After launching a redesigned MacBook Air with a 13.6-inch screen and an M2 processor in the summer of 2022, Apple is reportedly working on a new, larger model. According to multiple reports, Apple is developing a 15-inch MacBook Air for the first time, which could launch in 2023. It’s a project with a very long history: As revealed in documentation used in the Apple and Epic court battle in 2021, Steve Jobs talked about a 15-inch MacBook Air as early as 2007, before the 13-inch MacBook Air was released in 2008.
15-inch MacBook Air: release date and latest news
According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple is set to unveil a new MacBook during the WWDC Keynote on June 5. Among this number, it is likely that a brand new 15-inch MacBook Air will be launched.
Rumors of an unreleased 15-inch Mac laptop have been circulating for some time. Gurman first wrote in January 2021 that Apple explored the idea of a 15-inch MacBook Air. Gurman’s sources suggested that Apple wants to introduce this new model to grow its share of the laptop market with more models and more choice for consumers.
In an April 14, 2023 Bloomberg report, Gurman claimed that “Apple is accelerating testing of new Macs with processors on par with the current M2 chip.” Test logs seen by Bloomberg indicate that “Apple is preparing a laptop with similar processor specs to the current M2 model but with a larger, higher-resolution screen.”
A report from DigiTimes in May suggested the 15-inch MacBook Air was already rolling off the production line, with sellers “stocking” the new laptop ahead of its release this spring. On April 10, analyst Ross Young of Display Supply Chain Consultants tweeted (subscription required) that Apple had ramped up production of a 15-inch MacBook Air in the previous two months. Young said the laptop could ship in late April or early May, so an update is possible before WWDC. This followed a Tweeter on February 13, where he said the new MacBook Air’s 15.5-inch panel had entered production.
15-inch MacBook Air: Price
To get an idea of Apple’s pricing for the new 15-inch MacBook Air, we can take a look at the prices for Apple’s current line of Mac laptops.
- 13-inch MacBook Air M2: $1,199/£1,249 or $1,499/£1,549.
- 13-inch MacBook Pro M2: $1,299/£1,349 or $1,499/£1,549.
- 15-inch MacBook Pro M2: from $1,749/£1,849 expected.
- 14-inch MacBook Pro M2 Pro: from $1,999 / £2,149
- 16-inch MacBook Pro M2 Pro: from $2,499 / £2,699
Looking at this lineup, the first challenge is figuring out where the new 15-inch MacBook would fit. Assuming it’s a 15-inch MacBook Air with M2 chip, we expect it to be between the 13-inch MacBook Pro and the 14-inch MacBook Pro, with a higher price than the MacBook Pro 13 inch. There’s a big gap between the price of the 13-inch and 14-inch MacBook Pro, so a starting price between $1,499/£1,549 and $1,999/£2,149 seems like a reasonable guess. So $1,749 / £1,849 seems likely.
If it’s more of a high-end model, with an M2 Pro chip, the price could be even higher – $1,799 was the starting price of the original MacBook Air in 2008, so there’s a president for such a high price. However, a 15-inch MacBook Air M2 Pro that costs less than a 14-inch MacBook Pro with the same chip would be confusing to consumers, so it’s also possible that Apple will also introduce a more expensive 15-inch MacBook Air that falls between 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros.
15-inch MacBook Air: specs
There is a lot of speculation about which processor will power this new 15-inch MacBook. It has been reported that Apple originally wanted this laptop to debut as part of a refresh of the MacBook Air line with the new M3 chip, but production of the M3 chip has been delayed.
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman said in an April 19 newsletter that: “Models coming in June are unlikely to feature major new M3 chips. Instead, they’ll run something in line with current M2 processors.
Respected Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo tweeted in June 2022 that Apple might offer two processor options for the 15-inch Air: an M2, as in the 2022 MacBook Air, and an M2 Pro option. The M2 Pro is currently only offered on the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro and Mac mini models.
Interestingly, Kuo doesn’t refer to this as a MacBook Air but rather calls it a MacBook. In fact, he states that it “might not be called MacBook Air”.
Other sources, however, seem sure that it is an Air: in March 2022, DSCC CEO Ross Young indicated that this new 15-inch model would be a variant of the MacBook Air and would not replace the model current.
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman also seems convinced it’s a 15-inch Air that comes with an M2 chip, but he admits he can offer an M2 Pro chip. In a March newsletter, he even noted the possibility that the MacBook Air could come with an M3 chip. As Gurman said, “Having the new MacBook Air sport the M3 would also make sense from a timing standpoint,” WWDC 2022 marked the launch of the M2 MacBook Air. However, the launch of the M3 would be delayed until late 2023, or more likely 2024, due to “yield issues” at chipmaker TSMC. Apparently the A17 chip used in the 2023 iPhone 15 is taking over from the M3, both of which will use the new 3nm chip manufacturing process.
Gurman claimed that test logs seen by Bloomberg in April indicate that the new laptop’s chip has eight main processing cores and 10 graphics cores and 8GB of RAM, like the M2.
Gurman suggests that “a 15-inch MacBook Air with an M2 chip can still excite consumers.” However, it will still be a one-year-old chip if Apple announces a MacBook Air M2 at WWDC 2023. So is it more likely we’ll see the M2 Pro inside this new MacBook Air?
An Air with an M2 Pro would require much better cooling – the current MacBook Air doesn’t even include a fan – so if Apple were to include an M2 Pro inside, substantial design changes to the Air would be needed (which we will discuss below). Alternatively, it’s possible that, as Kuo stated in the tweet above, the supposed 15-inch Mac laptop isn’t a MacBook Air.
The inclusion of M2 Pro chips in the 15-inch MacBook Air and potentially the 13-inch MacBook Pro model could also negatively impact 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro sales.
If Apple were to use the M3 chip inside this new MacBook Air it would avoid having to redesign the machine, but introducing an M3 at the same time as it announces M2 variants of other products at WWDC (the M2 Ultra Mac Pro for example) might make these products look dated in comparison.
As for other features, we expect this new model to be similar to 256GB of storage and 8GB of RAM in the entry-level model with 512GB and 1TB, and 16GB and 24GB options. It will also likely have a MagSafe charging port and two Thunderbolt 4 ports along with a 1080p FaceTime camera. Finally, the new Air will likely ship with Apple’s new 35W dual-port adapter.
IDG
15-inch MacBook Air: design and display
When Apple first announced the MacBook Air in 2008, it was only available in a 13-inch model, although an 11-inch model was added in 2010 and discontinued in 2015. Thus, offering two sizes of MacBook Air would not be unprecedented.
IDG
It won’t be the first time Apple has sold a 15-inch laptop either. Apple introduced the popular 15-inch PowerBook in 2001 and the 15-inch MacBook Pro in 2006. Apple continued to sell a version of the 15-inch MacBook Pro until it was replaced by the 16-inch MacBook Pro in 2019.
The latest 15-inch MacBook Pro model had a 15.4-inch screen and dimensions of 13.75 inches (34.93 cm) x 9.48 inches (24.07 cm) x 0.61 inches (1.55 cm). A newer model would have smaller bezels like the MacBook Air M2, so the screen could be a little bigger. For example, the MacBook Air M2 has a slightly larger 13.6-inch screen than the 13.3-inch screen of the MacBook Pro and MacBook Air M1, but the dimensions are virtually identical.
However, Apple could get even smaller instead. Analyst Ross Young, who correctly predicted the M2 Air’s 13.6-inch screen, suggested in March 2022 that this new model’s screen would be 15.2-inches. It would be about a quarter-inch smaller than the 15-inch MacBook Pro and much smaller, probably measuring around 12.5-inches x 8.75-inches. Along with smaller bezels, the new 15-inch display will likely feature a notch and have a thin profile of less than half an inch. Later reports said the panel would be 15.5 inches.
The design of this 15-inch MacBook can also determine whether it runs an M2 or M2 Pro chip. If Apple were to include an M2 Pro inside, the design would have to be adjusted – an Air equipped with an M2 Pro would require at least one fan for cooling, as with the high-end Pros. If there were no fan, substantial changes to the Air’s thermal design would be required, which would likely result in a thicker case.
Although there were rumors that the MacBook Air would get a mini-LED display in 2022, Apple opted to use a similar LCD screen for the redesigned laptop. So it looks like ProMotion mini-LED technology will be reserved for high-end MacBook Pro models, so the new 15-inch MacBook Air probably won’t offer any of these features. Additionally, Apple may be planning an OLED upgrade in 2024, according to analyst Ross Young, so don’t expect that tech until 2024.
We assume the 15-inch MacBook Air will come in colors other than silver and space gray like the 13-inch model. We haven’t heard any rumors about specific options, although there were previous rumors of a green version of the MacBook Air M2 that never materialized.
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