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Apple's newest MacBook Air has a bigger screen, but does it offer anything else that its little linemates don't?
Apple's MacBook Air first appeared in 2008. Back then, Apple claimed the 13.3-inch ultraportable was the world's thinnest laptop. Flash forward to WWDC 2023 and Apple has announced another world's thinnest laptop, the 15-inch MacBook Air. To be clear, Apple claims it's the thinnest 15-inch laptop at 11.5 millimeters, and it weighs only 3.3 pounds. While Apple has gone smaller in the past with the MacBook Air , the new model is the largest Air ever and features a new 15.3-inch Liquid Retina display.
Apple fans who watched the announcement may have noticed that, aside from the display size, there are almost no differences between the current 13-inch M2 MacBook Air and the new 15-inch Air. Yes, it's slightly bigger and heavier, as you would expect, and Apple also added two more speakers for a total of six. But really, that's about it.
Not that it's a bad thing for the 15-inch to be the same as the 13-inch; the latter is one of the best laptops you can buy . It's just that the jump from the 13-inch M1 MacBook Air to the 13-inch M2 MacBook Air was sizable. So it's slightly disappointing that the new MacBook Air didn't get a new processor or other unique features. Then again, sometimes all you want is a larger screen. And, oddly enough, there's not a lot of Windows competition at this size; they're mainly 14- or 16-inch models.
Toiletry Makeup Bag One more thing: The 15-inch MacBook Air is actually reasonably priced for Apple. Although I would still recommend bumping up to $1,499 to get 16GB of memory for the sake of longevity, the $1,299 base model will probably be enough laptop for many people. In any case, here's how the Air specs measure up, and I threw in the M1 Air, which is still available starting at $999. Also, here's our hands-on with the new MacBook Air and its 15.3-inch display.