MacBook Air M2: ZDNET Product of the Year, and Here’s Why

Apple CEO Tim Cook shows off the MacBook Air M2 at WWDC 2022. Image: Getty/Bloomberg.

When the MacBook Air M2 launched in July 2022, there were two concerns: its price – it cost 300 euros more than its predecessor equipped with an M1 processor – and the new “Midnight” black finish – which attracts fingerprints. But beyond these two points, there is something important that has not been emphasized.

Apple MacBook Air M2 (2022) – Best prices:

After daily use for more than two months, I confirm the second fear: the MacBook Air M2 is a fingerprint magnet. The positive point: they are easy to clean. Regarding its price, I find it more than justified by the increase in performance – if you need it – and the many other improvements packed into this model, one of the most impressive laptops ever made.

ZDNET readers are mostly business professionals, tech enthusiasts, and innovation enthusiasts, so we have no hesitation in naming the MacBook Air M2 Product of the Year for 2022.

Why the MacBook Air M2 is the best product of 2022

Among the other criticisms addressed to the model when it was released, we heard about redundancy in the Mac range. And for good reason: there was already on one side the very powerful MacBook Air M1, still on sale (and which now serves as an entry-level Mac, at 1,199 euros), and on the other the MacBook Pro range. , the option of choice for professionals and creators who need more power, from 1,599 euros.

When testing the MacBook Air M2, to go further, I entrusted it with a large number of energy-intensive tasks while waiting for it to crack. I transferred monstrously large files, created multimedia-heavy PowerPoints, rendered and compressed video files, and ran my three favorite Adobe Creative Cloud apps: Premiere Pro, Photoshop, and Lightroom.

And yet, he never cracked.

A MacBook Pro for the price of a MacBook Air

I usually work with a 2021 16-inch MacBook Pro with an M1 Pro chip. Its performance is breathtaking and worthy of a powerful desktop computer.

When I tested the MacBook Air M2, I was surprised how close it was to my MacBook Pro for most tasks.

The “starlight” version of the MacBook Air M2. Image: Getty/Bloomberg.

My conclusion is that you can now handle with a MacBook Air M2 75% of the tasks that you needed a MacBook Pro to do before, for 500 to 1000 euros less.

The MacBook Air M2 I tested had a 10-core GPU and 16GB of RAM. Its price is €1,700. In comparison, a similar MacBook Pro would cost at least 2,000 to 2,500 euros.

A powerful and portable Mac

Another advantage is that the MacBook Air, as its name suggests, is much lighter than the MacBook Pro, and therefore more pleasant to carry around.

To give you an example, my 16-inch MacBook Pro weighs 1.5 kg and is just over 35 centimeters long and 25 centimeters wide. Suffice to say that it weighs heavy in a bag. The MacBook Air M2 weighs 1.2 kg and measures 30 centimeters long by 21 centimeters. It is therefore a featherweight in comparison.

If you’re doing complex video and photo editing, animation, artwork, and massive file rendering, the full power of a MacBook Pro will still be needed to handle those tasks, of course. And the biggest thing I miss when using the MacBook Air M2 is the spacious and smooth 16.2-inch XDR display on my MacBook Pro. But you’ll be surprised what the MacBook Air M2 can do — and how well it does it.

Beyond its raw power, the MacBook Air M2 also features the first redesign of the MacBook Air line in over 10 years, and Apple has crafted hardware that impresses in both form and function.

The MacBook Air M2 features the following improvements:

• a much improved webcam, which now has 1080 pixels;
• thinner bezels around the screen, and more usable space;
• a 20% brighter 13.6-inch screen;
• a full-size Touch ID fingerprint scanner;
• full-size function keys;
• more powerful speakers with clearer sound;
• a MagSafe power connector with colored cables to match the laptop.

MagSafe has returned to the MacBook Air line and now includes cables that match the color of the laptop. Image: Getty/MacLife Magazine.

While no Apple product ever really goes under the radar, you have to admit that the MacBook Air M2 hasn’t been fully appreciated in 2022, so we’re happy to shine the spotlight on it as the best product. of the year.

Honorable mentions

• Insta360 Link: The pandemic has made us all appreciate the value of a good webcam, and Insta360 has hit it big with its Link webcam that features 4K, auto-tracking, AI, and whiteboard and deskview modes.
• Google Pixel 7: the Pixel 7 Pro is Google’s flagship smartphone, but the Pixel 7 offers almost all of its high-end features (except the 120Hz display, large battery, and telephoto lens) and it comes at a price of 649 euros, which undoubtedly makes it the best smartphone on the market from a quality/price point of view.
• Apple Watch Ultra: Among the biggest surprises of the year was the prowess of Apple’s first high-end sports watch, which packs premium materials, sharp GPS tracking, extended battery life and even underrated functionality. Marine.

Source: ZDNet.com