Don't Get the Base Model M2 MacBook Air

[@ronellington6246]

So many of these reviews are misleading. The people complaining about the base machine typically are doing more intensive workloads than your average user. If you are doing a ton of video editing why are you even considering an entry level laptop to begin with? For 90% of users the base model will be fine for 5 years

[@bitwisedevs469]

They are complaining not because of the performance but due to its price.

[@samad0289]

​@@bitwisedevs469 inflation happened... Infact I was surprised that Apple had allowed us to have the amazing M1 MBA for 1000 bucks...

[@Cybereagle4122]

@@samad0289not an excuse. You can get more out of a windows computer at the same price point. Apple needs to lower its ego

[@abpdev]

@@Cybereagle4122 or you can just get that windows laptop instead. You have a choice!

[@allanp3065]

Bought the M1 Air definitely an improvement over my old PC and Chromebook

[@k3mp4]

watching this on my newly purchased base model m2

[@humortman]

lmao same

[@renegade_arya9502]

exactly

[@Jesseredmn]

same

[@hyperstudent07]

same.

[@kazimhale97]

same

[@ClassyOnionUK]

Something that should also be considered is international pricing. Here in Britain and mainland Europe, pricing is EVEN MORE than that for the base model….. which makes it even less compelling to buy…..

[@there837]

€1499 for the base model in France. I called off getting one. I don’t have €1729 burning a hole in my pocket for a 512 GB laptop. Apple is deceitful with these price hikes.

[@DanRustle]

That’s not a apple problem. Prices are higher for EVERYTHING in Europe. Blame your corrupt politicians who set trade policies

[@Nero7441]

Price in India is even higher.

[@there837]

@@DanRustleHard talk

[@eomoran]

@@DanRustle that’s not the reason why. The reason why it’s more expensive is because our sales taxes are included in the sticker price

[@miyagithedj]

Last October I got the M1 Air 16gb 1TB for everyday use and DJing. Even running for 4+ hours straight I have never felt the laptop get even remotely warm at all. Very glad I went with the M1.

[@ambrosiomichel]

Damm, that first shoot with the camera rotation and focusing on the keyboard, zooming in on the M and the animation. Great job guys!

[@1001nevermore]

I've got the base model midnight M2, and so far I'm in love with this computer. Fingerprints have not bothered me at all after two weeks of use (I noticed them on day one but have mostly forgotten about them since), and I've not run into any issues with the 256gb storage. I never pushed my M1 MacBook Air to its limits by any stretch of the imagination, so while there probably are shortcomings for the slower memory for some users, it is not something that will likely ever affect my typical use needs.

[@charlesbronson2926]

If you don't mind me asking, why did you upgrade? It sounds like the m1 was also still good for your use case.

[@NeoDeXs]

@@charlesbronson2926 FOMO

[@ThisNoName]

@@charlesbronson2926 You missed, or lack the turtleneck mentality

[@Mezthecreator]

@Nahid Islam lol, he's just an upgrade freak 😂

[@raskolnikov3799]

@@charlesbronson2926 Can't speak for them, but I'll admit that I'm getting the M2 over the M1 simply because of the design. It looks so sexy lmao.

[@koizu5324]

I’ve been using MacBook Air for 2 years, the 256 gb version and never have ran into storage issues. I even use the laptop paired with my gigabyte 144hz display to play games. I never looked at other laptops or even M2 because I never thought about it unless this video popped upon feed.

[@JustinWatson23]

I upgraded from the 12" Macbook to this M2 air. I was surprised at how small that 12" Macbook actually was! Turning that into a cheaper Air model would be a good move by Apple IMO.

[@david9840]

No it wouldn't. People don't care for tiny devices. That's why the iPhone Mini sales were bad.

[@pressrepeat2000]

The 12” was the best model ever.

[@lavinder11]

they used to have an 11'" air. I happen to love small computers because I have small hands.

[@madaxe]

@@david9840 I do :)

[@NicoleDarena]

I just bought the MacBook Air M1 a few months ago for college and let me tell you. It’s amazing. I had an Intel MacBook Pro before and the difference is insane. I have never felt my M1 get hot. Absolutely love it.

[@Arfarf69]

Should have gotten the m2 , cheaper then the m1 even now

[@RoadnTech]

That intro shot is just incredible. Ik it was a robot, but still.... That was the hardest flex I've seen in awhile. Top tier stuff man. Keep up the great work

[@jeezosdude867]

For the cpu and system you get the base model is more sufficient for self study and office work.. If storage is an issue, external ssd are like $100 for 1tb

[@nathancoleman3416]

My wife’s 2017 MacBook Pro broke yesterday and we ordered the M2 Air to replace it, in part because it’s part of the new design language lineup and it has Pro performance for half the cost. We didn’t go for the storage upgrade because she’s a pretty light user. (As college students we get education pricing so it’s also a bit cheaper)

[@LightPink]

Do you have to do anything to get student pricing?

[@anadavalos3212]

@@LightPink doesn’t seem like it. You just goggle apple education store and that’s it. Once you’re there, you’ll see the discounted prices and you won’t be required to show any proof that you’re a student. The discounts are only applied to computers and iPads though, the iPhones and other stuff are not included.

[@lkay398]

"Pretty light user". Buys M2 Macbook Air...

[@lakshjairam1764]

@@lkay398 pretty sure he meant in terms of storage usage

[@jetlandman1462]

@@LightPink Study????

[@DarthBenneth]

I got my M1 Air last year have honestly never felt it get hot. It's been an incredible machine, and I feel the upgrades I made to it (16gb ram, 512gb ssd) were worth it. This is also on just the base 7-core model. Would I love the new design for all the hardware upgrades? Sure, but is it worth the price of upgrading it to the specs on my current computer for that increased price? Not really, considering M2 is not a giant leap in performance from M1 as M1 was from intel.

[@AIejandroide]

It's not worth it, even the battery life is almost the same.

[@chuatianle845]

@@crabizeus you sleep reading? he meant the leap between m2 and m1 isn’t as great as the leap between m1 and intel

[@nitinyyagi141]

@@chuatianle845 Stop bullying people, man! He deleted his comment because of you 😅 And to be honest, I can see why he might be confused, given that the last sentence of the comment could do with a little bit of restructuring. Or maybe the word "as" could be replaced with the word "like" or "the way." The word "as" also means "because." And if you re-read the same sentence taking "as" as a synonym of "because," it changes the meaning of the entire sentence.

[@time2livelife]

Apple products are made to last so long that it’s not realistic for anyone to upgrade every year.

[@Drushen07]

How did you upgrade the ram ? It’s soldered on.

[@Badumtss2468]

I just recently bought m1 macbook with 8gb ram. I do video editing, coding, run open source eda tools. Works completely fine. Without hang issues or heating. Brutha doesn’t even have a fan and still does not get hot when I multitask between these tasks

[@beelocke3774]

last year at best buy i got a base model m1 air for $800 with student discount. im extremely attracted to the new design and upgrades the m2 macbook air brings, and impulsively wanted one, but i think in a couple of years i’ll just get a macbook pro. i do love the air like though because the battery life is more than good enough and the lighter weight is important to me

[@brachiator1]

The M2 Air is not a big improvement over the M1. It is prettier, maybe, but not a huge leap in terms of features.

[@madisoncrenshaw6605]

@@brachiator1 do you think the mag safe, 1080p camera, faster gpu is a good enough reason to buy an 8gb 512gb m2 instead of the m1? i’m a nursing student btw

[@brachiator1]

@@madisoncrenshaw6605 My cousin studying public health loves her M1. Both the M1 and M2 are great laptops. If you like the M2 with the configuration you note and can afford it, you should buy it. It really comes down to what you like. I once tripped against the charging cord in my laptop and pulled it to the ground, so I would appreciate the Mag safe cable. But with the long battery life you may not need to have the cable connected that often. Bottom line: both laptops are great. Buy the one that you like and might want to keep for a few years. And good luck with your studies.

[@madisoncrenshaw6605]

@@brachiator1 Thank you so much!!

[@TheMegamaddog]

@@madisoncrenshaw6605 Nope its not a good enough reason

[@chriscasillas]

I got the base model M2 in midnight on release day. This thing has been a beast for me since day one. I would consider myself a heavy user of mostly regular apps. The most intensive tasks I throw at this thing are audio editing and Photoshop. The M2 handles those like a pro. Unless you regularly push your laptop with processor or RAM heavy tasks, the base model will work great for you.

[@rbowlingfam]

What are your thoughts on the fingerprints on the Midnight model?

[@chriscasillas]

@@rbowlingfam The fingerprints on the Midnight model are a real problem. It depends on the person if they will be a bother. They drive me nuts. But my laptop is docked at my desk about 95% of the time. When I do have to take it on the go, I can quickly wipe it down when I get back to my desk. Just have to ask yourself a couple questions...will fingerprints bother me? How often will I have the laptop on the go? If they do bother me, am I OK with wiping it down regularly? For me, the way I use it, it's worth it to have the awesome new color.

[@JordanMartinez-xu4kt]

I feel like the majority of people don’t use the MacBook Air for any kind of video editing or anything else that would really push it. The air even with 8gb of ram is fine for most people, and the people who would need to do some more intensive things already know to go for the pro

[@DamienLavizzo]

Exactly - the Air is an all day, thin and light that CAN do some light video editing, not a cheap computer that is designed to do heavy video editing. People have lost all perspective with the M series chips.

[@Melatonium]

@@DamienLavizzo it's just that the MBA M2 feels too expansive compared to the predecessor. Even the faster version with 512GB is PCIe 3.0 unlike MBP14 which uses PCIe 4.0.

[@gerryfrancis3350]

agree

[@Lowest_Levels]

It seems that the negative judgements against the M2 air stem from the fact that the M1 air could do intensive video editing that was on par with high level intel machines specifically tailored for heavy tasks. With the M2 air roll out, the M2 did not inherit the features and capability that the M1 air provided. This is the metric being used in the reviewer space and a lot of people are missing this. The M2 has brought the air line back to it's prior intel classification with the M1 being a unique roll out, not just for it's switch to Apple silicon but the way it trounced infinitely more expensive computers on the market.

[@osamabaloch8322]

Purchased base model M2 Air some 3 years ago, never felt that it's slow or has less storage again it depends on the use case. If I'm looking to simply work on document and explore the web it's good for me. If I'm doing video editing, I'd use my HP with 32 Gigs of Ram, Core i7 11th Gen, Nvidia etc.

[@Philip11v22]

Thanks for sharing. On my side: -I don’t even need 256 gigs on a MacBook as all my files are in the cloud. I would guess a lot of users have the same use case -Slower SSD: yes but not really. It’s still blazing fast. And I don’t use Chrome anyway so don’t need much memory swap

[@gerryfrancis3350]

a lot of reviewers are too nit picky - they need to qualify what they say more

[@theanfielddiary4514]

which browser do you use

[@wolfteller]

I just recently got a base M2 13.6 inch new for 799 at the post exchange (military base store) and it works great for online school/zoom I love it

[@azrieldia7638]

The finger prints are definitely hard to ignore but I was planning on getting a hard case anyway. Especially because this model is really light and thin. I have to say it looks really good with a matte black hard case.

[@ChannelScott]

No, please don't put Mac's in cases, what are you people doing?

[@TurtleOfHope]

​@@ChannelScottwhy not?

[@Adam-nm7nc]

@@ChannelScott why not? My midnight m2 is arriving on the 1st of august and I’m excited. Getting a case too. I’m scared if it scratches so I got a hard cover too since I’ll be travelling for uni

[@AdhamHossam165]

​@@Adam-nm7ncit can break your laptop

[@wh0smr]

@@Adam-nm7ncMaybe they are talking about the thermal performance. If you put a case on then the M2 Macbook Air without fans will have a really hard time to stay cool while doing more cpu or gpu intensive tasks like video rendering.

[@BlackapinoTheTechGuy]

*Costco's sells the M1 Macbook Air for $1199 for a 512SSD M1 which is still cheaper then the M2 with the same amount of Storage but saves ya money. M1 Air is still $949 also and not too mention Costco's puts them on sell for pretty AMAZING discounts*

[@juans8356]

0:45 This is where people struggle to understand that your average student or personal user doesn't care about a "slower" ssd. Because its an ssd not a hdd. The M1 raised the bar so high that people are losing perspective on what qualifies as a bad thing. Would I like all laptops to start off at 8gb? No i wouldn't, but after owning a M1 mac mini for nearly 2 years and using it for pharmacy work and school I am shocked at how well it works. People also don't buy a new laptop every 1-2 years. They keep them for a while. You have to think about all markets not everyone uses a laptop to make a youtube channel folks.

[@khangvinh4656]

I feel like it would be the biggest concern considering what you’re having now can transfer and receive datas at double the speed. Considering a student who does not have the financial freedom of buying an expensive laptop every year, i would say the M1 is superior to the M2 both in price and usability.

[@thomgizziz]

Pharmacy work? You understand that is pretty weak work right? Just because it fits what you need doesn't mean it fits everyone's needs. Smh

[@SirSethery]

I bought the last model of the 12" MacBook like 2 years ago, and the form factor was amazing. I eventually had to upgrade because the performance was still bad, even on max spec 2017 model. It would be great if Apple made another laptop that small. But with their move away from butterfly (which was actually decent on the last generation of it), I'm not sure if they'll try to make it that small again.

[@zeuslalani7151]

I agree, I really liked the butterfly I've been using it since a long time without any problems

[@Spazza42]

I'd love to see a revised 11" MBA with the M1 chip, MagSafe and USB-C. The would be the perfect portable laptop, hope you're listening Apple!

[@khoifoto]

Cannot agree with the recommendation of upgrading ssd before RAM. Please don’t do that. If you want to upgrade, get 16GB RAM first

[@thomgizziz]

You mean the internet guy doesn't know what he is talking about? Say it ain't so!

[@junaidshamsudeen9403]

@@thomgizziza 50 dollar external ssd can solve the storage issue but its an whole another story with the embedded ram

[@Rowrin]

The midnight M2 Air is such a beautiful device, but looking at the specs and benchmarks I couldn't see how it justifies being so much more than the M1. After watching several youtube reviews, I'm sort of relieved that I'm not the only one thinking so as well, but also kinda sad cause I kinda still want one lol.

[@HUMAINBCH2]

lol the same problem with all apple products 💀😭

[@ChannelScott]

Screen is .3 inches larger lol, 1080p cam, etc... You know Apple is going to charge a pretty penny for those two things alone!

[@elijahmodnar1]

macbook air m1 256gb still on sale at apple so they have the dual128gb flash chips instock, they chose not to use them in the m2 macbooks so they consciously nerfed the base model to upsell the 512gb...

[@abstractminds1433]

I recently picked up the base model Macbook Air 15 on sale for $1049. This is hands down the best laptop I have ever purchased coming from a fully specced 2018 Macbook Pro 15.

[@time2livelife]

I have a clear matte case for my M1 Macbook Air and it looks so sleek but resists fingerprints. It was only $16 on Amazon.

[@saskiacolores4230]

do you have the link? I am looking for one. Thank you 🙂

[@cp90_]

Maybe it’s just me but I hardly use any storage at all. I have some stuff saved to the cloud but I’ve never maxed out my phone much less my laptop.

[@DarkAngel56666]

M1 MacBook Air is less sexy, but oh god is it a very good computer to this day, and probably for a few years still. For me, M2 is if you want to treat yourself. MBP m1 pro/max is if you need power to work. But for the everyday user, M1 MacBook Air is still the way to go.

[@Argameus]

The pricing ladder puts it too close to the 14 inch pro which may be a bit chunkier but offers soo much more laptop for a not much higher price (compared to the 512 GB Air, the M2 base Air is never going to be worth it).

[@DarkAngel56666]

@@Argameus That's pretty true indeed. Actually, the M1 MBA being so good just kills the slot for the M2 MBA. There's just not enough added value compared to the added price.

[@iamsid23]

I got the 16gb ram and 512gb storage M1 air and it was well worth it. I also got a base M1 from work and there is considerable difference in performance. My work MacBook already has an ssd life of 80% in one and half years of use because of the memory swapping.

[@tuanseattle]

yeah the base model only make sense if you got it for dirt cheap like $600. Was able to grab 2 around that price range so if the SSD go out I wont feel bad. M1 Mini also was $600 for base model. But if you're paying over 1K for 8gb ram, it is not worth it. Apple care is so expensive.

[@djwalkerfemaledj]

Got my MacBook Air m2 16 gb 1TB sliver got it in July 2022 for my DJING my first MacBook ever love it❤

[@hagridsbeardguy1399]

Bought a certified refurbished M2 MacBook Air with the 10 Core GPU, 16GB RAM and 1TB SSD for a really great price. Couldn't be happier with it.

[@georgecasseus6893]

wow. that shot at 0:13 is just wow

[@RachelDavis705]

I already did buy the base model and it works good for what I use it for: browsing the web and watching videos

[@jemcclain1]

And that was really the Air intended nature. It wasn’t made for heavy processing. It’s just that the M1 chip surpassed people’s expectation.

[@howdydutt1e]

Price wise I agree but for most consumers the memory issues wont even be noticeable. It is pretty hard to fill up a 256 gig hard drive if you aren’t doing any editing or gaming.

[@Pythonzzz]

I wish this were true, but I bumped up against the 256gb limit on my current laptop without any gaming, pics, videos, or any kind of unusual storage usage.

[@merkloe2635]

You missed the point of the video - the 256gb version will cost you to have a slow functioning computer due to the processor only having one chip and no fan. So it is likely to utilize the ssd when the computer becomes hot. This is why you need 512 gb or higher.

[@michaelmcmillon5933]

I noticed and returned it

[@tuanseattle]

wait till several OS update then you start to delete file to make room for them, just like iphone base model 3 years in. one OS update is like 30GB of free space required.

[@elijahmelendez9864]

@@merkloe2635 what computer do u have? should a get a mac book pro? with fan im thinking of the 2020 version of pro too

[@moeceesay8201]

Honestly I have to disagree the base model M2 MBA, is great for 90% of people and work flows. Light weight, The thermals and battery are great, the speed is great and never seems to miss a beat. The only knock would be the base storage, but getting a 512SSD or even a 1 TB SSD is an option, plus they're cheap to find and no need to pay Apple $200 more dollars for 512GB storage. I'm a systems Engineer and use the base model MBA and honestly it handles everything I throw at it. Occasionally, I do some 4K video editing and Edit raw photos and it still handles it like nothing.

[@FaresTk]

What do you mean no need to pay Apple price for storage?

[@tonedeaf8688]

The problem is price of m1 512gig and m2 512 gig are not far apart in my region and they are equally pricey so I wonder if the solution applies.

[@toddcastaldi6536]

You guys mentioned the 12” MacBook. I feel like I have a similar setup with the 11” M2 iPad Pro and Magic Keyboard. Love the size and power.

[@tuanseattle]

Problem with Apple high pricing is that once you put in 16gb ram and 256gb storage, you get almost the same price as the 14" MBP on sale for $1599... That is a much better machine but some people really like the smaller form factor of the air. Tim Cook Wallet.

[@marsmartian]

I Loved the 12" but it lagged doing the basics, my m1 air is my fav laptop of all time

[@fdsaffff]

my `12" never lagged.. youtube and surfing.. .even rendering 3 10minute videos and watch youtube/ surf. no lag.

[@thomgizziz]

@@fdsaffff people here are not the brightest bulbs and they tell themselves lies to justify their purchases.

[@JustAnotherBlader]

even with the base m2 air model, i have no issues with speed or heat when doing simple video editing (1080/4k) in something like iMovie, with multiple browsers and apps running in the back. People these days are spoiled! It'll do more than fine for anyone on the hobbyist side of things, whether it be film editing, recording music, playing games, whatever. If you're doing that stuff at a more advanced level, you won't even be considering this product in the first place.

[@MostDopeVisuals]

I totally agree. The base model is deff enough, and not everyone wants to pay extra for that extra shii you don't 'really need. I had a 2018 MacBook Pro w 8GB and never ever noticed it not being enough. This video is dumb.

[@Lowest_Levels]

@@MostDopeVisuals What a lot of people have been missing is the fact that the M1 chip air rollout had incredible performance that was standing toe to toe with very expensive intel machines made for heavy task/load lifting. Apple with the M2 air rollout has gimped it and as a consequence brought the new apple silicon air line back to it's former intel air's former placement as a basic light and thin ultra book. If we ignore the M1, then it's largely a moot point. The fact that the M1 was so capable, this has become the basis for the drama.

[@pherexin2444]

Why does nobody ever mention how 8 GBs of ram is straight up absurd in a $1200 machine? I have the M1 air with 16 GBs, my ram usage is rarely BELOW 10 GBs. (Right now it's 10.6 GB with Safari open and spotify, imessage and discord in the background)

[@maxwellsdemon10]

To be fair, the performance gains with 16gb on the M1 Air is not a lot if you dint push the machine to absurd limits. I have not seen a single test where the 8gb Version was really crushed by the 16gb one. For the majority of users, 8gb is totally okay.

[@veekay1045]

@@maxwellsdemon10 yes 8gb is fine for the majority of users. But for $1200 that's still absurd. That's the point, not is 8 gigs enough but is 8 gigs good value at 1200 bucks

[@thomgizziz]

And you are still using the swap and if you were using half that it still uses the swap. None of you are paying attention and seem to be taking a ton of copium.

[@savetheunstable]

My 2013 MB Air is still going strong (aside from not being able to update the OS; thinking about putting Linux on there). I just pulled the trigger for the maxed-out version of this Air. Hopefully it lasts as long as my old one!

[@lgude]

I just bought one over the M1 Air here in Australia because it was a relative bargain in the refurb store. Not much more money for the improvements and I don’t do any heavy lifting on it because my M1 Mini is still more than adequate for my editing needs - video, audio, and photos. The new air will certainly deal with any such work while travelling. I’m in my 80 s so not going to stress either machine!

[@blinkingred]

So instead of getting the base model M2 air should someone with a limited budget just go for the m1 air?

[@pelinyilmaz8101]

no i got the new m2 macbook air and think it is very good. Dont always just look at the ram and gb, there is also other factors which decides if a PC is good or not. Talk to people about it first

[@ThetruthTalker1312]

i am here 1 year later as this has released and for now as a normal macbook consumer i have hole different feeling about this in my country the macbook air m2 256gb cost 944 bucks while the 512gb cost 1400 and thats crazy to me

[@wojtek842]

when m1 air came out u must have been concerned only about swap memory when got 8gb of ram but now u have to pay extra for a new design, extra ram (if u dont want to bother with swap problem) and even bigger disk if u want ,,normal fast speeds''. And then price is getting to some level point where it is better deal to buy 14 pro with fans, faster gpu and cpu, 120hz, miniled, more ports etc. or just stich to still very good m1 air.

[@there837]

The M1 is a decent laptop. I won’t upgrade to the M2 for any reason. Apple gets away with lots of BS

[@andresferrer7628]

Exactly. Sticking to my M1 Air

[@Pikkiiz]

What if I don't have M1 Air Is it worth spending 200$ extra to go for M2 base model (Actually, I'm in Thailand M2 Air is cost around 300$ more not 200$) or I should buy M1 Air instead

[@there837]

@@Pikkiiz If you can afford it, go for the M2. New design, better camera, a larger and brighter screen and MagSafe.

[@andresferrer7628]

@@Pikkiiz It depends on your workflow. Do you open a crap ton of tabs for work? If so, M1 because it's better with the 8GB of RAM and the base SSD. I've had +15 tabs and other programs running with 0 issues. I have never felt like I need more RAM. If you want to spend more for a slower base model laptop, then go for the M2 and enjoy the other perks, like a better camera and a bigger screen (the screen difference is quite small though)

[@heyfrancis3332]

I’ve never been this early, but always a fan, very informative, ✌🏽

[@theyeshhh]

The best MacBook to buy now is M1 MacBook Air or the base model 14 inch MacBook Pro at least in my view, they are the most value for money laptops.

[@sirajirshad]

Bought the 14" pro last week and I'm loving it. It's not worth it to upgrade the Air's storage.

[@theyeshhh]

@@sirajirshad yes, exactly.

[@CarlosSilva-qp9im]

@@sirajirshad same. I'm coming from a 2015 macbook pro, needless to say the difference is night and day

[@sirajirshad]

@@CarlosSilva-qp9im Yeah, I was using the 2014 macbook pro before.

[@eBikify]

Yep. I just got the MBP 14” base model for $1699 USD. It was on sale at Best Buy for that insanely low $1699 price for like a day or two, and I was one of the lucky few to get it at that price. It’s back at $1799 now, which is still very good!

[@michaelolson571]

$999 on discount or $850 "open box" from best buy. The cost to upgrade the SSD and ram are so high that I'd consider taking the risk on the cheaper version and reassess in a few years to see where hardware requirements are. I lose $400 if it doesn't pay off but get a new laptop presumably in a few years based on that bad bet. We shall see. Honest disclosure: I'm still using my 2013 Macbook Pro, so what do I know.

[@CAIORAZ]

Maybe I'll wait for the M4 MacBook Air. I'm in no rush and the M1 is plenty powerful for my use.

[@jaypalmer3806]

Or M20? 🤦🏻

[@CAIORAZ]

@@jaypalmer3806 LOL

[@soyymaafia6004]

Well yea nice 👌 nice 😊 to be a battery 🪫 tester

[@lukepruscino5101]

Storage is never a problem for me because all I use is google chrome and google drive because my school uses G-suite so I used the extra cash to upgrade the processor for the 2021 MacBook Pro.

[@2010GTX]

The threat at the end literally made me subscribe and like 😨

[@Driver.Diaries]

Watching this on my base M2 8gb Air 256gb... got it on sale for $849 and for a daily ultra-portable it's great. Coming from a 16gb i5 Air I find this new M2 quicker in day to day tasks and even multi-tasking, even with less RAM. Better screen and battery than the outgoing M1 that I was also considering. For most regular users the base 8GB model is just fine, I've not noticed the slower SSD speeds in my daily use. I can see me rocking this Base model for the next 3-4 years easy.

[@richminion]

2 months later I’m thinking about getting it do you recommend ?

[@Driver.Diaries]

@@richminion I still use mine daily and even using data analytics software on it. It handles it like a champ. Can even play native games like Resident Evil 4 and Death Stranding pretty well too. Battery life is incredible, definitely recommend.

[@richminion]

@@Driver.Diaries that’s great thank you ordered it and it’s coming Friday wish me luck

[@StealthyVJ]

Bro im scared. Should i order it or not. I als do a little bit of gaming

[@richminion]

@@StealthyVJ if ur doing anything more than like Minecraft than probably not but it’s not bad it’s kinda boring though I like it just have no use than I thought I would’ve but if ur a busy person it’s perfect

[@kristersmartinsons5763]

I got base model just for some light 1080p editing/2K maybe or rarely ever 4k, some college work, photoshop and thats about it nothing heavy

[@aukoo100]

Does this also apply to the MacBook Air M2 15”? Is there anyone who knows the answer to this? My old 2015 MacBook Air just blew itself up, and I need a replacement ASAP. 🥺

[@jimgessner6071]

I was fully onboard to replace my base model M1 Macbook Air with the M2 version, but the ssd issue, and the price didn’t sit right with me. $999 makes it a no-brainer, I bought mine for $899. Easy decision, but $1,199 is already $300 more-another $200 more to mitigate the ssd issue just doesn’t make sense. The 256GB NAND chip is a $3 part that Apple is charging $200 for. They should’ve made 512GB the new base model. I’m going to wait for the 14” M2 MBP.

[@tuanseattle]

You know what's worse ? even the M2 still do not support 2 external display !

[@drbenirusani]

Hi, would upgrading the M2 MBA SSD from 512 to 1 TB has any potential drawbacks? I mean with MBA M2 SSD 512 (or 1TB ) and 16GB RAM -- then all the issues it has will be solved, right? Money is not an issue. And I don't want an MBP 14-inch as it is heavier than MBA. Thanks! (By the way, I'm just a regular user)

[@chester0608ye]

So the major problem here is about pricing at $1200, not about the base model is a bad machine. In mid 2023, the base model has been discounted to $900 at best buy, which might bring this back in the competition

[@nicolasam9731]

I have 2 questions for the ones that aren’t satisfied with the base model M2: First, what tasks are you using the device to accomplish? Second, if I don’t have any video editing to do on this base model, is it worth buying for small business stuff? Would appreciate any answer🙌🏼

[@moizosm]

With all due respect, Firstly macOS uses 4 gb of Unified Memory, which left us to use only 4gb, so for medium tasks, swap memory plays a very important role, and a slower ssd speed then its predecessor is ruining that, the base M1 air is faster in swap as compared to 20% more priced M2 air, why the customer should sacrifice even after paying 20% more so we should stop doing sacrifice coz it makes these big companies to do whatever they want. Secondly just to browse internet & doing light task , ipad is great. Its not always about heavy tasks, its about multitasking & future proofing. And some can't afford Pro machines so they do their mid high task on M1, which handled it perfectly. So why to compromise on M2 , it should be better in everyway to M1. People who are upgrading for 16GB ram option or 512 GB ram option would not have changed the opinion and upgraded if that ssd issue did not exist. And those who gonna upgrade ram or ssd will anyway gonna upgrade if that issue did not exist. In my country base model cost $1500 and to upgrade it it costs $250. Which is way more expensive. Initially when it was first announced I thought of purchasing it. But seeing the issue and most reviewers just telling audience to compromise is what made me take a step back. your 1st generation was better at every way but the 2nd generation is even better but we have to compromise on 1 important thing is really sad.

[@rcleme]

I'm getting one as a portable, work away from home laptop. I have my workhorse at home. I'm super happy about the base model.

[@andresferrer7628]

The M1 had no flaws and was $1000, it was way too good. You get the M2 base and it's almost a downgrade with the SSD thing

[@AndrewC89]

That’s assuming you get the base model. If you spec it out to 10/512/16 it’s a great upgrade. Not cheap but it’s such a great machine. I just got mine and I love it. So much smaller and lighter than the 14” pro!

[@jonassbjordal]

@@AndrewC89 do you think the machine is also worth it if I only upgrade from base to 512gb and so avoid the slowing down issue which comes with the base?

[@AndrewC89]

@@jonassbjordal I wouldn’t buy it unless you get at least 512 ssd and 16 ram. The gpu upgrade really isn’t needed, the ram and ssd definitely are. You already know about the ssd speed issue, but the ram is also a thing. You’ll use 8 gigs of ram just having the thing turned on. Open a few chrome tabs and you’re already at 12. If you stay at 8 ram you’ll be ssd swapping ram constantly.

[@thomgizziz]

@@AndrewC89 you see the same on 16gb because it starts swapping way before the ram is even half used. You clearly don't pay any attention.

[@AndrewC89]

@@thomgizziz Not true, have never seen any SSD swap on my 16ram model.

[@shanghaichica]

Base is fine for me. I only use it for web browsing, social media, videos etc. I won’t be doing any photo or video editing.

[@anthonyt425]

Yeah it’s excellent for basic computer things could still even do some photo editing anyway if you want.

[@alb.1911]

It’s unacceptable from Apple, this base model should’t exists and the minimum should be 512 HD and 16 GB of RAM.

[@skywind007]

I agree. In 2012 I bought a MacBook Air with 60 GB Hard Drive. Even by 2012 standards, that was small, considering that back in those days 250 and 500 GB were available. Sure enough, that was the achilles' heel on that computer. I was constrained by my budget but Apple should have not put such a small drive in their products (unless it was a phone).

[@mastrkents]

3:40 If a 12" MacBook/Air was released with an M1/M2, I'd buy one in a heartbeat. I had a 2016, I sold it and bought a 2020 13" MBP, and have regrets :(

[@tonywitt]

Yes, the M1 is attractive price wise but what about the longevity of it - support and operating system upgrade wise? Is the M2 more future proof? What is that worth (for someone that would like to keep computer a while)?

[@charlesbronson2926]

I have a mid 2012 macbook pro that still gets updated. You'll be absolutely fine getting the m1 even in a few years

[@ClassyOnionUK]

One would hope... love or hate Apple though, one has to give credit where it is due when it comes to lifecycle support of the Mac.

[@tomrivans9102]

MacBook Air M2 512GB 16GB is a very powerful laptop and we use it to drive Logic Pro, its super fast and responsive. We use a large monitor in the studio so this just sits in the back ground. A wireless apple keyboard and mouse complete the set up. However we do use iCloud to store files for safe keeping.

[@supboy666]

I’m still rocking my mid 2015 15” pro with 16gigs of ram replace my own battery last year and it’s doing pretty good. Anyways was looking at this new apple silicon macbooks since my girlfriend got the M1 air and I find that M2 airs form factor (lightweight and shape like you mentioned) appealing with the M2 performance but at that price I need to add the 16gigs of ram (not going back to 8 after using 16 for almost 7years now) so at that point im almost at the macbook pro price but i dont have the xdr display or any of the other performance goodies that the pro has. Knowing me I’ll end up getting the 14” M2 Pro when the time comes just because in the end after the upgrades to the M2 air it ends up being a bit overpriced when compared to the pro

[@Lowest_Levels]

Same here. Still using the mid 2015 i5 inch pro with 16gb's of ram. the 2015 MBP is still going strong but about to upgrade. I'd either go for the m1 air or for a 16inch pro m1 or m2 depending on what makes sense. Feels good missing the usb-c only era and the butterfly keyboard issues.

[@BernardoMartinsMateus]

ok, was debating this in my head so you guys helped me with this one

[@DreamingInReality]

I have both the M1 and M2 base model Macbook Air and use them both for work. I alternate usage between the two and they both work perfectly with the clinical and lab work that I do and also for leisure. I've never once felt either computer get hot. For the price, the base model is worth it if you need a laptop that gets the job done and you're not pushing it over the limit.

[@AMN_98]

So would you say the “slower” SSD on the base model M2 is at all a cause for concern? All I’m gonna be doing is light video editing, light graphic design, and web browsing primarily… Do I REALLY “need” to upgrade to the 512GB model like almost every KZbinr is saying? Lol

[@DreamingInReality]

@@AMN_98 I personally don’t think the base model is as bad as people are saying. If you’re doing heavy gaming and heavy editing, I’d say upgrade but if not the base model is perfect. To me the M2 is faster but it is just as reliable as my M1. I do web browsing, some lab spreadsheets, papers, etc and it does all of it without slowing down in my opinion. I’ve had it since it released and I love it. I don’t feel like I’m missing anything by upgrading to the higher model. Now if you just want more storage space then that’s something to think about but otherwise I’d give the base model a 10/10. Something else to consider is that most KZbinrs are probably using the computer to edit and put out their content. Not every person uses their Macbook for that reason. So they’re basing their “dislike” of the base model on heavier usage more than likely.

[@elizabethperez8740]

@@DreamingInReality I use laptops only for writing essays or completing a written assignment for college or reading. So the M2 8GB / 256 SSD would be durable and good for me?

[@elizabethperez8740]

Or should I stick to M1 16GB / 512 GB SSD?

[@DreamingInReality]

@@elizabethperez8740 I would say yes. If you're just using it for school, casual browsing, editing documents, writing reports, and stuff like that, it's perfect. That's what I use mine for. It hasn't done me wrong yet. If you feel that you'll use it for gaming, editing KZbin videos, and other intense stuff, I would up the SSD for sure. Now if you feel that you will eventually use it for more intense stuff and need more space, the higher SSD M1 would be really good. I believe it's cheaper than the higher SSD M2 model. My M1 still runs flawlessly and I've had it since 2020. It really boils down to how much money you're willing to spend.

[@neog.1901]

So I have the base M2 and an Asus Zephyrus G14 (for my gaming exploits). Both are great machines but even though my G14 is the "better" laptop on paper (1TB SSD, Ryzen 9 6900HS CPU, 120hz display, Radeon RX 6700S GPU) I find myself using my base M2 far more for casual use. I'm talking web browsing, music, email, iMessage, FaceTime, etc. It's quick, super light, the speakers are better, the camera is better, it turns on wayyyy faster, and I even find the display to be better mainly because it gets brighter, and just looks like a higher quality display. It definitely was not the dramatic drop-off in user experience I was expecting. While I do agree that Apple using slower storage is BS considering the starting price of this thing, I also agree that the situation has been overblown considering the overall speediness of the M2 chip or software/hardware. Imo, if you're hesitant about getting the base M2 but also don't want to drop $200-400+ on doubling storage/RAM because your usage will be more on the casual side, don't be. This thing will suit your needs for many years to come and at worse, if it doesn't and you do need to upgrade to something more powerful, you can sell it and still get quite a few pretty pennies for it considering how well MacBooks hold their value...even base models.

[@nadrojohk]

Thank you so much! I was thinking between the g14 and this model as well! appreciate the feedback

[@neog.1901]

@@nadrojohk You’re welcome! They’re both great laptops for casual use but if gaming is on your brain then the G14 is the way to go. The M2 isn’t really well-suited for that.

[@RyaanTH]

I just got one, upgrading from a 6 year old Dell Inspiron. The quality is absolutely insane and I'm blown away by the performance

[@g.o.9513]

Happy for you! 😊

[@fe7542]

From a college student's perspective, wouldn't a base model be more than enough for everyday tasks? I mean if you have a valid outlook email with your institution, you already get 5TB of OneDrive for free and leave that SSD to have fun by itself. So my confusion lies with: is it worth upgrading to just do college stuff and no 4K video editing or other heavy-duty stuff?

[@thenicolaichristian]

That's exactly what I'm thinking lmao. 256 GB is a LOT, like what should you use so much space for, if it weren't for heavy video editing or gaming??

[@Zgoatz220]

@@thenicolaichristian I am thinking the same thing

[@quacktac]

In the UK the base M2 Air is £1250, which is $1500. And then when you add 16bg of RAM and 500GB of storage (which really should be the bare fucking minimum for a laptop at this price) if comes to £1650, which is $2,000. It's really hard to recommend a $2,000 laptop where you can't upgrade the storage and the ram in a few years when it inevitably becomes outdated.

[@soyymaafia6004]

Yikes 😳 😬 yikes 😱 Go to Spain 🇪🇸 holiday weekend and purchase one ☝️

[@OShackHennessy]

Very well said, the specs you mentioned should be the standard on this model for similar price to base

[@KanuKing20]

Do you understand that the mb of RAM in apple systems can’t be properly measured against your regular say, MS laptop because architecture is different. RAM memory is integrated, the OS is different, more optimized,there is no comparison. There is a reason why Apple make products like this but people never understand.

[@infeltk]

@@KanuKing20 Big image occupies the same amount of RAM in WIndows and MacOS.

[@skdfdjkdfjkd]

After the OS improvements the base model is great, I'm really happy with it . I had some problems a year ago though...

[@AlohaPanda]

I have the air M1 512GB Spacegrey and I just bought the base model M2 air, it’s so much nicer and lighter and I love the color starlight. I don’t mind the storage or the performance since I don’t really use much space and mainly just browse the web and watch videos.

[@xoxjelloxox]

Why did you choose starlight

[@thomgizziz]

It is .1 pound lighter... you are telling yourself things to justify your spending on something you just admitted you didn't need

[@theoneonly5368]

@@thomgizziz cry

[@mkbalita2385]

So upgrade the RAM or capacity instead? 16 GB or go for 512 storage?

[@readthis1123]

I really like how the Air 2 looks however looking at what I use as a programmer. I need 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage, which puts me really close to the PRO series in terms of price. I'm waiting till november/december to see if apple updates their pro 14/16 inch models and then recheck which laptop is worth buying. Currently on a 2014 macbook pro 😅

[@kneticnrg]

Man I am a little late to the party here, I have the same struggle as you but I just got an M2 Air that’s custom to order so it has 16 GB of RAM. Loving it so far. It is like a few hundred dollars more expensive though, but it’s still cheaper than the 2021 Pro which I have been eyeing for a while.

[@drbenirusani]

Hi, would upgrading the M2 MBA SSD from 512 to 1 TB has any potential drawbacks? I mean with MBA M2 SSD 512 (or 1TB ) and 16GB RAM -- then all the issues it has will be solved? Money is not an issue. And I don't want an MBP 14-inch as it is heavier than MBA. Thanks! (By the way, I'm just a regular user)

[@souryadeeptasaha]

@@kneticnrg Do you use iOS /Android simulators? Does the MBA M2 lags or thermal throttles? I was planning to get a 14 inch MBP M1 Pro but it seems like Apple has discontinued that model and the M2 pro is way to expensive

[@kneticnrg]

@@souryadeeptasaha no emulators, I don’t do dev work anymore. So far so good though, running like 30 tabs on Chrome, 4 different excel sheets and playing Hearthstone no problem.

[@aymanazmi8809]

I’m Subscribed to your main channel & have been enjoying you Tech videos since 2012 or so. That glitter bomb comment just made me realise i wasn’t subscribed here so i did 😅

[@federicomartin5044]

Is it worth the upgrade? If you upgrade the M2 Air to 16+512, it will cost you around $1600, this will be around $400 less than the base 14 inch M1 Pro MBP, which cames with the same configuration, but has a better processor, better screen, more ports, SD Reader. Unless you´re tight on the budget , I think you should get the M1 Pro MBP, which I think is a better machine.

[@FTC207]

Thats true

[@thomgizziz]

A better machine for you...

[@AC-gg4ck]

as a normal user, i use it for browsing purpose, watch movies and play the sims 4 so the base model still very decent for me

[@ChannelScott]

I think pro users are overhyping the ram/ssd issues. I've seen people with 100 tabs open in Chrome and their Air's worked just fine (for testing purposes only obviously). As far as the single ssd (256GB) goes, it's still SSD, it's still faster than a traditional spinning HD. Unless you're rendering 3 separate 4K vids at once, the base model is just fine (especially for new Mac users), I would not advise them to upgrade anything and stick with the base model. If you decide Mac is for you, when you buy your next Mac, then of course do your upgrades if you want then. But way too many vids on here are slamming the pro users hate on the 8/256 setup saying you guys are making way too much of this.

[@aedaldaniel]

we are living in 2023 not in the 2010. So a single SSD will make those applications slow.

[@mead5185]

watching this on a base m2 macbook air i bought from costco on sale for $700 and i gotta say this is the best thing ive ever spent $700 on lol i LOVE it imo the ssd speed isn't something u notice at all on a regular basis at least upgrading from a 2017 intel macbook pro... night and day stuff honestly. it's not gonna be my workstation but its perfect for school and casual/on the go use.

[@bonanzabrandon6877]

If Apple makes a macbook air with a bigger screen, they will dominate the landscape.

[@Mingyu1031]

I want a MacBook Pro M1 max with a air screen instead

[@thomgizziz]

No it won't. Just because you want a larger screen doesn't mean everybody does.

[@watchyamouth5053]

You got that 15?

[@RuudWijnands]

I am not sure what's up with the fingerprints discussion. I went to the store and the midnight version was clean. I tried to put fingerprints on it by picking it up in different ways and no fingerprints showed. Are the versions in the store somehow treated for this? Or should everyone else consider washing their hands more often?

[@phoenyfeifei]

I find it’s strange that you want to upgrade the ssd to get faster ssd speed for only memory swap, why don’t u just upgrade to 16Gb ram then if you can only upgrade one thing? Dont you put the cart before the horse?? At least you can always use ext storage, but you can do this to ram

[@laalbujhakkar]

you’re talking to dudes who make a living doing phone reviews … they don’t know what the real issue actually is

[@moizosm]

if the base model has 2 nand chips then most of the people did not consider upgrading, and 8 gb ram is more than enough for normal user. So if they consider upgrading then the valid option is ssd atleast they are getting more storage and 8 gb ram will still be sufficient for normal user & for pro user m1pro is there

[@laalbujhakkar]

@@moizosm Paging or “swapping” to disk happens when the OS doesn’t have enough RAM, so it doesn’t matter whether you have 256 or 512 (slightly faster SSD) if you hit the disk you’re dead in the water cuz ssd is 1000x slower than the ram? hope this helps

[@thomgizziz]

@@laalbujhakkar ddr5 only transfers at 5.6gb/s which is just over twice as fast as the SSD in macbooks. MacOS uses swap all the time even when the ram isn't full. You don't know what you are talking about. Hope that helps.

[@maxwellsdemon10]

In Germany bought my macbook air M1 two years ago for 930€ with student discount. The new macbook air is 1350€ with student discount now. My GF was asking me what laptop to buy and honestly, recommending her to buy a two year old laptop for the same price I payed kinda sucks, but paying 400€ more for the Macbook Air M2 is just not worth it. Especially with the storage problem.

[@ruwankumara1844]

I got M2 base module... so far so good nothing happing, works well and I enjoy

[@michaelmcmillon5933]

I returned it because I was noticing the performance. I was thinking to exchange for a upgraded model and at the price I just coughed it up and for the 14inch pro

[@Kitsunemel]

With current Black Friday BestBuy deals, the only reason I’m getting the M2 air with 16th memory and 512 storage is the $15 monthly price difference over the base. I can deal with $15 more a month.

[@berkan5578]

I loved my 12inch macbook. It wasn’t powerful but it was so small and light that it was such a no brainer to take it everywhere. Sadly it just died on me.

[@cncfan]

Mine was probably my favorite laptop I ever owned. I eventually had a screen issue with it

[@GoldenBridgeVEVO]

I have been using my 2010 imac for a long time and surely it still running like a champ. But i need a laptop for my portable work now and just order MBA M2 16GB/512GB Mid Night edition. The reason why you guy still see finger print on mid night is because it suppose to be used at mid night and no light lol

[@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.

[@soop3rd0oper]

No, you won’t notice it with that type of usage. Only time you’ll notice it is if you’re always moving around large files because it’s half as slow but with other tasks it should be a faster than the m1 and definitely a lot faster than your old one.

[@marcelolaboriel22]

I disagree with this analysis, if you currently have a laptop that has 128gb of storage, getting the base model is good move. I currently have a macbook air 2019 with 128gb with intel processor of course, so this macbook is a good buy

[@AntoineThisdale]

I love the ergo of the MacBook Air. Is installing a Windows10 OS still a thing? i left the mac infrastructure years and years ago.

[@CF542]

Yes, you can still run Windows on a modern Mac, this is something I do on my M1 Mac Mini using Parallels. The only potential downside is that you must run Windows 10 for ARM as Intel is not supported.

[@MrBaskins2010]

@@CF542 i believe it's supported on UTM

[@AdoracionAlPadre]

August 2023, does anybody here think apple will release M3 Macs on september? I'm trying to wait but also want to buy the M2 pro/air right away 😬😬😬

[@wutevertheysay]

Hey! I'm in digital marketing and my main work normally revolves around switching around LOADS of Chrome tabs. Do you think the M2 MBA would be good enough?

[@Dan4096]

My wife has a 2015 MacBook Pro i5, so a base MacBook Air M1 for $1500 (Australian dollars) would be a pretty great upgrade, I think. The M2 version is $1800.

[@waxsta]

I think storage in this day and age isn't as important as the ram. ArtIsRight did an excellent test of what impact increasing the ram has on the performance of the mba m2 and it performs better than a 512gb model with the same ram. So base line should be 16gb ram with 256GB ssd for anyone considering this laptop because the 8gb ram gets used up quickly and increasing the ram means less reliance on swap memory usage using the new ssd Config (single nand chip)

[@bitwisedevs469]

RAM is important for developers, for average consumer maybe it is less important

[@ViKiinGViiRuS]

Thank you. Was wondering this exact question

[@ye849]

The main issue is that manufacturing the cpu and the memory on the same die and same 5nm process is very expensive and inefficient for the memory that does benefit from scale. So the low price points are showing the scale down issue. Ur basically buying an ipad with a keyboard