Finally a review that doesn't assume we're all freaking editing video at 4K or 8K. These other "Techtubers" need to get their act together and put the common people use case in their assessment instead of just sticking to what they know which is video editing. Us common folks use a browser with multiple tabs open, productivity suites, programming for some and the occasional gaming.
College and even high school students often do video editing. It is good to know that the M2 Air can do this. I agree that some of the heavy duty editing benchmarks go too far, but they help to at least note the limits of the device.
@@heliogenesi At that point, nobody should consider the air. It shouldn't even be in the conversation if someone thinks to spec it to near 2 grand USD. The M1 14" should be the automatic focus.
The reason they’re doing that is because it’s priced above the m1 which is the real low end and is still an amazing computer for all normal computing tasks. That leaves the m2 in an awkward middle child place where it’s not good enough to compete with the pro when specced up, but it’s value proposition at the low end is sort of compromised by how easy it is to get a great deal on the m1- leaving aside all ssd issues (which yes, do matter in an 8gb laptop)
The M1 completely changed what we have come to expect from “entry level” laptops. I bought an Intel i3 MacBook Air in April 2020, and you could *lightly* edit two streams of 1080p footage MAX on that thing and you’d still need to drop res while editing. The battery lasted like five hours or so, and it was hot to the touch with just a few tabs open. The M1 completely revolutionized and changed what was possible on a $999 device. Now people are like “why can’t this entry level device edit five streams of 8k?” Ridiculous lol
@@The-ZebraFinch-Channel Fun fact, M2 (16ram) actually does something faster than M1 pro (16ram). I remember a reviewer opened google earth and M2 is faster...well, jokes on max tech
@@sophie-annew7743 if i remember correctly... wasn't the problem that the m2 macbooks did not had a uniform speed of ssd or ram (do not remember) with entry ones like 8 gb ram being slower than 16 gigs one?
Great review. I almost returned my entry level M2 based on all of the reviews I read and watched. I use my laptop in a similar manner described in the video and agree 100% ... you need to understand what it is meant to be used for. Thanks for an honest review and not one loaded with all kinds of technical scores that don't apply to most of the real workd users. BTW ... I like the Mars globe on your desk ! Where did you get that ?
I love this review. It feels like it actually approached my use case and not look at extreme use cases that really only the smallest amount of buyers are actually going to use it for
A few weeks ago ordered this laptop and upped it to 16GB of RAM and the 512 SSD. Stayed with the base 8 core. It’s a beast. I’ve thrown a lot at it and it absolutely smokes my new office issued Dell Latitude with equivalent specs.
I've been seeing more of these sensible reviews on the base model lately. That's a good thing. I upgraded to the base model M2 Air...in midnight...from a base model 2017 12 inch MacBook. That's a big upgrade for me and I'm loving the computer so far.
I use my entry level (8Gb Ram/256Gb SSD) M1 Macbook Air for full time software development work, photoshop, illustrator and some adobe premier... its never got close to letting me down... so I can only imagine the M2 would perform better.... i'm holding out on upgrading because i have a think against camera notches...
This is probably the only review I’ve seen that reflects my intended use case. I’m out of school and just want a casual machine that browses the web and takes notes/run excel quickly. My office provides us with work laptops for our design work, so this is entirely for light personal use. On a separate note, I think the quality of your reviews are great, but you need to adjust the outro music at the end of your videos because it’s hard to hear you at the end. Otherwise, I’m looking forward to your 3, 6, and 12-month reviews lol
@@pro100kryto Holy shit, we’re here watching a review of the MacBook Air because it’s a machine and system we’re interested in. I’m glad you’re happy commenting from your Sentio Superbook connected to your Galaxy S4, but some of us are looking for simple solutions.
Everything you do can be done easily with an M1 Mac with room to spare. Heck, this can be done with any older Intel machine. This is just pure new toy lust which is fine, just don't pretend that you choose the M2 Air because its the practical choice.
i'm concerned with the amount of tabs i need to have open and some apps that i need to run simultaneously, do you think that 8Gb is enough? or should i upgrade to 16gB? thanks for the video
This was awesome!!! Thanks bro!! I tired of all the videos making me feel like I wasted my money by getting the entry-level model… My Air has truly been what I expected and much more!! I’m at the coffee shop all the time and I never take my charger.
Got mine yesterday in the mail and I absolutely freaking love this laptop! Thank you for the unbiased review! Best I've ever owned so far! & that midnight color is freaking awesome!
The fact that macbooks doesnt need to be plugged in to work efficiently is already great. Which windows laptop can say the same? And the fact this air macbook doesnt have fans is an added bonus.
On the question of which model to go for this was my though process. If I wanted to upgrade the RAM to 16GB and the SSD to 512GB the price would end up near the 14" M1 Macbook Pro. As a uni student that is an overkill. Therefore, I opted for the basemodel M2 Macbook Air and an Ipad Air with apple pencil. As a student the basemodel is more than enough and an Ipad would benefit me more than the unnecessary upgrades. In addition to the educational discounts I got the giftcards they offer right now with each purchase. I bought the M2 Macbook Air first, used the $150 giftcard when buying the Ipad Air, and then used to $100 giftcard when buying the apple pencil. This way I got to use all the giftcards and for the same price as the 14" M1 Macbook Pro and for a bit more than the upgraded M2 Macbook Air I got a Macbook and an Ipad.
It is very interesting to note that you bought both a MacBook and an iPad. What does the total price compare to buying an M1 MacBook Pro. In any case, you determined what your needs were and how best to satisfy those needs. And that's what it all comes down to. And Apple is doing something well if they can come up with a range of products to satisfy those needs effectively. Your use case and decision process may be very helpful to others.
@@brachiator1For me, as a student in Sweden, a basemodel M2 Macbook Air + iPad Air + Apple pencil gen.2 ends up being $50 more than the 14" M1 Macbook Pro. But by buying the combo I did I got to spend the giftcards and in the case of 14" M1 Macbook Pro I would end up with the $150 giftcard.
Hello my friend. This is my question so. do you think the base model of m2 macbook air would be enough for coding or should I upgrade the ram to 16gb. I’m an IT student and I do some tensorflow or pytorch python codes. And the second question is, is it better to upgrade the ram or ssd, due to its slower ssd on the base model? But something that bothers me is the price of MacBook air m2 with 16gb of ram and 512gb of ssd, I could buy a m1 air base model + an iPad air m1 for that pricing. Which one should I go with? The upgraded m2 air Or base model of macbook air + an iPad air.
@@maxit1082 For me a mac and an iPad has benefitted more. I think that the basemodel is enough for programming, however ig you are upgrading something, choose ram. You would only really feel the slower ssd when you export/inport files between drives, which is most common for people who edit and need to put things on external storages. So far I've enjoyed the iPad with apple pencil and used it more than the macbook itself to be honest.
Appreciate this! I have this M2 base midnight and Im glad I chose this over MBA M1. Worth the 200$ more for the new design, midnight color, magsafe, 1080p cam, larger screen, full function row keys. More youtubers should be like you rather than blowup controversies which will not affect 95-99% of targeted users of the MBA just for the views. They recommend straight away to upgrade like the base model price isn’t higher enough in other countries than in USA. 😅
@@AMN_98 i don't mind the occasional fingerprints and you'll only see it if you actively look for it in the light. other than that you'll appreciate more the midnight color over that. will still choose this color again over space gray 😆
@@jeffoel you’ve convinced me. Last time Apple released a colour like this was the iPhone 5, its seemingly a rare colour for them so im gonna just go for it haha. Thanks for the reply
I picked up a MacBook Air M2 - best computer I've ever had, absolutely perfect for me. Did customize it, 16GB RAM 1TB Hard Drive and the extra couple cores - I will be using this computer happily for years to come. It's really about the overall experience using it, the M1 Air is an amazing deal, but the extra money for the M2 is well worth it in my opinion with a modern design, better Cam and faster processor. Plus I love the midnight black color so much the computer looks just badass sitting there.
Great video. I got one base model in space gray and almost returned it after all this “problems” that youtubers are saying it has. Now with more than a week using it I thoght I made the right decision spend more $200 for more ram or ssd is not worth it if you have a basic use. Good to know that you don’t have any problem with more than 20 tabs in chrome.
I have been waiting for a review like this. The M2 MBA is for the average user, the casual user or the everyday user. No heavy user would get the MBA, that is what the MBP is for. Terrific job describing what you user the laptop for. Which is what those casual users would also use it for. You use Chrome but I switched to Safari a couple years ago. Safari has made great strides the last 2 years and works incredibly well. The Midnight color is 🔥
Hey friends, do you think the base model of m2 macbook air would be enough for coding or should I upgrade the ram to 16gb. I’m an IT student and I do some tensorflow or pytorch python codes. And the second question is, is it better to upgrade the ram or ssd, due to its slower ssd on the base model? But something that bothers me is the price of MacBook air m2 with 16gb of ram and 512gb of ssd, I could buy a m1 air base model + an iPad air m1 for that pricing. Which one should I go with? The upgraded m2 air Or base model of macbook air + an iPad air.
my casual use of ipad pro went down a bit but just because i really wanted to test the MBA. But i still edited every single video and thumbmail from my ipad. it will forever be my main machine
I got myself a Midnight Air and I found that if you keep your hands dry, very few fingerprints show up. I’ve had mine for a few days and it’s still fairly pristine, and I haven’t cleaned it once. Some people won’t have that choice if their hands are oily or sweaty a lot, but if your hands are rather dry, fingerprints are not really an issue.
Hands down the best review for the average person looking to buy a MacBook Air. You answered everything I needed to be answered unlike other tech reviewers. Thanks man
Finally a review with what i wanted to know, i was doubting my purchase with all the bad review videos. All I need for work is Excel and powerpoint, which is what i will mainly be doing aside from casual browsing. Seems like i made the right purchase :)
Good review. It does give balance from a usability standpoint. But I do think it was good to know that the ssd is half the speed of M1 MBA in the base model. So if I was getting a M2 MBA I'd get 512GB, and possibly 16Gb ram.
@@pauljazzman408 which is why you get the 16GB memory, and leave the SSD at 256GB. That way it doesn’t swap, and you don’t notice the SSD speeds since it gets cached.
I find all the talk about fingerprints on the Midnight a bit odd, because I own a Midnight and it really hasn’t been a problem at all. Sure there are some smudges like any dark laptop (see: Razer) but mine has never been as bad as what was shown in the video.
I was eyeing it at best buy and tbh it didn’t look that bad either, the couple prints it had weren’t that noticeable or bothersome like how i’ve seen in some videos mention. It could be that they clean it often but also while I touched it, no finger prints showed up. Im not an oily skin type of person though so it could be that, and I do wash my hands often in the day. 🤔
the preview pic told me: 400h with the M2 MacBook Air. But a week just have 168h. Two weeks 336h... How could he have spent 400h in two weeks with the MacBook? 🤷♂
Hey friends, do you think the base model of m2 macbook air would be enough for coding or should I upgrade the ram to 16gb. I’m an IT student and I do some tensorflow or pytorch python codes. And the second question is, is it better to upgrade the ram or ssd, due to its slower ssd on the base model? But something that bothers me is the price of MacBook air m2 with 16gb of ram and 512gb of ssd, I could buy a m1 air base model + an iPad air m1 for that pricing. Which one should I go with? The upgraded m2 air Or base model of macbook air + an iPad air.
Hey! Im still trying to decide between macbook pro m1 512gb or macbook air m2 256gb, I’m a college student, studying engineering, so i use python-rstudio programs to analyze large databases, my MBP mid 2012 died using this programs, which one should i buy? Sorry for my English
It‘s not a 1200 dollar laptop. Wtf Just add in tax, not this hideously slow and small storage and you‘re rather at 1500. Now add 16gb of ram because 8gb is criminal in 2022 and you have an expensive luxury device. Sometimes people seem just disconnected from how much they are actually paying.
Finally a review that doesn't say it can't handle 8k editing. I've now watched a ton of reviews and every single one said the exact same thing: it can't handle extreme video editing, final cut pro, exporting 1tb videos etc. Realistically no one who is buying this laptop is doing that , these RUclipsrs need to stop being parrots and realise most ppl just do chrome, youtube, word, zoom (and maybe a light gaming or programming). These RUclipsrs are completely brainwashed by Apple's marketing strategy, they are all convinced that the base model is terrible and have completely losr sight of what it is meant to be used as. They have all perfectly fallen into the Apple clever pricing trap and tell new buyers to go for more expensive versions with 16gb (tbh worth it) or 512ssd (not useful) and more options. They completely overlook what normal people do with a laptop and expect us to be exporting files and editing all day, (maybe they'll wake up one day) So thanks for this video, it was very refreshing
Finally,a video I was looking for that actually gave me all my answers I was looking for and has convinced me to get a MacBook ,I’m a casual web browser,and lag is one thing that makes me infuriating,thanks for the info for the casual web surfer!
Excellent reasonable review 👍 I'll get the Air M2 incl. the 10-Core GPU, 512GB SSD, 24GB RAM (for using a Win10 VM on Parallels Desktop, too) & of course this gorgeous Midnight 👌 Thx from Munich... 😉
Best review on Base model M2 MacBook Air so far! I was considering to return my base model with all other review on this M2, but I've changed my mind after watching this video. Thanks!
Nicely put. You set the right expectations when it comes to use and performance. It's very disturbing to see power users crying about performance when Apple literally has MacBooks pros and studio to offer.
Can you do a video for the iPad-primary users like you on how you integrate the Mac into your workflow? It seemed like everything you were using the MBA for could’ve been done on the iPad. Also, do you travel with both machines?
I was going to buy the M1 but the screen brightness is not enough. I will be using the computer outside in public places and the brighter screen is why I decided to buy the M2. MacBook Pro is thicker and heavier so no good for carrying around. I have an M1 Mac Mini for my home desktop system. I haven’t bought the MacBook Air yet as the stores in the U.K. won’t have it in stock until later this month. Thanks for your video. BTW If you set the Air to Low Power it will run much cooler with minimal performance drop. About 52f.
Right on with your review and assessment. I felt no need to upgrade my M1 Macbook Air. I have the Mac Studio Max dedicated for my photo/video work. My Macbook Air is just as you say, email, texting, browsing, and occasional light photo/video work. Again - very common sense appraisal of the M2 Macbook Air. Thanks.
The new Air M2 is beautiful and overall very good for basic tasks but the slower SSD at that price is a sort of slap on our faces. I would buy it only with a good discount
How you actually define this as an "entry level"? I am thinking this is just a different product line from Apple. You will have entry level MacBook Pro, entry level MacBook Air, which are all ones with old form factors.
The main problem with the m2 air is not because of throttling issues, ssd speed, or anything else related to performance... the main problem is the freaking price (ESPECIALLY outside of US)
Excellent Review. This will help people in dilemma to make streamlined decision to go with the machine they actually intended to do with their routine.
This is just what I was looking for. Why has it taken so long to even find this video! I've got this decision of M2 Air or M1 Pro (similar money) but my preference does lie on the M2 side. But its that nagging "value" proposition of the M1 Pro and the potential for the Pro to be way better with Lightroom etc. But my use case is going to be exactly like here... most of the time it will be web browsing, light documents, RUclips. Then I will occasionally use Lightroom to edit photos (like < 100 photos at a time).
This is the most relatable review I've seen. I just placed an order for the M2 Air, and as a computer science student, i code, do my online classes, use apple sidecar with my ipad, some photoshop and Lightroom. And that's about it for intense tasks. Other than that maybe some cloud gaming like stadia and Netflix, that's bout it. I'm not editing 4k and 8k videos or exporting them. That would never be my workflow either
Worst M2 review ever. If you just need a laptop for the basic things you mentioned, M1 laptop or in fact some can argue some Windows laptop costing half of basic M2 Air can do just as fine. What's the point of having a compromised laptop that costs more?
Dude you don't get it.. people are hating it NOT because it can't edit 8k footage. But because Apple has cunningly made 256gb version slower so we have to buy a higher model and spend more. Yet they advertise it like a 1200 dollar product. They did the same with the base model iMac which has only one fan. (Also 256gb for a computer at 2022 is a joke.)
It’s ultra portable, light and very capable. I don’t edit 8k video. It’s silent, slim, fan less, nice design. My workload is photoshop, office, lots of chrome tabs and occasional gaming if I’m bored. For me the ultra portability, paired with the battery life is what did it for me. I upgraded the ssd to 1TB, the GPU to 10 core and the ram to 24gb so I’m pretty set for the next 3 years or more. £80 a month interest free? Pffff if you’re a professional and you use your laptop for business it’s a no brainer. I can take the laptop out without a charger all day for a full days work and charge when I get home.
"30-40 chrome tabs open...powerpoint, excel..." a thing i wanted to hear from an m2 air review and not those STUPID and IMPRACTICAL ones from techtubers like video editing, rendering, etc. ffs get a PRO if youre doing that!
Have an M1? Don't upgrade. Still with Intel or don't even have a Macbook yet? Get an M1 Pro or M2. Simple as that... Why pay for an M1 laptop that has a 4 year old design, no Magsafe, no fast charging?
Don't forget this is a 1200 dollar entry level computer??? Not a power house, but if you want an entry level computer, have a look on Amazon. I bought a 180 dollar Windows pc on there with i3 processor, 4GB mem and 120GB SSD. Now that entry level! A 1200 dollar MacBook Air is much better but it isn't entry level. It's mid level!
I upgraded to the MacBook Air M2 from the MacBook 2018 model and I am loving it. I am giving my 2018 to my step daughter and she is excited as it is still a great laptop.
Calling it "entry level" is a bit misleading. You can spec this up to $2500, that's not really "entry level". The MacBook Pro lowest spec model is "entry level" .. the lowest-speced MacBook Air is "entry level" but calling the entire lineup "entry level" is crazy.
I now understand tech tubers are simply youtubers who are trying to create quick content while gaining the most views instead of making cohesive quality reviews
God bless you! This is exactly the review I was looking for. I was fed up of watching soooo many Tech tubers recommend future proofing or even a Pro version because of things they do and assume regular people do as well. All the activities you listed is what regular people do and I am so glad you listed them out and were transparent
Thank you for this review. I'm not doing any heavy lifting in terms of editing video etc. Just basic college stuff, so this review has been very helpful.
I would not call this an entry level laptop lol... sure it is not a MacBook pro but this thing can even blow some other Windows laptops out of the water for the same price (Battery/performance per watt, Touchpad, all alluminum body, 1080p cam, no fan, thinness, etc). Only downside is repairability and upgradability but again I have been with the m1 for almost 1.5 years with no issues using it for remote work.
No point fussing about SSDgate when the only activity I would notice the slower read/write speed (transferring files) is dictated by my external hard drives speed, and not if I choose an M2 or M2 machine (which both have higher internal SSD’s than the external SSD’s). Correct?
Finally a review that doesn't assume we're all freaking editing video at 4K or 8K. These other "Techtubers" need to get their act together and put the common people use case in their assessment instead of just sticking to what they know which is video editing. Us common folks use a browser with multiple tabs open, productivity suites, programming for some and the occasional gaming.
So.. the question is.. why M2 and not M1 ?
Well said.
College and even high school students often do video editing. It is good to know that the M2 Air can do this. I agree that some of the heavy duty editing benchmarks go too far, but they help to at least note the limits of the device.
@@brachiator1 Yeah, but not in 8K. No high school project has any reason to be in a higher res than 1080p.
@@IrsanS 35% faster GPU
I think this is the best M2 review ever... Everyone was comparing to MacBook Pro and other stupid things.. well done mate...
cant say disagree with you....
considering it's price when you spec it a little bit it makes sense to compare it to the pro
@@heliogenesi - that might be fair if you reviewed a “spec’d” version.
@@heliogenesi At that point, nobody should consider the air. It shouldn't even be in the conversation if someone thinks to spec it to near 2 grand USD. The M1 14" should be the automatic focus.
The reason they’re doing that is because it’s priced above the m1 which is the real low end and is still an amazing computer for all normal computing tasks. That leaves the m2 in an awkward middle child place where it’s not good enough to compete with the pro when specced up, but it’s value proposition at the low end is sort of compromised by how easy it is to get a great deal on the m1- leaving aside all ssd issues (which yes, do matter in an 8gb laptop)
The M1 completely changed what we have come to expect from “entry level” laptops. I bought an Intel i3 MacBook Air in April 2020, and you could *lightly* edit two streams of 1080p footage MAX on that thing and you’d still need to drop res while editing. The battery lasted like five hours or so, and it was hot to the touch with just a few tabs open.
The M1 completely revolutionized and changed what was possible on a $999 device. Now people are like “why can’t this entry level device edit five streams of 8k?”
Ridiculous lol
So true. People always getting greedy lol
Lol I remember when max tech was surprised that the M2 lost to the M1 Pro 14 inch
@@The-ZebraFinch-Channel Fun fact, M2 (16ram) actually does something faster than M1 pro (16ram). I remember a reviewer opened google earth and M2 is faster...well, jokes on max tech
@@sophie-annew7743 if i remember correctly... wasn't the problem that the m2 macbooks did not had a uniform speed of ssd or ram (do not remember) with entry ones like 8 gb ram being slower than 16 gigs one?
Great review. I almost returned my entry level M2 based on all of the reviews I read and watched. I use my laptop in a similar manner described in the video and agree 100% ... you need to understand what it is meant to be used for. Thanks for an honest review and not one loaded with all kinds of technical scores that don't apply to most of the real workd users. BTW ... I like the Mars globe on your desk ! Where did you get that ?
I love this review. It feels like it actually approached my use case and not look at extreme use cases that really only the smallest amount of buyers are actually going to use it for
A few weeks ago ordered this laptop and upped it to 16GB of RAM and the 512 SSD. Stayed with the base 8 core. It’s a beast. I’ve thrown a lot at it and it absolutely smokes my new office issued Dell Latitude with equivalent specs.
Good review about the intended use of this machine. Your conclusion nailed it.
Glad you enjoyed it
This is a good, balanced review. So many reviewers have written off the M2 base model and added to the overall confusion for potential buyers.
A truly realistic review of this machine not clouded in destroying specs. Thank you!
I've been seeing more of these sensible reviews on the base model lately. That's a good thing. I upgraded to the base model M2 Air...in midnight...from a base model 2017 12 inch MacBook. That's a big upgrade for me and I'm loving the computer so far.
thats amazing! Apple should put an M1 chip in that 12in macbook. that design was flawless just a bit ahead of its time
@@9to5Mac That computer wasn’t as bad as some people said. Served me well for 5 years!
Does it charged with usbc also
@@harshbardhanshah yes it does.
@@harshbardhanshah Yes it does.
I use my entry level (8Gb Ram/256Gb SSD) M1 Macbook Air for full time software development work, photoshop, illustrator and some adobe premier... its never got close to letting me down... so I can only imagine the M2 would perform better.... i'm holding out on upgrading because i have a think against camera notches...
This is probably the only review I’ve seen that reflects my intended use case. I’m out of school and just want a casual machine that browses the web and takes notes/run excel quickly. My office provides us with work laptops for our design work, so this is entirely for light personal use.
On a separate note, I think the quality of your reviews are great, but you need to adjust the outro music at the end of your videos because it’s hard to hear you at the end. Otherwise, I’m looking forward to your 3, 6, and 12-month reviews lol
For light personal use you can choose basically any laptop)
@@pro100kryto Holy shit, we’re here watching a review of the MacBook Air because it’s a machine and system we’re interested in. I’m glad you’re happy commenting from your Sentio Superbook connected to your Galaxy S4, but some of us are looking for simple solutions.
It’s more than capable to what you need. What maxtech new video m2 air vs macpro. M2 air outperforms the 14k$ machine.
@@AlexPrevost that's not what I meant bro.. relax)
Everything you do can be done easily with an M1 Mac with room to spare. Heck, this can be done with any older Intel machine. This is just pure new toy lust which is fine, just don't pretend that you choose the M2 Air because its the practical choice.
Thank you for your honest review for ordinary people. You've factored in all the use cases for this laptop and I think it fits mine just perfectly
i'm concerned with the amount of tabs i need to have open and some apps that i need to run simultaneously, do you think that 8Gb is enough? or should i upgrade to 16gB? thanks for the video
Finally, a common sense review that doesn't resort to hysterical interpretation of synthetic benchmarks. Well done, and subscribed!
This was awesome!!! Thanks bro!! I tired of all the videos making me feel like I wasted my money by getting the entry-level model… My Air has truly been what I expected and much more!! I’m at the coffee shop all the time and I never take my charger.
Got mine yesterday in the mail and I absolutely freaking love this laptop! Thank you for the unbiased review! Best I've ever owned so far! & that midnight color is freaking awesome!
You are working for 9to5 Mac now? congrats ! :) keep up your enthusiasm and interesting videos. Have a good day sir ;)
This is the BEST take about the MacBook Air M2 I’ve seen on RUclips. Real everyday life use cases
thanks so much!
The fact that macbooks doesnt need to be plugged in to work efficiently is already great. Which windows laptop can say the same? And the fact this air macbook doesnt have fans is an added bonus.
The lack of a fan is the best thing about this. I wish they would make a MacBook Pro without fan but with better screen + HDMI + SD card slot.
On the question of which model to go for this was my though process. If I wanted to upgrade the RAM to 16GB and the SSD to 512GB the price would end up near the 14" M1 Macbook Pro. As a uni student that is an overkill. Therefore, I opted for the basemodel M2 Macbook Air and an Ipad Air with apple pencil. As a student the basemodel is more than enough and an Ipad would benefit me more than the unnecessary upgrades. In addition to the educational discounts I got the giftcards they offer right now with each purchase. I bought the M2 Macbook Air first, used the $150 giftcard when buying the Ipad Air, and then used to $100 giftcard when buying the apple pencil. This way I got to use all the giftcards and for the same price as the 14" M1 Macbook Pro and for a bit more than the upgraded M2 Macbook Air I got a Macbook and an Ipad.
It is very interesting to note that you bought both a MacBook and an iPad. What does the total price compare to buying an M1 MacBook Pro. In any case, you determined what your needs were and how best to satisfy those needs. And that's what it all comes down to. And Apple is doing something well if they can come up with a range of products to satisfy those needs effectively. Your use case and decision process may be very helpful to others.
@@brachiator1For me, as a student in Sweden, a basemodel M2 Macbook Air + iPad Air + Apple pencil gen.2 ends up being $50 more than the 14" M1 Macbook Pro. But by buying the combo I did I got to spend the giftcards and in the case of 14" M1 Macbook Pro I would end up with the $150 giftcard.
With sidecar and universal control, this combo gave you way more than a 14” MBP.
Hello my friend. This is my question so. do you think the base model of m2 macbook air would be enough for coding or should I upgrade the ram to 16gb.
I’m an IT student and I do some tensorflow or pytorch python codes.
And the second question is, is it better to upgrade the ram or ssd, due to its slower ssd on the base model?
But something that bothers me is the price of MacBook air m2 with 16gb of ram and 512gb of ssd, I could buy a m1 air base model + an iPad air m1 for that pricing.
Which one should I go with?
The upgraded m2 air
Or base model of macbook air + an iPad air.
@@maxit1082 For me a mac and an iPad has benefitted more. I think that the basemodel is enough for programming, however ig you are upgrading something, choose ram. You would only really feel the slower ssd when you export/inport files between drives, which is most common for people who edit and need to put things on external storages. So far I've enjoyed the iPad with apple pencil and used it more than the macbook itself to be honest.
Appreciate this! I have this M2 base midnight and Im glad I chose this over MBA M1. Worth the 200$ more for the new design, midnight color, magsafe, 1080p cam, larger screen, full function row keys. More youtubers should be like you rather than blowup controversies which will not affect 95-99% of targeted users of the MBA just for the views. They recommend straight away to upgrade like the base model price isn’t higher enough in other countries than in USA. 😅
Midnight looks gorgeous, is it worth the fingerprint hell? Coming from someone with steady OCD lol
I paid literally 400€ more for the M2 Air base haha
@@AMN_98 i don't mind the occasional fingerprints and you'll only see it if you actively look for it in the light. other than that you'll appreciate more the midnight color over that. will still choose this color again over space gray 😆
@@sam_ed ikr. and the price charged by apple for upgrades is criminal. glad i don't need them for my use. 😅
@@jeffoel you’ve convinced me. Last time Apple released a colour like this was the iPhone 5, its seemingly a rare colour for them so im gonna just go for it haha. Thanks for the reply
I picked up a MacBook Air M2 - best computer I've ever had, absolutely perfect for me. Did customize it, 16GB RAM 1TB Hard Drive and the extra couple cores - I will be using this computer happily for years to come. It's really about the overall experience using it, the M1 Air is an amazing deal, but the extra money for the M2 is well worth it in my opinion with a modern design, better Cam and faster processor. Plus I love the midnight black color so much the computer looks just badass sitting there.
The Midnight color is just spectacular. I hate to say it, but my MBP 14" in Space Grey looks so dull and dated compared to this
Great video. I got one base model in space gray and almost returned it after all this “problems” that youtubers are saying it has. Now with more than a week using it I thoght I made the right decision spend more $200 for more ram or ssd is not worth it if you have a basic use. Good to know that you don’t have any problem with more than 20 tabs in chrome.
great name!
@@9to5Mac that makes us 3!
thanks for this
I have been waiting for a review like this. The M2 MBA is for the average user, the casual user or the everyday user. No heavy user would get the MBA, that is what the MBP is for.
Terrific job describing what you user the laptop for. Which is what those casual users would also use it for.
You use Chrome but I switched to Safari a couple years ago. Safari has made great strides the last 2 years and works incredibly well.
The Midnight color is 🔥
Hey friends, do you think the base model of m2 macbook air would be enough for coding or should I upgrade the ram to 16gb.
I’m an IT student and I do some tensorflow or pytorch python codes.
And the second question is, is it better to upgrade the ram or ssd, due to its slower ssd on the base model?
But something that bothers me is the price of MacBook air m2 with 16gb of ram and 512gb of ssd, I could buy a m1 air base model + an iPad air m1 for that pricing.
Which one should I go with?
The upgraded m2 air
Or base model of macbook air + an iPad air.
Fernando does this change your usage of the M1 12.9 iPad Pro? Find yourself using that less as compared to MB Air M2?
my casual use of ipad pro went down a bit but just because i really wanted to test the MBA. But i still edited every single video and thumbmail from my ipad. it will forever be my main machine
I got myself a Midnight Air and I found that if you keep your hands dry, very few fingerprints show up. I’ve had mine for a few days and it’s still fairly pristine, and I haven’t cleaned it once. Some people won’t have that choice if their hands are oily or sweaty a lot, but if your hands are rather dry, fingerprints are not really an issue.
Yup
Aw man.. I have dry hands and I avoided midnight cuz of the fingerprints
Honestly, the best review I have come across about the MBA M2 base model. You have cleared all my doubts and am gonna buy the machine asap. Thanks.
Got this laptop but with 16gb Ram. Fantastic
Hands down the best review for the average person looking to buy a MacBook Air. You answered everything I needed to be answered unlike other tech reviewers. Thanks man
Finally a review with what i wanted to know, i was doubting my purchase with all the bad review videos. All I need for work is Excel and powerpoint, which is what i will mainly be doing aside from casual browsing. Seems like i made the right purchase :)
Good review. It does give balance from a usability standpoint. But I do think it was good to know that the ssd is half the speed of M1 MBA in the base model. So if I was getting a M2 MBA I'd get 512GB, and possibly 16Gb ram.
i do wish the base storage was higher, but i use a combo if icloud and Gdrive for all my file management. so i never have any files on device usually
@@9to5Mac yes but slower ssd?
@@9to5Mac no but the ssd slows the whole base M2 MBA down because of swap file. Drive won't solve that.
@@pauljazzman408 which is why you get the 16GB memory, and leave the SSD at 256GB. That way it doesn’t swap, and you don’t notice the SSD speeds since it gets cached.
Fernando 👍🏼
I find all the talk about fingerprints on the Midnight a bit odd, because I own a Midnight and it really hasn’t been a problem at all. Sure there are some smudges like any dark laptop (see: Razer) but mine has never been as bad as what was shown in the video.
you might have less oily skin compared to average
@@heliogenesi or he just washes his hands more often than some people.
@@davidjacobs6244 yeah same result
I was eyeing it at best buy and tbh it didn’t look that bad either, the couple prints it had weren’t that noticeable or bothersome like how i’ve seen in some videos mention. It could be that they clean it often but also while I touched it, no finger prints showed up. Im not an oily skin type of person though so it could be that, and I do wash my hands often in the day. 🤔
the preview pic told me: 400h with the M2 MacBook Air. But a week just have 168h. Two weeks 336h... How could he have spent 400h in two weeks with the MacBook? 🤷♂
WAIT WHAT?? Fernando is on 9to5Mac??? I knew you since you had a small channel and now seeing you here, I'm proud of you!
thanks Miguel!
@@9to5Mac 🐬🐬🐬🐬
Hey friends, do you think the base model of m2 macbook air would be enough for coding or should I upgrade the ram to 16gb.
I’m an IT student and I do some tensorflow or pytorch python codes.
And the second question is, is it better to upgrade the ram or ssd, due to its slower ssd on the base model?
But something that bothers me is the price of MacBook air m2 with 16gb of ram and 512gb of ssd, I could buy a m1 air base model + an iPad air m1 for that pricing.
Which one should I go with?
The upgraded m2 air
Or base model of macbook air + an iPad air.
Hey! Im still trying to decide between macbook pro m1 512gb or macbook air m2 256gb, I’m a college student, studying engineering, so i use python-rstudio programs to analyze large databases, my MBP mid 2012 died using this programs, which one should i buy? Sorry for my English
It‘s not a 1200 dollar laptop. Wtf
Just add in tax, not this hideously slow and small storage and you‘re rather at 1500.
Now add 16gb of ram because 8gb is criminal in 2022 and you have an expensive luxury device.
Sometimes people seem just disconnected from how much they are actually paying.
there are much cheaper laptops in the world for sure! go for one of those then
Finally a review that doesn't say it can't handle 8k editing. I've now watched a ton of reviews and every single one said the exact same thing: it can't handle extreme video editing, final cut pro, exporting 1tb videos etc. Realistically no one who is buying this laptop is doing that , these RUclipsrs need to stop being parrots and realise most ppl just do chrome, youtube, word, zoom (and maybe a light gaming or programming). These RUclipsrs are completely brainwashed by Apple's marketing strategy, they are all convinced that the base model is terrible and have completely losr sight of what it is meant to be used as. They have all perfectly fallen into the Apple clever pricing trap and tell new buyers to go for more expensive versions with 16gb (tbh worth it) or 512ssd (not useful) and more options. They completely overlook what normal people do with a laptop and expect us to be exporting files and editing all day, (maybe they'll wake up one day) So thanks for this video, it was very refreshing
Great review. No fake outrage, it’s the Air model!
Great review. Simple and informative. Not overselling something which an everyday user does not need. Keep up the good work!
Finally,a video I was looking for that actually gave me all my answers I was looking for and has convinced me to get a MacBook ,I’m a casual web browser,and lag is one thing that makes me infuriating,thanks for the info for the casual web surfer!
This is the exact review I’ve been needing to watch. Thank you for keeping us in our lane with this entry level MacBook.👍🏽
If u thinking about buying the MacBook Air M2, go with the 10 GPU. Graphics look amazing u won’t regret it.
Nope. Very marginal increase in performance with more gpu cores
@@kapjoteh It’s not about performance, it’s about the graphics. Graphics look much more crispy.
Excellent reasonable review 👍
I'll get the Air M2 incl. the 10-Core GPU, 512GB SSD, 24GB RAM (for using a Win10 VM on Parallels Desktop, too) & of course this gorgeous Midnight 👌
Thx from Munich... 😉
Oh my word, thank you!!!! About time someone gave a realistic review.
haha, trying my best to show off real use cases
Great review. I have been following you for some time. Keep your simplistic review style forever❤
Best review on Base model M2 MacBook Air so far! I was considering to return my base model with all other review on this M2, but I've changed my mind after watching this video. Thanks!
NOOOOO!!
no FaceID!!
TouchID ftw!!
This guy is extremely likeable, he is an amazing add to 9to5Mac, i didnt use to enjoy the vids of this channel until now, congratulations!
No thanks
8:28 What solution should I use to get rid of those smudges? Water or alcohol solution doesn't work.
Wait what do you use to give yourself an angle for your wrist? I didn’t catch that
I have the m1 iPad Pro 12.9 with magic keyboard ⌨️ like your which one you think last a bit longer iPad Pro 12.9 vs Air M2
youll get a lot of usability from both. my wife still usees the 2018 ipad pro since day one and it hasnt slowed down one bit
@@9to5Mac I meant do add *battery life would I get an extra hour on the M2 or are they both kind of the same
Thank you sir for helping us with making a decision. On my way to best buy to get the base model right now. 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
Nicely put. You set the right expectations when it comes to use and performance. It's very disturbing to see power users crying about performance when Apple literally has MacBooks pros and studio to offer.
Can you do a video for the iPad-primary users like you on how you integrate the Mac into your workflow? It seemed like everything you were using the MBA for could’ve been done on the iPad. Also, do you travel with both machines?
thats a great idea! thanks for that, i will take note of it. but i usually only bring my ipad pro with me
What happen to 9to5Mac ? New guy… Bad videos… Time to Unsubscribe ….
Real or fake
As other comments already mentioned, great review as a casual mac end user! Just reviewing it how regular people would use it. Good job!
that was the goal. I want people to understand that for everyday user this is a great laptop
I was going to buy the M1 but the screen brightness is not enough. I will be using the computer outside in public places and the brighter screen is why I decided to buy the M2. MacBook Pro is thicker and heavier so no good for carrying around. I have an M1 Mac Mini for my home desktop system. I haven’t bought the MacBook Air yet as the stores in the U.K. won’t have it in stock until later this month. Thanks for your video. BTW If you set the Air to Low Power it will run much cooler with minimal performance drop. About 52f.
Right on with your review and assessment. I felt no need to upgrade my M1 Macbook Air. I have the Mac Studio Max dedicated for my photo/video work. My Macbook Air is just as you say, email, texting, browsing, and occasional light photo/video work. Again - very common sense appraisal of the M2 Macbook Air. Thanks.
Your monitor is too high, the top is supposed to be at eye level
The new Air M2 is beautiful and overall very good for basic tasks but the slower SSD at that price is a sort of slap on our faces.
I would buy it only with a good discount
How you actually define this as an "entry level"? I am thinking this is just a different product line from Apple. You will have entry level MacBook Pro, entry level MacBook Air, which are all ones with old form factors.
The most realistic review so far.
The main problem with the m2 air is not because of throttling issues, ssd speed, or anything else related to performance... the main problem is the freaking price (ESPECIALLY outside of US)
yeah she has a hefty price tag
Excellent Review. This will help people in dilemma to make streamlined decision to go with the machine they actually intended to do with their routine.
👍🏻 I appreciate your thoughts and perspective: helpful and informative. Blessings on your day.
This is just what I was looking for. Why has it taken so long to even find this video! I've got this decision of M2 Air or M1 Pro (similar money) but my preference does lie on the M2 side. But its that nagging "value" proposition of the M1 Pro and the potential for the Pro to be way better with Lightroom etc. But my use case is going to be exactly like here... most of the time it will be web browsing, light documents, RUclips. Then I will occasionally use Lightroom to edit photos (like < 100 photos at a time).
This is the most relatable review I've seen. I just placed an order for the M2 Air, and as a computer science student, i code, do my online classes, use apple sidecar with my ipad, some photoshop and Lightroom. And that's about it for intense tasks. Other than that maybe some cloud gaming like stadia and Netflix, that's bout it. I'm not editing 4k and 8k videos or exporting them. That would never be my workflow either
Then why don't just buy an M1? You're just looking for confirmation for your delusions, and this "review" helps you cope.
Wallpaper ?
I’ve been an “iPad Pro only” user since the 2018 iPad Pro but I’m really considering going for this ad my main machine.
What monitor you using?
I thought it would be slower without the second SSD.
I STRONGLY AGREEE on all youve said! This m1 and m2 is a REVOLUTIONNN!
Great review! Could you please please please share your wallpaper!!💛
thank you!
canoopsy.media/collections/wallpapers
🐬🐬🐬🐬
Just bought a 16,1” MSI, coming from an early 2015 Macbook pro “13. Honestly, Macbooks are too small for me. (and the bigger ones way too expensive)
I pay 200 usd more just for the screen brightness 🔆
the screen brightness maxes out at 600 nits i believe, but its plenty bright for indoor use
What? Save yourself $350 and get a FASTER machine with the M1 MacBook Air. Most other specs are very similar.
Worst M2 review ever. If you just need a laptop for the basic things you mentioned, M1 laptop or in fact some can argue some Windows laptop costing half of basic M2 Air can do just as fine. What's the point of having a compromised laptop that costs more?
Dude you don't get it.. people are hating it NOT because it can't edit 8k footage. But because Apple has cunningly made 256gb version slower so we have to buy a higher model and spend more. Yet they advertise it like a 1200 dollar product.
They did the same with the base model iMac which has only one fan. (Also 256gb for a computer at 2022 is a joke.)
It’s ultra portable, light and very capable. I don’t edit 8k video. It’s silent, slim, fan less, nice design. My workload is photoshop, office, lots of chrome tabs and occasional gaming if I’m bored. For me the ultra portability, paired with the battery life is what did it for me. I upgraded the ssd to 1TB, the GPU to 10 core and the ram to 24gb so I’m pretty set for the next 3 years or more. £80 a month interest free? Pffff if you’re a professional and you use your laptop for business it’s a no brainer. I can take the laptop out without a charger all day for a full days work and charge when I get home.
Portland, JAMAICA in the Building !!!!!!!!
Is that all you EVER have to say? 🙄 You’ve got to be a bot 🤖
There are 336h in 2 weeks… and that’s if you use it 24/7. This is a great video but the 400h of use thumbnail is just click bate
Woah…. Ok Fernando, I see you making moves!
jesse! My man, thanks for watching and always supporting. Wouldnt be here with out you
"30-40 chrome tabs open...powerpoint, excel..." a thing i wanted to hear from an m2 air review and not those STUPID and IMPRACTICAL ones from techtubers like video editing, rendering, etc. ffs get a PRO if youre doing that!
THANKYOU SIR. This is exactly the kind of review i wanted. Now i can finally get my hands on base model without hesitating❤
Have an M1? Don't upgrade. Still with Intel or don't even have a Macbook yet? Get an M1 Pro or M2. Simple as that... Why pay for an M1 laptop that has a 4 year old design, no Magsafe, no fast charging?
Don't forget this is a 1200 dollar entry level computer???
Not a power house, but if you want an entry level computer, have a look on Amazon. I bought a 180 dollar Windows pc on there with i3 processor, 4GB mem and 120GB SSD. Now that entry level!
A 1200 dollar MacBook Air is much better but it isn't entry level. It's mid level!
I upgraded to the MacBook Air M2 from the MacBook 2018 model and I am loving it. I am giving my 2018 to my step daughter and she is excited as it is still a great laptop.
nice tash!
Calling it "entry level" is a bit misleading. You can spec this up to $2500, that's not really "entry level". The MacBook Pro lowest spec model is "entry level" .. the lowest-speced MacBook Air is "entry level" but calling the entire lineup "entry level" is crazy.
I now understand tech tubers are simply youtubers who are trying to create quick content while gaining the most views instead of making cohesive quality reviews
Yea there are many many many M2 Air video lol we will see 30 days, 1000 hours then 3 months after review.
@@jackwong64 what's the next stress test? Can the M2 air survive the vacuum of space! lol
@@G-Mulaa LOL a good one!
God bless you! This is exactly the review I was looking for. I was fed up of watching soooo many Tech tubers recommend future proofing or even a Pro version because of things they do and assume regular people do as well. All the activities you listed is what regular people do and I am so glad you listed them out and were transparent
Thank you for this review. I'm not doing any heavy lifting in terms of editing video etc. Just basic college stuff, so this review has been very helpful.
I would not call this an entry level laptop lol... sure it is not a MacBook pro but this thing can even blow some other Windows laptops out of the water for the same price (Battery/performance per watt, Touchpad, all alluminum body, 1080p cam, no fan, thinness, etc). Only downside is repairability and upgradability but again I have been with the m1 for almost 1.5 years with no issues using it for remote work.
No point fussing about SSDgate when the only activity I would notice the slower read/write speed (transferring files) is dictated by my external hard drives speed, and not if I choose an M2 or M2 machine (which both have higher internal SSD’s than the external SSD’s). Correct?