MacBook Air M2 Review: Bigger Screen, Better Camera, Faster Chip

With a faster chip, bigger screen, new design and better webcam, this  new M2 MacBook from Apple is the biggest change to the Air line since  its launch. 

Thanks to a new design, a larger display (13.6 inches versus the  previous 13.3 inches), a faster M2 chip and a long-awaited upgrade to a  higher-res webcam, I feel comfortable keeping that "universally useful"  title for the new 2022 version of the MacBook Air, with one caveat. 

At $1,199, the $200 increase over the traditional $999 MacBook Air starting price is a disappointment. 

Note that we're reviewing the step-up $1,499 configuration, which adds  more GPU cores and more storage space (but still only includes 8GB of  RAM).  

Like – Bigger, brighter screen – Modern design with new color – A high-res webcam, at last – Excellent performance and battery life

Don't Like – More expensive than the model it replace – New power adapter is a paid upgrade on some config – New webcam adds a screen notch

The configuration we tested

Price as reviewed  - $1,499  Display size/resolution  - 13.6-inch 2,560x1,664 LED-backlit display  CPU - Apple M2 8-core CPU/10-core GPU  RAM - 8GB

The configuration we tested

Graphics - 10-core Apple GPU  Storage - 512GB SSD  Networking - 802.11ax Wi-Fi 6 wireless networking IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Bluetooth 5  Operating system - MacOS Monterey 12.4

The new MacBook Air goes beyond the Pro models it mimics in one  important respect -- it adds new colors to the space gray and silver,  with a new gold Starlight and a deep, dark Midnight finish.

That Midnight, which appears as a matte black finish, reminds me of the old matte-black polycarbonate MacBooks of the mid-2000s, which I've always thought was a very sharp look.  

The new Air's footprint is a hair smaller than before, and it feels slimmer. 

It's 11.3mm thick overall, while the previous design tapered thinner at the front, but grew to 16mm at its rear hinge.