M2 MacBook Air: 5 things they DON'T tell you!

If you’re thinking about buying an M2 MacBook Air in 2023, there are a few things you need to know about Apple’s thinnest, lightest laptop.

GET A PEEK BEHIND THE SCENES: 

JOIN MY SUBSTACK

JOIN MY FREE MEDIUM WEBINARS

JOIN THE MEDIUM ACADEMY

BECOME A PATRON (IF YOU’RE NOT ALREADY)!

FOLLOW ME ON SOCIAL MEDIA

SOME OF MY FAVOURITE THINGS
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Some of the links below will direct you to the Amazon website.

MY FREE ONLINE COURSES

LISTEN TO THE EIGHT OR SIXTEEN PODCAST

READ ME

HIRE ME!

WHAT IS THIS CHANNEL ALL ABOUT?
I have zero interest in deep spec dives or long-winded comparisons. I review laptops, smartphones, tablets, headphones and the latest tech based on real experience. I'll tell you how it'll make you feel, whether or not it's worth your time (and money) and help you find the tech you need to get stuff done.

WHO AM I?
I'm a UK-based freelance marketer and broke free of a regular job many years ago. Watch my videos to find the tech you need, without the jargon.

GET IN TOUCH

Oh, and some of the links in this description are affiliate links from which I earn a small commission!

CHAPTERS
00:00 - Intro
00:46 - The smudges
02:09 - Clickgate
03:39 - SaneBox
04:57 - The base model works
07:00 - The notch
07:14 - The 15-inch version
08:55 - A good buy in 2023?

[MarkEllisReviews]

What's one thing you'd change about the MacBook Air?

Even the base model M1 MBA is still a great buy in 2023. I’m currently using one and it is, hands down, the best computer I have ever had in my life.

[justinpritchard]

I have a 14' M1 MacBook Pro, which has been a great computer, I ordered it the first day they were available and used it on a daily basis for well over a year and it has handled everything without an issue. I was going to be issued a new laptop for work and had a couple options, decided just to pick the M2 Air so that I could have something lighter to carry around in my backpack. That was about a month ago and I have basically completely switched over to the M2 Air. Its a slightly upgraded model with 16GBs of RAM and 512GB SSD, so basically matches my Pro. I know the display is not as good, I know its not as powerful, but on a day to day basis, I just like using it better and I can't really say why. If I need to compile a large project or something like that I will pull out the 14", but for just everyday stuff the lightness and thinness of this thing is just great.

[ntechbuses]

I have that click sound too! So glad I'm not alone! I thought it was electric but I'm not sure

[shannonrae]

I use the m2 air as my daily driver because I work away from the office a lot, but I also hook an ultra wide monitor when I'm home. It has more than enough power for my daily tasks. One thing I look at is the memory pressure. I am always in the green even when it reads 6.5 GB of RAM usage. I will have about 5+ tabs open, watching videos, or photo processing along with other applications open from thunderbird, calendar, imessage, messenger, study tools, office apps like Word and Excel, and I am still perfectly fine to use Rawtherapee and/or GIMP. If you will never use all those applications at once, you will be fine with this laptop.

[jedlomax]

I have this exact model and love it. It looks great, has the best keyboard I've ever used on a laptop and is all round brilliant. True I don't do video editing on it (wouldn't know how) and I'm sure 90% people don't need that feature. If you do you won't be buying an entry level laptop I guess. I am always wary of the 'wait for the next one' philosophy because that way you are waiting about for years maybe. Get what you need and start enjoying it now.

[paulwoodward]

I would still upgrade either the ssd or ram. Ram upgrade would mean less swap, so less chance the slow ssd will bite you. Upgrade the storage and the swap will be fast again, so you’ll have better than m1 performance. For me, this modest outlay will transform this machine from good enough to great. Not everyone has a second machine to do heavy lifting on.

[zerofivetwelve]

I have 16gb/1TB in midnight black. No clicking etc. Open and close smoothly and quitely. And i use swictheasy smoke black case to avoid finger print and protech for scratches.

[viditt]

Just got mine 16gb 512gb 2 days ago and I love it so much it’s so fast!

[jay.jay.]

Nope i went with with the MacBook Pro 14 m1 base model one very happy with it I

[Amy-grxc]

I bought the Midnight M2 in January. It is my first MB and I love it. I would prefer a 15" option.

[guycortesi]

I own the M2 Air and went with the 512GB SSD. That was a good option for me since 256GB of storage wasn’t enough and the SSD speeds are better, especially when I start to fill the 8GB RAM and swap is needed. I also would have liked the 16GB RAM upgrade, but the price starts approaching that of the Mac Pro 14”

[pauljazzman]

Big of you to admit you maybe went a bit far in praising the new M2 MacBook Air. But these issues get very polarising. That ssd issue was a real one. Even the M2 Mac mini's had it and not just at the 256Gb size but the 500Gb size too. So I had to get a 1Tb M2 Pro Mac mini to keep up the ssd speed. It seems people haven't been buying the latest range of MacBooks in the numbers you might expect. In part due to still having great M1 MacBooks but in part due to the slow ssds and throttling, oh and of course the recession. Well done for a good honest review.

[avetastic]

I love my M2 MacBook Air with 16GB of RAM, the thing I want the most is for it to support two external displays without needing a dock with displaylink.

[russ_edmonds]

Having moved from a 15” 2014 MacBook Pro to the M2 Air, I am more than happy with the Air (I did go for the 512gb version though as definitely needed more storage). No issues with mine so far, as tempted as I was by the midnight version, the fear of constant smudges meant I went for the Space Grey one, and the size and weight is perfect for me. I do wish there was a USB/Thunderbolt port on the other side though!

On a side note, where is your grey mouse mat from?

Cheers!

[TheJoaninhaMendes]

Reviews in 2000s: The product is good, I recommend.

Reviews in 2020s: it clicks 02:31

[jamesfiegel]

I love my mid tier 2022 Air and got it on sale at Best Buy the best Apple laptop i have ever owned and I own the Space Grey :). No finger prints or smudges and no chassis sounds its a sold build better than my 2018!!!!

[JuanMiguelCachoJr]

I wonder if that video editing problem will go away if you make your own external SSD, using a thunderbolt NVMe external case?

[vernonjesseadams]

Great video! my M2 in midnight arrives today! cant wait. also one side question...where did you get that Isla nublar hoodie i need that in my life!! Cheers, keep up the great vids!

[KeremKrm-pu]

How is it heating issues? Did you experinece any warm issues while using 30-35 C degrees surrounding? And how did it happen?