@@TheEverydayDad I love my M1 MBA and am so glad that I got it. I had been previously using a 2015 MBP and the difference is amazing! The M1 MBA is my favorite of all time so far.
I have used a 16” Intel MBP out of necessity as of the time of purchase it was the only MacBook with enough performance for what I need. With the M2, in theory I can get the sleekest lightest laptop available and still have enough power, so I’m going to go for that because boy have I disliked my current ones size and weight.
Apple swap isn’t anything super-secret. It’s just a deep CompSci subject that you need to understand pretty well from a theory perspective before you can get to the details of what Apple does. MacOS uses what’s called a “unified paging system”. What that means is when you read a file from disk, portions of the file are actually memory-mapped and paged into RAM as if the file was a swap file. These blocks of data are considered “wired” (which is a subset of “used”) and act as a memory cache. They remain in RAM until the memory allocator decides that the blocks are needed for a different purpose. This is why in a simple read-file performance test, reading a file that fits in memory goes orders of magnitude faster the second time you read it. The data is already in RAM. If your program requests blocks of data for working memory, these blocks are potentially available to be swapped to disk at any time. The exact algorithm for deciding which blocks get swapped is likely buried deep in the MacOS internals. I could figure it out if I wanted, but the details just don’t matter enough for me to bother. The basic idea is if a block of memory hasn’t been accessed in a while, it’s likely to get swapped out to maintain a certain amount of free RAM for sudden requests. Except this is where the Mac has a few tricks up its sleeve. The Mac paging system sets aside a chunk of memory for compression swapping. Rather than swapping the data to disk, the Mac will compress the block and store the compressed copy in the compression space. This allows the Mac to free up memory for other uses, but still make memory blocks highly accessible if they’re needed at a moment’s notice. Only if there is pressure on the compression space does the Mac swap the *compressed memory* to disk. Swapping the compressed blocks drastically lowers the I/O cost of swapping, making the Mac that much more effective at swapping. If a swapped out block is needed, it will be swapped back in from the page file and decompressed from the compression space back into a regular block of memory. The multiple cores of modern Macs make this process extremely effective. In fact, it wouldn’t surprise me if Apple dedicated a bit of silicon to the in-memory compression. This is also why Apple iPhones were able to ship with so much less memory than Android phones for so long. Apple’s techniques were so effective that they were copied by both Linux and Windows. And I can say from personal experience that turning on the compressed memory (zcache) for Linux on a Single Board Computer is like magic. Everything just gets faster and more performant. Apple engineers _seriously_ know what they’re doing.
@@TheEverydayDad You’re welcome! I should probably also note that Apple has some shenanigans going on in the file system as well. There’s transparent compression being used to make many system files faster to load, deduplication of data blocks making copying much faster, Just in Time allocation of disk blocks, sparsely allocated files, etc. I once made a multi-petabyte file on accident that the Mac allowed me to create due to the last few features. Took me a few minutes to wrap my head around what just happened!
@jeffrey bankers Depends on your use case. As clever and efficient as Apple’s engineering is, it still has hard limitations. If you don’t ever push your machine very hard, you’ll get by with 8GB no problem. But if you’re a hard multitasker moving between dozens of programs or if you run heavy productivity apps like an IDE or Video Editor, then 16GB is probably a good idea.
I was waiting for M2 air, But noew i ordered pro 14 inch instead. I am happy that I pushed my budget. and macke i good decision of pro 14". And I got it for 1750 dollars (NEW).
Thanks for comparing the size of the MBA M2 vs the MBP 14”. Not amazingly smaller. *feels better about his purchase* And yeah why does Apple hobble the dual external screen? Boggles the mind…
I’ve never needed or wanted duel external screens. If we get a downgrade on the SSD, you should be paying for your superfluous monitor support. Buy a dock or upgrade.
I was thinking the same but I got the 14 inch considering yea it’s $300 but it is so much more capable with a better screen and speakers, I’ll keep the computer for at least 6 years so spread that cost over 6 years it’s a small amount
you're the reviewer I trust more than others. been watching your reviews since the m1 was released. now m2 released, you were the one I searched first. I trust your judgement more than others haha
@@jasonpettit5111 That's so true. He knows what this computer is used for and more importantly, what this laptop is not used for. This M2 MBA is for the casual user. Not the heavy user.
@@IDKYHM I love Max tech also. Problem is they sometimes ramrod so many tests NO one will use (8K red raw, etc) down your throat you tend to get caught up in the specs, which almost never matter…particularly if you’re considering an air.
We're seeing an interesting parallel from Air to Pro models across the board. Like the iPad Air M1, we're seeing comparable power upgrades to the Air models but find them lacking in one or two key components that necessitate a spec-up, which conversely puts them in a price position to rival the base models of their Pro counterparts. For the iPad Air M1, it likewise hits a rough spot with regards to its storage component, albeit this one in its physical capacity rather than its speed.
In Canada I see a $500 price jump from an M2 outfitted with 512GB SSD and 16GB RAM to the 14” MBP. I feel that’s a substantial jump in price to jump to.
I can confirm that first hand. My daughter went with the intention of buying the iPad Air and came home with the iPad Pro because with storage, price was on on par.. I guess it is a built in upsell. She needed more than 64GB but not 256 which is the base upgrade for the Air while the Pro came with a standard 128.
I got the M2 MBA in midnight, 16GB RAM and 1TB SSD, it’s going to be my first Apple computer I own and I plan to use it for purely productivity purposes. I think it will be perfect for my uses personally and last me a long time. Looking forward to getting my hands on it.
@@absolutelybrutal4131 Hello 👋 I’m just curious, why? I was looking to upgrade from an M1 MBA. I wanted to keep the small form factor, so looked at the MBA M2(16/512gb). It came about to be around $1700. I ended up purchasing the 14in base model on Amazon, taxes n all, for $1760.41. I just don’t know how you can beat that for the price difference.
@@tylerring3576 I travel for work 5 days out of the week every week. For me the choice was simple. I need a laptop that’s lightweight, portable, and has long battery life. The MacBook Air is simply better than the pro in this regard. The pro is for a power user who will be utilizing the limits of the hardware. For my specific use case I don’t need what the pro offers. The price being high for the MBA is no issue for myself personally. To each their own.
Despite some of the reported shortcomings I still want to get a base model M2 MBA to replace my 2012 MBP 13 to meet my travel needs. My Mac desktop meets my power needs at home.
@@TheEverydayDad hey, I am from India, want a suggestion,I never had any apple product, now gonna start my college which one should I buy MBA M1 OR MBA M2???(M1 IS AROUND 1200 DOLLARS AND M2 IS 1500 DOLLARS IN MY COUNTRY) plz reply
Got my new M2 MacBook Air 16GB/512GB a few days early this past Saturday and thought I'd post my thoughts. It's a beautiful machine with build quality that's superior to any Dell XPS laptops I've owned. Space Grey looks good. I wanted Midnight but the scratch and fingerprint issues chased me away. I don't record/edit video so it runs smoothly and cool with Office 2021 apps and streaming video. Feels strange using it after over a year with my M1 iPad Pro 12.9" and magic keyboard. I keep reaching for the Air's screen to touch an icon or scroll through a website. Had no idea how acclimated I became with the iPad's touch screen. Same with the iPad’s Face ID vs. Touch ID on the Air. Face ID easily wins that battle. If I made the decision today, I'd return the Air and stick with my iPad + magic keyboard setup. Gotta give it at least a week, though. Never thought I'd be so comfortable with a tablet. Based on my 3 days of use, Apple is gonna sell a ton of these new Airs.
@@Mad.Maxx.77 sounds like all you need is an ipad. I have the same ipad set up but unfortunately, the ipad can’t run the softwares that i desperately need it to run, just app variations so it looks like i need the air. Good thing is ill have both, curious as to which ill be picking up to use more often whenever I don’t need to use the softwares on the MBA
A few months ago I got a M1 Macbook Air. It does everything I need which is mostly office functions and internet research. I just got an external monitor and it works great with my M1. I will leave the video editing to pros like you Gary!
you can even do most of them . i got a m1 macbook pro 512g got it one and half year ago one week after it come out ans love it . not gonna buy another one keep your computer for at least 5 years
I shake my head at all the reviews of the MBA for video editing and content creation. The MBA is a productivity system for business, home, student use. It is not intended to be used by professional content creators. Hence the Pro. My M1 MBA is a stunning computer, especially for less than $1,000.
@@kelvinmorris1991 No doubt - but there are better, and intended, tools for the job. Too many reviewers on YT ding the MBA for not being something it was not designed to be.
Thanks for always giving a true, real-world experience perspective / opinion about the new MacBook Air M2. I’d always go for the higher size ssd, but if the base model can handle the things your throw at it, then the next spec up certainly will!
The 16/512 M2 air is still 460$ cheaper than the 14 inch pro in my country (this is when comparing both with the student discount). Considering sales tax is 13% where I live, I’d like to save $500 and go with the air lol
Thank you for emphasizing the single external monitor issue. That is a major disappointment for me and indeed a deal breaker because I have a dual monitor setup at both work and home.
I bought the M2 air 16/512 (starlight). Personally, M1 air feels outdated. I only buy new macs every 5 years so I want to have that feeling again of having _the_ new MacBook. The M1pro is $321 more expensive in my country, and because I'm not a pro user, I don't want to "just go for the 14inch, it's almost the same price". I like the lightness and thinness of the M2 air, and unpopular take: I don't care about the fingerprints, I'll always have a tiny cloth with me, and really, how often would I be touching the outside of the mac (edit: I did my math wrong, it's $321 difference) edit again: switched to starlight
14" has a lot more features for $250 more if that's the case. Better screen, cooling, speakers, more memory and storage. I'm sure I'm missing something, but $250 over the span of 5 years is neglible.
@@mannylupercio8194 The memory and storage is the same ($321 difference with 16/512). I am a college student so I don't need all that power, cooling or speakers (I always use my airpods pro because I am always either in the library, coffee shop, or in my dorm with other roommates). And the weight really becomes the last deciding factor. The only thing is that I would love that pro motion from the 14inch m1 pro
@@Nhguava Bizarrely, in the UK right now the 14" Pro is cheaper to buy from Amazon new than that configuration of M2 Air (with 10 gpu cores)... Go figure :)
honestly same here, but in my country the price gap is about $500, so it really made sense to go for M2 MBA since i got an educational discount and free airpods, plus i really like this new design.
At 8 or even 16 or heck as I do with 32 GB RAM on my m1 max, there's almost always going to be swap usage if you keep you machine on for long enough. Slower drive speeds will be a limiting factor to how long and how many things you are working on. And even the folks who don't hammer their machines will over time end up swapping and that swapping is going to be slower. An argument to justify slower disk speeds is hard to defend.
There is no argument, it’s a statement of fact, for whatever reason the drive is slower for some folks. If that’s a problem for you, don’t buy that drive.
@@TheEverydayDad if you go with that don't buy it argument, at the least you should agree that it's wrong of Apple to not inform consumers of the slower drive speed.
Just basic, simple memory management will ease any of those issues. Like when you have a car, you kick the tyres every few days, check water and oil level, etc; same with your laptop. Playing YT for two hours can easily get you 1-1.5GB of RAM cache usage and even some extensions in a few days can get to 700MB. So at least once a day I close Safari and Chrome to clear RAM cache as I do with Mail and iMessage. It is no big deal and takes a few seconds. That way I stop swap in its tracks, barely ever use more than 500MB which may just be system swap. I am on an 8GB/256GB and have no slowdowns doing office stuff with about seven Safari tabs and 20 office apps. I am able to use about 4GB of compressed RAM as I do not have the RAM intensive pro-apps in play (they are the cause of slowdowns). I am happy with 8GB but I know what I need and if you need more RAM then buy it, do not cheap out, just do some sensible housekeeping.
Just got my M2 MacBook Air with 8GB/512GB (because that's basically the only option my carrier sold) in silver. And I love it. No thermal issues whatsoever like all those RU-vidrs tried to make up and even the 8GB aren't an issue whatsoever. I have like 10 programs open all the time on 6 virtual desktops and have no issues with something being slow or whatever. And even the swap memory hasn't been used a lot. The maximum I've seen so far was ~200MB.
@@chrisstucker1813 After some months now, I have to say Yes but also no. MacOS by itself takes up a lot of RAM actually. Even without doing ANYTHING, only a few minutes into logging in to MacOS and it uses already 4-5GB. With 2-3 normal apps open and Safari, especially with websites like Amazon or RU-vid and you end with a constant 70-80% RAM usage. And Swap has also been a lot bigger than back then. I often end up with 2-4GB Swap even when I don't think I'm doing heavy stuff. And WHEN I'm doing heavier stuff like Pixelmator Pro I easily end with 6-12GB Swap, sometimes more. So if I had the choice, I would probably go with 16/512GB. It's not a huge issue but noticeable.
@@Raja995mh33 hmm well it’s good that you got the 512GB SSD instead of the 256GB as it will increase the life span of your machine. I got the 8GB/256GB base model Pro M2 but this is my first MacBook and it’s more of a secondary machine so it’s still a solid device to have.
@@chrisstucker1813 Yeah 512GB was the minimum for me. I have 256GB on my iPhone so there's no way I could end up with 256GB on my Laptop that even replaces my desktop. Right after installing everything, I used up about 100GB and on the 256GB that means I would've only had about 100GB left for everything else. My MBA M2 is also my first Mac. I probably couldve gone with the 14" Base model for the same price but I just love the fanless and light design more. Only ProMotion is missed 😅
Got this for my daughter for College. She is a smaller person, so weight and size were the primary considerations for the purchase. I did add some upgrades that made me consider the MB 14, but again, it all comes down to weight and size and her ability to lug this around a large campus with lots of hills.
@@usersdksdfg you are talking about a totally different thing. The topic was the weight of the laptop. Second,well that depends. If you are studying graphic design and animation,of course you need it. But you are off topic
You aren’t seeing the SSD slowdown on the M1 Air because they were still using two seperate chips for the storage for that model. Now, for the base model 256 GB M2, they only use one (most likely for cost reasons). You need to compare it to the base model M2 for an accurate test.
He literally did that in this video - compared his base model M1 Air with the base model M2 Air - and didn't notice any difference (starts talking about it at 7:35).
@@catharticmemefairy2088 yes. because it will have 2 - 256 and chips, therefore twice as fast, compared to just 1 - 256 and chip. The old models came with 2 - 128 ssds.
@@Nhguava thank u! I’ve been contemplating what laptop to buy for college so this helped :) would u say that the 8gb of unified memory is enough or should I go for 16?
@@catharticmemefairy2088 It depends on your use case. If you are a college student, I assume that you wouldn't need the extra ram because you would not be doing intensive tasks, unless you do video/photo editing or coding/programming. Apple has made the new M chips so efficient that 8gb will be plenty enough even after 5-7 years of use. Personally, I got the 16/512 gb model just because I have the extra budget and I plan on using this mac for a really long time. those extra 400 bucks amount to almost nothing in a span of 7 years of use.
Great review as ever. I guess Apple probably really love all the controversies about the M2 MBA because it gets everyone talking about it. I was dead against the 27” Studio monitor on price, then I found myself wanting one; then I got one and it’s great. I just paid for it in instalments. I just can’t understand putting that slow ssd in the base model. Maybe I’d never experience the slow down but just knowing the 512Gb is TWICE as fast would bug me. Great to see your take on the smudge midnight issue. It would bother me too.
Love my Studio Monitor. It’s superb quality and hopefully, like the decade old one, will last ages. For Apple TV it’s brilliant in my study….better than any 32 inch TV. Sound is great too.
Thank you so much for your videos. Very informative and useful. Well, I bought a MBP 14" instead of the MBA M2 with similar specs. At the same price each I easily decided for the MBP: better computer overall. Ver happy with it. Would recommend MBP 14" even if you don't get same deal.
Based on this video I am glad I opted for the M1 air. I don’t code. I don’t edit video, (yet) so I think this will be more than sufficient. I am looking forward to it arriving next month. An English keyboard takes 5 weeks to be delivered in France. Go figure.
I do like the look. That said, I'm quite content with my M1 MacBook Air. I need nothing faster or whatever. I like the Midnight, but I've always been a Space Gray kind of guy when it comes to laptops. As always Gary, excellent vid. I always enjoy your takes!
someone on Reddit said they coated their M2 Air with a thin layer of oleophobic coating and that stopped the fingerprints from appearing on the machine. I'd love to see a video testing that out.
@@lambertj.2892 lol trust me, in no way am i excusing how apple made the midnight a fingerprint magnet. just stating something interesting i saw online that i would love to see being tested out. cheers.
@@lambertj.2892 that would be another $200 please, because the awful SSD that cost $2 just couldn’t make it into this laptop with the 20% price increase.
After one week using it, is the base version sufficient for normal users? I am student and got it one base version space gray, I got quite worried with this SSD and RAM issues. Should I get a version with more RAM or a big storage?
I edit photos in Lightroom and occasionally make something in iMovie, so I almost think I’d be better off getting an M1 Air with 16 GB of RAM and saving some money vs M2
I originally got an M1 Air with 256 GB but found it I always needed an external hard drive, so the 512 GB version was a lot easier to work with. I wish I had also upgraded the ram so you’re making a good choice.
WOW, someone who knows what they are talking about! Swap is a last resort, an emergency to stop apps jetsam or crashing. Anyone that thinks you should count it as part of your memory are just fooling themselves as RAM is >50X faster and obviously what we should use, especially for those whining about performance. So the NAND speed is hokum if you have a basic understanding and configure properly. If you know you use 8-16GB of RAM regularly, and are not willing to housekeep RAM, or close apps when using pro-apps (because you are Max Tech and want to make a point), then get 16GB of RAM (or more). That is what Max Tech proved, that if you need 14GB of swap then 8GB is not enough; eureka it ain’t, it is just common sense. Also, random read and writes on the 256GB M2 are faster than the M1 and that means more to people than constant 1GB transfers that Max Tech did as that is a totally unrealistic NAND speed test for most of us. Hands up who are moving 1GB in and out of swap? And his moving through Chrome tabs to highlight that it takes a second longer, who does that when multitasking. I switch to one tab and do something there and a few mins later my render is done. Again unrealistic. For a 5+ year investment do yourself a favour and think about what you need, and then buy what you need! Do not complain about Apple, just take responsibility for you money and invest wisely in RAM and/or storage.
100% get extra RAM and ignore anyone that says the 512GB storage. The whole slowdown is because of only 8GB of RAM, double that, and swap becomes moot ergo the 256gb speed will only then matter for transferring from and to external storage that is not that big a deal unless you are doing massive file transfers.
@@andyH_England I was also thinking the same thing I definitely won’t be doing anything that requires massive file transfers it’s just that everywhere I look there’s always something to do with the ssd issue in this laptop. 😂
Always choose the extra ram. For many reasons: you can't do anything about it in the future, whereas you can always start using a fast external SSD, which are way cheaper than upgrading your storage. Also, if you have more RAM, your computer will less often use swap memory, especially if you are a light user.
I just bought this exact one, Grey, base model. My First ever Mac and I gotta say, I love it, it works just fine for me and what I do with a laptop. Not going back to PC. For the everyday user, this is about perfect I can not understand all the negative press, mostly from power users it seems. For the everyday guy or gal, it's just great!
I prefer the M1 Air. The AIr M2 has to many issues that everyone knows. I prefer the Air M1 or better if I have the chance ,a Mack book pro M1 … Thank you for your review but not thanks.
I use it with W11 (Excel based soft/macro/VBA) and the speed is just ridiculous, much faster than my powerful win laptop almost as fast as my 12900k. Benchmarks do not do this jewel justice.
@@TheEverydayDad yeah I dont get how this M2 can be that fast on my workload, W11 virtualized, x86 emulated ARM. it makes no sense. I suppose the memory bandwith s responsible for this magic.
I think we need to clarify that the 256 SSD is slower in sequential write speed (large files), but is slightly faster with random write speeds (majority of SSD usage scenarios).
@@Kudos2_Me that’s a good video thanks! I got the base M2 and it runs great for me. Super awesome machine, but those SSD numbers have me questioning if I should return and get the mid level prebuilt, and that is exactly what that reviewer recommends to do. So I ordered it. Thanks for the help!
In terms of cost-benefit, the M1 is unbeatable. But we have to remember that the M1 camera is 720p. For those WFH, that would maybe mean the need for an external camera (maybe a display with a camera?) or straight go to the M2 if your company can pay 1500 for it.
@@dareemmanuel6079 but don't you have to buy an accessory for that? I know also most Mac people have iPhones, but definitely, a thing to consider because it's not that practical to have to put and take our phones out on every call. Most people will just go with the default camera, use an external one or a monitor with one.
I love your videos, and find them very helpful. I just got a new Midnight M2 MacBook Air--8 GB Ram and 512 memory with the 10 cores. It is replacing a 12 year old iMac. My old computer had 12 GB RAM (which I must have upgraded from 4) and 500 storage which was over half full so I went with the 512. Loving my new MacBook Air.
Gary, this is the best real world response video All the hype around throttling was starting to get boring. Your usage is very real world and if someone can get around the cons that you have pointed out, then this device is a brilliant buy. I am in!!! Maybe not the midnight though 😁
Anyone...where are the new M2 MacBook wallpapers? My new M2 MBA booted up with the older (Monterey?) wallpaper. I have since installed the public beta MacOS Ventura but I can find the new wallpaper.
I’m an upcoming freshman in a Uni majoring in IT. I pre ordered the M2 air base model. I got the m2 because the design would be more future proof and m1 is still not really a “cheap” laptop and it would look the same as a 2015 mac even if I bought it couple of days ago. Did I make the right choice ?
Well you won't go terribly wrong. Given whatever limitations all the youtubes videos has been talking abt, it won't severely affect. Probably good enough to last u till graduation
I feel like this being an outlier opinion is important. I keep seeing people find reasons to hate this laptop. For myself, im wanting to grab the upgraded one for video editing but i only do basic 1080p video so i dont need the horsepower of the 14". Thanks for being honest and clear in your reviews!
I’m a MD resident , I just need it a laptop to type my notes, read articles, do presentations…. Maybe edit a video every once in a while. I got the 16gb 512gb version, and I don regret, M1 design felt outdated, so exited to get my M2 Air in 2 weeks.
Coming from a Macbook Pro 2017, 2,3 GHz Intel Core i5 will it make more sense to go for a base MBA M1 or a MBA M2? Main use: Discord, email, web browsing (lots of tabs though), some sql, notion and some light video editing. Thanks in advance!
I like macs. Used to own one. But given what I get for the price I just don’t see it. Nice machine for sure. But limited ports and no touchscreen for that price, has me looking at windows ultra books. I’d happily buy one if apple fixed those 2 issues. And I keep wishing they would. But here we are. Good review video by the way.
One reason you were not able to replicate the SSD issue is maybe because you're M1 air ssd might have been filled *less free space in comparison to m2 air*
This was a fantastic review. It’s hard to know just how much heavier/lighter the air vs the pro will be in real world use. Would be awesome to see a video on that 😄
I went to the Apple store a couple of days ago to see exactly that. To me, the difference in weight was extremely noticeable. I was also surprised by the differences between the screens. I thought I would be more blown away by the 14" MBP compared to the Air, but for me it wasn't that big a difference. Granted, I only played around for about 10 minutes, but I thought it would be a more obvious advantage. I think I'm going to go for the M2 Air. I love the form factor and it suits my needs.
100% agree with the lack of two screen output being a showstopper on the Air. I bought the base 14” Pro and am very satisfied so far, especially since it was $1799 new!
I was about to upgrade from MB air M1 to MB air M2 and after watching your analysis I reached the conclusion of saving for MBP 14 that’s sounded like a real upgrade.
the "1 chip" SSD could turn out to be more reliable than the "2 chip" version which is always in a RAID configuration, but why would anyone buy any entry level computer to do "pro" work like video editing?
I can run Handbrake for hours on my M1 MBA and it never slows down or becomes unresponsive. Let's face it, the M1 MacBook Air is a better computer and has very few downsides. With the M2 it seems like you have to justify its existence or add a bunch of caveats to say it is also a good computer.
I want this computer. Like really want this computer. But for me two things so me from buying it. 1. the lack of dual display support. I don't get why apple limits this intentionally. 2. The price. By the time you add 16gb of ram and 512 SSD you are in mbp 14 territory. And that offers soo much more.
I have no interest in buying an M2 MBA but I’m here just to see if you’re video is as gas lighting as everyone else’s videos because I trust you to be honest since you love buying base model options.
You're not crazy about dual external displays. And it's definitely a "purchase decider". I bought MBP 14 as soon as we learned the MBA M2 couldn't handle dual external displays.
You re right! That is an absolute burner! You can buy a 600$ Surface Laptop 1 from 2017 that can do that and it is absolutely essential for me to work with 2 displays...
For what it’s worth, I have run a dual monitor setup on my base Air M1 through an $80 hub for work. It’s only 1080 per monitor but it does look good for that and no issues
I agree with you on the display output. I have an m1 air that's basically a living room/coffee shop computer and its amazing, can even do some pretty heavy k8s work on it should I not want a big old boy on my lap. I had preordered an m2 air but as soon as I noticed it followed the 1 display of the m1 I cancelled it, 24gb was going to be enough for my mobile needs, so I keep my 16inch m1 pro and m1 air. Its dodgy af
I really want the m2 MacBook Air but I’m torn between the m2 10core gpu for $1400 (with current GC offer of $150 and education pricing) or the m1 MBA 512gb for $1050 😭 I think I’d feel a bit of regret getting the m1 but I also feel like the m2 isn’t necessary worth the price tag to me
Would buying a mba at 16/24gb and 1TB be worth it ? I like the portability as I work in coffee places a lot, but it makes be wonder if the m1pro makes more sense.
From a value perspective the m1 pro is superior. But if you just like the design of the M2 mba and don’t think you’ll need too much power than it wouldn’t be a terrible buy.
You’re NOT crazy!!! When my thin 27” intel iMac power supply started having issues, rather than open her up and replace the power supply (purchased, sitting in closet ready to pop in) I said “that’s it! I’m done, time for Apple silicon” …… and paired with Apple Thunderbolt Display which I have 4 of, no matter how many hacks I tried you can only set up one with the m1 .. it’s INFURIATING .. and to be fair even more so on the m2 which has two (2) thunderbolt controllers .. this is not a hardware issue; it’s a software limitation esp on the m2 (aka bullshit)
But the M1 and M2 chips only have 2 display controllers. One for built in display and one for external monitor. You want more external monitor support get the M1 Pro and Max.
11:52 very nice that a reviewer still cares about details like this. The unibody MacBook Pro since 2012 has been a major no-go for me because I dislike how the edges digs up your arms. Nice to know that even the redesigned M2 flat Air doesn't cause these issues. Thank you for this.
I got both the M2 Air base and Pro 14 and I am returning the Pro 14. The M2 Air pushed League of Legends at high quality and full resolution on my Samsung g9 on a usb-c to DVI cable, AND had lots of other stuff open in the background. I cannot stress out the M2 Air in my use cases; this thing is great.. Despite the somewhat noticeable screen improvements and very noticeable speaker differences (although I use AirPods), I see no sense in paying so much more for more size and weight of the Pro 14. I also got mine in midnight and don't really care about fingerprints... I will probably throw a shell case around it anyway when they become available.
@@D37fit Nice, I found one for preorder on Amazon. Apparently they drop in mid Aug, but my ship date is in mid Sept. Let’s see if they actually deliver.
Great video. I'm seriously on the fence about getting this as I have a MacBook Air M1. Even if I could sell my M1, I'm still not sure the M2 would do anything MORE for me - apart from looking so damn good!
@@MrDacaramelbrotha I was considering it more so for my channel, but honestly, I can’t find legitimate reasons to upgrade. You’re right, the M1 is fantastic.
My rog zephyrus g14 2022 is cheaper, has double ssd/ram and can do more things than this macbook can do. Macbook wins only with battery and speakers/camera...
Can you tell me what specs you got on your g14? Still waiting for it to release here in India; completely torn between the g14 and the M2 air. Also, how much did you end up paying for yours?
If you actually USE your computer 8GB of RAM is NOT enough. It's just not. If you like to have 20 browser tabs open, plus streaming, plus doing other things then it's not enough. Add in the base model has the much slower base SSD and it's a real problem. So, it's $1700 for the M2 Air with 16GB/512GB. For $2000 I can get the new 2023 14" Macbook Pro with the M2 Pro chip that has 16GB/512GB with more ports and power. It just makes zero sense to buy this thing. Spend the extra $300 and get the Pro.
Say what you want but I kind of hate usbC so between the updated aesthetics, midnight Color and MagSafe, hell yea the m2 was worth it to me.. I also got it on sale, paying 1200 for the 512gb version. I kinda wish I’d have gone for 16gb memory but it doesn’t look like can find one on sale locally so 8 it is for me. I don’t do anything too intense but I’ve noticed a couple stutters when running 10+ safari tabs along with a couple other apps.. but always very minor and these could even just be safari bugs. I’ll typically have 2-3gb of swap memory in use during an average work sesh.
Could someone help me out about choosing what macbook to buy? First of all I have a mid 2013 13' macbook air, so any purchase will be an improvment. But I have a short budget. I`m a academic, so my typical workload is: Multiple text file, PDFs, browser tabs open, LaTeX, and the other day to day stuff. Is the M2 base model enough? Or do I have to upgrade the ram or a 16gb? is it worth buying a m1 speckd-up model instead? This will be my primarily working/carry around computer for the next few years.
Hello, I am a student on budget. I do a lot of multitasking. I dont play games. The main use for my laptop is viewing a reporting large dicom files, run statistical softwares like SPSS and R, do lots of typing (and fast typing). I have planned to buy M1 macbook air with 512gb storage and 16Gb Ram. And with the money saved, I am planning to get a Benq 27 inch usb type c external display. Would you please tell me if my secision is correct? Or should I go for M2 macbook air. Also please suggest a good external keyboard for fast typing as well.
Thanks Gary! Your review is so much down to earth compared to other RU-vidrs who just run benchmark or those who can’t stop praising apple products. Really appreciate it! I just ordered the base model having checked my memory usage and storage usage on my 2016 MacBook Pro. I still have 200+ gigs left on my 256 gb MacBook… so I’m gonna just get the 256 gb. MacBook Air isn’t my main driver. I have a desktop for that and when I’m traveling, I remote into my desktop anyways. Why 512 gb lol.
It's still weird to me that people say Apple is "late to the game" by adding a 1080p camera while at least half of the entire comparable market of Windows Laptops are still also using 720p cameras that have ten times worse build quality than Apples 720p cameras... Apple is anything but late there. Even Microsoft that are often taken as an example for having good cameras are only using those in their tablets which are much thicker to actually fit a better camera. On their Surface Laptops? 720p.
Ok no I have a 16” M1Pro personally for my self employed work, and an M2 Air for my full time job and on NEITHER do I use or need to use 2 monitors And I don’t know anyone who needs 2 monitors beyond just using the laptops screen itself….which is what I do If you have a VERY NICHE specific need to have 2 external monitors you are a very niche pro user who 1) would not be buying a base model consumer laptop anyway and 2) and most importantly you’re almost CERTAINLY using a DESKTOP computer…not a damn laptop Please stop ragging on the Macbook Airs for this
I am also a project manager, I also ordered a base model starlight coming next week. Trying to keep away from the repeating thought cycle of upgrading the ram and SSD but creeping closer to MBP14 and then reset back to M1 MBA. I stick to my original intention on no upgrade options M2 MBA even though the SSD issue that we keep hearing about.
