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Apple MacBook Air M2 (2022) - new laptop,which Apple has been trying to create for many years, but could not because of the limitations of the components. However, with the release of the M2 system, the Cupertino-based company has managed to make the thinnest and most powerful laptop ever.
</ p>There are no fans hereperformance is amazing. Battery life is surprisingly long, and the display and keyboard are amazingly high quality. The only real problem with the MacBook Air M2 (2022) is that the internal components get frighteningly hot. Otherwise, the new Air on the M2 is the laptop that many MacBook fans have been dreaming of.
Also Read: Huawei MateBook 16s Big Screen Work Laptop Review
Specifications Apple MacBook Air M2 (2022)
Screen
13.6-inch Liquid Retina, 2560x1664 pixels, 224 ppi, 500 nits, 16:10 aspect ratio, 1 billion colors, True Tone
CPU
Apple M2: 8-core CPU (4 performance + 4 energy efficient), 8-core graphics or 16-core neural processor, up to 100 GB/s bandwidth
RAM
8 GB expandable to 16 or 24 GB
Inner memory
256/512 GB SSD, expandable up to 512 GB or 1/2 TB
Connectivity and connections
802.11ax Wi-Fi 6, IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5.0
operating system
macOS
Webcam
1080p with FaceTime HD
Ports and connectors
2×USB-C 4/Thunderbolt 4 (DisplayPort, charging), MagSafe 3, 3.5mm headphone jack
Sounds audio
Four speakers, three microphones, tech. Spatial Audio and Dolby Atmos
Battery
Li-Po 52 Wh, charge up to 67 W via USB-C, up to 21 hours of battery life
Colors
Black (Midnight), Gray (Space Gray), Silver (Silver), Starlight (Starlight)
Dimensions
30.41×21.5×1.13 cm
Weight
1.24 kg
Price
From 95 thousand rubles
Design and construction
Externally, the Apple MacBook Air M2 (2022) does not differ much from past models, as expected.
The case no longer has white or bright colors -color can be black, grey, silver or gold. Perhaps this is the right decision, given the many disputes around the Apple iMac M1 and unusual colors.
The body of the MacBook Air M2 (2022) looks more like a 14-inch or 16-inch MacBook Pro.
The corners are more rounded, the case back is flat, andthe front camera was in the usual “bangs”, in the middle of the upper part. There are also additional Fn keys. It's amazing how thin and light the laptop is.
The thickness of the case is only 1.13 cm, and the weight1.24 kg - the device is easy to carry and put on your knees while working. What's more, the case doesn't flex at all when the lid is opened with one finger, just like the MacBook does.
MacBook Air M2 screen
The Apple MacBook Air M2 has a so-called Liquid Retina display, an updated LCD technology.
It provides greater pixel density and color gamut than conventional Retina displays. However, the image is still not as sharp as on the same Dell XPS 13 Plus with a density of 304 ppi.
The screen resolution of the Air M2 is 2560×1664 with a pixel density of 224 ppi.
The diagonal has increased by 0.3 inches and nowis 13.6 inches, made possible by thinner bezels around the display. The aspect ratio is still 16:10, alas, the “bangs” cutout has also not gone anywhere with the front camera inside.
Difference in display quality between MacBook Air M2 andThe MacBook Pro 14 is essential - it's nowhere near as great HDR quality, and the mini-LED XDR panel is noticeably sharper. However, given the price segment, the display here is very good.
Brightness reaches 486 nits, which is better than most Windows laptops. Hues are accurate - delta-E is 1.08 when color gamut is wide - 90% AdobeRGB, 100% sRGB.
Keyboard and trackpad
The new Apple MacBook Air M2 (2022) hasn't seen any major changes to the keyboard or trackpad.
It uses the traditional mechanism"scissors", and the keys do not stagger, so typing is comfortable and pleasant. Under the keyboard, there is a white backlight with adjustable brightness, and a full slider is available, and not just several levels of brightness, as on most Windows laptops.
The function keys are full-sized when the power button with the Touch ID fingerprint scanner is located in the upper right corner.
Same as trackpadgiant Force Touch, just like on the MacBook Air M1. It is incredibly accurate and has excellent protection against accidental touches. Similar touchpads have begun to appear on competitor models like the Dell XPS 13+ and Surface Laptop Studio, but the MacBook is still out of competition.
Connectors and ports
The set of connectors on the MacBook Air M2 (2022) has changed slightly compared to the previous model.
On the left side you will find two USB-C and a port forMagSafe 3 charging is the same as on the MacBook Pro. On the right was only a 3.5 mm headphone jack. I wish Apple would put one USB-C on each side because the charging cable can only be plugged in on the left.
As before, HDMI port and memory card slotSD cards are only available on the MacBook Pro, but the Air M2 (2022) now has at least a free USB-C while it's charging. True, you cannot connect two monitors to both USB-C at the same time - only one external display with a resolution of up to 6K is supported.
Support has been added for wirelessWi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0. These are the newest standards that Apple supports on its devices, but Windows laptops already have Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2.
Audio and webcam
Apple laptops are still the best in sound quality, and the MacBook Air M2 is no exception.
There are four speakers with amazing sound,especially for such a compact and thin device. Of course, you cannot compare the Air M2 with the 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pros, because Prof. models suffer from impressive bass, which the Air emitters are not yet capable of.
However, you will not find such good speakers on any other 13-inch laptop.
Also installed in the MacBook Air M2 (2022)updated 1080p FaceTime webcam. There is a trend in the laptop market for higher resolution cameras than 720p, so Apple is not far behind.
Thanks to the neural engine, M2 algorithmsThe camera image processing works amazingly - your face will always stay in focus and well lit, no matter what time of day it is. For video calls, the Air M2 (2022) will prove to be one of the best laptops on the market, it only lacks facial recognition technology - Face ID.
Component performance
A key feature of the Apple MacBook Air M2 (2022) laptop is the next-generation M2 SoC.
But, revolutions in the processor market are not yetit happened, no matter how hard Apple tried to convince everyone of this. The system-on-a-chip was announced at WWDC 2022 but has only been used in two devices so far: the 13-inch MacBook Pro and MacBook Air.
Most likely, the fact is that the development of M2 wasdelayed due to production issues. Instead of switching to TSMC's 3nm process technology, Apple is still using an "improved" 5nm process. Apparently, the real M2 will be released under the name M3, and the M2 will remain an update to the M1.
However, the performance gain is noticeable- In the GeekBench 5 test, the MacBook Air M2 (2022) scores 1925/8973, which is 11% and 18% better than the MacBook Air M1. Of course, in everyday use, it will be difficult to see an increase in speed, because even the M1 easily coped with any task.
The main improvement in Air M2 in terms of performance was the updated neural and media engine.
Higher bandwidth video decodercapability and the ProRes video engine should make Apple's new laptop an excellent video editing device. Video export in PugetBench Premiere Pro is 51% faster, a noticeable power boost.
Heating and cooling
The Apple MacBook Air M2 also has a significant drawback - the internal components get very hot.
The temperature of the CPU cores can rise to 108°C, which is very hot.
On laptops with Intel chipsets, the temperature of the coresusually limited to 100°C for safety reasons. There are no fans in the Air M2 at all - apparently, Apple, for marketing purposes, tried to achieve maximum performance, albeit at the expense of the durability of the components.
The bottom of the MacBook Air (2022) under stressbecomes noticeably warm, but the keyboard and areas where the user's palms rest always remain cool. In addition, the body of the device cools down quite quickly.
Autonomy Apple MacBook Air M2
The battery life of the MacBook Air M2 (2022) remains one area in which Apple maintains an undeniable advantage over other manufacturers.
While ARM-based Windows laptops are getting better and better here, this is only achieved through performance limitations.
The new Air M2 manages to excel in both aspects.
A full charge of the laptop lasts for 18 hoursperform common tasks, which is about twice as good as most competitors. When watching 1080p video, you can count on 21 hours at all. In general, one replenishment of the MacBook Air M2 battery with energy will easily last for one and a half or even two days of work.
Total
Only Apple could make such a compact laptop with such powerful hardware as the MacBook Air M2 (2022).
The M2 system-on-chip has become even more powerful, but itis an upgrade of the M1, but the battery life goes up to 21 hours. The performance of the M2 is so high that you can easily use the laptop for many years. He will be able to cope with any task for a long time without any problems.
There is also a great webcam here.1080p resolution and four speakers with amazing sound. The only concern is the extreme heat of the internal components due to the lack of a good cooling system.
Should I buy
The Apple MacBook Air M2 (2022) is recommended for anyone looking for a compact and lightweight laptop for everyday use or work. The model has practically no competitors in the price range of 100 thousand rubles.
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Alexander ShamanAlexander has been writing for a long timealmost two decades. Initially, he collected technology news for local media. His love of science fiction awakened a huge thirst for knowledge. Trying to understand how it works and if it could work better, he becomes so carried away, as if he is immersed in a trance. For this, among colleagues in TehnObzor, he received the nickname - Shaman. The most autonomous and productive laptop MacBook Air Design and ergonomics95/100 Display and multimedia95/100 Keyboard and input devices95/100 Connectors and ports90/100 Performance99/100 Communications and connections90/100 Battery Life99/100 Total 94.7 The MacBook Air M2 is the best laptop for those willing to spend a little more. It delivers top-notch performance, battery life, and a bright, colorful display in a delightfully portable package.Pros and ConsStylish designVery thin designImproved speakers and webcamAmazing performanceBetter battery life than the competition Runs hot Only one monitor connected