Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023)
Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023)
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GENERAL USE: Very Good—8.8/10
GAMING/AI: Fair—6.7/10
ENG/DESIGN: Very Good—8.0/10
SOFTWARE DEV: Very Good—8.6/10
CONTENT CREATION: Very Good—8.6/10
PORTABILITY: Very Good—8.9/10
BATTERY: Excellent—9.3/10
OVERALL SCREEN QUALITY: Very Good—8.0/10
OVERALL PERFORMANCE: Good—7.4/10
SIZE: 15.3"
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) model holds an upper midrange price and is equipped with a high-resolution IPS screen of 15.3 inches, which is not a touchscreen. It operates on the Apple M2 processor with integrated M2 GPU and has 16 GB of RAM and 1 TB of storage. With a battery capacity of 66.6, it's noted for its long-lasting battery life, offering around 15 hours of typical usage, which is great for on-the-go use. This MacBook is remarkably thin and weighs only 3.3 pounds, making it very portable. It has a backlit keyboard, fingerprint reader, and a silent, fanless operation which will be appealing for work environments. In terms of connectivity, it has two USB-C ports with Thunderbolt support and also supports USB4. There are no options for expandable RAM or storage slots. If you're looking for a laptop for general use with high build and keyboard quality, good performance, and excellent portability at a premium price, this MacBook Air is a solid choice. However, for those needing a dedicated number pad, an HDMI port, or the best performance in 3D and engineering tasks, you might want to look at other options, as those are not the strongest points of this model. Give Feedback
this description is based on the product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Evaluation
Pros
- Powerful M2 processor
- High screen pixel density
- User-friendly MacOS installed
- Lightweight and portable design
- Silent, fanless operation
Cons
- Lacks touchscreen functionality
- 60Hz max screen refresh rate
- No hardware ray tracing
- No number pad on keyboard
Ratings by Category
Build Quality:5.0
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, chassis rigidity, and overall reliability.
Our assessment of build quality includes many details that are difficult to quantify.
Our laptop experts use their best judgment to produce the final score.
Operating Noise:5.0
PerfectRec’s Operating Noise Score is based on fan noise measurements. Laptops with a fanless design, such as Macbooks, receive the maximum score.
Keyboard Quality:5.0
The Keyboard Quality score is based on the PerfectRec experts’ assessment of tactile feedback, typing comfort, keyboard reliability and typing noise.
Battery Life:4.8
PerfectRec’s Battery Life rating is based on hours of battery life in typical usage scenarios.
Portability:4.7
PerfectRec’s portability rating takes into account the volume and thickness of the laptop as well as its weight.
General Use:4.6
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) is well-suited for general use due to its powerful Apple M2 processor and 16GB of RAM, which ensure smooth multitasking and quick application performance. It also boasts a high-resolution IPS screen for vivid colors and clarity, complemented by its lightweight design, long battery life, and silent, fanless operation, making it very portable and comfortable to use for long periods.
Software Development:4.6
PerfectRec’s Software Development Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for software development.
In addition to a strong emphasis on overall performance, this score also places very high importance on screen quality. Heat management, storage, keyboard and speaker quality are also incorporated, with fan noise rounding out this score.
Content Creation:4.6
PerfectRec’s Content Creation Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for photo editing, and video editing work.
In addition to a strong emphasis on overall performance, this score also places very high importance on screen quality. Heat management, storage, keyboard and speaker quality are also incorporated, with fan noise rounding out this score.
General Use Screen Quality:4.5
The general use screen score is based on the screen technology, contrast ratio, resolution, brightness, color gamut and color accuracy. This score does not take into account specialized display features for specific use cases, such as high refresh rate for gaming.
Engineering & Design:4.4
PerfectRec’s Engineering and Design Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for graphic design, CAD and 3D work.
In addition to a strong emphasis on overall performance, this score also places very high importance on screen quality. Heat management, storage, keyboard and speaker quality are also incorporated, with fan noise rounding out this score.
Gaming & AI:3.8
The MacBook Air 15 (2023) may deliver only adequate 3D performance as its integrated Apple M2 GPU, while efficient, isn't as powerful as dedicated gaming or workstation GPUs. Moreover, its screen has a standard refresh rate of 60Hz, which is less optimal for smooth 3D rendering compared to higher refresh rate displays.
Full Specs
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
| Price | $1,899 | ||
Release Date | June 1, 2023 | ||
Overall Dimensions | 13.4'' x 9.4'' x 0.45'' | ||
Weight | 3.3 lbs | ||
Width | 13.4" | ||
Depth | 9.35" | ||
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | Apple M2 | ||
RAM | 16 GB | ||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | ||
RAM Slots | 0 | ||
Storage | 1024 GB | ||
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | 15 Hours | ||
Battery Capacity | 66.6 Wh | ||
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | 15.3" | ||
Display Technology | IPS | ||
Resolution | 2880 x 1864 | ||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | ||
Display Brightness | 501 nits | ||
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score  | 10/10 | ||
Portability Score | 9/10 | ||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | ||
Premium Business Laptop | Yes | ||
Fan Noise Score | 10/10 | ||
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | 10/10 | ||
Speaker Quality Score | 10/10 | ||
Webcam | 1080p | ||
Fingerprint Reader | Yes | ||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | ||
Number Pad | No | ||
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | 0 | ||
USB-C ports | 2 | ||
USB-C Charging | Yes | ||
Display Outputs | 1 | ||
Thunderbolt Version | 3 | ||
Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023)
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NotebookCheck
Andreas Osthoff | June 2023
"The Apple MacBook Air 15 is boringly good. The new MacBook Air 15 is a very good, but also boring device, because apart from the larger screen and the higher price, there are no differences compared to the smaller MacBook Air M2 from last year. No new processor, no additional ports, just the usual basic hardware - but the overall package is extremely good and it simply works. Above all, the lack of fans is an aspect that should not be underestimated in everyday use. In our opinion, the Air could be a lot better, but Apple goes easy on itself here."
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