MacBook Air 15 M2 (2023) Review

About the Apple MacBook Air 15 M2

Here are the specs of the laptop we tested:

• Price as configured: $1,299
• Processor: Apple M2 (8-core)
• Graphics: Apple M2 (10-core, integrated)
• Memory: 8GB Unified
• Storage: 256GB NAND SSD
• Display: 15-inch, 2880 x 1864, 60Hz Liquid Retina
• Wireless connectivity: Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax), Bluetooth 5.3
• Wired connectivity: 1 x MagSafe 3, 2 x Thunderbolt 4, 1 x 3.5mm combo audio
• Weight: 3.3 pounds
• Size: 13.40 x 9.35 x 0.45 inches
• Warranty: 1-year limited warranty

We tested the entry-level MacBook Air M2 15-inch, which at 256GB SSD costs $1,299. If you’re looking for more storage, a 512GB SSD ups the price to $1,399.

Both models come in Silver, Space Gray, Starlight, or Midnight, the color of our test unit.

What we like

Luxurious build

Nearly everything about the MacBook Air 15 M2 feels well-built and upscale. The recycled aluminum chassis has zero flex, despite being one of the thinnest 15-inch laptops currently on the market. It doesn’t feel nearly as bulky as I expected it to, thanks to both the aforementioned slim build and 3.3-pound weight.

It’s a tactile wonderland, too. It’s super satisfying to “press to click” the trackpad, though it’s equally responsive when you tap instead. It complements the laptop’s keyboard, which delivers soft yet agreeable pops with each tap. Though the 6.75-inch trackpad on the 15-inch is an inch larger diagonally than the one found on the 13-inch model, the keyboard is the same, so you won’t have to deal with an awkward adjustment period if you’re upgrading strictly for size. Both are quiet and comfortable to use. Sure, the 13-inch MacBook Air’s all-black midnight colorway might have boosted this laptop’s fancy feel, but the aesthetic doesn’t change anything about the user experience.

The only thing we didn’t love about this laptop’s build was Apple’s transition from silicone feet to hard plastic ones, which make it just a little bit easier for the laptop to slide around on your desk. This wasn’t a huge issue for us, but we’re a bit curious as to why Apple “fixed” something that wasn’t broken.

Phenomenal speakers

Apple introduced a new six-speaker spatial audio system into its 15-inch MacBook Air, and it delivers. One of the first things I listened to on this laptop was the Oppenheimer trailer, and I was shocked at how theater-like the experience was when all of the sound was coming from a tiny, hidden speaker array in front of me.

For those who remember how muffled the 13-inch MacBook Air sounded after Apple got rid of its speaker grille, this might come as a surprise. After all, the 15-inch model doesn’t have a speaker grille, either. But every bit of audio I heard from the MacBook Air 15 M2 was sharp, clear, and balanced right out of the box—no external speakers necessary.

Vibrant Liquid Retina display

Some folks are annoyed that Apple keeps pushing its Liquid Retina display instead of opting for OLED, but I’m convinced the MacBook Air 15 M2 will change their minds. With a couple of extra inches of screen real estate, this display really shines. At a maximum brightness of 413 nits, the MacBook Air is one of the brightest laptops we’ve tested, so you can use it outdoors on a bright, sunny day, or in a well-lit room without any dreaded glare obscuring the displayed content.

Photos appeared rich and color accurate, as well, and the display’s 60Hz refresh rate kept videos flowing smoothly.

What we don’t like

Slow SSD

The MacBook Air 15 M2 had slower storage read and write speeds than we would have liked. Landing right around the middle of our speed rankings, the laptop read at 1725 MB/s (megabytes per second) and wrote at 1668 MB/s (But at least that’s faster than the 13-inch MacBook Air.)

Theoretically, this means the 15-inch MacBook Air M2 should boot up slower than other Apple laptops, like the 2020 MacBook Air M1 (which reads at 2830 MB/s) and 2022 MacBook Pro 14 M2 Max (capable of reading a far more impressive 6465 MB/s). More importantly, it means the laptop should transfer files slower, lag a little while loading apps, and otherwise just retrieve information with less get-up-and-go.

Anecdotally, I didn’t notice any lag on boot-up—for individual apps and the OS—but this is something to consider nonetheless.

Smaller entry-level SSD capacity

Even the most committed Apple fans can admit the company has gotten stingy with its storage options. From the HP Envy x360 to the Asus Zenbook S 13 OLED, other manufacturers are happily offering 512GB or even 1TB of SSD storage in their entry-level devices, yet Apple has kept its most affordable laptops at 256GB. This fills up somewhat quickly, even if you take advantage of cloud storage options like iCloud.

This is more a critique of Apple’s overall product strategy than of the MacBook Air 15 M2 itself, but given the much slower SSDs in Apple’s M2-based MacBook Air, we would have liked to see that reflected in the overall price.

If you’re not a fan of cloud storage or you regularly work with large local files, you might be better off upgrading to the 512GB version of this MacBook, which costs $200 more. You could also opt for the Dell XPS 15 (also $1,299 when on sale), which comes with much faster and higher capacity 512GB SSD storage, a faster 13th-gen Intel Core i7 processor, and double the RAM—if, of course, you’re not married to the Apple ecosystem.

Should you buy the MacBook Air 15 M2?

Yes, especially if you’ve been waiting anxiously for one

The MacBook Air 15 M2’s gorgeous form factor and brilliant display make it a visually impressive device. Its sized-up trackpad and whisper-quiet keyboard were super satisfying to use, while Apple’s M2 silicon kept the laptop on pace with other makes and models in its price range.

That said, if you’re not itching for a couple of extra inches of display, you might be better off with the 13-inch MacBook Air M2. The smaller model offers a few extra hours of battery life, an additional 102 nits of brightness, and a slightly lighter 2.75-pound build. You won’t get that mind-blowing speaker array exclusive to the 15-inch model (or the SSD speed of the M1 model), but you’ll save $200 and still get one of our top laptop picks for the upcoming school year.

There’s also the MSI Prestige 13 Evo, which has a faster processor than the 15-inch MacBook Air and a slightly brighter display. We’ve seen our current best laptop, Dell’s Inspiron 14 Plus, on sale for as low as $899, and even though that laptop has a 12th-gen Intel chip, it still has better or very similar performance to the 15-inch MacBook Air.

But those laptops have smaller screens—so it all comes down to if a larger screen works better with the MacBook Air. Even if you’ve never thought of yourself as someone who prioritizes a laptop’s display, it’s hard to resist the 15-inch MacBook Air’s big and beautiful screen, especially when it’s coupled with such powerful sound. If you’ve got a little extra room in your bag and you don’t mind carrying around about half a pound of added weight, we’d definitely recommend opting for the MacBook Air’s bigger screen.