Products
Apple MacBook Air 13 (M2, 2022)
Apple MacBook Air 15 (M2, 2023)
Tested using Methodology v0.8.2
Updated Oct 29, 2025 03:02 PM
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Amazon.com
Tested using Methodology v0.8.2
Updated Oct 29, 2025 02:45 PM
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Size
13.6"
Operating System
macOS
Size
15.3"
Operating System
macOS
Our Verdict
Apple MacBook Air 13 (M2, 2022)
Apple MacBook Air 15 (M2, 2023)
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (M2, 2023) is essentially the same device as the Apple MacBook Air 13 (M2, 2022) but with a larger 15.3-inch screen and better-sounding speakers. The 15-inch model's larger chassis helps with thermals, so the keyboard doesn't get as hot, and the SoC doesn't throttle as much under load. It has a larger battery to compensate for its more power-hungry 15-inch screen, but the battery life is only decent at around eight hours of light use, two hours shorter than its 13-inch sibling.
Variants
- MacBook Air 13 (MLY43LL/A) (Midnight - M2/8-core CPU/10-core GPU/8GB/512GB)
- MacBook Air 13 (MC7X4LL/A) (Midnight - M2/8-core CPU/8-core GPU/16GB/256GB)
- MacBook Air 13 (MLY33LL/A) (Midnight - M2/8-core CPU/8-core GPU/8GB/256GB)
- MacBook Air 13 (MLY03LL/A) (Silver - M2/8-core CPU/10-core GPU/8GB/512GB)
- MacBook Air 13 (MC7V4LL/A) (Silver - M2/8-core CPU/8-core GPU/16GB/256GB)
- MacBook Air 13 (MLXY3LL/A) (Silver - M2/8-core CPU/8-core GPU/8GB/256GB)
- MacBook Air 13 (MLXX3LL/A) (Space Gray - M2/8-core CPU/10-core GPU/8GB/512GB)
- MacBook Air 13 (MC7U4LL/A) (Space Gray - M2/8-core CPU/8-core GPU/16GB/256GB)
- MacBook Air 13 (MLXW3LL/A) (Space Gray - M2/8-core CPU/8-core GPU/8GB/256GB)
- MacBook Air 13 (MLY23LL/A) (Starlight - M2/8-core CPU/10-core GPU/8GB/512GB)
- MacBook Air 13 (MC7W4LL/A) (Starlight - M2/8-core CPU/8-core GPU/16GB/256GB)
- MacBook Air 13 (MLY13LL/A) (Starlight - M2/8-core CPU/8-core GPU/8GB/256GB)
- MacBook Air 15 (MQKW3LL/A) (Midnight - M2/8GB/256GB)
- MacBook Air 15 (MQKX3LL/A) (Midnight - M2/8GB/512GB)
- MacBook Air 15 (MQKR3LL/A) (Silver - M2/8GB/256GB)
- MacBook Air 15 (MQKT3LL/A) (Silver - M2/8GB/512GB)
- MacBook Air 15 (MQKP3LL/A) (Space Gray - M2/8GB/256GB)
- MacBook Air 15 (MQKQ3LL/A) (Space Gray - M2/8GB/512GB)
- MacBook Air 15 (MQKU3LL/A) (Starlight - M2/8GB/256GB)
- MacBook Air 15 (MQKV3LL/A) (Starlight - M2/8GB/512GB)
Main Differences for
School
School
Threshold
School
8.5
8.2
Battery
8.4
7.2
Full Comparison
Design
Style
Style Photo
Form Factor
Traditional (Clamshell)
Traditional (Clamshell)
Build Quality
9.5
9.5
Build Quality Photo
Hinge
9.1
9.1
Hinge Photo
Range
135°
135°
Stability
Good
Good
One Finger Lift
Yes
Yes
Portability
9.1
8.7
Dimensions Photo
Size
13.6"
15.3"
Thickness
0.5" (1.3 cm)
0.6" (1.4 cm)
Width
12.2" (31.0 cm)
13.4" (34.0 cm)
Depth
8.5" (21.5 cm)
9.3" (23.7 cm)
Volume
52.9 in³ (866.5 cm³)
68.8 in³ (1,128.0 cm³)
Weight
2.7 lbs (1.2 kg)
3.3 lbs (1.5 kg)
Charger Size
5.0 in³ (81.7 cm³)
4.6 in³ (75.0 cm³)
Charger Weight
0.3 lbs (0.2 kg)
0.4 lbs (0.2 kg)
Serviceability
3.5
3.5
Internals Photo
Ease Of Access
6.0
6.0
RAM Slots
0
0
Storage Slots
0
0
Replaceable Battery
Yes
Yes
Replaceable Wireless Adapter
No
No
In The Box
In The Box Photo
Display
Screen Specs
Display Photo
Resolution
2560 x 1664
2880 x 1864
Aspect Ratio
16:10
16:10
Pixel Density
225 PPI
226 PPI
Panel Type
IPS
IPS
Touch Screen
No
No
Screen-To-Body Ratio
84%
86%
Refresh Rate
5.9
5.9
Motion Blur
Refresh Rate
60 Hz
60 Hz
Variable Refresh Rate
No
No
Contrast
7.6
7.4
Contrast Photo
Native Contrast
1,490 : 1
1,371 : 1
Brightness
8.5
8.4
Maximum Brightness
468 cd/m²
450 cd/m²
Minimum Brightness
2 cd/m²
2 cd/m²
Reflections
8.9
9.0
Reflections Photo Off
Reflections Photo Max
Screen Finish
Glossy
Glossy
Total Reflections
1.73%
1.63%
Indirect Reflections
0.39%
0.49%
Calculated Direct Reflections
1.34%
1.14%
Black Uniformity
8.2
8.5
Black Uniformity Photo
Uniformity (Std. Dev.)
0.814%
0.754%
Horizontal Viewing Angle
6.5
6.5
Horizontal Viewing Angle Video
Horizontal Chroma Picture
Color Washout From Left
27°
26°
Color Washout From Right
27°
27°
Horizontal Hue Picture
Color Shift From Left
31°
30°
Color Shift From Right
34°
34°
Horizontal Lightness Picture
Brightness Loss From Left
30°
28°
Brightness Loss From Right
30°
30°
Black Level Raise From Left
60°
60°
Black Level Raise From Right
60°
60°
Gamma Shift From Left
27°
27°
Gamma Shift From Right
27°
27°
Vertical Viewing Angle
6.6
6.6
Vertical Viewing Angle Video
Vertical Chroma Picture
Color Washout From Below
25°
27°
Color Washout From Above
27°
25°
Vertical Hue Picture
Color Shift From Below
28°
30°
Color Shift From Above
36°
33°
Vertical Lightness Picture
Brightness Loss From Below
27°
29°
Brightness Loss From Above
30°
28°
Black Level Raise From Below
45°
45°
Black Level Raise From Above
45°
45°
Gamma Shift From Below
29°
31°
Gamma Shift From Above
31°
30°
Out-Of-The-Box Color Accuracy
9.3
9.8
White Balance Screencap
Gamma Curve Screencap
Color Screencap
Avg. White Balance dE
2.02
1.55
Avg. Gamma
2.31
2.23
Avg. Color dE
1.66
1.41
Avg. Color Temperature
6,695.9 K
6,309 K
Color Gamut
9.4
9.2
Gamut SDR
sRGB xy
99.95%
99.72%
sRGB uv
99.81%
99%
Adobe RGB xy
88.14%
84.48%
Adobe RGB uv
92.92%
89.73%
Gamut HDR
DCI P3 xy
99.68%
96.02%
DCI P3 uv
99.15%
96.3%
Rec. 2020 xy
72.43%
70.93%
Rec. 2020 uv
73.13%
71.98%
Flicker
10
10
Flicker Graph
Flicker-Free
Yes
No
Flicker Frequency
No Flicker
> 1000Hz
Flicker Active Below
0%
0%
Interface
Keyboard
8.0
8.0
Keyboard Photo
Typing Quality
8.0
8.0
Numpad
No
No
Backlighting
Adjustable
Adjustable
Key Switch Actuation Graph
Operating Force
63 gf
64 gf
Actuation Force
39 gf
38 gf
Pre-Travel
0.78 mm
0.76 mm
Total Travel
0.92 mm
0.84 mm
Touchpad
9.2
9.6
Touchpad Photo
Tracking Quality
9.5
9.5
Size
16.0 in² (103.2 cm²)
21.4 in² (138.0 cm²)
Material
Glass
Glass
Dedicated Buttons
No
No
Speakers
8.1
9.3
Frequency Response Plot
Max Volume
76 dB SPL
81 dB SPL
Standard Error @ Normal Vol. (65 dB)
5.5 dB
4.2 dB
Slope @ Normal Vol. (65 dB)
2.5
1.5
Bass Extension (Low-Frequency Ext.)
145 Hz
135 Hz
Treble Extension (High-Frequency Ext.)
17 kHz
20 kHz
Dynamic Range Compression @ Max Vol.
1.5 dB
2.7 dB
Webcam & Microphone
8.7
8.7
Webcam Video Sample
Video Quality
9.0
9.0
Resolution
1080p
1080p
Position
Top Center
Top Center
Privacy Cover
No
No
Face Unlock
No
No
Connectivity
Ports
5.0
5.0
Ports Photo
USB-A Ports
0
0
USB-C Ports
2
2
Thunderbolt
Thunderbolt 3
Thunderbolt 3
USB-C Charging
Yes
Yes
USB-C Display Out
Yes
Yes
HDMI
No
No
DisplayPort
No
No
3.5mm Jack
Combo mic/headphone
Combo mic/headphone
Card Reader
No
No
Ethernet
No
No
Proprietary Port
Apple MagSafe 3
Apple MagSafe 3
Security Lock
No
No
Wireless Communication
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax)
Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax)
Bluetooth
5.0
5.3
Configuration
CPU
Brand
Apple
Apple
Model
M2
M2
Core Count
8
8
Thread Count
8
8
GPU
Brand
Apple
Apple
Model
M2
M2
Dedicated/Integrated
Integrated
Integrated
VRAM Size
N/A
N/A
RAM
Capacity
8 GB
8 GB
Modules
Unknown
Unknown
Type
LP-DDR5
LP-DDR5
Speed
6,400 MHz
6,400 MHz
Storage
Advertised Capacity
256 GB
256 GB
Usable Capacity
214 GB
206 GB
Drive 1
Apple SSD AP0256Z
Apple SSD AP0256Z
Drive 1 Type
SSD
SSD
Drive 2
No 2nd Drive
No 2nd Drive
Drive 2 Type
No 2nd Drive
No 2nd Drive
Performance
Geekbench 5 (Synthetics)
9.1
9.2
Geekbench Image
CPU Single-Thread
1,928 points
1,948 points
CPU Multi-Thread
8,954 points
9,020 points
GPU Compute
26,155 points
30,082 points
Cinebench R23 (CPU Rendering)
9.4
9.4
Cinebench R23 Photo
Single-Thread
1,581 points
1,591 points
Multi-Thread
8,003 points
8,242 points
Blender (3D Rendering)
8.5
8.5
Blender Image
CPU Render Time
4.2 min
4.5 min
GPU Render Time
2.2 min
1.8 min
GPU Render Time (Optix)
N/A
N/A
Basemark GPU (Game Scene)
6.7
7.3
Basemark Image
Overall Score
34,329
43,752
Storage Drive Performance
8.9
8.9
Storage Performance Image
Sequential Write Speed
2,469.6 MB/s
2,301.4 MB/s
Sequential Read Speed
1,091.6 MB/s
1,345.8 MB/s
Random Write Speed
45.0 MB/s
42.3 MB/s
Random Read Speed
60.1 MB/s
59.3 MB/s
Battery
8.4
7.2
Capacity
53 Wh
67 Wh
Battery Life (Web Browsing)
10.9 hrs
8.6 hrs
Battery Life (Video Playback)
7.0 hrs
8.1 hrs
Battery Life (Gaming)
2.7 hrs
2.9 hrs
Charge Time
3.0 hrs
2.7 hrs
Borderlands 3
4.1
3.2
Borderlands 3 Graph
Avg. FPS
28 fps
20 fps
1% Low
11 fps
8 fps
0.1% Low
5 fps
3 fps
1% Low Delta
59 ms
79 ms
0.1% Low Delta
173 ms
241 ms
Avg. FPS On Very Low
36 fps
40 fps
Civilization VI
5.7
5.8
Civilization VI Graph
Avg. FPS
45 fps
42 fps
1% Low
27 fps
28 fps
0.1% Low
21 fps
19 fps
1% Low Delta
15 ms
12 ms
0.1% Low Delta
25 ms
28 ms
Avg. FPS On Minimum
76 fps
93 fps
Avg. Turn Time
10.11 s
10.31 s
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
8.9
8.8
CS:GO graph
Avg. FPS
114 fps
108 fps
1% Low
N/A
N/A
0.1% Low
N/A
N/A
1% Low Delta
N/A
N/A
0.1% Low Delta
N/A
N/A
Avg. FPS On Low
175 fps
180 fps
Counter-Strike 2
CS2 Graph
Avg. FPS
1% Low
0.1% Low
1% Low Delta
0.1% Low Delta
Avg. FPS On Low
Shadow Of The Tomb Raider
4.0
4.5
SOTTR Graph
Avg. FPS
25 fps
29 fps
1% Low
16 fps
18 fps
0.1% Low
10 fps
12 fps
1% Low Delta
22 ms
20 ms
0.1% Low Delta
65 ms
51 ms
Avg. FPS On Lowest
42 fps
58 fps
Thermals And Noise
8.1
9.4
Keyboard Temps Picture
Keyboard Temp While Idle
30 °C (86 °F)
27 °C (80 °F)
Keyboard Temp Under Load
49 °C (120 °F)
36 °C (96 °F)
Fan Noise While Idle
N/A
N/A
Fan Noise Under Load
N/A
N/A
Power & Fan Control App
No
No
Performance Over Time
6.7
8.4
Performance Over Time Graph
CPU Temp (Cinebench)
N/A
80 °C
CPU Perf. Loss (Cinebench)
4% loss
1% loss
GPU Temp (Heaven)
N/A
78 °C
GPU Perf. Loss (Heaven)
18% loss
8% loss
Additional Features And Software
Software
Operating System
macOS
macOS
Additional Software
None
None
Extra Features
RGB Illumination
No
No
Touch Pen
No
No
Secondary Display
No
No
Biometrics
Fingerprint Sensor
Fingerprint Sensor
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Apple MacBook Air 13 (M2, 2022)
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Apple MacBook Air 13 (M2, 2022) vs Apple MacBook Air 15 (M2, 2023): Main Discussion
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