15-inch MacBook Air: Everything you need to know about Apple’s new laptop

Macworld

After launching a redesigned MacBook Air with a 13.6-inch display and M2 processor in the summer of 2022, Apple has now launched a a new, larger, model. The 15-inch MacBook Air is available to pre-order now and will go on sale on Tuesday June 13, 2023.

15-inch MacBook Air release date

The new 15-inch MacBook Air goes on sale on Tuesday June 13, 2023. You can pre-order from Apple now.

Order a 15-inch MacBook Air with M2 from Apple

15-inch MacBook Air price

There are two iterations of 15-inch MacBook Air being sold as standard.

The 15-inch MacBook Air with 8-core CPU, 10-core GPU, M2 model with 8GB RAM and 256GB SSD costs $1,299/£1,399. The 15-inch MacBook Air with 8-core CPU, 10-core GPU, M2 model with 8GB RAM and 512GB SSD costs $1,499/£1,599.

Apple has also reduced the price of the M2 13-inch MacBook Air.

The 13-inch MacBook Air with 8-core CPU, 8-core GPU, M2 model with 8GB RAM and 256GB SSD costs $1,099/£1,149. (Was $1,199/£1,249)The 13-inch MacBook Air with 8-core CPU, 10-core GPU, M2 model with 8GB RAM and 512GB SSD costs $1,399/£1,449. (Was $1,499/£1,549)

And the M1 MacBook Air remains on sale:

The 13-inch MacBook Air with 8-core CPU, 7-core GPU, M1 model with 8GB RAM and 256GB SSD costs $999/£999.

15-inch MacBook Air design

The 15-inch MacBook Air is still thin and light.Apple

The MacBook Air is, according to Apple, the “most loved Mac” and apparently the “world’s biggest selling laptop”, so popular is the MacBook Air that Apple has decided it needs a larger option.

The new 15-inch MacBook Air actually has a 15.3-inch display, which is surrounded by 5mm borders.

The finish is the same as the 13-inch M2 model: midnight, starlight, space gray, and silver.

Like the 13-inch model, the new larger MacBook Air is thin, at 11.5mm. Apple says it is the world’s thinnest 15-inch laptop.

It is also light weighing in at 3.3lbs. That’s more than the 13-inch MacBook Air (2.7lbs), and more than the 13-inch MacBook Pro (at 3lbs), but compared to the 14-inch MacBook Pro at 3.5lbs it’s a winner.

Apple says that the MacBook Air is “40 percent thinner and half a pound lighter than a comparable PC laptop”.

15-inch MacBook Air spec

Apple

Like the 13-inch model there is 500 nits brightness, a 1080p camera and more.

The chip is still the M2. Battery life is the same 18 hours as the 13-inch MacBook AIr. That means it is still less than the 13-inch MacBook Pro claims 20 hours battery life.

The display is, as mentioned above, 15.3-inches measured diagonally. The 13-inch M2 MacBook Air screen is 13.6-inches, while the 13-inch MacBook Pro screen is 13.3-inches. The 14-inch MacBook Pro screen is 14.2-inches diagonally. The screen is Liquid Retina, like the 13-inch Air and unlike the 13-inch Pro screen (which is just a plain old Retina). Brightness for all three is 500 nits though. There are more pixels, as you would expect, to the tune of 2880×1864 pixels. Apple claims that this is also twice the resolution and 25 percent brighter than a comparable PC laptop.

The FaceTime camera is 1080p, like the one in the 13-inch M2 MacBook Air. The 720p camera in the MacBook Pro and the older M1 MacBook Air is poor in comparison.

The audio in the newer, larger MacBook Air is better than the smaller model. There are six speakers and force cancelling woofers, where the 13-inch M2 MacBook Air has just four speakers. So expect better sound from the 15-inch MacBook Air.

There are ports for MagSafe charging, two Thunderbolt ports (which can be used for connecting accessories and up to a 6K external display), and a 3.5mm headphone jack.

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