork, writing papers, zoom calls, and some streaming. (No intensive video editing or gaming) Which would you prefer (M1 or M2) and with how much ram? I’m hoping for this laptop to last me throughout college so 4 years.
Would you be willing to duo-boot it with Asahi Linux (currently the only way to run a different operating system than macOS on the newer Apple silicon-powered Macs)?
Has anyone tested this thing with Fusion 360? How does it handle?
Pricing was a mistake I think. I was set to purchase this machine before the price (increase) was announced. I might as well get two Mac minis second hand for that price
One of the best reviewers! Just that.
I know the 14" and 16" MacBook Pro's are currently mid-cycle, but I would have loved to have seen some benchmark comparisons to the M1 Pro chip. It sounds like the M1 Pro Chip still out performs the M2 in certain areas, but falls short in others. Anyone have any thoughts on this?
It’s a significantly better chip overall, falling behind only slightly in single core performance
Would it be worth it coming from an intel macbook pro?
Is the 256GB base mode safe for a student using this for base apps (like excel or word) and browsing the web, productivity etc?
The upgrade in Europe is 256€ more expensive…
I'm a student as well and i got the 256gb. I figured i dont need the extra space since i only download the necessary apps (chrome, zoom, office, ) dont use my laptop to store pics/vids and most of my notes or sch materials are online/online drives.
I did get the 16gb ram tho since i multitask and open 40+ apps when dg research /writing papers
Solid overview of the MB Air. How many external displays can it connect to?
It connects to one display
@@starzzzy22 thanks!
2:56
@@DammitJeff thanks!
Macboook Pro M1 (8/128) or Macbook Air M2 (8/128)?
I actually feel 8gb ram is limiting with my m1 mba and I feel great need to upgrade it to 16gb . Even on work laptop which is M1 pro MBP , 16gb ram feels insufficient sometimes but I can understand that is due to apps like excel which are not tuned properly for macs
Great review thank you