MacBook Air 15 hands-on review: The MacBook Air 13, but bigger

In my work life, I use a MacBook Pro, a 2019 15-inch MacBook to be precise. I requested it because, because the alternative was a Dell Latitude that reviewed poorly on the site and because at the time, 15-inches was the sweet spot. Not too big, not too small, just out there living its best Goldilocks life. But I have to admit that lugging my faithful work laptop can get a bit uncomfortable after a while, especially when I’m at a convention or event. 

But what’s a girl to do? I don’t want to give up my beautiful 15-inch display or the extra typing space. Apple might have just delivered the answer with the new MacBook Air 15. Currently holding the title of the world’s thinnest 15-inch laptop, the MacBook Air 15 brings the iconic good looks we’ve come to take for granted from Apple and added its 8-core M2 processor, essentially making it a bigger MacBook Air 13. 

True, there are a couple of things that set the MacBook Air 15 apart. But is it enough? I went hands on with the nascent machine to find out.

MacBook Air 15 Pricing and Configuration

As announced at WWDC 2023, the base model of the Air 15 costs $1,299 ($1,199 for education). It’s the same price as the 13-inch MacBook Pro. For that, you get Apple’s 8-core M2 CPU, 8GB of unified memory, a 256GB SSD, a 10-core M2 GPU and a 15.3-inch Liquid Retina display. 

There’s also the $1,499 version which doubles the storage. The $2,499 model is the top of the line and bumps the memory to 24GB and the storage to 2TB. 

MacBook Air 15 Design

Call me sentimental, but I would have loved to see the 15-inch MacBook Air with that old-school wedge design that made the Air line famous. However, Apple still managed to slim the 15-inch down to a meager 0.45-inch thickness, making the Air 15 the world’s thinnest 15-inch laptop. That’s only a hair thicker than the 0.44-inch 13-inch Air. The Air 15 is also incredibly light at 3.3 pounds. Compare that to the 13.6 x 9.1 x 0.7-inch Dell XPS 15 which weighs 4.2 pounds.

Boasting four colors (Space Gray, Silver, Starlight and Midnight), the Air 15 is one of the more colorful MacBooks on the roster. My favorite of the group is Midnight, but if I had my choice, I would want the slim stunner in Deep Purple to match the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max. Still, the Air 15 is an undeniable beauty with its anodized aluminum chassis. This baby doesn’t need any flourish outside of the gleaming logo in the center of the lid. 

ThOpening the lid shows off more of that aluminum finish and the black Magic keyboard. The Liquid Retina display is pretty as always and surrounded by slim bezels on three sides. Are they as good as the XPS 15’s four-sided InfinityEdge bezels? No, but they’re a massive step forward from the chunky bezels of old.

MacBook Air 15 Ports

This is a MacBook Air. As such, don’t expect a gaggle of ports. Instead you have a pair of Thunderbolt ports on the left with the MagSafe 3 charger and the lone headset jack on the right. As you’ll need more ports, you’ll definitely want to check out our best USB Type-C hubs page to accommodate all your peripherals. 

MacBook Air 15 Display

A bigger Air means a bigger display. In the case of the MacBook Air 15, that means a gorgeous 15.3-inch panel. The Air 15’s Liquid Retina display like most other MacBooks is simply beautiful to look at. During my demo, I couldn’t help but notice the bright hues and sharp details. 

However, as previously MacBooks reviews have shown, while the Air 15 will be plenty bright with an estimated brightness of 500 nits, when it comes to color gamut, it will probably fall short. Especially when compared to the Dell XPS 15. But as I went through several high-res photos, taking in the luxurious hair and individual whiskers of a majestic Afghan Hound or the bumpy, yet colorful skin of a chameleon, I was really impressed with the color. 

MacBook Air 15 Audio

Similar to the larger MacBook Pros, the Air 15 has a six speaker setup including a pair of force-cancelling woofers. And like modern AirPods, the notebook also supports spatial audio. In fact, the effect gets even more precise when used with a pair of AirPods as dynamic head tracking comes into play. 

I got a quick taste of what the Air 15 has to offer aurally and I’m excited to hear more. Although it wasn’t at full volume the deep synthesized music of the game Stray filled the large conference room. The low end was deep and robust which is nice. But what’s better is that the soundstage is spacious which allows some of the lighter sounds to shine such as tinkling bells. 

MacBook Air 15 Performance

While I wish the Air 15 had an M2 Pro or M2 Max chip, the Air line has a specific audience that it’s going for. And while those consumers definitely want performance, they want it without breaking the bank, hence the entry-level M2 CPU which can more than get the job done.

I saw a little bit of the M2’s power during my demo as it was a speedy demon launching apps left and right with no signs of slowdown. It’s nothing compared to our benchmarking, but it’s a nice sign of what to expect. 

MacBook Air 15 Battery Life

Typically when a laptop maker makes a claim about battery life, I take it with a grain of salt. I’ve seen our battery test prove otherwise too many times. But when it’s an Apple device, I tend to believe the hype as historically, MacBooks have been some of the longest lasting laptops. So I’m fairly confident that the Air 15 will either match the company’s 18-hour claim or come very close. 

Bottom Line

As the article title states, the MacBook Air 15 is basically the Air 13 in a bigger shell. And with that additional largesse, you get a beautiful 15.3-inch display and more powerful speakers in a slim, ultraportable chassis. And like other notebooks in the Air line, the 15-inch is fairly affordable with a starting price of $1,299. 

While I have to wait for benchmarking and reviewing to make my final judgment. If the MacBook Air 15 holds up as well as I think it will, I absolutely want it as my next work laptop,