15-Inch MacBook Air vs. Rest of MacBook Lineup

Apple just dropped its biggest MacBook Air yet say hello to the new 15-inch M2 MacBook Air that was announced at WWDC 2023 it's worth noting that this new Macbook Air is the world's thinnest 15-inch laptop at 11 and a half millimeters now you may be wondering how this laptop compares to the other M2 MacBook Air and Apple's lineup the 13-inch model announced at WWDC 2022 or

perhaps how it differs from the MacBook Pros available at Apple right now let's break it all down so that hopefully those of you eyeing a new Macbook can get a better understanding of which one's right for you and remember that the on paper specs can only tell us so much so be sure to subscribe to CNET to see our full review of the 15-inch M2 MacBook

Air in the coming weeks let's start by comparing the new 15-inch M2 MacBook Air to the 13-inch M2 MacBook Air unveiled in 2022. I gave away the most obvious difference between these two devices in that last sentence size now technically the new Macbook Air display measures 15 0.3 inches while the 2022 MacBook Air display measures 13.6 inches the new Macbook Air is also slightly heavier than

the 2022 model 3.3 pounds versus 2.7 that bigger size also carries a higher price tag the 15-inch M2 MacBook Air starts at 1300 while the 13-inch M2 MacBook Air starts at eleven hundred dollars there are also some differences between the speakers in these two laptops the new Macbook Air has six speakers with Force canceling woofers for more immersive spatial audio last year's MacBook Air has four

speakers and doesn't have those Force canceling woofers but otherwise the specs of these two devices are pretty much the same both laptops feature Apple's M2 Chip and offer up to 24 gigabytes of memory and up to two terabytes of storage both displays have a Max brightness of 500 nits and a 1080p webcam both devices offer 18 hours of battery life according to Apple you get the

idea and the 13-inch M1 MacBook Air remains in Apple's lineup and starts at 1000 dollars so it's the most affordable MacBook Air of the bunch next let's chat a little bit about how this new Macbook Air compares to the MacBook Pros in Apple's current lineup first there's the 13-inch M2 MacBook Pro that was unveiled at WWDC 2022 while this 2022 MacBook Pro is smaller than the

latest MacBook Air there is a lot of overlap between the specs of these two devices they both have the M2 Chip and offer up to 24 gigabytes of memory and up to two terabytes of storage they both start at thirteen hundred dollars and the new Macbook Air actually has a better camera than the 2022 MacBook Pro the air has that 1080p webcam while the pro has

a 720p webcam but that MacBook Pro does offer up to 20 hours of battery life according to Apple while the company says that the new Macbook Air only offers 18. and if you're a fan of the nearly extinct touch bar the 2022 MacBook Pros still got it now whether you want the new Macbook Air or the 2022 MacBook Pro will come down to personal preference do

you want that larger screen are claims of slightly greater battery life important to you and how much do you love that touch bar finally there are the latest 14 and 16 inch MacBook Pros that Apple announced in January 2023. the differences between these laptops and the new Macbook Air are more pronounced for starters they feature Apple's more powerful M2 Pro and M2 Max chips as opposed

to the M2 Chip they also offer up to 96 gigabytes of memory and up to eight terabytes of storage and with that 14 inch model starting at two thousand dollars and the 16 inch model starting at twenty five hundred dollars they are significantly more expensive than that new Macbook Air I currently have a 16 inch M2 Pro MacBook Pro and while I love how fast it

is for video editing on Adobe Premiere I will say it's a little big for carrying around on the daily or using in public my personal favorite MacBook Pro display size was 15 inches that's how big the last Model I had was and I liked that one because it was big enough to watch a movie but small enough to not feel cumbersome when using it at Starbucks

or on the bus so in my opinion the new Macbook Air really offers that perfect in-between option in terms of size and I think it makes the decision between a MacBook Pro and a MacBook Air a little tougher the new Macbook Air is available for pre-order now and is expected to start shipping next week and again these on paper specs don't tell the whole story so