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

The new MacBook Air 15 is a very good, but also boring device, because apart from the larger screen and the higher price, there are no differences compared to the smaller MacBook Air M2 from last year. No new processor, no additional ports, just the usual basic hardware – but the overall package is extremely good and it simply works. Above all, the lack of fans is an aspect that should not be underestimated in everyday use. In our opinion, the Air could be a lot better, but Apple goes easy on itself here.

The case looks even flatter in the 15-inch model, but the Air 15 is by no means a lightweight at more than 1.5 kg. The display is very good and the quality is also comparable to the smaller Air. Of course, there are some disadvantages compared to the MacBook Pro, but there is no PWM, which is certainly an important factor for some users. The speakers have two additional modules and are a little better overall, but still not quite as powerful as the MacBook Pro 16. On the other hand, Apple has also been able to improve the battery life compared to the smaller sibling.

Apple gives customers exactly what they want: a larger MacBook Air. Although one year later, the new MacBook Air 15 differs from its smaller sibling only in the display size. All other pros and cons have been simply copied over. No innovation here, but that doesn’t change the fact that this is also a very good laptop overall.

We suspect that Apple originally planned to launch the big MacBook Air 15 with the new M3 SoC, but it simply isn’t ready yet. Honestly, this isn’t really a problem because the passively cooled M2 SoC still offers more than enough performance for most users. Even the old 2020 MacBook Air with the M1 chip can still be recommended without hesitation. However, Apple is attempting to maximize profits, especially with the RAM, which can also be seen in the two basic models (256 or 512 GB SSD) that are only equipped with 8 GB RAM. These basic models are often reduced in price (even the new Air 15 is already available for much less), but those who want more RAM usually have to pay the high surcharge. And EUR 230 (US$200) for 8 GB RAM is outrageous, to put it bluntly. You should also keep in mind aspects such as the non-existent maintenance and upgrade options. If these play an important role in the purchase decision, the big Air 15 disqualifies itself from the start.

The biggest competitor from the Windows camp is probably Microsoft’s Surface Laptop 5, but this lags behind in practically every respect and is also somewhat neglected by Microsoft. The LG Gram 15 is considerably lighter at just over 1.1 kg, but performs worse than the Air 15 in most other categories.

With a view to the price-performance ratio, the 14-inch MacBook Pro is naturally the much better option, because the street price is now around EUR 2050 (US$1999.99), which is pretty much on par with the new MacBook Air 15 with 16 GB of RAM and 512 GB of SSD storage. In addition, the Pro comes with a mini-LED panel and significantly more performance. But the truth is that the two devices do not compete with each other and Apple is addressing a different target group with the Air 15, who simply want a bigger MacBook Air. And if you consider macOS with the extensive preinstalled software (complete office suite, video editing etc.), the MacBook Air M2 (regardless of whether 13- or 15 inches) is simply an extremely good overall package with a long battery life.