Rumors resumed this week that a new 15-inch MacBook Air would be Apple’s next major Mac release. But whether it arrives before, during or after WWDC, or at a Mac event in the fall, this is true: it will instantly become Apple’s perfect laptop.
This may sound like overkill, but hear me out. Assuming the rumors and our own assumptions are true, the 15-inch MacBook Air will be the go-to laptop for almost any user with its combination of size, processing power, and value. The MacBook Air is already Apple’s most popular laptop, and a 15-inch model would be the crown jewel of the lineup. Here’s why.
15-inch MacBook Air: the right size
Apple offers MacBooks in four different sizes: 13.3-inch (13-inch MacBook Pro), 13.6-inch (MacBook Air M2), 14.2-inch (MacBook Pro), and 16.2-inch (MacBook Pro). You would think that with these options it would be easy to find the perfect size. But these sizes come with limitations and sacrifices that make the purchasing decision difficult.
If you want a big screen, the obvious choice is the 16-inch MacBook Pro, which has the biggest screen in a MacBook. But the large screen means it’s heavy – it weighs nearly 5 pounds (over 2 kilograms). It may not seem like much, but if you carry your laptop around for a full workday, the strain on your back and shoulders becomes noticeable over time.
The 16-inch MacBook Pro is a bit too big and heavy for a lot of people.
Foundry
If you want the lightest MacBook available, your pick is the 13.6-inch MacBook Air M2, which weighs just 2.7 pounds (1.24 kilograms). That makes it a featherweight compared to the 16-inch MacBook Pro, but the trade-off is a much smaller screen. If you use work apps or are like me and have millions of different app windows open at once, those three thumbs make a big difference.
Apple also offers two other often overlooked 13-inch laptops: the 13.3-inch MacBook Air M1 and MacBook Pro M2. Both are based on older models that have relatively gigantic black bezels that add to the overall size. The MacBook Air M1, which has a slightly smaller screen than the MacBook Air M2, actually weighs a bit more. Likewise, the 13-inch MacBook Pro actually has a larger footprint than the 14-inch MacBook Pro, despite being an inch smaller and weighing half a pound less.
A 15-inch MacBook Air instantly becomes the new sweet spot. The screen will be noticeably larger than 13-inch laptops, and while it surely won’t be as light as the current MacBook Air, it won’t be as heavy as the 16-inch MacBook Pro either. When you put the 15-inch MacBook Air in your bag, it should literally and figuratively fit perfectly.
15-inch MacBook Air: good performance
Bloomberg reported this week that the MacBook Air being tested has a processor “on par” with the M2 in the 13-inch MacBook Air. It’s a great chip with fantastic performance, but there are also rumors that there might be an M2 Pro option like the Mac mini.
Compared to the M2 chip in the 13-inch MacBook Air, Apple’s M2 Pro chip is 20% faster in CPU and 30% faster in GPU performance. Early reports of the 15-inch MacBook Air indicated that Apple might offer an M2 Pro option, with a standard M2 configuration. If so, that’s a huge boost over the current Air.
The performance gains may seem minimal and most people won’t feel the difference in everyday use. But users with data-intensive work need all the processing power they can get, and the M2 Pro’s boost can save a lot of time.
An M2 Pro in a MacBook Air would be an ideal combination of processing power and portability.
Apple
However, could Apple use its new M3 chip instead of an M2 Pro? A recent report by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman said that Apple “wants to put its Mac-grade processors on an annual upgrade cycle like the iPhone’s A-series chips,” but that’s probably a bit too soon. for the M3 to arrive. Still, it’s an intriguing notion.
The M3 will be Apple’s first chip made with the 3nm die process, which allows for more transistors and better performance and power efficiency than the 5nm process used with the M1 and M2 chips. With 3nm, the performance boost could be even bigger than the 20% we saw from M1 to M2.
So whether he has an M2 Pro now or an M3 Pro later, the 15-inch Air will be an extremely attractive alternative to the 14-inch MacBook Pro. Even though it has the same cores, the chip probably won’t be as fast as the 14-inch MacBook Pro due to the Air’s fanless design which limits performance at high temperatures, and it won’t have as much ports or as much max memory either. But it will absolutely hit the sweet spot when it comes to power and performance and for many people it will be even more appealing than the 14-inch Pro.
15-inch MacBook Air: the right price
Apple’s current MacBook lineup has a glaring price gap. There’s the $999 M1 Air followed by the $1,199 M2 model, then the $1,299 13-inch MacBook Pro M2. Then you go up to $1,999 for the 14-inch MacBook Pro. Assuming a 15-inch MacBook Air M2 starts at $1,399 or $1,449, it would slip right into the gap between Apple’s Pro laptops.
Consider BTO options. You can get an M2 Air with 16GB of memory and a 512GB SSD for $1,699, just $300 less than the base model 14-inch MacBook Pro with an M2 Pro, and the same memory and storage . A few hundred dollars gets you a heavier laptop with a slightly bigger screen and slightly faster performance. It’s either price or performance, and there are obvious sacrifices no matter which machine you choose.
But a 15-inch MacBook Air with an M2 Pro could close that gap between $1,849 and $150 more than the Air and $150 less than the Pro. Sure, the Pro still has a superior Liquid Retina XDR display and more ports, but the decision is easier there. If you want a bigger screen but don’t need ProMotion or HDMI, the 15-inch Air is the obvious choice and clear winner.
