Apple M2 MacBook Air - 100 Hours Later: It's Ridiculous

[@AndrewEthanZeng]

Apple just announced the new 15" variant at a really reasonable $1,299 and the 13" in this video is now lowered to $1,099. Which size would you get? MacBook Pro M2 Max Review: kzbin.info/www/bejne/oKi6ZmNmZqyMl68

[@arcadiosincero]

13". I just switched to an MBA 13 from a MBP 16 because I got tired of lugging around that heavy ass MBP. So basically going from one extreme to another I guess. I'm suspecting, though, that a MBP 14 would be the sweet spot for me. I'll see how well this MBA 13 goes for my use case.

[@DarkMatterXM]

I just bought the 15" for under a grand at BestBuy. I felt that was a good enough deal to upgrade from my old 2018 MBA. I still use a 2017 27" iMac with 64gb ram as well.

[@user-gg7vx2mx4c]

Did you come across overheating issues lot?

[@75and1]

I had it for 4 days and I can’t put it down. Even coming from an M1 AIR, this thing is a beauty. I went for starlight, 8 core gpu, 16gb ram, 512gb SSD

[@healthymythic]

Bro you could have gone with 14"inch pro models with few extra dollars...btw great purchase 👍

[@75and1]

@@healthymythic I know, but I prefer portability vs power. With this configuration is still enough for my usage and the 14” is bulkier

[@jackhamm7745]

Exact model I got. Love it so far. I wanted the portability and I'm not using it for power use (I have a desktop for that). So it's perfect.

[@Aryonwilica218]

This is exactly what I was thinking about buying I want to start video editing and maybe a little music mixing and audio should I add on the Logic Pro and Final Cut Pro to the total

[@jackhamm7745]

@@Aryonwilica218 If you're going to really get into video editing you may want to consider getting a Pro model. Not that the air can't handle most of it, but it could be slow at buffering and exporting. Make sure to look at reviews about those tasks and how the AirM2 handles it. Video editing is the definition of "power use".

[@AndrewEthanZeng]

Here's my final verdict and follow up review after spending 3 months with the M2 Air as my main laptop, enjoy! kzbin.info/www/bejne/iHnTnGCBiJuIg5o

[@AdamBuker]

Yes. The slower SSD issue is only for the 256 GB option. Even at that, the slower SSD speed would really only impact use cases using applications that would eat a ton of SWAP memory. If you fall into such a use case, you're either upgrading from the base model anyway or more likely you'll need a beefier computer like a 14" or 16" MacBook Pro. For general purpose computing (web, email, productivity, casual photo/video editing, casual gaming) it's a great machine and is exactly what it was designed for.

[@corianderhater]

Great video! How does the m2 MBA perform when playing dota 2 for extended periods of time? Does it lag?

[@lucie442]

MacBook oxygen :) So Andrew, someone like me who has a ton of tabs open, uses a CD player to attach to it, uses a lot of KZbin, wants to edit videos for vlogging and also uses interactive learning softwares, creating digital media, etc would the MacBook Pro M1 (or M2) be better suited? And if so what specs would you recommend ?

[@holdencaulfied7492]

Hi Andrew, are you saying the slower read/write isn't a problem if I get 512GB? Please be clear.

[@SonnyNoles]

I'm upgrading from my old 2013 MBA to the M2 8GB/256SSD. I don't do any video editing/rendering or gaming on it. It's light photo editing 5% of the time and mostly a computer for web browsing for my wife. Should I be concerned about noticing any slowdown with the SSD? I would think going from a 1.3Ghz i5/4GB/128SSD for reference. Thx.

[@JoshAmes1980]

Just got mine yesterday (not the base model) and honestly so far it's the best computer I've ever owned. It's super sleek, slim, light and handles anything I throw at it with ease and has barely gotten warm so far. I'm very impressed.

[@Lost_In_LA]

It's a dream laptop for vast majority of end users. I love the new look.

[@Lost_In_LA]

@Ramp Midnight.

[@Lost_In_LA]

@Ramp It’s fantastic. Fingerprints have never bothered me for some reason.

[@troywalt4834]

Try low power mode btw

[@skoolynugenator1802]

How’s the screen?

[@zeroxjf]

It’s simple: if what you do causes so much stress that the M2 Air starts to heat throttle, get a 14 inch Pro. For most people, it would be near impossible to make it heat throttle. I’ve been testing a base model for weeks and even with my most intense workload, it never gets hot. Never gets above 120 degrees F

[@sullychow4123]

Doesn't excuse Apples design nd pricing for a machine that will usually thermal throttle. Spending more money is a catch all solution lol.

[@rickbarrington]

At 120F it will be severely degrading cpu performance and over time burn out the gpu

[@blahguy164]

120F is roughly less than 49c. Completely within spec without causing damage.

[@mattlikespandas7019]

@@rickbarrington no

[@ChachoTrades]

If im a day trader, and ill run ThinkOrSwim software, alongside a zoom call, Discord, and multiple tabs open for around 8 hours connected to one 49’ monitor, and 2 35’ curved monitors a day do you think an m1 MBA 16/215g would work ?

[@Justin.Franks]

You really should have clarified that the SSD speed issue is _only_ for the 256 GB option. All of the larger SSD options use two NAND chips, but you insinuate that having only one NAND chip is present across all M2 Air models.

[@sammyjammy6647]

But let’s just admit, apple didn’t clock the m2 correctly, the base ssd shouldn’t have been missing a nand, the thermals on the m2 air are inferior to the m1. The heat sink on the m1 is better. The performance difference between this generation and last is not significant enough. Skip the m2

[@AndrewEthanZeng]

Thanks for clarifying an important point Justin!

[@andyH_England]

@@sammyjammy6647 I understand that the heat sink on the M2 had to be reduced due to the risk of breaking the law by having the base heat up too much due to passive cooling with the 10-core GPU and higher frequency CPU cores. I think you should understand Apple fully tests all the options and has many variables to consider. In this case they decided to not risk higer temps on the base (and law suits) and went for thermal management to regulate the temps. In some interviews Apple reps clearly state that if you are doing intensive sustained work, then do not buy the M2 Air, clear advice, and they add, instead buy a Mac with a fan. Apple cannot be blamed for people ignoring advice or not using common sense, that is down to the individual.

[@deividas76]

@@andyH_England I dont get it why Air models exist then? Why it so difficult to put cooler?

[@andyH_England]

@@deividas76 Why do fanless laptops exist? Because that is what people want! The Air was the best selling laptop in the world in 2021, outselling every variant in windows-land. The vast majority of PC users, 90% plus just need a machine to do the light work of say tablets but with no need for touch support. They do not need a big laptop with fans and noise, and vents. They want light and small and there is nothing close to it in Windows-world ATM (WOA coming soon).

[@_connic]

The only thing you should consider regarding storage, is the size. Speed is not gonna be an issue 99%. Reason is simple, if you are gonna be transferring big files (not many small ones) then yes you will get 1.5GB per second instead of 2.5GB sec, which results in 15-20 second loss for a 50GB file (keep that in mind). Now if you are gonna be transferring many small files for a total of 40-50GB the difference will be much smaller, because of random read/write speeds, which are almost identical between the 2 options. This is the important thing anyone fails to mention. However, i would suggest a 512GB model just for the size of it alone. But if you can only update 1 thing then go for RAM which is much much more important. Storage you can hook up an ssd, for ram it's impossible. And as i already said, internal ssd speed, barely even matters between the different config options.

[@buckybarnes3015]

Just got one and dang this is a nice computer, very impressed. As a light user this is perfect for my level of work and daily computing tasks

[@DhruvPatelDearDhruv]

I am a developer for more than 10 years, I received MBA M2 (24GB, 512GB) last week. This fulfills all my needs while developing app and on the go. I have not encountered the CPU throttling on my daily use cases so far. However, at the given price range someone might look for the pro models. I am pretty satisfied so far! :)

[@DhruvPatelDearDhruv]

​@Distilled Machine Learning Mostly android related, so - Android studio( emulators and sometimes mobile screen mirroring), VS Code, very ofter Xcode, and other power hungry apps like, slack, teams, chrome. Since this is my work MBA I do not use it for the video or photo editing, However, I am a windows user and have the acer nitro 7 2019 model which I use for all the above stuff(excluding xcode ofcourse) and photo/video editing plus few other software, too.

[@cyden2949]

Do you think I would have problems while using fl studio for a few hours I dont think I would but I never had a MBA so I dont really know What to expect

[@DhruvPatelDearDhruv]

@@cyden2949 hmm, I am unsure about how intensive your task would be. If it runs intensively on CPU and GPU for more than 20 minutes continuously, this might hit the processing threshold. Small bursty tasks are great on this, if you wanna run for the longer period , I would suggest to go for the active cooling systems like mac pro, passive cooling in MBA is needed when it is too hot. :)

[@DhruvPatelDearDhruv]

@Jo A Copenhagen, DK. we just had summer! :)

[@MesozoicZac]

I snagged one at Costco recently. Base model for school work. I wanted the midnight, but when I saw the display models, and I saw all of the nasty fingerprints on the midnight, I went for starlight which looked immaculate in comparison. I can’t do visible fingerprints, they kill me. Starlight’s great though! Love how subtle of a cold color it is, almost looks silver in some lights. Love it so far though! Perfect for homework and the very light video editing/exporting I do. Can recommend to anyone looking for a smashing laptop that won’t break the bank too badly.

[@EverythingGizmo]

After watching Jon Rettinger’s new video on Apple’s controlling PR team, it’s now easy to see which reviews are honest and transparent. And this one definitely is. Thank you for sharing a balanced review that sheds light on the flawsrather than simping

[@gregoriom.2502]

what's the tl;dr on jon's video?

[@RealJoseph123]

@@gregoriom.2502 Apple doesn’t give him review units because of dummy units and his iPhone XR review was negative. Apple told him to take it down and he refused so they never invite him to Apple events or even speak to him again. They historically hated leaks, but the iPhone XR review was the nail in the coffin for no communication with his channel. I’d keep in mind he runs clickbait channels like the Apple Circle.

[@gregoriom.2502]

@@RealJoseph123 thanks, so in summary nothing too surprising but I imagine it would instill fear in channels who want to work with apple or why others hold nothing but praise for them

[@TheAppleLoadout]

@@RealJoseph123 The Apple Circle is the worst "Apple" channel. Rettinger's video about the PR story was typical. Played the victim when he deliberately used the dummy phones.

[@andyH_England]

That was sour grapes and he should have just taken down the video as Apple has clear guidelines with NDA'a as do other OEMs. It was nothing out of the ordinary, C4Tech in India did a Samsung review they did not like and Samsung stopped sending him early access. I think you are very naive if you do not think that those that do negative reviews are going to keep access, as no one with any sense will keep sneding devices to influencers that are producing anti-videos.

[@eleventeen5051]

Nailed it. Kick ass cinematic and honest review as always.

[@AndrewEthanZeng]

Thank you!

[@leoribeirop]

I think would be important for you to mention that the 256GB one is the only version of the MacBook Air M2 has one slot instead two. 512GB, 1TB and yo are still 2 slots like the M1 and has even faster speeds in reading and writings files/softwares!

[@wtfhappenedtome]

I much prefer your videos without background music. I love your videos, you are my go to guy for tech reviews etc.

[@AndrewEthanZeng]

I appreciate it! I really should run a poll on this

[@Archivist42]

I do think it’s worth pointing out the SSD slowdown only impacts 256GB capacity. If you go for 512GB I believe this is two 256GB chips which gives the same result as before

[@AndrewEthanZeng]

Thank you for pointing it out to and covering an important piece I missed!

[@LayCritic]

which was not an issue in m1 mba, so the new gen is downgraded, wth? Apple is being cheap AGAIN.

[@andyH_England]

@@LayCritic I tested my workload on my MB Pro 13 M2 and I found that the 256GB SSD was fine. In fact, I mainly use random writes and reads and they were faster than the M1 256GB Air. I simply do not have a workflow where I do 1GB transfers, as the speed tests show. Other videos show, that as a whole the M2 is faster and better than the M1, sometimes by BIG margins (media engine in ProRes). You just need to buy the correct RAM. If you get 16GB then the 256GB drive slower speeds are negated as you do not need swap.

[@terrytrvn]

@@andyH_England so if you were to get the 16GB ram with the 256SSD, you shouldn’t see any of these slowdown issues that everyone has been complaining about?

[@andyH_England]

@@terrytrvn Correct, as no swap, or very little swap is needed. I would say to anyone, get 16GB if you are buying for 5+ years as it will future-proof and give headroom if your usage changes over the lifetime. For storage, that is what TB3 is for, just buy a superfast external drive.

[@akizer0]

For people on the fence and afraid about the SSD, DONT. If you have a really specific heavy workload that tax the cpu hard, go for Macbook Pro 14". otherwise, The Air M2 is great mobile workhorse. Pair it with 16GB of RAM, minimizing the swap that tax the SSD. Dont feel obligated to upgrade the SSD if you dont upgrade the RAM first. If you have budget for both upgrade (I dont), and have to pick only 1, go for RAM. A certain YT will points about the SSD speed, but that was done with 8GB RAM 256GB vs 16GB RAM 512GB. So it is actually 2 variables, not single variable.

[@andyH_England]

You are spot on. The YT creator in question did many videos but never did the baseline of 16GB/256GB which would have once and for all told us if it was the slower SSD, or teas it too little RAM for what you were doing? Other creators did do that comparison and proved conclusively that the 8GB of RAM, not the 256GB of NAND was the main culprit in performance loss. The take from this OTT 256GB drama, is that if you get the RAM your work needs then the 256GB makes very little difference to the average user, and the MB Air is mainly for that demographic (no fan ultrabook).

[@averageyoutubeuser2475]

most accurate comment i’ve seen in the whole week. Talked with a friend at apple before purchasing the M2 and advised me to go 16gb. Indeed it’s a great decision. I’m a cloud based service addict so, that’s the way!

[@RobertaMacklin]

I really appreciated the distinction you made between the user case for the Air and the M1 Pro lineup. I think the MacBook Oxygen is the way to go. I look forward to watching your long term review.

[@fightnight14]

I love the new form factor it's so nice to hold on it doesn't dig in your hands unlike the older design

[@scottt3491]

Thank you for a great review. Since I'm upgrading from a 2.3 GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i7 from mid 2012, I think M2 is still a major upgrade! Macbook oxygen.

[@isaacbounds7577]

I love the dark mode! one of the coolest features I've seen with a MacBook, I upgraded from a MacBook Pro I bought 7 years ago and let me tell you, its one of the best MacBooks I've ever had, if you wait several years between upgrading you'll see huge improvements!

[@achilleaustin4477]

Great seeing more and more Aussie KZbinrs, love your content mate keep it up 👍

[@hummersd]

Just to clarify, reviewers aren’t “gifted” their units. They have several days to use the units to test and prepare review videos, but they have to send them back.

[@sismachine]

sure, but if you want to review the next gadget...

[@andyH_England]

@@sismachine If you do a fair review and can prove your issues then OEMs will not object, but if your review is fake or agenda-driven then you are not going to get further review units, and that will be the case with all OEMs. Just look at Intel, now they only send out units to the preview channels, that are just advertisements really. I suspect they also have NDA's not allowing comparisons with Macs. I saw a YT channel that wanted to do the M1 Mac -v- a selection of Intel machines, but the OEMs all refused to send devices for comparison (for obvious reasons). I feel that people that just think Apple is the only one that tries to market effectively are seriously deluded, as no one, whoever you are wants bad reviews.

[@mdarks4117]

The midnight colour is nice. The in store models show extreme wear & scratches in & around the ports (especially mag safe). How’s the paint been for u around the ports?

[@Antonocon]

All I ever hear on this laptop is that it's not great for anyone that needs a good performance but it's good for anyone looking for an entry level laptop. So is my previous macbook air from a few years ago. And so are all the other recent macbook airs. I'm going to stick with my old one, there seems nothing here to inspire me to upgrade. I hope they do better next year.

[@CineDesi]

How often you have your computer near water gives me anxiety. #macbookoxygen

[@AndrewEthanZeng]

My apologies. Someone also said something about it being always on the edge.

[@cobra-wo3tg]

This is my first Mac laptop and I think it's great! I've had it for 2 days and it's remained cool to the touch doing regular tasks compared to my old Windows laptop which runs quite hot with the loud fan constantly running doing the same tasks. The Air is so much better. I got starlight and I haven't noticed any fingerprints at all thankfully.

[@Elliot235]

Have you been running Microsoft word etc with it?

[@cobra-wo3tg]

​@@Elliot235 I don't have MS Office installed - I usually use Google Docs for that type of work. Just basic web browsing or watching KZbin videos for a while was enough to heat up the laptop and trigger the fan.

[@jayjohn223]

@@cobra-wo3tg the air doesn’t have a fan tho

[@cobra-wo3tg]

@@jayjohn223 I was referring to my old Windows laptop that I mentioned in my original comment.

[@jayjohn223]

@@cobra-wo3tg oh my bad

[@Solstice42]

Good review overall - glad to see you included other use cases - besides video creators - students, business travelers and writers ... where it seems like speed is not critical - but form-factor-size, weight and battery life is critical

[@tae_haz1301]

great review jus got my m2 air about a week ago and I love it.

[@bill3117]

Your advice makes a lot of sense! Thank you!

[@MadMaxx1977]

Excellent video, mate! Got my new M2 MacBook Air 16GB/512GB a week early this past Saturday and thought I'd post my thoughts. It's a beautiful machine with build quality that's superior to any Dell XPS laptops I've owned. Space Grey looks good. I wanted Midnight but the scratch and fingerprint issues chased me away. I don't record/edit video so it runs smooth/cool with Office 2021 apps and streaming video. Feels strange using a laptop after over a year with my M1 iPad Pro 12.9" and magic keyboard. I keep reaching for the Air's screen to touch an icon or scroll through a website. Had no idea how acclimated I became with the iPad's touch screen. Same with the iPad’s Face ID vs. Touch ID on the Air. Face ID easily wins that battle. If I made the decision today, I prefer my iPad + magic keyboard setup. Never thought I'd be so comfortable with a tablet. I still expect to keep my Air after getting comfortable with the advantages of a true laptop. Based on my 4 days of use, Apple is gonna sell a ton of these new Airs.

[@AndrewEthanZeng]

Great write up and thanks for sharing!

[@MadMaxx1977]

@@AndrewEthanZeng Thanks, man! Glad to help!!

[@TheOriginalJohnDoe]

As a data scientist, I've made the exact same choice. After a ton of research and bechmark checking, I think that M2 MBA 16G/512G and any non-midnight color will give you the best bang for your buck. I hate the fingerprints issue and 8GB memory is not engough for me these days, so I need at least 16G memory, and 256G is not enough as well, so upgrading to 512G as well. MBA preferably, as the MBP is basically with the fan and benchmark say that MBA is as good as MBP, so MBA would be the best option I'd say.

[@trollingextreme]

This comment reads as if it had been written by AI

[@richiezubiri3385]

@@trollingextreme His name is John Doe

[@omaryehia2]

Hello Andrew, i just ordered the Macbook Oxygen M2 arriving tomorrow, i'm super excited as i'm coming from a crappy 300 usd leonovo ideapad model 2013

[@jugaldesai3251]

Everything depends on the requirement, I use a MacBook air M2 and I did not feel any heating issues till now. If your condition is to play games and edit high-end video you should choose many other options in the market so first understand your requirement for using the laptop.

[@Aryonwilica218]

So if I’m just starting off learning video editing and audio engineering and just want to learn the basics should I get the 512GB SSD 8 core model and should I add the Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro to the laptop or just pay for it later on ?

[@rudyvillafane]

NOTE at ~ 11:17: Yes, it's true the MacBook Air does not support 2 external monitors natively. However, it is noteworthy to mention that the MacBook Air *can* support multiple external displays via DisplayLink adapters or docking stations. I personally am able to run 2 external displays at 2K. To keep things fair, there are a few drawbacks to DisplayLink--but, these have not been deal-breakers in my experience thus far.

[@lambertj.2892]

I got the base M2 Air and it's fantastic. Fastest computer I've ever used. Just get one.

[@BugGenerat0r]

You should have mentioned that the SSD is slower only on the base (256GB) model. Major omission. All the other sizes use 2 chips instead of 1.

[@midlife_minimalist]

I ordered midnight but debated changing to Starlight due to fingerprints. But I don’t like the black keys against starlight and figured that is what I will look at the most. After watching a lot of videos I went with 256 and 16mb RAM. RAM upgrade is never a bad idea. My 2015 IMac has 8mb

[@garymofo2]

nice 16mb

[@Gorilla_warfare]

Lol I’m the same with dark keys on light Mac. Little things drive me crazy

[@nicolasb.henry294]

I use a base M2 MBA and it is a real powerhouse for my work flow. Photo editing, light retouche, organising my work and writing new project. It is the perfect laptop to work on train or on cafés when you are on the go. Of course if you using this machine to edit 8 k videos while having 50 tabs open and creating a 3d project in the meantime this machine will die. This is a MacBook Air not a Pro. For the rest in real life using the "slow SSD" is definitely not an issue.

[@yenk82]

Very nice review, I'm going to watch other videos from your channel

[@AndrewEthanZeng]

Awesome, thank you!

[@davs2628]

Nice video! Midnight Mac is one of the best looking macs out there. I had ordered base M2 Air in Midnight and after seeing the review of chipping, i edited the order to Space Grey. Apple is taking a month to deliver the MBA :(

[@redz2984]

It'll be worth it man trust me space gray is beautiful on this laptop

[@davs2628]

@@redz2984 Yea man! Waiting for it to be delivered. Will come in mid August

[@AndrewEthanZeng]

Couldn't agree more!

[@marcuslafferty7619]

There must be more people out there wondering... For the non-pro power user, will it cope just fine for photo and video editing as a hobby, occasionally doing things like... - Final Cut Pro, Lightroom, editing/exporting RAW images in RAW/iPhone cinematic mode, 4k GoPro and drone shots, and eventually KZbin uploads. Or is it better to pay £300 extra for the 14" M1 Pro for the bigger SSD, better GPU, Pro-motion, HDR etc etc. Essentially my question is... Will pairing a (16/256gb) M2 MBA with a (2 TB) Sandisk Extreme SSD, cope just fine for these non-all day everyday tasks, or is it likely to still throttle, lag, drop frames, and best to just get the 14" M1 MBP?

[@lindseyatkinson1879]

I am wondering the same thing. Great question! 😃

[@SparkycgdHD]

It's EASY to get caught up in reviews. From real-life users though, I've only heard positive. From my research and experience, I've ordered m2 air 16gb ram 512 gb ssd

[@sykes2698]

That’s literally exactly what I ordered last week. The 16ram version and 512 gb ssd completely removes the issues faced by new m2 MacBook Air users, so I went the safe route

[@jamesangier624]

@@sykes2698 im a software developer and i also ordered the 16gb ram & 512gb ssd. been doing a fair bit of work on it this week and its held up amazingly, never thermal throttled but obv thats only an issue if youre a video or photo editor in which the pro line up is there for those people. enjoy your mac!

[@sykes2698]

@@jamesangier624 thanks James! Looks like I made the right decision.

[@ianmumford7176]

I got the same

[@carlosguillen3251]

just got mine today! it’s awesome same configuration

[@bryanbuff]

You’d think in 2022 they’d be able to add some sort of coating to mitigate the fingerprints. This thing looks a stainless steel fridge from 2005.

[@AndrewEthanZeng]

That would be a great addition in the entire iPhone, iPad and Mac line. I had to laugh at the comparison. 😁

[@Vaptomwen]

Fantastic looks, love the portability but 14 m1 pro on sale is only Au$500 more for same ram & ssd . Otherwise the air would be a clear cut win.

[@lunariz97]

It's either you buy it at the $1499 model for "entry level" laptop using it for basic stuff; or you really value the portability that the Air brings over 14 inch MacBook Pro but still don't really push for sustained workload. If you're looking for the best value it's definitely the base model M1 Air, if you're looking for performance you should go to the 14 inch Pro even at the base model.

[@Breadfan00]

In Germany the difference between the two is only 90 bucks… But I really don’t want the thick and heavy pro…

[@RyanHaarlemmer]

Very like how you present everything. Good info also. One thing, don’t you think you are comparing pears with apples when comparing pro against air models?

[@sharonb.9128]

Great video. You breathe oxygen into the stale typical MacBook discussion.

[@AndrewEthanZeng]

Touche haha! 👏🏻

[@sharonb.9128]

@@AndrewEthanZeng ❤️

[@thedanyopang]

Can you compare with m2 air vs the m1 pro 13" you also have? Which one do you prefer for your workflow, they are similarly priced so I'm considering both.. Thanks!

[@danielleamber7353]

The Macbook Oxygen Midnight looks so neat until it isn't. I still would have gotten it had I not just bought my Air M1 a few months back.

[@IAmKenArts]

Wow. This is the first video that I have seen where the fingerprints are really shown. It’s bad. I bought it in space grey and am happy with it.

[@AndrewEthanZeng]

I should start placing OCD trigger warnings on midnight color reviews

[@Mangold108]

because of these problem I think the 512SSD upgrade SHOULD cost 100$ instead of 200! period.

[@hansmoran1219]

Yeah but it's apple lol. Can't expect too much from them

[@edsbloggingcom]

In battery settings check the low power mode. Result? No performance degradation noticed for normal regular work. It keeps going for ages!

[@MrEliteSoap]

Got it yesterday... hope it wasnt a mistake after seeing this. Should be def. cheaper

[@mrduck4623]

bruh I forgot to use MacBook oxygen is my machine done for??!!

[@djcaru1]

MacBook oxygen! Good video with an on-point message.

[@Hof79905]

Don’t enter a volkswagon in the Indy 500 as it will thermal throddle. Enter a race car.

[@adid.5585]

If I'd get this MacBook, I'd definitely get the Midnight color. This is something not seen before on a MacBook and it would definitely look awesome. I wonder if the M2 MacBook Pros will also be available in this color when they come out.

[@Danielbignuts]

My only issue with the midnight and starlight are they are incredibly prone to scratches which may impact resale in a few years

[@schlingelgen]

@@Danielbignuts why is starlight prone to scratches? I only ever heard this about the midnight color which seemed plausible because its much darker than the underlying aluminum. Whith starlight I cant exactly image why its vulnerable to the same issue (?)

[@Danielbignuts]

@@schlingelgen Because it is still a coating over the top of the frame, no where near as bad as midnight but still don't know how it will hold up long-term. At least with space grey the colour has been around for a while so we have been able to see the (minimal) scratching and wear over time

[@schlingelgen]

​@@Danielbignuts When I went to take a first look at the starlight Macs, I thought they weren't set up yet because they are very similar to the silver Macs - I think it won't be visible if you dont take a detailed look

[@d4nnyxb0i]

that macbook oxygen mode really a life changer

[@anuvanshsinghlancer1162]

I'm going for the midnight. It just looks stunning and If you got a MacBook then its like obvious that you will be cleaning it once in a day. (use microfiber clothe ) I am actually buying for coding, and basic video editing. Is it worth it for that?

[@fatalghost1689]

How is it so far, getting an m2 air tomorrow in midnight and all these reviews have me worried about the damage and scratches the color attracts with it

[@prod.bytreez4563]

Hey I purchased this two days ago ( the base model ) and was wondering would i be fine with just web browsing and emails and like movies for flights should i be good?

[@FLM_OFF]

I'm probably gonna get the m2 macbook air because I just do school work, watch videos and keep a lot of tabs open from microsoft edge.

[@MrLocsei]

the Hamilton Pilot Pioneer Mechanical is my favourite watch :)

[@shinehkim98]

macbook oxygen :) thank you for the review! i just bought this laptop for school after my macbook air 2015 broke and enjoyed watching how you broke the different parts of the apple M2 macbook air!

[@AndrewEthanZeng]

Hope you enjoy it!

[@nikhllogic1248]

A very thoughtful review Andrew. M1 Air seems to be the best bang for buck laptop on the market and the one many would find most value in, particularly students I'd imagine. Now...to stop myself buying an M2 Air. MacBook Oxygen :)

[@AndrewEthanZeng]

The struggle of keeping our wallets in check as tech heads haha

[@andyH_England]

The M2 Air is clearly a good bit better than the M1 in the correct config for your work, but the M1 is still fantastic and great value if you do not want the extra features the M2 Air has. Personally, I think the M2 Air is worth the extra $200 but you need 16GB in 2022 if you are doing any regular pro-work or heavy multitasking.

[@gustavoortega2895]

Why do people compare it to a MBP? They are two different products for different segments. If you get an MBA and spec it out to 2000 dollars, just get a Pro. If you're upgrading all that, you're NOT the segment for the air.

[@sebastien7758]

I ordered mine today ive always wanted a mac i find that allot of people complain about products this opinion varys for different people i will test mine when i get it its not the end of the world that the ssd is not fast enough

[@go0glyguy672]

would you recomend 8/512 or 16/256 for a basic user

[@panayiotispanayides2141]

There was a great review about which of the two you should have if you could only afford one. The 16Gb came out on top for performance. As neither are upgradeable get the ram and you can always add an external SSD.

[@SameedChowdhury]

16gb of ram is better. The SSD speed doesn't matter for a basic user, but 8gb is slow and won't last as long.

[@notalexandra]

Is 8GB / 512GB a decent configuration or is it better to bump up to 16/512

[@ohmyv3gatron]

The midnight color is epic. I think the slight blue will look cool with the black camo skin so you just have hints of the blue but it’s mostly covered.

[@jowinkoh2350]

M2 or M1 Pro for programmer / developer ?

[@Catelynmeow]

When the midnight blue M2 debuted, I thought it was the sexiest thing ever. When I specced it up to 1TB and 16GB, it came very close to the 14" MBP in price, so I ended up spending the extra to get the 14" MBP instead. Now that reviews of the Midnight Blue are out, it looks like a smudgy oily mess with fingerprints all over, and I'm so happy that I didn't fall for its false seductiveness.

[@A2Kaid]

The 14" MBP has a widely reported issue with the screen easily cracking. As for fingerprints you can get a dbrand skin.

[@Catelynmeow]

@@A2Kaid those screen cracking issues are on the 13 inch air and mbp, not the 14 inch miniled screen.

[@ZsZw]

@@A2Kaid Do you have one? I have one with 10 core. M2 cannot best 14.

[@sweetdaddy77]

I fell for the seductiveness. Can’t wait for it to get here.

[@Catelynmeow]

@@sweetdaddy77 I don't blame you! It's a good laptop!

[@viggobryant-frost6181]

Good video, do you think thermal throttling will affect my workflow? I use VSCode and React/Node, almost constantly have a development server running. Spotify, Discord, misc in the background. If not I plan to purchase the 16GB/256GB model, hopefully the extra RAM will avoid lots of swap usage so the slower SSD won’t be as noticeable.

[@AndrewEthanZeng]

If you have a dev server running I’d strongly consider the 14” MBP. If not, bump up the RAM and hard drive on the Air at the very least!

[@viggobryant-frost6181]

@@AndrewEthanZeng think I might go with a 16GB MBA M2, although ‘dev server’ may sound quite resource intensive the only resource it really takes a lot of is RAM, the higher CPU usage is only in bursts as it rebuilds; I get by alright on an older Intel MBA but could do with the elimination of occasional lag and a bit more speed. And of course the new design is lovely. The 14” Pro is out of my price range. Thanks for the reply!

[@andyH_England]

Yes, 16GB is a good choice but if you can afford it, then 24GB would be best. I think the M2 Air will handle that work easily, but more RAM is def better.

[@mmontiii1850]

Which of these two is better for a university use (take notes, watching videos, using excel and other stuff)??: -MBA with 512 of SSD and 8gb of RAM - MBA with 256 gb of SSD (with the storage issue) and 16 Gb of RAM Considering that I would like to keep this MacBook for at least 5-6 years

[@prusco6447]

Go with the 256gb with 16Gb RAM for sure, you won't see the difference

[@ismaildasc1970]

M2 Air 10Gpu 16/512 , m2 Air 10Gpu 24/256 ,M2 pro 16/512 , M2 pro 24/256 Which one do you think I should choose for software coding, why?

[@trev8644]

For once a sponsorship that actually makes sense and is tied in well to the review. I love CleanMyMac app myself lol

[@AndrewEthanZeng]

I love it. Just more prominently on this device. 😅

[@russianvoodoo]

Basically nobody will ever notice ssd speed anyways. After having this laptop for 3 months I can I say that the biggest downsides of this laptops are mushy keyboard (compared to modern/previous pro models), finger prints, brightness points are way too big (so I have to use options shift for gradual selection). Other then that - best MacBook I owned since mbp pro late 2013. Thin, light, great battery, finally a screen enough for almost anything.

[@VincentRoper]

I have a mackbook pro m2 and its works well. Android studio works fast xcode etc. I have base modle.

[@thedanyopang]

do you prefer the m2 air or the m1 pro 13" as your daily driver for light video and photo editing, thanks!

[@DavidJeffreyOConnor]

The SSD speeds are only an issue on the 256gb model. The 512gb model and above use 2x SSD modules that allow for simultaneous R/W. Moral to the story, don't buy the base 256gb model.

[@gregg2308]

I already bought this macbook and now seeing everyone saying it’s bad I regret buying it

[@likeobvs]

Midnight is sooo gorgeous!!! I hope they bring this color to the MacBook Pro!

[@tomcat6933]

OMG the commercials on KZbin is preventing me from watching this lengthy video

[@yop03]

I'd say this is the best value for money, no windows laptop exists where it has phenomenal battery life, thin design, outstanding performance and superb build quality for the price.

[@Anemone-aquaculture]

I’d need some macbook oxygen after watching this video

[@AndrewEthanZeng]

Eyyyy! 🔥

[@drbenirusani]

Macbook Oxygen: Love your video. What do you think of the rumored 2023 15-inch MBA -as the 15-inch is not going to be "light" -- would it be as portable as the current M2 MBA what do you think? 😃

[@sashaheartsmedia]

I wanted a MacBook for Work and School. I don’t know if I should really spend so much on a laptop. But these really do look attractive and seems durable too MacBook Oxygen.

[@Fernando_1903]

I bought the base version of the macbook air m2, with same days of use is almost perfect for my use. I am student and got it by almost $1000 with taxes with the apple student discount. 8 gb of ram is not garbish for normal users and the ssd have a good spend for normal users, i am not a video editor

[@andyH_England]

Yes, monitor your disk use during a normal days work and you will see that it is mainly random read and writes, and the M2 256GB SSD is faster than the M1 in that task. For those buying the base model for the workflow it is targeted at, then it is a great upgrade over the M1 and def the way to go if you can afford it.

[@Fernando_1903]

@@andyH_England the ssd can be slower than the m1 but is much faster than the one on the notebook I used before. I am going to use the base version and if I notice that I have problems with RAM or SSD I would get one version upgrade or maybe one 14” m1 pro on the next time I go to US

[@andyH_England]

@@Fernando_1903 Yes, and despite the negativity, as fast or faster than many direct competitors. e.g. the Galaxy Book 2 Pro, that has a 512GB SSD that on battery only reaches 1Gb/s. Perspective is missing in many reviews and Apple is held to a higher standard than, say Samsung, where are the tests for the Galaxy Book 2 Pro?

[@Fernando_1903]

@@andyH_England the ssd speed is not a problem for most people. I thought to upgrade RAM instead SSD because is probably that I won’t notice the difference of speed. But when I saw the shipping time, the only option that I arrive in time was the base. Many youtubers are not helping people to decide correctly, I they are trying to make people to spend much more money and don’t notice the difference

[@andyH_England]

@@Fernando_1903 Yeah, base model is fine for me and most people.

[@brianrios9701]

I went with macbook pro 13 inch because right off the bat you get 2 more gpu cores a cooling fan and the 67W power adapter... any fans of the touch bar will love the 13 inch pro. For anyone that already has a desktop and doesn't want to spend too much and still have a powerful laptop m2 13 inch macbook pro is definitely the way to go.

[@Uuuuyyyyuuu]

Unless you are sensitive to PWM flickering rates. The MacBook Pro 13 uses PWM, as does the MacBook pros and the M1 MacBook Air. For some reason, Apple does not use PWM in the M2 MacBook Air- which is the first apple screen I’ve used that does not cause eye strain/headaches like the MacBook Pro 14 m1 I had to return. Those that are sensitive to fluorescent light flickering will know what I am talking about here. Just wanted to share that side info, as the screen is what I am actually staring at all day.

[@moonpunk]

I'm sorry but it feels like you are being a bit evasive with the facts on the SSD. The slow performance is only in relation to the base single NAND chip 256GB model, if you opt for any of the other configurations you get two NAND chips which then uses dual channels on the M2 chip and significantly increases performance. I'm confident that you know this, but you didn't mention it??!!

[@montex66]

OMG I am so sick of hearing about the single SSD chip in the base model M2 Air. I bet none of the reviewers could tell the difference between the speed of 256 and 512 SSD chips if they didn't have benchmark test running to tell them. Can you tell the difference between 50 ms and 100ms? I can't. Put your money where your mouth is and do a blind test where you can see the difference or else spare us the tedious whining.

[@floatjockey]

Much appreciate your video just now as I’m waiting a couple more days to make my mind up. Baseline model or upgraded RAM… anyhow it looks like a winner either way! MacBook Oxygen…

[@Icarus8311]

It was great to see a reviewer using Figma- an app I would frequently use should I go ahead and buy a base M2 Air. Did you notice any degradation in performance or high temps when using large files in Figma (or Sketch, if you use it) that are stored locally or from iCloud? Thank you for posting this! Macbook oxygen EDIT: spelling fix and adding a thank you not for the review.

[@AndrewEthanZeng]

Zero slow down even with loads of frames and artboards. But I’ve yet to hit Figma’s 2GB active memory limit. Majority shouldn’t run into issues though. Thanks for supporting Icarus!

[@chrisSkordPiano]

@@AndrewEthanZeng to go

[@lessteza]

What's the background music?

[@chriscasillas]

I got the base model in midnight. Loving it so far! Plenty of power for my workflow. I am OCD about the fingerprints. Most of the time, my laptop is docked vertically at my desk, so I only handle it a couple times a week. I'm fine with wiping it down when I do. I also avoid touching the top...just don't look at the bottom! LOL.

[@AndrewEthanZeng]

Nice Chris, enjoy your new MacBook in good health 🙂

[@paulomunozartavia2282]

Man, I have a question. Is the Midnight color more like black or like blue? I don’t know if I should get either Midnight or Space Gray, as I like to keep literally all my Ecosystem as black or Dark gray

[@chriscasillas]

@@paulomunozartavia2282 It really depends on how the light hits it. It can look anywhere from very black, to dark blue, to even a little space grey. It’s a really good looking machine. But it is a fingerprint magnet!

[@paulomunozartavia2282]

@@chriscasillas Thanks!! Do you think it would fit me given what I said, or better go safe with the Space Gray? (Mostly indoor use)

[@chriscasillas]

@@paulomunozartavia2282 I think it would fit. My desk setup is all light wood with dark equipment. It looks great here. But what looks good to one person might not look good to another. And the colors/lighting in your space might change that. If you can, I'd go look at it in person at an Apple store or Best Buy.

[@FKP-7]

People, most of us use the computer for web browsing, video watching, coding and writing pages/documents in word… this, the m1, or the pros will do the job… budget is the matter. Real world scenarios don’t give a fuck regarding speed/heat tests…buy what you feel like.

[@SaraLevins]

Should i even bother upgrading from my M1 Air to the M2 Air or M2 pro?

[@yasensf1]

Considering the read/write on the MA2, would you recommend get upgraded MA1 (16gbs and 512gb ssd) instead of base MA2?

[@sweealamak628]

M2 Air is now the new "iPhone". I saw this week people carrying their M2 MBA's around town on purpose, not in their bag but holding it out for the world to see. 😂

[@hpd_hero]

Something to not forget when comparing Air and Pro is that the Air only has 60 hz display, which makes for a pretty non-fluid experience. In my case I’m used to 100 + hz and honestly this is the dealbreaker for me when it comes to choosing.

[@mileshawkins6225]

If you’re just using it for school and stuff though you don’t need the 120hz haha, it’s nice.. but just drains the battery faster

[@richiezubiri3385]

Will connecting it to an external display with 100+ hz do it? I have a friend with m1 MBA and a 144 hz monitor and he was able to play Dota 2 with 144 fps

[@Henningberlin94]

Bro I have a 160 Hz Gaming monitor and the iPhone 14 Pro Max and I have no issue at all with the 60 Hz on the Macbook Air M2.

[@Henningberlin94]

@@mileshawkins6225 honestly not sure about that, since it´s ProMotion aka dynamically adjusting between 1-120 Hz on the iPhone 14 Pros for example, so it could potentially even safe battery, dependend on the use-case.

[@Shaggy12321]

I've never understood why people get 256GB computers? with the OS, web browsers, a few movies, documents, and screenshots and its already full. I got my 16" MBP with M1 Pro last year and even 512 wouldn't cut it for me so went 1TB

[@notskromps8869]

Because 256GB is cheaper

[@Shaggy12321]

@@notskromps8869 doesn't matter how cheap it is if it's unusable

[@notskromps8869]

@@Shaggy12321 I wouldn’t say it’s unusable. Tbh just want it for editing and coding and my school work.

[@cmagyar7157]

I’m just starting uni so won’t be doing overly intensive work, surely the base model m2 MBA would be fine for this yes?

[@queefbros11]

What camera are you using to film?