15-inch MacBook Air (2023): everything we know so far (2024)

FAQs

Is a 2023 MacBook Air worth it? ›

MacBook Air (15-inch, 2023): The 15-inch MacBook Air with M2 (8/10, WIRED Recommends) came out less than a year ago, so it's still an excellent buy. You'll get all the same features as the 13-inch version, plus a larger screen.

Available in two perfect sizes, the 13-inch MacBook Air delivers the ultimate in portability, while the 15-inch model offers even more screen real estate for multitasking in a thin and light design. MacBook Air with M3 features a stunning Liquid Retina display, making photos and movies look incredibly vibrant.

The MacBook Air 15-inch (2023) is powered by Apple's M2 chip, which debuted alongside the MacBook Air (M2, 2022) and MacBook Pro 13-inch (M2, 2022), and has since appeared in the new Mac mini (2023) as well.

The 15-inch MacBook Air scores impressive benchmark numbers. The model I'm testing has 16GB of RAM (the laptop starts at 8GB), with an 8-core CPU, 10-core GPU, and 16-core Neural Engine.

With a better speaker system, better performance, and a relatively accessible price tag, it's one of the easiest laptops to justify buying. To keep it simple, besides the larger chassis and some upgrades under the hood, the 15-inch MacBook Air is the same system as 2022's 13-inch model.

Limited Ports:

Recent MacBook models, especially the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro, have adopted USB-C ports exclusively, which can be inconvenient if you have peripherals that use other types of connections. You may need to invest in dongles or adapters.

Apple today announced the new 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air M3 and with that the company has also discontinued two of its prior MacBook models – the 13-inch MacBook Air M1 and 15-inch MacBook Air M2.

Both laptops have the same aluminum chassis design, but the Air 15's extra space packs in two more speakers than the Air 13. Because of the lack of a grille, the M2 Air 13 sounds more muffled than the M1 version, but it's still better than most laptops out there. However, the Air 15 kicks it up a notch.

The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) is essentially the same device as the Apple MacBook Air 13 (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.

Does the MacBook Air 15 have HDMI? ›

You get two USB-C Thunderbolt 4 ports, a dedicated MagSafe port for charging, and a 3.5-mm headphone jack. It's fine for my workflow, but hey, this is a larger laptop! There's clearly extra space to squeeze in an SD card slot or HDMI port, but you'll have to get a MacBook Pro for that luxury.

The Apple MacBook Air 15” (5th Gen) has a closed height of . 45” (1.15 cm), width of 13.4” (34.04 cm), depth of 9.35” (23.76 cm), and weighs 3.32 lb (1.51 kg). The screen of the Apple MacBook Air 15” (5th Gen) is 15.3” (38.9 cm) diagonal and has a resolution of 2880 x 1864 px at 224 ppi.

The Apple MacBook Pro 15" (4th Gen) has a depth of . 61” (1.55 cm), width of 13.75” (34.93 cm), height of 9.48” (24.07 cm), and weighs 4.02 lb (1.83 kg).

Apple's smallest laptop is the 13-inch version of the MacBook Air, last redesigned for 2022 and the same design retained in the 2024 version. It's a slim, sleek machine that measures just 0.44 inch across and weighs just 2.7 pounds.

Apple continued to sell the 15-inch 2015 model until July 2018.

Overall, the Apple M1 MacBook Air 13 remains a compelling option in 2023–2024, offering a combination of performance, efficiency, portability, and a user-friendly operating system. If your needs align with its capabilities, it's a worthwhile investment that can serve you well for years to come.

Yes, the MacBook Air M1 is still worth getting in 2024

There are few other laptops in this price range offering the same level of overall functionality. This has always been an easy laptop to recommend, but now that it's $699 new at Walmart, it's even easier to suggest.

A Mac's useful economic life is about seven years, but there is no limit to how long it can continue to work exactly the same as it did when you bought it. To maximize that useful economic life, then specify its maximum performance, storage, and memory when you buy it. Only you can decide what that may be.