In 2021, I wrote an article on Root-Nation about my transition to a MacBook Pro with an M1 processor. A lot of water has passed since then, and I’ve upgraded to a MacBook Air with M2 13.6″ and am ready to share my impressions. I’d like to point out right away that this is not going to be a full review. Firstly, the model is no longer a hot novelty, you could read reviews on many other websites. Secondly, I specialise primarily in phones and don’t like to write full-fledged laptop reviews. So I’m not going to do it, because I think personal impressions are the most important thing.
Why switch and what were the options?
Of course, two years of use is not enough for a laptop. Such devices are usually bought for a long time. But it so happened that the child needed a laptop for his studies. We wanted to buy him a budget model, but then we thought about it and decided that it would be better to give him the same Pro on M1 and buy me something new.
Now for the options. We were wondering what to choose – a 14-inch MacBook Pro with an M1 processor or a newer MacBook Air with an M2 processor. Yes, at that time, the new M2 devices hadn’t been released yet. But even if they had, the choice would most likely have been the same, as I would not have wanted to overpay.
So, the choice was between MacBook Air M2 and MacBook Pro 14″ M1. I even polled my friends on social media, and opinions were divided. But most were in favour of the Pro. They said that the bright 120Hz screen greatly improves the user experience, that the power reserve will never hurt, and so on. Those who advised to choose the Air emphasised the longer-lasting battery and compact dimensions.
I went to the store to touch it, liked the screen of the Pro, but didn’t like the dimensions. Indeed, for the second generation in a row, Pro phones seem to have returned to the past – they have regained the connectors that were once lost, and have become thicker.
I can’t say that I travel a lot, but 2-3 times a month – it happens. Cars, trains… And it so happened that due to a change in the specifics of my work, I started travelling even more often after buying a new laptop. So I’m still glad I chose the Air model. After all, even from room to room, this device is more pleasant and easier to carry than a monster laptop.
As for productivity, I am a journalist and blogger, so I work with a browser, with texts, with messengers, with light photos, and rarely with video. I don’t need huge power. And if at first I still had some fears, like what will happen under load, because the phone can turn on the coolers, and the Air cannot, now I don’t have them. For my tasks, the device’s capabilities are more than enough, I don’t need a card reader or the ability to connect two external monitors. And even if I sometimes open heavy files for editing, the laptop only thinks for a moment and does not heat up. So it’s a pleasure to work with it.
But it all depends on your tasks and needs. It’s likely that you’ll want to overpay for a MacBook Pro with an M2 processor.
But we’ll draw conclusions about what and who should buy in the end, and then I suggest you read my impressions in order.
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Package contents
In this section, it is worth noting only the legendary return to the MagSafe connector – a proprietary magnetic connector. At the same time, the bundled charger is small and lightweight, which is convenient for travelling, and the cable is braided, which is also cool! The problem when Apple’s plastic cables failed after a couple of months of use is almost forgotten.
Of course, you can also charge a laptop via USB-C, so there’s a wide range of options. It became especially convenient when I gave up on the damn iPhone and switched to Android. Now I take one cable for charging my phone and laptop on a trip, charging is fast and there are no problems.
MacBook Air M2 mid 2022 design
Again, I won’t describe every button, but I will say that for the first time in a long time, the design of the MacBook Air has changed, laptops no longer taper like a point. And once upon a time, this was the design Jobs announced when he put a laptop in a paper envelope – and it was impressive!
Whether the updates are good or bad is a matter of personal choice, but I personally like the design. Laptops remain compact and lightweight in any case, and the more streamlined design is even more comfortable, in my opinion.
There are 4 colour options for the laptop. I’ve always had classic silver Macs, but I wanted something new, so I chose the darkest one – Midnight.
Black is stylish. Although, as it turned out on the very first day, it’s not that practical. Fingerprints are visible on the metal surface if your hands are a little greasy, and most importantly, all the dust!
It is very difficult to keep a laptop in good shape without wiping it several times a day. Well, I wanted something new and stylish, and I got it. I’m not complaining, just stating a fact.
I use my laptop in a case (I recommend Moshi – it’s definitely the best) because I carry it around a lot, put it on the floor on the balcony when I work out, etc., in general, I need it for the same purpose as a smartphone case (as people often ask). It’s dark matte, looks great, protects from unnecessary scratches and traces of use, so I recommend it.
The case is also useful because the colour of the dark MacBook Air doesn’t seem to be reliable, and it’s easy to catch micro-scratches. They appear on the ports, and there’s nothing you can do about it.
Overall, the model has an attractive look, but it is still a departure from the Air design canons, and something like a compact MacBook.
As for the build quality, everything is perfect, as you would expect from Apple. There’s no backlash, no squeaks, no loose parts, and the lids don’t bend. The display hinges are reliable, the lid does not move even if you lift the laptop sharply, but the maximum opening angle is too small – only 130 degrees. I would like to see more.
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Screen
The screen diagonal of the MacBook Air M2 2022 has increased from 13.3 to 13.6 inches. It doesn’t seem like much, but you can feel it, there is more space on the screen, especially in height.
The screen bezels are narrow (by Apple’s standards, of course, there are laptops with much narrower bezels) and uniform on all sides. But the price for this was… right, the appearance of a “mono-brow”. It looks somewhat artificial and attracts attention at first. But you can get used to it and sleep on the ceiling (as you remember, this was my favourite phrase when I was using iPhones for 2.5 years), so after a few days I stopped noticing this notch. Some people say it interferes with third-party applications, but I haven’t encountered this. In any case, a small notch for the camera and sensors is better than a more unnecessary wide bezel at the top of the screen.
The screen is glossy, but its anti-reflective properties were a pleasant surprise – even direct reflection of bright light sources does not interfere with readability. You can work in the car or in the park on a sunny day, the glare will not be very noticeable.
The maximum brightness is also good. And in the evening, it can be reduced to a more than comfortable level – it will not blind you even in the complete absence of light sources nearby. There is, of course, auto brightness control thanks to the light sensor, which works without any problems. Only sometimes, if, for example, I’m travelling in a car or train and the lighting changes dramatically through tunnels, the laptop may “think about it” and not change the setting in time.
What’s not so good is that the screen attracts fingerprints, so it’s better to try not to touch it at all. However, when you open the lid, it happens, so you also have to regularly wipe the prints off.
The laptop screen does not exhibit any noticeable backlight modulation at any brightness level, which means there is no screen flickering.
The colour reproduction of the MacBook Air M2 is excellent, the contrast is high, the colours are rich and at the same time soft and natural. If necessary, of course, everything can be changed in the settings.
My favourite function, True Tone, which adjusts the shades on the screen to the ambient light, also works perfectly, and my eyes don’t get tired of the laptop at all, because I can look at it for many hours a day.
There is also the familiar Night Shift function, which makes the screen “warmer” in the dark and can be operated on a schedule. The desired “warmth” can be selected in the range from 6400 K to 2850 K. This is an analogue of “eye protection” in smartphones – the blue glow does not irritate the senses before going to bed.
Connectors
The two USB-C connectors and the MagSafe charging contact are located on the left, which can be a bit inconvenient, especially if the outlet is located to the right of the laptop. In this case, you’ll have to run the cable around the device, which is not very convenient. In addition, the USB connectors are too close to each other, and some wide devices (adapters, flash drives) simply won’t fit in there with a USB cable.
Keyboard and touchpad
The keyboard is beautiful! For several years I had a Macbook with a butterfly keyboard, and I still have nightmares about it. It’s good that everything is different now. The keystroke is clear, has a pleasant, tangible and not too loud click.
The fingerprint scanner is located in the far right corner of the keyboard, it has no markings, but there is a round recess that indicates the active zone. It looks like an ordinary key and works as an on/off button. Fingerprint reading is instant and clear – very convenient!
The keyboard, of course, has a backlight, and its brightness is automatically adjusted, which is a good thing. In general, as a person who works with texts all day long, I highly recommend it.
I should note that MacBooks with TouchBar are no longer available at all, I had this screen on my Pro. I got used to it very quickly, there was no particular use for it, and in general, all these additional displays on laptops are a gimmick.
The touchpad is larger than the previous Air, huge by the standards of laptops from other manufacturers. There is nothing to add here – Apple has the best touchpads, no mice are needed, it’s a pleasure to use.
Sound and camera
The speakers are located in a “hole” next to the screen hinge. It’s not the best place for high-quality sound distribution, and the sound itself is rather mediocre: the frequency range is not wide, and there is no bass at all. But it makes no sense to expect super-sound from a thin laptop designed for work. If you want, you can connect an external speaker or untreated headphones. But in general, the volume is good for playing music in the background, watching movies or watching streams.
The built-in camera is now Full HD and produces better video quality than on older Air and Pro models. Actually, there is nothing more to comment on here, this is not a phone camera for selfies, it is enough for video calls.
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MacBook Air M2 mid 2022 performance
In general, Apple’s M1 and M2 SoCs are almost identical, only the frequencies are different. According to the tests, the performance increase reaches 20-25%, but it is not something immediately noticeable and outstanding. The new processor also stands out for its support for hardware acceleration when working with various codecs.
MacBook Air is available in two versions of the Apple M2 chipset. Both have 8 cores (4 productive and 4 energy-efficient), but the graphics subsystem differs: one version has 8 cores and the other has 10 cores.
The basic Air M2 has 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB of SSD, the more advanced version has 16 GB of RAM and 512 GB of SSD, and costs $400 more. The maximum version you can get is 24 GB of RAM and a 2 TB SSD, which is not cheap.
My version has 16 GB of RAM and a 512 GB drive, but an 8+8-core processor. Before that, I had a MacBook Pro with 8 GB of RAM and it was enough for me, but I decided to invest in a reserve for the future. If you take my usual work – texts, photos, videos, a browser with a lot of tabs, instant messengers, etc. – then on average I use 13-14 GB of RAM, so it was worth choosing a more expensive option for better performance.
In my particular case, everything is, as they say, flying, the laptop is always cold and has never overheated. Let me remind you that it has no coolers, so there will be no noise from the work in principle. Also, I have never managed to make the device overheat the processor and throttle during my standard tasks. Perhaps if you give the laptop some kind of load for which it is not designed, then problems will appear, but this is not a laptop for heavy tasks, so what’s the point?
Battery life
Overall, I have nothing to complain about, the laptop is enough for a full 8-hour working day with my typical tasks – and even has enough left over to watch a movie in the evening. For a long flight or train journey, it’s also just right, without even having to reach into my bag to charge it.
Conclusions
The MacBook Air M2 mid 2022 is a great work machine for those who prefer Apple technology. The laptop’s design has changed, and it no longer tapers on one side, but still remains thin, lightweight, and easy to travel with. This laptop is a good choice for those who work with texts, surf the Internet, watch videos and perform other simple tasks. That’s why the Air line was created back in the day – these are essentially ultrabooks for light workloads. Does it seem like “not enough for the money”? Then perhaps Apple technology is not for you, no matter how snobbish it may sound.
Yes, we’ve all heard about the miraculous capabilities of Apple’s proprietary Silicon processors, but the Air doesn’t have active cooling, and even if its theoretical power is extremely high, it will overheat and not be able to handle high-load tasks. Need more? Check out the MacBook Pro series.
Is it worth replacing an M1 MacBook Air with an M2 if it works well and you’re happy with it? The difference in performance isn’t that great, and the updated screen isn’t that much better, so it’s not worth the extra money. If you are now faced with the choice of whether to take the Air on M1 or M2, it is more profitable to buy the cheaper version to save money. If you have the money to spare, the M2 version is very much worth considering. It will work for the next 3-5 years without any problems, and perhaps even last all ten, as happened with the 2013 MacBook Air.
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