Why The M2 MacBook Air Is Still King! | In-Depth Long Term Review (Late 2023)

I have been using the M2 Macbook Air pretty much daily for the last 18 months. I wanted to give you guys my long-term review of it.

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Twitter: @nandoprince93

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[GeorgeHzMusic]

No way you called it a glorified netbook. I beg to differ. I produce music on my MBA M2 and edit video on FCP. And Its a breeze working on those apps! At this point I really don’t know who needs a more powerful chip, like an M3… May be if you work on Pixar… The rest of us, rest asure, a MBA M2 (16 Gigs RAM) is more than enough even for creative work like music productions and video editing.

[babeyoulove]

Sure thing! Here's a more casual take on your experience:

So, I've been rocking the M1 MacBook Air since early 2021, got the base model but splurged on 16GB of RAM. I'm mostly working from home, juggling Teams calls, chats, spreadsheets, emails, and a bunch of web-based stuff. Oh, and there's always some YouTube playing in the background with a couple of tabs open. It's perfect for your usual admin and manager tasks.

I used to be all about Windows, had a Dell XPS and a Huawei Matebook, loved them. But ever since I got the M1, my Windows PC is collecting dust. This MacBook just works like a charm. Plus, the battery life is still impressive after three years. I can grab it and head to work without the charger, and even if it runs out, any mobile charger does the trick ( Thats nuts). My Windows laptops never pulled off that stunt.

And you know what? If you're deep into the Apple ecosystem with iPhones and iPads, it just makes sense. My work provides those, so using a Mac completes the circle. Of course, if some apps don't jive with your workflow, no matter how fancy the Mac chips are, it won't cut it. It's all about finding what works for you. Funny enough, I used to be anti-Apple, but as I'm getting older, I'm starting to appreciate what they bring to the table. It's good to switch things up and explore. My M1 experience has been surprisingly positive!

[jeremyags]

The m2 chip is like magic. It defies what other chips can do.

Like seriously fast, can handle some pro tasks, WITHOUT A FAN?! That’s just one less durability issue

[surfntrucks]

Update the ram to 16gb if you can and get a laptop cooling pad to avoid throttling. The 15” M2 MacBook Air is an amazing machine that will last for years.

[danieldudley]

I LOVE my 15 inch MBA. From the very first day I got the machine, I’ve never had buyers remorse. I love opening it up and getting to work every time. GREAT MACHINE!

[TeeMann-picy]

The M2 Air 13" is as a convertible Benz, sleek, sporty but powerful enough for everyday uses; however, my 16" MacBook Pro M1 feels like a sedan, sporty but larger and somewhat clunky while handling it and certainly too heavy to carry around on a daily basis! I now love the M2 Air so much so that it literally replaced my ipad pro 12.9 and i hardly ever use the M1 pro MacBook!

[ObikenobiHD]

I went from my MacBook Air Intel 2020 to MacBook Air 15 inch 24gb ram & 256 SSD and it was absolute game changer and with it for me! I have iCloud+ and external hard drive for the storage and with the 24gb ram it will last me a long time and love how it’s lightweight even though it has a bigger screen.

Note: for anyone that says “24gb ram is overkill” I use a gaming monitor and connect a lot of cables for Ethernet and HDD drive which goes up to 13-17gb ram in use and with No overload whatsoever and haven’t had it over heat not once! I freaking love it

I don’t think I need to explain further of why I decided to go with 24gb ram

RAM > Storage

[Clivesharrison]

Use my 13” M2 MBA professionally, maxed out with RAM and SSD, and love its build quality, light weight, battery life, portability in and performance, use it in tandem with my 2018 12.9” for a dual screen set up - brilliantly

[DavidBeckerSr]

Still rocking my 2013 MBA, but it’s getting time .Waiting for the M3’s to debut in the 15” MBA, will add 24 GB Unified Memory, and 1TB Storage. At 75 years old it will be my last machine. I also have a Gen 5 iPad 12.9 pro M1 Chip, 2TB Ram, (wicked fast due to the 2TB RAM), which is my PC as well. BTW, ❤ your site!

[Eric-qius]

I bought mine this summer and it's been great, the size is just enough for a school desk. Literally anything bigger wouldn't fit tiny school desk. But the worst part of mine would be the storage and ram. I got a used base model so it has 256 gigs of storage and 8 gigs of ram. Even with apps that I absolutely use all the time, I have to keep moving files to my external hard drive to free space and good now I've ran out of hard drives. Also I wouldn't recommend the 8gig ram to anyone. It's probably holding back the performance of the M2 chip. Other than that this is the most premium tech product I've ever owned and still I'm happy with it. I literally use mine every day and bring it everywhere. Probably not gonna upgrade to pro for at least 5 years or so. This thing will last unless physical damage is done.

[nicshannon]

I’m loving my M2 MacBook Air. I have a 13” midnight blue version. I’m a grad school student and I write TONS of reports on my computer. Works like a charm. I love it! Great review like always.

[vaughn]

Got the m2 air in starlight. 16gb and 1tb of storage and absolutely love it. I just use it for basic use but good to know it will have a bit of power if I ever wanted to get into video editing

[trebep]

I feel zero need to upgrade my M2 Air. I did spring for the 24 GB of RAM, so it should last for years to come.

[mister_ray]

The 15” MacBook Air with some extra memory and storage is the sweet spot for those who favor form factor over benchmark scores.

[ajicahyo]

bro im using it rn, 2 days without charging. no heavy activity just slack and web app browser to work. crazy !!

[ericmatthews]

Upgrading RAM and SSD is a great way to make the MacBook Air perform better. My 15" MacBook Air replaced a 2019 Core i9 16" MacBook Pro for web development and Photoshop work and I never skipped a beat. It's that good!

[Murkwiththemouth]

Walked into Best Buy last week, bought the M1 MacBook Air, 8 GB of ram and 256 gb storage for $750

[Michelangelo]

Still an excellent computer, with plenty of availability in the Apple Refurbished store. The base model with the RAM upgrade is $1, 099 which is an absolute steal. The base model 15-inch Air with the RAM upgrade is $1, 269 - again a steal.

[YanBrassard]

I bought a M2 MacBook Pro in 2022. I didn't need this extra performance but it fit into my budget and I assumed that from a longevity perspective I am buying a peace of mind for a couple of years.

[beigefox]

I have both the MacBook Pro 13 M2 and the MacBook Air 13 M2. While they are both great laptops especially in terms of battery and speed, I prefer the Pro 13 with the Touch bar. The Touch Bar is so underrated and I find it very difficult to adjust browsing the web without a Touch Bar. It just feels weird using any laptop without the Touch Bar to me.