Apple on Monday unveiled a completely redesigned MacBook Air supercharged by the new M2 processor at the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2022.
The all-new MacBook Air has a strikingly thin, light, and fan-less design, which integrates its components so efficiently that it results in an astonishing 20 percent reduction in volume. The laptop measures just 11.3 mm thin and is only 2.7 pounds. It features a durable, all-aluminum unibody enclosure that feels incredibly solid and is built to last.
Further, the new MacBook Air features a slightly larger 13.6-inch Liquid Retina display (2560 x 1664 resolution) with up to 500 nits of brightness, making it 25 percent brighter than before. In addition, the new display now supports 1 billion colors, which makes the photos and movies look incredibly vibrant.
It also includes a new 1080p FaceTime HD camera with a larger image sensor and more efficient pixels that deliver twice the resolution and low-light performance of the previous generation.
Another highlight of the new MacBook Air is a four-speaker sound system that supports immersive Spatial Audio for music and movies with Dolby Atmos. It has a three-mic array, which captures clean audio using advanced beamforming algorithms.
The MacBook Air includes an all-new 35W compact power adapter with two USB-C ports that allow users to charge two devices at once. It is powered by a 56Wh lithium-polymer battery and supports a fast charge for charging up to 50 percent in just 30 minutes with an optional 67W USB-C power adapter. It provides all-day battery life, with up to 18 hours of video playback on a single charge.
In terms of performance, for intensive workloads like editing complex timelines in Final Cut Pro, the new MacBook Air provides nearly 40 percent faster performance than the previous generation, and up to 15x faster for customers that haven’t upgraded to Apple silicon.
Further, applying filters and effects in apps like Adobe Photoshop is up to 20 percent faster than before, and up to 5x faster for customers that haven’t yet upgraded to Apple silicon.
Other features include 2 x USB-C Thunderbolt 4, 3.5 mm audio jack, the Magic Keyboard with TouchID, a spacious, industry-leading Force Touch trackpad, and MagSafe – a dedicated charging port that is easy to connect.
The new MacBook Air will be available in four color options: Silver, Starlight, Space Gray, and Midnight. The new laptop with the base configuration will start at $1,199 in the United States, which includes the base M2 version with 8 CPU and 8 GPU cores, 8GB of unified memory, 256GB of SSD, and a 30W single-port USB-C adapter.
On the other hand, the $1,499 version of the MacBook Air 2022 will include the M2 with 8 CPU and 10 GPU cores, 8GB of RAM, 512GB of SSD, and the new 35W charger with two USB-C ports. Additionally, the M1-based MacBook Air is also available on sale for $999.
