To no one’s surprise, Apple unveiled a new MacBook Air during the WWDC 2022 keynote. It comes with a new design that is somewhat reminiscent of the 14/16-inch MacBook Pro or the latest iPad Pro M1. To the surprise of some, it comes with Apple’s new M2 processor, which is an evolution of the M1, with more features, more power, and more speed but maintaining the principles of using the least amount of energy possible.

From a sales standpoint, the MacBook Air is Apple’s biggest selling laptop. It also represents many of the company’s values: small, light, very thin, offering a large number of features. The laptop, since its launch in 2008 by Steve Jobs, was intended to offer the best of a Mac in the most invisible “packaging” possible. With few exceptions, they have succeeded.

For the first time, the MacBook Air abandons the iconic wedge design and adopts one more similar to the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro that was released in the fall of 2021. I had the opportunity to attend the WWDC 2022 keynote at Apple Park in Cupertino. I’ve had the device in my hands, and these are my first impressions, of Apple’s most popular new laptop.

All the MacBook Air changes inside and out

The first thing that strikes you about the new MacBook Air design is the new colors. I’m sure the new midnight and star white will be quite popular. Both colors work very well with this new design.

It’s funny to see a Mac so thin with such straight lines. Apple has gotten us so used to the wedge design with this product, that at times it seems like a thicker laptop than it is. You would also believe that it is heavier. But not. Holding it in your hand feels the familiar weight of an Air. Although this version is a little lighter, 1.24 kg, versus 1.29 kg before.

When you open the MacBook Air you discover another important change: the screen. Now it is larger since the borders are smaller. Going from 13.3 inches to 13.6 inches in this new version. Yes, there is also a notch, where the front webcam is.

Apple has decided to fully adopt that “interruption” in the screen both in the iPhone and in the MacBook Pro 14 or 16 inches, which comes with the MacBook Air. As the screen is smaller, the notch is a bit larger, but rest assured that it is not a problem, the interface adapts without problems.

The MacBook Air’s screen also changes in terms of brightness and is appreciated. It is a Liquid Retina of 2,560 by 1,664 at 224 pixels per inch with a brightness of 500 nits – 100 more than the previous model – and True Tone technology. More brightness will always be appreciated, but for the price of the device we shouldn’t expect something similar to the 14- or 16-inch MacBook Pro.

It’s a simple detail, but I think it’s important. The new MacBook Air brings back the MagSafe port that had already returned on the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros released in fall 2021.

That has an added benefit: the Thunderbolt port is freed up for other uses by not having to use it for charging.

In terms of autonomy, the new MacBook Air with M2 maintains 18 hours of battery life, which is appreciated, because this new laptop is more powerful.

The M2 processor inside the MacBook Air

The big change in the MacBook Air is not in its design, screen, ports, or colors, but in the new M2 processor developed by Apple. It is the first equipment that incorporates it, maintaining all the advantages of the M1 but improving performance without losing energy efficiency.

Apple claims that the M2 is 1.4 times more powerful than the M1, 38% faster when editing video, and 20% faster when applying filters and effects to images. Although they did not give information on the software used to obtain those numbers.

There is a lot of confusion about where the M2 sits about the rest of Apple’s processors. It’s more powerful than the M1 but less powerful than the M1 Pro, M1 Max, or M1 Ultra. We assume that in the future we will see M2 Pro, M2 Max, and M2 Ultra, but it will be much later.

Price and availability

The new MacBook Air with an M2 processor comes with new prices. In the United States, the cheapest version is worth $1,199 plus taxes. In Spain, they are 1.1519 euros (already with taxes included). The base version includes 256 GB of space and 8 GB of RAM, which I find insufficient for many tasks.

The powerful version with 10 GPU cores and 512 GB of storage is priced at $1,499 plus tax or €1,869 with tax included. Out of curiosity, the laptop with everything maxed out — that is, 24GB, 2TB of storage, and the 67W power adapter — is priced at $2,499 before tax or €3,019 (including tax).