Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023)
Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023)
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GENERAL USE: Very Good—8.2/10
GAMING/AI: Fair—6.5/10
ENG/DESIGN: Good—7.8/10
SOFTWARE DEV: Very Good—8.3/10
CONTENT CREATION: Very Good—8.1/10
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) comes with midrange pricing and provides a balance between performance and portability, featuring an Apple M2 chip with integrated GPU, suitable for general use, and light 3D, machine learning, or engineering tasks. It has a high-resolution 15.3-inch IPS display, but does not support touchscreen. Battery life is solid for typical use, up to 15 hours. The MacBook is extremely portable, weighing only 3.3 pounds, and is incredibly thin. It is well-suited for people who prefer a larger screen but still want a light and thin laptop, and it excels in display color accuracy. However, for intensive gaming or heavy computing tasks, it may not be the optimal choice. 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
- Lightweight and thin design
- High screen brightness and resolution
- Excellent build and keyboard quality
- Apple M2 chip offers solid performance
- Silent operation with no fans
Cons
- Limited ports and expandability
- Fanless design may limit sustained performance
- Higher cost compared to competitors
- No touchscreen or 2-in-1 functionality
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:4.5
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) is excellent for general use, owing to its powerful Apple M2 CPU, ample 16GB of RAM, and high-quality 15.3-inch IPS screen with vibrant colors and sharp resolution, providing an enjoyable visual experience. Additionally, its light weight and silent, fanless operation, combined with long battery life, enhance portability and user comfort, making it convenient for everyday tasks.
Software Development:4.5
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.
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.
Content Creation:4.4
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.
Engineering & Design:4.3
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:3.6
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) has a GPU integrated with the Apple M2 chip that may not match dedicated GPUs in handling demanding 3D tasks, and while it sports a high-quality IPS display, the 60Hz screen refresh rate limits the smoothness of moving 3D images compared to laptops with higher refresh rates. The central processing unit (CPU) is capable, and the screen quality is high in terms of resolution and color representation, but for tasks prioritizing powerful GPU capabilities and high refresh rates, this laptop may offer only moderate performance.
Full Specs
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
| Price | $1,499 | ||
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 | 256 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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