After months of rumours, Apple made the MacBook Air 15 official at the 2023 WWDC event. As expected, the MacBook Air is more or less a larger version of the redesigned MacBook Air 13 that went on sale last year.
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There is no major shake-up in specs or a different target market for the larger MacBook Air. It is still placed below the MacPro Pro lineup (and by that, I mean the real MacBook Pro models available in 14 and 16-inch sizes.)
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MacBook Air 15
MacBook Air 15 UAE Pricing and Availability
The MacBook Air 15 starts at AED 5,499, getting you 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. You can opt for a larger 512GB storage model for AED 6,339. Both the models come with the Apple M2 8‑core CPU (4 performance cores + 4 efficiency cores) and Apple 10-core GPU.
MacBook Air 14 Specifications
| Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) | Apple MacBook Air 13 (2022) | |
|---|---|---|
| Dimensions | 34.04 x 23.76 x 1.15 cm | 30.41 x 21.5 x 1.13 cm |
| Weight | 1.51 kg | 1.24 kg |
| Screen Size | 15.3-inch-inch LED-backlit display with IPS technology | 13.6-inch LED-backlit display with IPS technology |
| Screen Refresh Rate | 60 Hz | 60 Hz |
| Display Resolution | 2880 x 1864 pixels (224 ppi) | 2560 x 1664 pixels (224 ppi) |
| Processor | Apple M2 8‑core CPU (4 performance cores + 4 efficiency cores) | Apple M2 8‑core CPU (4 performance cores + 4 efficiency cores) |
| Graphics | Apple 10-core GPU | Apple 8-core / 10-core GPU |
| Memory | 8GB / 16GB / 24GB Unified memory | 8GB / 16GB / 24GB Unified memory |
| Storage | 256GB / 512GB / 1TB / 2TB SSD | 256GB / 512GB / 1TB / 2TB SSD |
| Operating System | macOS | macOS |
| Battery | 66.5-watt‑hour lithium‑polymer battery Up to 18 hours Apple TV app movie playback Up to 15 hours of wireless web 35W USB-C Power Adapter | 52.6-watt‑hour lithium‑polymer battery Up to 18 hours Apple TV app movie playback Up to 15 hours of wireless web 30W / 35W USB-C Power Adapter |
| Camera | 1080p FaceTime HD camera | 1080p FaceTime HD camera |
| Available Ports | 2 x Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C) ports 3.5 mm headphone jack MagSafe 3 port | 2 x Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C) ports 3.5 mm headphone jack MagSafe 3 port |
| Audio | Six-speaker sound system with force-cancelling woofers Three-mic array with directional beamforming | Four-speaker sound system Three-mic array with directional beamforming |
| Connectivity Options | Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.3 | Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.0 |
Design
Apple changed the design of the MacBook Air in 2022- after more than a decade of using the older wedge-shaped design. Needless to say, nobody was expecting the larger MacBook Air to deviate the least bit from the design language that Apple introduced last year.
The MacBook Air 15 is basically a larger version of the M2 based MacBook Air 13 with a larger screen, bigger battery and more speakers.
The colour section on the MacBook Air 15 is identical to the four options we saw on MacBook Air 13: Silver, Starlight, Space Gray and Midnight. The last one is the nicest-looking colour on the MacBook Air 13 but is also prone to being covered up in fingerprints.
Display
The MacBook Air 15 has a 15.2-inch screen with a 2880 x 1864 pixels resolution which results in 224 pixels per inch and that is sharp and clear. Unlike the MacBook Pro 14-inch and 16-inch, with a higher “Pro Motion” 120Hz refresh rate, the Liquid Retina displays on the MacBook Air have a 60Hz refresh rate.
The panel is an IPS panel with back-lighting which is goon enough for everyday usage but you can’t compare it to the screen on the MacBook Pro.
Performance
The MacBook Air 15 has the same Apple Silicon M2 processor we’ve seen on the 13-inch Air. This is the standard version of the M2 processor and not the Pro or better ones present on the Mac Mini and the MacBook Pro.
Unlike the 13-inch MacBook Air, Apple only offers one version of the M2 chip on the MacBook Air 15, which is the higher-end version. The CPU has 8 cores (4 performance and 4 efficiency cores) while the GPU is 10-core.
RAM options are between 8GB, 16GB and 24GB, while SSD storage options go from 256GB to 2TB.
Battery and Charging
Expectations were high for the battery life of the 15-inch Air- replacing the 16-inch MacBook Pro as Apple’s longest-lasting laptop, but that did not happen- at least as far as specs are concerned. The MacBook Air 15-inch is equipped with a 66.5-watt‑hour lithium‑polymer battery, which is lower in capacity than the MacBook Pro models.
Apple claims that the MacBook Air 15 battery offers up to 18 hours of Apple TV app movie playback or up to 15 hours of wireless web, which is identical to the 13-inch model. Apple includes a 35W USB-C Power Adapter with the MacBook Air 15 though it can fast charge at 70W.
Wrap Up
The MacBook Air 15 is almost exactly what I expected- a larger version of the M2-based MacBook Air 13. The larger size houses a bigger screen and additional speakers, and even though you get a larger battery, Apple is claiming the battery life is the same as the 13-inch model.
That is my only complaint about this laptop, as I was expecting the MacBook Air 15 to have the highest battery life out of any other Mac. That title stays with the 16-inch MacBook Pro. Everything else about the new 15-inch model, including its price tag, will continue to cement the MacBook Air as the best-selling laptop.
