The Definitive M2 MacBook Air Review

It’s been nearly a month since the M2 MacBook Air launched and we’ve spent hours putting it through its paces. Is it all it’s cracked up to be?

The M2 MacBook Air launched to a lot of dramatic hullabaloo—reports of thermal throttling and a slow SSD were just a few of the controversies that befell the redesigned fan-favorite. We’ve found some of the complaints to be credible, many to be false, and generally find ourselves in love with this little machine. But there’s one problem… the price.

[snazzy]

There’s a little compression artifacting in places (more than is normal for YouTube (which is already bad)) throughout the video. Sadly, this isn’t on us. Our export looks great and utilized the same settings we always do. Video looked okay when I proofed it on YouTube but then as soon as I published it it’s been re-entering and exiting processing. I’ve reached out to YouTube to see if they can re-process the file on their backend. It may also just resolve itself. This might not be one for the big-screen TV. Sorry. Idk why YouTube is the way that it is.

[Wokiis]

To think how thorough but concise one can be when spending *TIME* on making a review instead of chasing the algorithm. Bravo!

[AshritPlays]

It’s really true when you said that it’s sandwiched between 2 of the best laptops that apple ever made. And also I feel that M1 MacBook Air just set the standard really high because previously no one did anything serious on MacBook Airs just casual stuff but then suddenly air can do stuff like video editing much better than more expensive windows counterparts.

[aurelian]

The Linus shrine metaphor is truly inspired.

[mettwurstminister]

I just witnessed the best sponsor segment since discovering youtube 15 years ago. Thank you, Quinn.

[sethedmonds]

PERFECT meal video. Never fails to have the most detailed points! Please never change Quinn.

[devashishpatwardhan]

So, I love the video, but 2 important things -

1. Design makes a big difference. I moved from the 14” M1 Pro to a 512Gb 10 core M2 Air. I love it. The portability of the Air is unmatched. The 14” is too bulky for me. Also, the sharp edges on the 14” pro really dig in to my wrist and I cannot type on it for long.

2. The M2 Air is still quite good value because here in India, I got it for almost 22% off from the store. There are good discounts on the M2 Air as well!

Overall, being someone who has used the 14” pro for 6 months, I’d recommend you buy the 14” only and only if you absolutely need the performance. If you travel a lot, consider the Air. Also, check out the sharp edges at a store.

[FoxxFire]

This is why these reviews, even weeks or months after a product's release, are must watch. It's the most complete, informative M2 MBA video I've seen so far, and it's worth every second of the watch. Quinn -- i know as a perfectionist you noticed but there was some distortion or noise in some of the scenes. Was that a youtube upload quality loss issue?

[julianojosoa]

The LTT store analogy alone deserves my repect and I clicked on the thumbs up immediately 👍😁

[akmoe]

I am using the M2 air with 16GB RAM & 512SSD, would say it's a huge upgrade comparing to my previous intel i7 13inch MacPro. I do cybersecurity so running those virtual machines has been a breeze on M2 chip as well.  

Considered getting the 14inch MacPro but its $600 more expensive in Singapore using student discount; rather use the $600 for something else since M2 air is really good enough for college students like myself.

[MrDDawson]

That was a great dive into the system and really complements your last take on things as well.

[fnYang]

There is a mistake in this video, At 13:25.
The 14’ MacBook Pro has a shorter battery life than the M2 MacBook Air in both apple’s keynote and real world tests.
Despite this little mistake, this video is really good. Lots of facts and thoughts that I’ve never heard about in other reviews.
(PS: My English is not good. Sorry for the poor grammar)

[Lumilicious]

9:00 thanks for that. This has been such an annoying topic recently that I've been avoiding any discussion about it. People have literally forgotten how the M1 Air also throttled in the same way. It's even more annoying when you have big Tech personalities like Austin Evans say in one of his videos (the podcast with the big guy) that the M1 Air didn't throttle as bad as the M2 does... getting this shit linked to you as "proof" has been the most annoying shit I ever came across.

[namitjain]

Not kidding, I actually thought what a nice shirt before the sponsor segment!

[scottrobinson]

Great review - I really love your nuanced take on the M2. That said, I just got an M2 Air. For me, the upgrades over the M1 were worth it. Plus, I had an Intel Air (Retina), so same body style, so I felt like something a bit newer. An extra couple hundred bucks wasn't a deal breaker. Otherwise I'd agree, the M1 air is a solid option.

Speaking of the Intel-based Air - holy crap what a difference this M2 is over the Intel version from 2018. No brainer for anyone still on the Intel-based machines.

[emmettonline]

I'm noticing a lot of compression artifacting at all resoultions

[whenhen]

I got the M2 Air with 16GB RAM and 512GB SSD. I absolutely agree with your conclusions, regarding the do not buy, especially since you can get a 16GB Air for less money than a base M2 Air. 16GB is far more impactful in day to day tasks, and significantly increases the usable lifespan of a computer even if you're not yet maxing out the 8GB offered.

Personally I had a very niche use case for the MacBook Air, which made the M2 Air the best option, However, if I needed it as my only computer I would have absolutely bought a 14" M1 Pro and never even considered the M2 Air

[MrDDawson]

That LTT gag was priceless! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA Edit: So was flipper!

[DishNetworkDealerNEO]

I had some reservations about this M2 Air, realizing that when Apple designed this device, they were under extreme chip supplier and cost pressures, in the rest of the chips, not the M2 itself. I expect the M2 is better applied to the Pro series, and all we have to do is wait until next year and then there will be a brighter, shinier M3, design that is not pressured by Nand Shortages to boot, in fact, this same model might soon get that empty memory slot filled in a 1/2 year upgrade as has happened in do menu other years in MacBook history then you may have to reevaluate that disk access aspect and they could update the structure of the case and use a shoehorn to add the bigger heatsink to change it’s throttling characteristics. But the is for the next version if it is birthed by Apple, or perhaps just moved on from with an M3 Version…

[BramvanLeur]

What a great review! Pricing and 256GB are the issues with the otherwise great machine.

That sponsor segment made no sense, and I’m loving it 😄