In our review of the 15-inch MacBook Air, we repeatedly pointed out how similar it is to the 13-inch model, from keyboard to display specs. We now have confirmation that another part of the laptop is also the same: slower storage on the 256GB model.
According to a teardown from YouTube channel Max Tech, the 15-inch MacBook Air with 256GB of storage uses a single NAND chip instead of two 128GB chips as with the M1 models. As a result, storage speeds can be halved compared to models with higher storage. This can cause system slowdowns, especially as more space is filled on the disk. The same was true for the 13-inch MacBook Air M2.
The limitation does not affect Macs with 512 GB of storage or more, including entry-level Mac Studio and Mac Pro. Apple previously sold the Mac Pro with a 256GB SSD, but increased base storage to 1TB with the new Apple Silicon update.
It’s unclear why Apple changed the way it allocates storage on the 256GB models, but it was likely a cost-cutting or supply chain issue. All M2 Macs with 256GB of storage will experience the same issue, although it’s possible that Apple will revert to 128GB chips when the M3 processor arrives.
The 15-inch MacBook Air is available for purchase starting at $1,299. An upgrade to 512GB of storage costs an additional $200.
