Along with the launch of the new M3 MacBook Air, Apple shifted around its laptop range to make room for a new budget model. Gone is the M1 MacBook Air that had been in the lineup since 2020 and in its place is a new $999 model: the 13-inch M2 MacBook Air.
While the price is the same, the newest budget laptop is a huge upgrade in value. The M1 model had Apple’s old design, chip, and screen, while the M2 model is an upgrade in every way. It has a newer design with slimmer bezels, a larger and brighter display with rounded corners, 1080p FaceTime camera, and spatial audio support.
Apple is offering the M2 MacBook Air in the same four colors as the M3 models—midnight, starlight, space gray, silver—along with two processor options. The previous M1 MacBook Air was only available with the lowest processor—8-core CPU with a 7-core GPU—but you can upgrade the M2 processor from an 8-core GPU to a 10-core GPU for $100. However, we would recommend getting the M3 model at that point, which also costs $1,099.
Apple launched the MacBook Air in 2020 for $999 and despite its older design, it was an excellent budget machine. However, without a price cut in more than three years, the M1 Air hasn’t been worth its price tag since the M2 arrived in mid-2022.
Amazon and other retailers are still selling the M1 MacBook Air for $749, a savings of $250 until supply runs out. If the M2 model sees a similar discount later this year, it will be one of the best Mac bargains ever. But for now, even at its full $999 price, the M2 MacBook Air gets our full recommendation.
Read more about the New MacBook Air M3 in our guide.
Author: Michael Simon, Executive Editor
Michael Simon has been covering Apple since the iPod was the iWalk. His obsession with technology goes back to his first PC—the IBM Thinkpad with the lift-up keyboard for swapping out the drive. He's still waiting for that to come back in style tbh.