The Definitive M2 MacBook Air Review

It’s been nearly a month since the M2 MacBook Air launched and we’ve spent hours putting it through its paces. Is it all it’s cracked up to be?
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The M2 MacBook Air launched to a lot of dramatic hullabaloo-reports of thermal throttling and a slow SSD were just a few of the controversies that befell the redesigned fan-favorite. We’ve found some of the complaints to be credible, many to be false, and generally find ourselves in love with this little machine. But there’s one problem… the price.

[@snazzy]

There’s a little compression artifacting in places (more than is normal for KZbin (which is already bad)) throughout the video. Sadly, this isn’t on us. Our export looks great and utilized the same settings we always do. Video looked okay when I proofed it on KZbin but then as soon as I published it it’s been re-entering and exiting processing. I’ve reached out to KZbin to see if they can re-process the file on their backend. It may also just resolve itself. This might not be one for the big-screen TV. Sorry. Idk why KZbin is the way that it is.

[@1712sid]

Yeah, was just about to say the same. Never seen that with any of your older videos ? Did you change anything in the rendering pipeline ? Anyways, thanks for the review, it was very helpful :)

[@Pekeliini]

Oh god I'm glad it's not just my GPU then. Phew!

[@anirbanbiswas3990]

I thought the decoder in my pc was acting up

[@muneeb-khan]

It’s been going on for the past year. Slowmo guys videos aren’t as enjoyable as they used to be either because of the artifacting :(

[@CoreyDWillis]

I thought something was wrong with my screen or video output for a minute there. 🤣

[@Wokiis]

To think how thorough but concise one can be when spending *TIME* on making a review instead of chasing the algorithm. Bravo!

[@xeon2k8]

@Jaquan Kelsor the company doesnt pay his salary, viewers are.

[@milkyy4168]

@Jaquan Kelsor Who hurt you? “Yeah just like that popular girl in high school. Every dude hood on her d- for attention and their own benefits. Juxtaposition to Apple, and completely ignoring the many many other small companies that do great work as well. Funny how that works.”

[@AshritPlays]

It’s really true when you said that it’s sandwiched between 2 of the best laptops that apple ever made. And also I feel that M1 MacBook Air just set the standard really high because previously no one did anything serious on MacBook Airs just casual stuff but then suddenly air can do stuff like video editing much better than more expensive windows counterparts.

[@User-cb4jm]

Exactly. The Windows equivalent of a MacBook Air (a $1000 thin and light, high res screen, good build quality and battery life ultrabook) is the Surface Laptop, and when has that ever been capable of video editing beyond the basics where it will get hot enough to toast bread and thermal throttle like hell.

[@xEqualsRandom]

@@User-cb4jm how does it stack up against an XPS?

[@andyH_England]

@@xEqualsRandom Check out Max Tech XPS 13 Plus -v- M2 where the Mac wins every metric apart from subjective looks.

[@xEqualsRandom]

@@andyH_England wow, the XPS doesn't even have a headphone jack

[@_Digitalguy]

@@User-cb4jm Not everyone video edits. And you don't need to video edit to want more than 8GB RAM: It's all a matter of priorities. I got a 16GB 512GB cellular thinkpad nano for 1300). Powerful enough, great keyboard, much lighter than the MacBook air and with cellular. I'd take this over the additiona power any time. And when I need more battery than the decent one it already has, I can take a powerbank and still have similar weight to the MacBook. The day the make a Cellular MacBook under 1Kg I'll buy it.

[@sethedmonds5996]

PERFECT meal video. Never fails to have the most detailed points! Please never change Quinn.

[@MrTrickBrick]

I've never heard "meal video" before but it's a perfect description. This channel and many other techy/science ones I like have this certain level of quality that is just right for it. And when they don't have a new upload I'm often spending five minutes looking for the perfect video to rewatch before I pick up my fork!!

[@compromisedssh]

Really? I remember when this channel was great. Now it’s all shameless sponsorships. It’s a shame. I no longer find anything on this channel remotely credible. I used to.

[@AzzyDremurr]

I was literally having a meal just now, lol

[@sethedmonds5996]

@@compromisedssh I remember when this comment thread was great; Before you came. I hope your food was cold.

[@aurelian1]

The Linus shrine metaphor is truly inspired.

[@mettwurstminister680]

I just witnessed the best sponsor segment since discovering youtube 15 years ago. Thank you, Quinn.

[@huggeebear]

Meh. Pat Macaffee did it before.

[@uuuuuusssseeerrrrrrr]

I Actually enjoyed watching an ad

[@danielxmiller]

Same

[@FoxxFire]

This is why these reviews, even weeks or months after a product's release, are must watch. It's the most complete, informative M2 MBA video I've seen so far, and it's worth every second of the watch. Quinn -- i know as a perfectionist you noticed but there was some distortion or noise in some of the scenes. Was that a youtube upload quality loss issue?

[@nivioof]

i thought it was my youtube player, i think it was,.

[@funkemunky]

yeah he ended up posting a comment about that. apparently this isn't an issue limited to his channel or new videos. some people are reporting it in older videos too

[@evacody1249]

Bad hardware is bad hardware and software can't fix it. Fact the SSD in the base model is bad. The fact that you have to pay 200 dollars more for the better SSD is insane and out of line with SSD prices. Apple knew what they were doing. As in they knew how to make more money of Apple sheep.

[@donaciuxx]

@Jaquan Kelsor physical stores are perfect places for upselling.

[@julianojosoa2145]

The LTT store analogy alone deserves my repect and I clicked on the thumbs up immediately 👍😁

[@DickDawsonTheShills]

That was a great dive into the system and really complements your last take on things as well.

[@aditkulkarni]

When I say quality review, this is what I mean. Amazing research and explanation Quinn!

[@emmettonline]

I'm noticing a lot of compression artifacting at all resoultions

[@snazzy]

KZbin sucks at distributing video.

[@DavidKhabinsky]

@@snazzy At 0:50 it's particularly heavy. Was this rendered on an M1 chip? I find that when I render on my M1 Max, it occasionally has terrible compression when I export to h.264 (I use Premiere)

[@technicolourmyles]

@@snazzy Are you sure it's KZbin? I don't see this happening on any other videos uploaded recently by other tech channels... Might want to look at your encode and export settings.

[@snazzy]

@@technicolourmyles Yes. See pinned comment.

[@ORIOLESFan02]

I always love the interesting takes and dialogue in your videos Quinn. It makes them sparkle more than some other reviewers that do the same thing as you do. Great Job Quinn! I enjoyed this review.

[@akmoe5402]

I am using the M2 air with 16GB RAM & 512SSD, would say it's a huge upgrade comparing to my previous intel i7 13inch MacPro. I do cybersecurity so running those virtual machines has been a breeze on M2 chip as well. Considered getting the 14inch MacPro but its $600 more expensive in Singapore using student discount; rather use the $600 for something else since M2 air is really good enough for college students like myself.

[@absolutely1337]

Can either of the apple silicon chips run windows? Assuming not since it’s all x86

[@yephonepyae1241]

I am looking for macbook to use for studying in final year. so, I wanna know that M2 MBA can run virtual machines and coding smoothly? I am worried about thermal throttling to use VM on air.

[@kaitlyn__L]

@@absolutely1337 you can in VMs but no native boot

[@devashishpatwardhan3]

So, I love the video, but 2 important things - 1. Design makes a big difference. I moved from the 14” M1 Pro to a 512Gb 10 core M2 Air. I love it. The portability of the Air is unmatched. The 14” is too bulky for me. Also, the sharp edges on the 14” pro really dig in to my wrist and I cannot type on it for long. 2. The M2 Air is still quite good value because here in India, I got it for almost 22% off from the store. There are good discounts on the M2 Air as well! Overall, being someone who has used the 14” pro for 6 months, I’d recommend you buy the 14” only and only if you absolutely need the performance. If you travel a lot, consider the Air. Also, check out the sharp edges at a store.

[@maxberentelg]

Your tech reviews are amongst the best that KZbin has to offer!! Your extensive research, your depth of knowledge and (most importantly) your unique perspectives are just amazing :) Keep up the awesome work

[@namitjain2890]

Not kidding, I actually thought what a nice shirt before the sponsor segment!

[@DickDawsonTheShills]

That LTT gag was priceless! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA Edit: So was flipper!

[@Lumilicious]

9:00 thanks for that. This has been such an annoying topic recently that I've been avoiding any discussion about it. People have literally forgotten how the M1 Air also throttled in the same way. It's even more annoying when you have big Tech personalities like Austin Evans say in one of his videos (the podcast with the big guy) that the M1 Air didn't throttle as bad as the M2 does... getting this shit linked to you as "proof" has been the most annoying shit I ever came across.

[@Conzales]

The best place for well thought out outside the box reviews with views you’ll get nowhere else. Great practical detail. Blows the standard unboxing ‘reviews’ completely away. Thanks for the inside insight!

[@fnYang2002]

There is a mistake in this video, At 13:25. The 14’ MacBook Pro has a shorter battery life than the M2 MacBook Air in both apple’s keynote and real world tests. Despite this little mistake, this video is really good. Lots of facts and thoughts that I’ve never heard about in other reviews. (PS: My English is not good. Sorry for the poor grammar)

[@sotonin]

apples keynote graphs are famously known to be inaccurate or vague.

[@scottrobinson2668]

Great review - I really love your nuanced take on the M2. That said, I just got an M2 Air. For me, the upgrades over the M1 were worth it. Plus, I had an Intel Air (Retina), so same body style, so I felt like something a bit newer. An extra couple hundred bucks wasn't a deal breaker. Otherwise I'd agree, the M1 air is a solid option. Speaking of the Intel-based Air - holy crap what a difference this M2 is over the Intel version from 2018. No brainer for anyone still on the Intel-based machines.

[@argyleandplaidful]

Quinn, that was a fantastic ad segment. I watched the whole thing. Great video! Keep making fantastic content, you're one of my favorite creators!

[@DennySantos23]

Awesome video. Thank you for your input in being able to offer a sane comparison concerning workload the machine can handle and what kind of machine set-up users should get. Gracias.

[@fossjonc]

Thank you for accurately summarizing and describing the overall issue with this machine without getting into all of the extra drama or missing view points that the other youtubers fail to mention! 👍

[@whenhen]

I got the M2 Air with 16GB RAM and 512GB SSD. I absolutely agree with your conclusions, regarding the do not buy, especially since you can get a 16GB Air for less money than a base M2 Air. 16GB is far more impactful in day to day tasks, and significantly increases the usable lifespan of a computer even if you're not yet maxing out the 8GB offered. Personally I had a very niche use case for the MacBook Air, which made the M2 Air the best option, However, if I needed it as my only computer I would have absolutely bought a 14" M1 Pro and never even considered the M2 Air

[@shinskoll]

Absolutely, this video really pushed forward what can be said about the M2 Air and conforted me in my decision of buying it (16GB and 512GB). But the final conclusion threw me off guard, first because i don’t live in spain (300€ more in France) and second because i neither have a need for everything the 14“ MBP offer except autonomy but still prefer to keep it light and thin. Also, couldn’t resolve myself buying the Huawei laptop with an M1 chip and branded Apple🙃😅 (Damn all copy of the MB Air, they made me buy the shinier one…)

[@Georgekartveli]

That's been my view exactly. It is a great laptop. When it just came out, I liked it. A design that looks better, newer, fresher. A Magsafe I love so mych on my 14 inch MBP. A newer improved chip. However, the more I look into it, the less sense it makes. If the base model suits you, probably the M1 model does as well and you can save a lot picking it up. Yes, I do like the design and the Magsafe especially but is it worth it? Probably not. If you upgrade it, the gap to the base 14 inch MBP is small enough to justify getting the MBP which is in a league of its own. It would be a great laptop if it didn't go up in price. And as we can see with M2 MBPs already being discounted, maybe the M2 MBA will be a good deal after a couple months.

[@chrisdunderdale]

Been looking forward to this review! As always, the best on KZbin - well worth waiting for. Great job mate!

[@romilkumar]

Having watched tonnes of videos on MacBook Air M2, i can safely say that this is the most well made video which tells you exactly what you need to know when you are in the market for a MacBook to take a definite decision. Well done Guys ! You have a new subscriber 👍👍

[@rolandgerard6064]

Your conclusion makes sense. Thanks for the review.

[@IraQNid]

What if this is another example of Apple making something not to be bought but to steer people to one of their other products? I think you've addressed this notion once before.

[@akin242002]

Agreed. The M2 Air is just to push smart consumers into the M1 Pro 14. Dumb consumers are happy to have an awkward middle ground between M1 Air and M1 Pro 14.

[@DeputyNordburg]

I use one of these on a regular basis and it has been amazing. I'm horrified to find out I was not supposed to buy it.

[@moxplow]

One of your best videos yet. Great work. Great editing. Awesome value. Thanks Quinn!!!

[@thewelshlink]

Brilliant video. Feels like a conversation, insights are great, you explain everything so well, and lastly, I really like that you don’t use background music. Great stuff.

[@BramvanLeur]

What a great review! Pricing and 256GB are the issues with the otherwise great machine. That sponsor segment made no sense, and I’m loving it 😄

[@ip5799]

i bought the 256 gb, i’m just a student tho and do a bit of djing. is that a big issue?

[@saddamsassi8264]

@@ip5799 It's not. The issue is: 8/256 is a horrible value for 1200+ bucks. Why? Because most people who buy a "premium" (at least that's what you'd expect from that price point) laptop, would keep it for 4-5 years... And 8/256, if still "just okay" in 2022, definitely won't be "okay" in 2027.

[@innnews6299]

The most honest and straight forward review, summary and recommendation. And not sugar-coating the greed that has become Apple as of late. Kudos. You’ve gained a sub!

[@jefferyjones8399]

Seems a little bit spiteful to put it that way

[@innnews6299]

@@jefferyjones8399 Being spiteful would result in a lot worst comment. This is a praise for the honest review.

[@andyH_England]

What greed? Welcome to 2022 where my gas bill will double in six months, where it costs 10X as much to transport than it did a few years ago. Where TSMC has raised the price of the M2 by $100 over the M1, where the XPS 13 Plus new design costs £300 more than the old design (basic economics of manufacturing and R&D cost recovery). The 256gb SSD is due to all OEMs moving to MLC to save waste, rather than having two modules of waste they have one. This will happen with 512GB soon, so one module instead of two. Progress and being environmentally friendly sometimes means one step back. Of course, a cynic like you will jump at the lowest denominator rather than reflecting on the times. Anyway, like all OEMs, they are at the behest of the shareholder not some random YT comment, and you do not have to buy, which I doubt you will anyway.

[@ImmutableCabbage]

andyH_England how those boots tasting?

[@TI3GIB]

I have a MBP 14" which I quite like apart from the thickness and weight. This Air would've been perfect if they'd only put one of the Thunderbolt ports on the other side. The wrap around cable to the left side is enough of an inconvenience that along with the poorer screen, just didn't justify the extra purchase. I wonder if other people have similarly specific grievances. Great take as always. Keep it up!

[@carlstevenwilletts]

Instead of making a review based on benchmarks, you made a benchmark review. The most balanced review of the M2 Air to date.

[@PackFan2323]

Loving my M2/24GB/1TB Midnight MacBook Air M2. Had the M1 14" but was just a bit heavier in comparison. Excellent portability, significant future proofed memory and storage were keys for my selection. Added dBrand skins for protection and grip-ability and I'm good to go.

[@alrcampbell]

I’d love a travel-sized MacBook Pro with the same level of screen and performance. I don’t want a thinner/lighter version if it’s missing the better screen

[@JellyLancelot]

You strike the balance of praise and critisism perfectly. A lot of channels usually go hard on either and then don't acknowledge and opposing. You have nailed the balance, giving praise where its due and critisism where its also due. Been watching you since well before your year-or-so long break many, many years ago and you've come such a long way. Bravo!

[@rhoderzau]

Great video and calls out some things I noticed with the keyboard and the trackpad. The only thing I couldn't agree with was the impact of the weight (and size). 20% may not seem like much but holding the two devices, the 14" feels incredibly chunky and weighty. Selling my 16" M1 Max for the new M2 MacBook Air and tried the 14" to see if it was suitable. MBA for the couch, throwing into a bag for the weekend and taking with me while travelling, Mac Studio for the rest of the time. Both for professional work exclusively. The M2 MBA suits my needs more than the M1 MBA because of the additional RAM available (used for VM's). The M2 fits a niche where people want more RAM and keeping weight down is crucial - and those who plain just want the "latest and greatest" compared to the M1 MBA which feels dated.

[@lexsemenenko7044]

I got M2 Air solely for its portability while getting all of its fanciness. I own a specked 16" MBP M1 Max and returned the MBP 14" M1 Pro to get the Air. I tell you, the weight makes a humongous difference relative to the 14". If owning just one, then definitely not the Air for a geeky user.

[@whenhen]

What are you doing where the minor difference in weight between the M2 Air and M1 14" makes a difference in portability? I bought the M2 Air specifically for its weight, but I'm also carrying another laptop and a portable monitor in my backpack for 40+ mins at a time, so weight is a big deal. I'd imagine that's not what most people are doing though

[@lexsemenenko7044]

​@@whenhen Exactly. I carry a backpack with me - 16" M1 Max, iPad Pro 12", DAC, high-end over-ear headphones, a Remarkable tablet, Asus portable monitor etc. For a complete portable workstation for coffee shops etc. I don't mind the weight for such occasions. But often, I grab the thin and light M2 Air. I can also work from that in a coffee shop with it but in a different mode. like when I learn something or completing simpler tasks. I have no resistance to carrying the Air all the time with me the same way I take my iPhone. My 14" M1 didn't give me the same easy experience due to the weight. I was doubting getting the Air because I thought the 14" should be about the same. In reality, the 14" didn't do what the Air does. Night and day difference for me.

[@jfidel3943]

I have an M2 MBA and I love it, personally. I made a whole song in GB and the battery only went down 4%. In everyday work it is awesome. I love the M2 especially, it allows me to render hypercomplex 3D fractals in *seconds* with the CPU and GPU on the chip. The 3D performance is awesome, the 16GB of RAM is perfect, I love the magsafe, and the insanely fast SSD is super cool. Nice review!

[@tobygm86]

Full agree with this. I bought an M2 air and the amazing speed of the CPU makes the slow hard drive lack of ram really apparent. Every time it ran out of ram it was like hitting a brick wall. Most apps I use are web apps which suck up a huge amount of RAM and even looking at cutting them back, switching some to less RAM intensive desktop apps I found it freezing in Teams calls. This is something my 2017 MacBook Pro didn’t do. So I returned it and bought the base level MacBookPro 14 which was reduced in price. I hope they up the base level RAM/storage in the next Air iteration.

[@lightflix]

Great review Quinn! Very well put together and informative compared to the reviews that came out just a few days after its release.

[@S.L.1211]

I've had my M2 Air with 512GB & 16GB for a week now and happy with it. Will last me ten years as did my 2010 MBP lasted me 13 years. Its going to be a great machine for me.

[@KaiusKing]

I presume a 16GB / 512 M2 Air model is north of $1500. Is it for casual everyday tasks or more intensive creative purposes?

[@colebaldwin9084]

@@KaiusKing yeah its $1500 not including taxes ($1600) it is great all around though. I use it for coding and casual use

[@youtubaa1]

Man, what's up with those compression artefacts? Snazzy was always one of the crispiest channels out there. What happened? Where's the full 4K glory?

[@youtubaa1]

Jesus, some of them look like data moshing. I smell some KZbin butchery.

[@eriways2018]

Advert is perfect! 😂💗And great video as always!!

[@lachpanbailey6760]

Bravo! Great video Quinn, you actually look at things close enough to answer the questions I have. Thanks

[@Zouth]

I have no idea if the raw greenscreen is supposed to be there or not but it was a funny cut lol

[@tenslider6722]

He should have used a Blue screen, cause the shirt he was wearing also had a green tint.

[@aliozanerbektas]

This is a 15 min video, so I'm more than confident that there is an ad in there somewhere... So be on the lookout! 👀

[@MrMoogle]

Just wanted to drop a note to say I've been really impressed with your videos lately. The quality just keeps getting better and better! Keep up the great work!

[@jrgarciab]

Dude, you consistently put out such badass reviews. Props, Quinn. Love your work, man.

[@_connic]

Honestly Quinn, the best review I have seen. I was waiting for it since the initial tweet. Very well said. However, there is something i would like to say. A macbook air, is an entry level laptop in the apple world and while this is the case, it is still a very capable machine. who is the target audience? People upgrading from older an older macbook, yes - but, imo apple wants to get non mac os users into the ecosystem. I, myself am an apple "fan", i like their products. I have an iphone, ipad, watch, homepods, airtags, airpods. What i am missing is a mac machine. This machine is for people like me. And you, youtubers always compare apples to apples but the thing is, we don't all have apples. I have a desktop PC (mid level one) and this laptop is going to beat my desktop in every aspect you can think. That's why i know this laptop is perfect for me and people like me. This machine will not be bought by someone who needs a MBP, those people know what the need and why. In fact my config (10core gpu, 16 ram, 512 ssd) is just 150$ less than M1 pro MBP, but guess what, i don't care. I had the option and i though, for my usage is okay if it throttles for 20' every month when i try to export raw photos. The other 29 days it will be perfect. All while being more convenient to live with and carry around. That's what this laptop is, and who it was made for. Thanks!

[@ttom2460]

Well said. While the diff between Air and Pro can be low, it doesn’t mean you should always get the Pro. I went with M2 base CPU and 512/16 memory, the Pro was for $250 more on-sale price. However, the Pro is bigger/bulkier and heavier and that’s a con for me because I did not care about the extra horsepower. Everyone should simply look into their needs and how they intend to use the machine first.

[@DishNetworkDealerNEO]

I had some reservations about this M2 Air, realizing that when Apple designed this device, they were under extreme chip supplier and cost pressures, in the rest of the chips, not the M2 itself. I expect the M2 is better applied to the Pro series, and all we have to do is wait until next year and then there will be a brighter, shinier M3, design that is not pressured by Nand Shortages to boot, in fact, this same model might soon get that empty memory slot filled in a 1/2 year upgrade as has happened in do menu other years in MacBook history then you may have to reevaluate that disk access aspect and they could update the structure of the case and use a shoehorn to add the bigger heatsink to change it’s throttling characteristics. But the is for the next version if it is birthed by Apple, or perhaps just moved on from with an M3 Version…

[@angleisthebest]

BS. There was never any sort of shortage of NAND flash chips and both their demand as well as their cost actually went down during the pandemic due to phone demand dropping. And even if there had been any kind of shortage, the $200 price hike already paid for it 50 times over. Stop the pathetic simping for this trillion-dollar company. The sooner Apple fanboys stop making excuses for their blatant cost-cutting exercises, the sooner you'll get a product that's worth a damn. I had high hopes for this re-design, but it's been shown to be a disaster...I'm sticking with my 2015 Air until they release a decent non-castrated laptop -- not this tin foil-cooled abomination.

[@uskaishiga]

I hit the like button specifically for that segue into the sponsor. The sponsor read with the green screen was hilarious lol

[@dansanger5340]

You're the first review I've seen that mentioned additional flex in the keyboard deck of the M2 Air vs the M1 Air. I wasn't even aware of that. That's important to a lot of people.

[@SLACKPLAN9]

I am sure this M2 Air, even with its base specs, will be a LOT better than what I am upgrading from (Base level 2017 MacBook 12)

[@the_manchovie1795]

I got a macbook from like 2015 and I'm getting this for Christmas

[@SahilP2648]

@@the_manchovie1795 trust me, if you have watched the video, get the M1 Pro Macbookpro 16 GB 512 SSD. I am typing from it this very moment since I got it for work. And I am contemplating getting the M2 Pro version when it comes out for my personal software development. I would say spend a few hours in an Apple store and see for yourself although you can't do extensive testing with it.

[@shib5267]

But it's like 3 times more expensive. Try getting a real computer for a change

[@skjoldgames]

I think the M2 MacBook Air would have been a slam dunk if it could have maintained the same price point as the M1 MacBook Air. But that said, anyone looking to push the limits of their machines for development, 3D work or video edition should just go ahead with the MacBook Pro 14" or 16".

[@justsomeguy5103]

Agree. The premium over the M1 is pretty significant for a slight spec bump with a few bells and whistles. The M1 Air was amazing value when it first came, but it has been on the market for almost 2 years now, unchanged, at the same price point. In fact, they increased the price of the 1.5 year old model in many countries when the M2 launched. Meanwhile, Intel and AMD are starting to quickly catch up with Apple Silicon.

[@sotonin]

yep. the M2 air does not have a target audience. It's cannibalized by products on the cheaper and more expensive side. They needed to chose a price point to go after and replace it with the air. But the M1 Air is a better buy, or the M1 pro depending on what you want. In no reality is the M2 air worth it's price point

[@skjoldgames]

@@sotonin Well, I just listened to the Q3 earnings call and due to supply chain constraints, Apple was unable to meet demand for the new MBA M2. So that said, I guess they didn't really need to price it at the same price point as the M1 since they weren't going to meet demand anyways. Might as well raise the margin to offset supply constraints.

[@sotonin]

@@skjoldgames That's because most of the apple cult is brainwashed to always buy the new everything. You can't go off that alone. In the grand scheme of things it will do much worse than the M1 Air or the 14 16 inch pros.

[@skjoldgames]

@@sotonin Oh, then I probably shouldn't mention I'm one of those cultists lol. I think it's a great machine that meets the needs of a lot of users, I just wish the launch price could have kept pace with the last generation.

[@fighterpilot12]

THANK YOU for addressing the key stability issues and how cheap that feels, along with the trackpad click feel (sound). I thought I was going crazy with how much these jiggly keys were bothering me. The rest is fantastic. And yes, the MagSafe does dip down more easily..

[@theyeshhh]

What a great review!! This is why I love this channel 👊👊 Keep up the great work, Quinn.

[@ShreyBrawlStars]

“It is sandwiched in the middle of two of the best laptops ever made.” One sentence brilliantly sums it up.

[@SoftwareManiacLSM]

I wanted something very thin and the M2 that I got (24GB and 2TB SSD) and I love it.

[@SoftwareManiacLSM]

BTW, good review, Mr. Snazzy.

[@user-iz3gv5vo6b]

Great review. The difference between a M2 16/512 MBA, and a base 14" MBP is at least $150 though (even on sale), and usually more if purchasing at the same retail. What I see the M2 MBA doing is eating into the sales of the 13" MBP.

[@danpecora2668]

That t-shirt promo reminded me of local furniture/car dealer commercials from the mid-90s. 😆👍

[@imperfectxennial3008]

Pause at 4:37, thank you for telling us about the keyboard and trackpad, I haven’t heard anyone else talk about it. That, plus the fact the SSD on the base model is slower than the M1, and upgrading will get you near Pro territory, is why I won’t consider this laptop. I am going for the M1 instead.

[@andyH_England]

Nearly every review I have seen puts the M2 Air well clear of the M1 in performance and in some cases much further ahead. It is the sum of the parts, not just one part that is important to how a device ultimately works and now apps are being updated we see the M2 stride clear of the M1. So, anyone buying the M1 just because of a slower base SSD are really missing the point and making a poor decision. But if you buy the M1 because it is cheaper and are not worried it will be slower, then that is a choice worth looking at.

[@Jh3a7]

You haven't heard anyone else talking about probably because it's not a big deal and this is just nitpicking.

[@alanali1768]

@@andyH_England well said.

[@marcpena3197]

I have both computers. I have to say, the m1 pro 14 inch macbook pro is an amazing computer. Both machines are 16gb/ 512gb but the 14 inch macbook pro just fees like a nicer machine all the way around. Nicer keyboard, nicer trackpad, nicer speakers and most notably a nicer , brighter display. Its a no contest really. The only thing I like about the m2 macbook air is that it is pretty light to carry with one hand and the balance is nice. Its nice and thin. But it feels kinda cheap when you put the 14 inch macbook pro right next to it. And performace wise, the 14 inch macbook pro is snappier and never really gets bogged down. The m2 macbook air even with 16/512 starts to feel slow when running into swap memory.

[@sebastianespinosa99]

As someone who is using both, do you notice a difference with battery ???

[@marcpena3197]

@@sebastianespinosa99 damn that’s a good question. Both of them have good battery. I also run this app called vivid on the pro which allows it to hit like 1500 bits of brightness so when I run the brightness that high it does eat into the battery faster. But they’re pretty similar for the most part. I get like 5-7 hours of use for my workflow

[@andyH_England]

I read that around 80% of MB Air buyers get the base model and most of the rest get just one upgrade which means it is much cheaper than the MB Pro 14. We have to remember the MB Pro 14 will be replaced in Q4 so it is discounted as it will be obsolete in a few months, and the M2 is new. By March next year the M2 Air will be about $1100 or less and the new M2 MB Pro 14 Pro will be $2200, as the cycle of new and old works. So it is not a simple like for like.

[@NathanBudd]

Fantastic review. I'm currently using an i7 16" MBP with 16gb of ram, mostly for web development. I'm torn between this and the 14" Pro. Before my 16" I had a 12" and I loved it (still do). I just can't workout if I'll see the performance gains I'd like with the MBP vs the Air, as my workload is all CPU and not GPU. I commute on a bike to work, so the lower weight would be nice. 🤷‍♂️

[@XiXora]

We wait a little longer for your reviews but they are always extremely well thought out and reasoned. Love it.

[@Yzyenthusiast]

Finally Jesus Christ I’ve been avoiding every other review waiting for yours

[@gibby3350]

I recently got the M2 Air (16gb, 512gb storage) and I have been loving it! I managed to get a killer deal with the education discount on the Apple store. Not only did I get $100 off, but I got an additional $150 cash back from Apple! That made it around $1,450 which is perfect. Highly recommend for students!

[@37racso]

That would make this laptop $1700? It’s 1600 on Apple’s website. Are you sure you actually got a discount?

[@Itz_Kry]

@@37racso he got an additional 150 dollar Apple Card so it’s -250

[@37racso]

@@Itz_Kry 1450+250 is 1700. The laptop without discounts is 1600. Unless we’re including tax, then it makes sense.

[@gibby3350]

@@37racso Sales tax lmao 😂

[@andyH_England]

@@37racso …or his model had the 10-core GPU, that is another $100?

[@jpgo]

Thanks for another Magnificent Video and Review, Will you recommend this Air M2 for Photography Edition only?

[@askopte]

I ordered an M1 Air with 16GB of memory and 512GB of storage in my last year of master program, using the educational discount. It's the 2nd best purchase I have ever made, only after my iPad Pro 2018.

[@radimkolar2270]

Does anyone else see a lot of encoding errors, Like tearing and extreme pixelation?

[@droknron]

yeah it's crazy pixelated at points like 4:28

[@binnihh]

Yes, crap quality

[@radimkolar2270]

@@droknron good to know it's not only me

[@snazzy]

It’s KZbin’s processing. Our export looks great. Compression artifacts are always something KZbin has struggled with but this is bad. My hope is it resolves in the next few hours.

[@migueltoledo1884]

I agree with all the points you brought up. At $1199USD, the value proposition is worse than the M1 Air was. For me personally, the M1 Air has been an awesome - if dated looking computer. I might just end up getting the 10 core M1 Pro 14 inch. I want a laptop that looks good, feels good, and will last for 4+ years. Not to mention have rock solid design. I wouldn’t want to get the M2 Air and feel I made the wrong choice by not spending just a few hundred dollars extra to get a (all-around) better laptop. ALWAYS go for quality - even if it costs a lot more. It’ll typically pay for itself in the end.

[@nghiahoang]

love how you explain your points and sum it up nicely at the end, the writing team (or it's jus you?) did a phenomenal job on this video.

[@elsavic]

In Serbia the Macbook Air M2 is about $1700 with tax, the price difference is shocking. Most people just get it in Canada or the USA since most Europe countries have crazier pricing

[@swaggitypigfig8413]

I’m pretty early it looks like. How y’all doing? Edit: Just finished watching. I agree, the device is good, but the price is awful. The M1 Air is great in price. That’s the one for most people. I didn’t know about the touchpad difference and chassis flex at all. Not sure why others didn’t comment on it.

[@pritthish]

hello fellow early person!

[@sammyjammy6647]

It pisses me off that people keep leaving the M1 MacBook Pro 13 inch out of the conversation. I’m tired of you fools. the touch bar, the fans, the 100 more nits of brightness than the M1 air makes it a better all around laptop

[@Marngel]

So in short, the M2 MBA is a phenomenal computer, but the M1 MBA and M1 Pro MBP are just so much better for the money. That seems to be the common take for most reviews

[@nikicampos]

I mean yes, but how about last weekend that I found the MBA M2 at $1049, for that price is just amazing little machine, I could use it for 2 years, sell it and buy another new MBA "M3-4" in 2 years spending almost the same amount as MBP M1 right now that surely will last 4 years, it's also a matter of how much power you need, I really don't need much for browsing and Numbers

[@Gigabitz]

I come to this channel to hear your perspective. And your perspective, as usual, is 100% on point. Great video, Quinn!

[@CNYCHD]

Amazing review. To be fair, honest about the details, call out the mishaps and also applaud the good ones - please never change, Quinn! Definitely one of my fave reviewers the past 2 years.

[@LightPink]

I got it a couple days back as my first mac os device and the number of little things apple doesn't let you do is pissing me off so much.

[@sammyjammy6647]

And you didn’t mention those little things so therefore your comment is worthless

[@peterbreis5407]

The M2 MacBook Air is one of those regular Apple products, pointlessly handicapped. It took one glance on launch to work that one out. It always puzzles me how many Apple users blithely ignore obvious problems and buy this stuff anyway.

[@37racso]

Many people just don’t know any better. Not just Apple users. Good on people like Quinn to spread the knowledge

[@LordCoeCoe]

You can say that about every other phone company.

[@asukahasegawa]

Liked just for that ad break. Thanks for actually putting the effort in and making it entertaining!

[@zrsmith931]

That was the best in video ad I've seen.... love the 4th wall break!

[@ericleemoore]

On the Magic Trackpad, there is an option in settings to change the clicking sound. Is that true here?

[@how2what4]

I like your videos as they seem balanced, I've been holding out on buying my next personal MacBook, the current one is the 2019 intel pro version and wasn't sure which of the Apple silicon versions to go for. Now I know my answer.

[@Mikeforealz]

As always, you put out the best reviews that cover things others don’t. Quality video, Quinn. Thank you.

[@ashishbl]

Quinn. Dude the way you compared the thermal throttling of M1 and M2 MacBook Air is absolutely amazing. Blew all those who just assumed that M2 MacBook Air is inferior by just looking at the design. Can’t remember the last time I literally paused a video in the middle and wrote a comment As always you ROCK!!!! P.S. - thank you for making this video your old way. Some recent videos felt very off. Don’t remember why. I guess a continuously running background music or something.

[@alexis0a]

Oh yes, a review from you of this MacBook Air, I was waiting for this!

[@MarcosRavena]

I was just waiting for this kind of review. Deeper and clearer than any other. At the end of the day we just have to match or desires and reality of money. I personally am going to buy a M1 Pro 14" MBP, because it's better to my daily work and will last almost forever (I mean at least 7/8 years). Thangs again Mr. Snazzy!

[@danford9646]

This has cleared everything up perfectly for me. Thank you for such an informativbe video

[@evindrews]

Ok - so the hollow sound on the trackpad: I got that on my 14" just the other day for a few minutes. I thought I'd broken it. It makes me wonder if Apple modifies the hollow sound somehow through software. Super interesting to me.

[@EriVolunteer]

It's simply the BEST review (out of dozens) I have watched! Thanks a lot!

[@nicholas_btw]

Quinn I have no idea why, but that muted National Anthem playing during that one part of your Ad had me ROLLING laughing, thanks for the great Ad read!

[@LurichMichaelLee]

Great video and comparison! I should've watched this before I got the Macbook Air M2

[@denvera1g1]

Question: What did you use to encode this? Did it look artifact-y to you or is this youtube compression? If this were Intel ARC A380 i'd like to know your thoughs on it, as well as AV1

[@BilalAhmed-fc6bc]

Loved the video Quin, always enjoy your take on things! One small thing, the 14 inch base model does not have better battery life than the m2 MacBook Air.

[@mohawk14616]

I don’t know how many times I have to say this but DJ Sazzy literally has the best hands down concise and logical channel. Every time you can tell he does his research and stands above by his journalism and speaking. He has numbers but doesn’t base them strictly on them nor does he make the review only about them but explains to you when the numbers are this way. I thank you what you do for KZbin and the Mac community. Keep up your excellent reviews.

[@neob9017]

Wow. What a review. You really hit everything nicely, Quinn. Keep doing this!

[@chrisAclaes]

Thank you for lifting the fog. Lots of contrary videos being posted about this machine, but your video really cleared things up for me.