Why You Shouldn’t Buy the New 15-Inch MacBook Air

I’ve ever loved the thought of a 15-inch MacBook Air. It ne'er sat good with maine that, successful bid to bargain a big-screen MacBook, you needed to wage way much than the 13-inch options. The 15-inch was ever locked distant down the “Pro” series, portion galore imaginable customers didn’t request that other power: We conscionable wanted a bigger screen.

The 15-inch MacBook Air is official

The 15-inch Air Apple announced this week seems to beryllium the reply to our prayers. For the archetypal time, you tin bargain the MacBook with the larger surface without needing to wage a taxation for unnecessary powerfulness oregon features. The caller 15-inch Air is, essentially, a bigger mentation of past year’s 13-inch refresh: It sports the aforesaid plan language, an M2 spot with an eight-core CPU and 10-core GPU with up to 24GB of memory, 2 Thunderbolt 4 USB-C ports (which does look a spot debased connected a 15-inch machine), a MagSafe charging port, a 1080p webcam, and a show supporting a P3 colour gamut with up to 500 nits of brightness. It adjacent has the aforesaid 18-hour artillery beingness claim, acknowledgment to a larger artillery driving the larger display.

Truthfully, the lone betterment Apple made to the 15-inch was giving it a six-speaker dependable strategy with “force-cancelling woofers” arsenic opposed to the 13-inch’s four-speaker system. This is, simply, a large MacBook Air, without the large terms tag. Apple wants $1,299 for this imagination machine, which, portion surely not cheap, is simply a overmuch much charismatic terms than ample MacBooks person had successful the past. Take a look astatine Apple’s MacBook Pro page, and you’ll spot 14-inch Pros start astatine $1,999, portion 16-inch Pros ramp up to $2,499 astatine least.

The 15-inch Air is an costly compromise

But it isn’t each a $1,300 picnic. That Air lone comes with 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD, astir arsenic debased of a representation and retention spec arsenic you’ll find successful a 2023 computer. Again, that mightiness beryllium conscionable good for your use: M2 is powerful, aft all, and its plan means you tin bash a batch with a tiny magnitude of RAM. But, someday, 8GB of RAM isn’t going to chopped it, and you won’t beryllium capable to upgrade the representation yourself. The aforesaid goes for storage: If you unrecorded your full beingness successful the cloud, 256GB mightiness beryllium plenty. But if you prevention immoderate photos, videos, oregon different ample files connected your Mac, you’re going to yet request to outpouring for an outer thrust perpetually attached to your computer, oregon other woody with changeless retention absorption until you merchantability the computer.

You tin hole these issues, of course, by giving Apple much money. The Air upgrades successful $200 increments: You tin bump up the RAM to 16GB for an other $200, and treble your retention to 512GB for different mates hundred. You tin support going, if you want: The Air maxes retired the RAM astatine 24GB, and retention astatine 2TB, but that eventual operation lands astatine $2,499.

Let’s accidental you privation to somewhat future-proof your Mac with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. Apple volition complaint you $1,699. Not ideal, but inactive little than Apple utilized to complaint for a 15-inch machine. And yet, it mightiness not really beryllium the champion worth for your money.

You tin get much MacBook for your wealth

If you instrumentality a peek astatine Apple’s refurbished store (which you should ever do, by the way), they are presently selling a 14-inch M1 Pro MacBook Pro for $1,539, and an 14-inch M2 Pro MacBook Pro for $1,699. That M2 Pro MacBook Pro, successful particular, sports an adjacent much almighty spot than the caller MacBook Air, with a 10-core CPU and 16-core GPU, but some see each the different perks that travel with Apple’s caller MacBook Pros: a importantly brighter mini-LED show with overmuch deeper blacks, an upgraded interior mic, HDMI port, SD paper reader, and an other USB-C port.

Look astatine those ports, people.Image: Apple

All that, with the aforesaid 16GB of RAM and 512GB of retention you’re looking to get connected a $1,699 MacBook Air. Of course, you sacrifice an inch of surface existent property to get there, truthful if you’re dead-set connected 15 inches, this constituent mightiness beryllium moot. Apple’s refurbished 16-inch MacBook Pros are a small retired of the terms point, starting astatine $1,929. However, Swappa sells 16-inch M1 Pro models starting arsenic debased arsenic $1,442. They commencement to ramp up successful terms alternatively quickly, but it is imaginable to find a 16-inch MacBook Pro with Apple silicon astir the terms of a souped up 15-inch MacBook Air. (And conscionable due to the fact that the M1 Pro is older than the M2, doesn’t mean it’s little impressive. It’s really much almighty than Apple’s basal M2, meaning you’ll beryllium capable to propulsion the “older” spot further than you think.)

The 15-inch MacBook Air is inactive a large computer

That’s not to accidental determination aren’t perks to going with the Air. For one, it’s ace light, weighing successful astatine 3.5 pounds. It’s besides brand-new, which is ever bully erstwhile buying an costly portion of tech. And, not for nothing, Apple’s Midnight colour is really nice, and not disposable extracurricular of the MacBook Air line. For a sleek, powerful, efficient, and portable MacBook, the 15-inch Air is undoubtedly a large machine.

However, the information is it isn’t the champion worth for the money. When you’re looking to walk astir $1,699 connected a larger MacBook, that currency goes a agelong way, particularly if you’re consenting to bargain thing that was antecedently owned. If you bash propulsion the trigger connected the Air, though, marque definite you buy it done Apple’s acquisition store. You’ll prevention $100, and it’s disposable for anyone to use. After all, aren’t we each students of life?