Apple MacBook Air 15 2023 M2 review: The everyday MacBook now in 15 inches

[Todor]

I wonder where it comes from... pcie 3.0, lack of wifi 6 160, I assume no wifi 6e... 250 gb ssd... score 92%... no complains about unreplaceable ram. Author probably loves apple

it seems to be very solid machine with long battery life, but score 92% is kind of joke...

What makes a laptop good is:
- impeccable peripherals (display, keyboard, touchpad, speakers, etc)
- lasting long time on battery while maintaining stable performance for low/mid intensity workload and emitting as little noise and heat as possible
- enough durability to avoid accidental damage

If I need computing power, I'd buy a workstation or a server rack and connect to it remotely while enjoying the sunshine and greenery of my backyard. Apple is the only laptop manufacturer that *gets* laptops. Since competition is a good thing, I wish it wasn't the case. But it is.

I mean, 256 GB is more than enough to browse the web, watch YT, write mails and so on. But one doesn't have to spend $1,300 to do so, lol. It's a complete joke yet what do we expect from a company with $400 wheels for Mac Pro or a $999 monitor stand/arm?

Just like a good musician can make a $200 guitar sound good, I can probably make do with any laptop manufactured in the last 8 or so years. The thing is, a good laptop makes work not feel like a chore. And honestly, this waaay more than justifies the asking price. I make games. Multimedia stuff. If the laptop makes sounds I didn't tell it to make, it gets in the way. If I have to ruin the color accuracy in order to get rid of the dreadful low-freq PWM, it gets in my way. Macbooks are basically the only laptops available right now that don't get in the way of doing stuff. Maybe for you they do? Well, don't get a Macbook, duh. Case closed.

and where the f... is the OLED ??

Hopefully nowhere to be seen until PWM becomes a non-issue.

[Neenyah]

Just like a good musician can make a $200 guitar sound good, I can probably make do with any laptop manufactured in the last 8 or so years. The thing is, a good laptop makes work not feel like a chore. And honestly, this waaay more than justifies the asking price. I make games. Multimedia stuff. If the laptop makes sounds I didn't tell it to make, it gets in the way. If I have to ruin the color accuracy in order to get rid of the dreadful low-freq PWM, it gets in my way. Macbooks are basically the only laptops available right now that don't get in the way of doing stuff. Maybe for you they do? Well, don't get a Macbook, duh. Case closed.

While I agree with a lot of things here I find it funny that almost everything mentioned here is in direct collision with 256 GB of non-upgradable storage for $1,300. How exactly would an option to get a base storage SSD and replace it with your own of say 1 TB be something "that gets in the way of doing stuff" for you? 😀 $1,300. 256 GB. If you don't see that as a comically bad value then more power to you I guess. Because, let me repeat myself:

I mean, 256 GB is more than enough to browse the web, watch YT, write mails and so on. But one doesn't have to spend $1,300 to do so, lol.

That's all I said about it. On my end just a full Adobe CC is taking 49.2 GB and I need it for work, but you are a magician and 10 GB app for everyone else is a 1 GB app for you, fair and case closed indeed.

[Todor]

While I agree with a lot of things here I find it funny that almost everything mentioned here is in direct collision with 256 GB of non-upgradable storage for $1,300. How exactly would an option to get a base storage SSD and replace it with your own of say 1 TB be something "that gets in the way of doing stuff" for you? 😀 $1,300. 256 GB. If you don't see that as a comically bad value then more power to you I guess.
(...)
On my end just a full Adobe CC is taking 49.2 GB and I need it for work, but you are a magician and 10 GB app for everyone else is a 1 GB app for you, fair and case closed indeed.

Don't run heavy software from a subnotebook. Get a proper workstation desktop. It will easily pay for itself. The laptop is used to connect remotely to it when you can't (or don't wanna) work from your home/office desk.

As for the SSD:
1. If there was a comparable laptop at the same prace and/or with a larger SSD, I'd buy that instead, of course. I get your frustration with the fact that Apple does this on purpose, but it is what it is. The very fact they can get away with it serves to tell you how far behind everyone else is. We want it to be one way, but it's the other way.
2. Soldered-in SSDs are the logical next step. The question is not if, the question is when. So if it disturbs my workflow, I should probably look into improving my workflow sooner rather than later.

[RobertJasiek]

The very fact they can get away with it serves to tell you how far behind everyone else is.

Rather it tells how many people are too lazy to install separately bought SSDs in notebooks with slots.

[Neenyah]

While I agree with a lot of things here I find it funny that almost everything mentioned here is in direct collision with 256 GB of non-upgradable storage for $1,300. How exactly would an option to get a base storage SSD and replace it with your own of say 1 TB be something "that gets in the way of doing stuff" for you? 😀 $1,300. 256 GB. If you don't see that as a comically bad value then more power to you I guess.
(...)
On my end just a full Adobe CC is taking 49.2 GB and I need it for work, but you are a magician and 10 GB app for everyone else is a 1 GB app for you, fair and case closed indeed.

Don't run heavy software from a subnotebook. Get a proper workstation desktop. It will easily pay for itself. The laptop is used to connect remotely to it when you can't (or don't wanna) work from your home/office desk.

15" is now a subnotebook? 🤨 Funnily enough, I'm running heavy software from my "subnotebook" just fine, making my living out of it both at home and on the go and also playing semi-competitive CSGO (got an eGPU for that + 24" external 240 Hz monitor) to earn some sweet extra bonus money each month. All on a "subnotebook", hm.

And speaking of "subnotebooks"...

As for the SSD:
1. If there was a comparable laptop at the same prace and/or with a larger SSD, I'd buy that instead, of course. I get your frustration with the fact that Apple does this on purpose, but it is what it is.

...there is a "subnotebook" called the ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11; it packs a more powerful CPU than this MBA 15 (the M2 8 core is 21-22% slower than the i7 1360P), it's also lighter than the MBA 15, it has a better screen with higher resolution, better (and spill-resistant) keyboard, you can use an eGPU for more graphic power when you need it (and to play games), you can spec it up to 64 GB of RAM and you can also freely replace and upgrade its SSD on your own in less than 3 minutes of work, without any need to create more e-waste and trash a perfectly functioning machine just because of SSD error (and they always happen on every SSD, it's just a matter of when). Funny how it does exist, eh?

The very fact they can get away with it serves to tell you how far behind everyone else is. We want it to be one way, but it's the other way.

@RobertJasiek gave the answer for that.

2. Soldered-in SSDs are the logical next step. The question is not if, the question is when.

Don't take this personally but April 1st is still 213 days away.

[Todor]

15" is now a subnotebook?

Depends on the 15". Notebookcheck added it to that category, so argue it with them if you feel like it.

Funnily enough, I'm running heavy software from my "subnotebook" just fine

Never said you can't do that. But if you're gonna do it all day every day, you might as well go for more than "just fine".

ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11

X1 Carbon Gen11 is a victim of some serious cost-cutting compared to Gen10. On top of that, Lenovo needed to cut its MSRP by 50% in order to position it against the M2 Air (which in your words is already too expensive). This should tell you enough. To be fair, at $1200 it's a decent laptop, although its peripherals and energy-efficiency are still nowhere near where they should be.

the M2 8 core is 21-22% slower than the i7 1360P

Good, now get rid of the fan noise and the PWM (on the OLED display you have in mind), give me usable speakers and touchpad, keep the $1200 price, and I'll seriously consider it next time I'm buying.

Rather it tells how many people are too lazy to install separately bought SSDs in notebooks with slots.

The manufacturer has a strong incentive to lock the machine down. People being lazy and clueless is a fact of life, but if Apple had any real competition, they wouldn't do it.

Don't take this personally but April 1st is still 213 days away.

No offence taken. It's the internet, we're all blowing off steam here, more or less.