The 15-inch M2 MacBook Air will officially go on sale shortly, but before that, several reviewers got their hands on the machine to see if it is worth your hard-earning money. For the average user that wants increased screen real estate and longer battery life, this machine will be plentiful, but there are other options available for power users from Apple.
First up, we have the review from The Verge, with Monica Chin stating that the larger M2 MacBook Air gets extremely hot, which was expected, given that just like its smaller cousin, it does not have a fan, instead relying on a large spreader to dissipate the heat.
“Like the smaller version, the MacBook Air 15 does not have a fan. What it does have is a wee bit more room for its heat pipes to do their thing. Overall, it seems that the 15-incher’s big berth does not have quite as large of an impact on the M2’s performance as the MacBook Pro 13’s fan — but it gets a decent part of the way there. The caveat: the Air still gets hot. It was hotter in the area right above the function row than I wanted to touch during pretty much all of my benchmark testing. The keyboard, while usable, was toasty.”
When TechCrunch’s Brian Heater received the larger M2 MacBook Air and took it through its paces, he recommended getting a ‘Pro’ if you do a ton of resource-intensive work. With gaming slowly getting adopted on these machines, he also advises spending a little more money and avoiding this machine for that category too.
“My advice when buying a MacBook in 2023 is fairly simple. If this is your work machine, and you do a lot of resource-intensive tasks, get a Pro. Ditto for those who are more serious about gaming. For a vast majority of users, the Air is a great device, and the 13-inch is plenty sufficient for most tasks – especially if you travel a lot. If you’re shopping for a system that will mostly live on a desk at home or in the office, the 15-inch is a great choice.”
PCMag was impressed with the 15-inch MacBook Air but called the product an experiment. However, the review does not deny that not only is it larger than the 13-inch version, it is every bit better, and that is what matters.
“The Apple MacBook Air 15-inch is something of an experiment. It’s Apple’s attempt to branch out from its existing stable of products to deliver new takes on old favorites, and the first bigger Air is a rousing success. As reviewers, we’re more “tests-and-data” kind of people than most laptop shoppers, blotting out brand loyalty for objective measures of capability and performance. But we cannot deny that this is a bigger and better MacBook Air—the numbers prove it out.”
Now that we have passed the written reviews, it is time to see what some YouTubers think of the 15-inch M2 MacBook Air. Remember that their opinions will not necessarily align with what you wish to use the product for, but keep yourself open to suggestions by watching the clips below.
Dave2D
CNET
Matthew Moniz
MKBHD
Was this review roundup sufficient to help you upgrade to the 15-inch MacBook Air? If yes, then Apple will start taking orders for the portable starting June 13, with a starting price of $1,299, so you can mark your calendars today. If you wish to save some money, you can always get the 13-inch MacBook Air from $1,099.
