those years Macbook Air 2022 makes some changes to Apple’s lightest laptop, so you’ve got a lot to look forward to. The latest MacBook Air features an updated and lighter design, new colors, a larger and brighter display, and an improved webcam.
But the big change this year is Apple’s own second-generation silicon — the new M2 chip, which powers this year’s MacBook Air. With the promise of a big performance boost from this new Apple silicon, the MacBook Air has a lot to offer. It might even make it to us best laptop and best MacBook lists.
We’ll find out soon enough. Apple has started taking pre-orders for the 2022 MacBook Air. And that makes one question more pertinent than ever: is it worth upgrading to the new MacBookAir or not?
My colleagues have approached these questions in a variety of ways, including reasons to buy the MacBook Air M2 over the latest MacBook Pro. For me there is a lot to consider.
The MacBook Air M2 costs $200 more than last year’s 2020 MacBook Air M1, bringing the starting price to $1,199 — a record high for the Air. That price covers the base model with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. If you upgrade to a massive 24GB of RAM and 2TB of storage, this maxed out Air model will set you back a whopping $2,499. That’s a lot of money for any laptop, including the MacBook Air.
Whether you’re considering a purchase for school or work, this is one laptop that didn’t disappoint in our hands-on preview. My colleague Tony Polanco thinks the 2022 MacBook Air could make him abandon Windows for the first time. But for me there is only one main reason why I would buy the MacBook Air 2022.
The powerhouse M2
Apple’s newest silicon chip, the M2, is what I find most appealing about the new MacBook Air. The M2 offers stunning performance with an 8-core CPU highlighted by four performance cores.
Because of the M2 powering the machine, Apple says the laptop can handle intense workloads 40% faster than the previous M1 chip. Even working with apps like Photoshop is smoother, and Apple says it’s 20% faster than before.
Look at MacBook Air 2022 vs MacBook Air 2020, The two laptops share many similarities, but also some key differences – namely the price and the processors in each MacBook.
As someone who uses the 2020 MacBook Air as my daily driver, I can safely say that Apple has outperformed with the M1 chip in the 2020 Air. It’s super fast with media, multitasking and heavy applications running very smoothly even after using the laptop for two years. If the M2 chip is that much better than the M1, then the MacBook Air M2 is definitely worth getting.
It’s true that the difference in performance between the two Airs would only be slightly noticeable when performing everyday tasks. But if you’re coming from an even older laptop than the 2020 MacBook Air, the new Air should offer a noticeable boost.
The MacBook Air isn’t the only piece of hardware Apple released this year with an M2 chip. You can also find this silicon in the MacBook Pro 13-inch (M2) 2022, which was announced at the same time as the MacBook Air. A 13-inch MacBook Air 2022 vs MacBook Pro 2022 comparison shows that the MacBook Pro offers a 10-core GPU in its base model versus the 8-core GPU in the Air. But the MacBook Air leads the way by promising its Pro-like performance in a more portable body; It also costs $100 less than the MacBook Pro.
It’s no secret that Apple seems to be focusing its efforts on its own chips. The M1 chip was introduced by the company nearly two years ago, and since then Apple has released five different chips ranging from the M1 to the M1 Ultra and the M2.
Outlook MacBook Air M2
As said, the MacBook Air M2 has a lot to offer. The larger, brighter display and improved 1080p webcam are also great features, but might not be enough for users to make the $200 jump from the MacBook Air M1, which is still available from Apple.
That’s where Apple’s knight in shining armor in the form of M2 comes into play. With the outstanding performance, you could even forgive Apple for only giving you two Thunderbolt/USB 4 ports and a headphone jack.
Also, you can’t ignore the fact that the MacBook Air is gorgeous. The new Air has a smaller volume and is much lighter with a sleek aluminum unibody that’s classic for the Air design. My favorite color is the midnight blue – which looks like it’s changing from a darker blue to a lighter one.
You can also check out our full MacBook Air M2 vs MacBook Air M1 comparison to help you decide which one you should buy.