13' vs 15' M2 MacBook Air - ULTIMATE Comparison!

Apple's brand new 15" M2 MacBook Air fills a gap in the lineup that people have been asking about for years. Finally, we have a lightweight, portable, large-screen Air model with Apple silicon. But how does it stack up to it's smaller sibling, the 15" version in terms of performance, features, screen size, and portability?

00:00 Introduction
00:21 Pricing
00:52 8 vs 10 GPU Cores
01:12 Size and Portability
02:01 Screen Size
03:18 Feature Differences
03:56 Battery Life
04:21 Performance
04:50 Thermals
05:29 Chargers
06:03 RAM and SSD Upgrades
06:57 Which One Is Best?

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[tanmaypawar]

What logic is behind showing how 15 inches laptop does not fit in 13 inch cover ? 😂

[mysticman]

I think if this will be your main computer, then go for the 15" with 16gb of ram. For me I have a powerful desktop, this base 13" air is my couch lounger and travel device. I tried the iPad pros and other than just using it for media consumption, I didn't like iPad OS. This 13" m2 is perfect if you're in the same situation

[vagabondsteve]

Such a well done video. I like your attention to detail and the hand gestures while demonstrating the screen size. Little things like showing the Excel spreadsheet for screen size difference or the arrow pointing to the heat sink shows that you go the extra effort to make high quality videos. Thank you for all of your hard work!

[elijahthc]

I just bought a 13" M2 Air base model today after waiting for the 15" reveal recently and the price drop on the 13" helped. So far, I'm loving it. I'm using it as a companion to my desktop M1 Mac Mini with 32" monitor setup. So, for me, I wanted the smaller size for couch usage, coffee shops, etc. For anyone wondering about the base model performance for office work, productivity, multiple Chrome tabs and apps running - I just tested opening up all of my normal content writing/SEO/AI tools for work. This is roughly 16+ Chrome tabs and 2-3 apps. Everything seems to work just as fast as my M1 Mac Mini base model (meaning it works very well). Memory pressure was in the green until I added a tab with YouTube, then it went yellow but still worked 100% fine, no slow downs. I have one web app (SurferSEO) that always puts my M1 into high memory pressure when I do a specific task, and this happened just the same on the M2 Air base model. I think the 15" Air will be fantastic for anyone using it as a solo machine (no desktop monitor) or just anyone who prefers the large size like you say in the video. I would've loved either, but I'm thrilled to finally have the ultra-portable 13" Air :)

[AndyBTTDavis]

Awesome video from my favorite Tech channel. I came from a 13 inch M1 Air and have been using my new 15 inch Air M2 for 2 days heavily. I work in healthcare IT and can say the extra screen size is made a huge difference in productivity.

[sweealamak]

There is one little aesthetic perk the 15 has over the 13. Because of the larger screen, apps with many menu bar items (like Numbers) can nicely fit together on the top left hand corner. They are no longer split up by the notch. This makes the notch even less noticeable and feels more full screen.

[MarcosBanus]

2 inches makes a huge difference... ask my ex-wife... :(

[wc]

I had both but returned the 13 as the speakers on the 15 are just night and day difference. Only a .5lb weight penalty for nearly two inch screen upsize is great.

[yasharae]

Bigger is better computer wise, but these are for different use cases, for me always on the go with a desktop, 13inch no doubt

[-chris-]

2:36 this is the first time I’ve genuinely been excited by a spreadsheet 😅

[thachvo]

option A: trade-in my 13'' MacBook Air M1 for this 15'' or
option B: buy a decent 27 inch screen to go with the 13''

[ArnelZapataJr]

The speakers are not exactly the same lmao. The 15” is louder especially when you’re watching videos. With that aside, I’m getting the 15” Air since I need more screen real estate for my workflow.

[Jmacklla]

you made brilliant points like a 15 inch laptop wont fit in a 13 inch bag and speaker quality only matters if you listen to them

[nikoma_]

Go with 13 cos it’s lighter. Connect an external monitor as needed.

[jccnguyen]

SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEY! Oh wait, I have no money...

[bryans]

My guess is that the 15 going to be Apple's best selling laptop. I think there is still a place for the 13, although I might be biased because I have the M2 MBA 13, but it perfectly fits my use case. It's crazy portable so it's perfect when I travel, and it isn't my primary computer, I have a Mac desktop and 27" monitor for home use.

[heydeonhere]

Thank goodness I stumble upon this review, I have my main workstation at home so I want portability and smaller size. Definitely going for 13 since the difference in total aspects is not so major. Thank you for this!

[Rizzard_of_ozzzz]

They released the 15 inch 2 MONTHS after I bought the 13 inch. Had I known they were releasing the 15 inch, I would’ve waited. :/

[cherylelinsmith]

I just got the 13.6 M2 MacBook Air with 16 gigs of ram memory, and 512 SSD storage. I did keep the 8 core GPU, as some tech videos said not allot of difference with the 10 core. I'm a long time Windows user since 1999 with Windows 98. My last Dell desktop had Windows 7 pro with 2T hard drive, cause I used to have a website, and build my own web pages. I got the Silver color, cause Midnight, and Space Gray get too many smudges, fingerprints. So glad you mentioned about sound pretty much being the same. One video tech guy played music on both models, and he said 15 inch sounded muffled and grainy. I don't think is sounds any better than 13 Air. Let's face it for best sound quality you need to get the pro versions. I like that is doesn't put a strain on my shoulders in crossbody laptop briefcase. This is my first laptop, and I love it.

[chriscasillas]

Great video. Informative and concise. I've had the base model 13" M2 Air since launch day. Absolutely love it. My laptop is docked at my desk about 95% of the time. I think I'd like the 15" size for when I do take it on the go. The bigger screen sounds good. Waiting to see one in person at the Apple Store.