MacBook Air (15 inches, 2024): technical sheet, price and reviews

The 15-inch MacBook Air (in brief):

• 15.3 inch screen
• M2 chip
• from 1,599 euros
• operating system: macOS Sonoma
• up to 24 GB of RAM

1 – Performance

The 15-inch MacBook Air is equipped with a proprietary M2 processor, featuring eight CPU cores and up to ten graphics card cores depending on the configuration chosen. The RAM, for its part, will not exceed twenty-four gigabytes, but you can also choose gigabytes or sixteen gigabytes for a more affordable price.

2 – Screen technical sheet

The 15-inch MacBook Air's screen is the largest Apple has ever designed for this range. As its name half suggests, the panel measures 15.3 inches diagonally. It reaches a brightness of five hundred nits, which will be handy if you use the computer in direct sunlight. As for the resolution proposed by the manufacturer, it is 2K. More precisely, you will be entitled here to 2,880 by 1,864 pixels. The fault is a notch at the top of the display, distracting the front sensor dedicated to selfies.

3 – What autonomy for the 15-inch MacBook Air?

Apple explains that its fifteen-inch MacBook Air M2 can last up to eighteen hours of video playback. Let's be honest: it's a lot. In reality, you may get less, especially with the volume at full volume and without using the Apple TV app which is particularly optimized to consume a minimum of energy.

In wireless web browsing, that is to say via Wi-Fi, Apple explains that the MacBook Air M2 (15 inches) reaches fifteen hours of autonomy. So it's a little less, but it will be enough if you just plan to read blog posts or emails.

4 – Design of the MacBook Air M2 (15 inches)

The design of the 15-inch MacBook Air M2 is exactly the same as the 13-inch MacBook Air M2. We are simply on a slightly more imposing form factor. Moreover, be aware that it is an aluminum chassis that awaits you with this model, which means that the material is quite brittle in the event of a fall. We therefore advise you to consider purchasing a protective case if you plan to treat yourself to this device soon.

The 15-inch MacBook Air is now available in four different colors: starlight, space gray, silver or midnight. The price does not change depending on the shade chosen.

5 – Connectivity and wireless networks

There are only two USB-C ports on the fifteen-inch MacBook Air M2. It's really not much: you will probably have to buy an additional hub. These sockets are compatible with the Thunderbolt 4 standard, which offers excellent speeds for data transfer and also allows you to connect external monitors of your choice.

For wireless connectivity, the MacBook Air M2 is entitled to Bluetooth 5.3 and Wi-Fi 802.11ax, not to mention AirDrop which allows you to send documents to another Apple device in just a few seconds.

6 – What about the operating system?

It is the macOS Sonoma operating system that equips the fifteen-inch MacBook Air M2, just likehis 13-inch little brother. There are many security features as well as end-to-end encryption for photos and notes, but not only that. Indeed, users can also write documents with Pages or create presentations with Keynote.

Apple has not specified how long its new 2024 MacBook Air will be supported. We simply know that as a general rule, its computers are entitled to major updates for five to seven years. Security updates, for their part, may exceed this duration.

7 – Sound and camera

A FaceTime HD webcam with 1080p definition is hidden behind the notch of the 15-inch MacBook Air. This offers a rather qualitative rendering, but without the Centered Frame functionality found on certain iPads. For sound, you will be treated to a jack with a diameter of 3.5 millimeters, which supports high-impedance headphones.

But that's not all, since as a bonus, the 15-inch MacBook Air M2 also offers compatibility withAudio spatialprovided you have a paired pair of AirPods, like AirPods Pro 2 or AirPods 3. With this, six speakers are waiting for you to listen to music directly from the computer.

8 – MacBook Air 15 inches (2023): the prices of the different models

The 15-inch MacBook Air is now available from 1,599 euros, for the most affordable version with only 8 gigabytes of RAM and a 256 gigabyte SSD. However, it is possible to opt for a 512 GB SSD for an additional 230 euros, or 1 TB for an additional 460 euros. With the 2 TB SSD, the price increases to 2,519 euros.

Here are the pricing options for RAM:

• 8 GB: included at no extra charge
• 16 GB: 230 euros additional
• 24 GB: 460 euros additional

The MacBook Air M2 comes with a charger of your choice: either a 70-watt USB-C power adapter, or a model with two USB-C outlets but only 35 watts of power.

9 – Our opinion on this laptop

The new fifteen-inch MacBook Air M2 is clearly the best value for money for aMacBookin 2024. It is an excellent laptop, which benefits from ideal integration with the rest of the Apple ecosystem including iPhones and iPads.

Its price is certainly more expensive than that of an equivalent Windows computer, but the 5 GB offered on iCloud and the performance of the M2 chip can really make the difference on a daily basis.