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Announced during its 2022 Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), Apple's 2022 MacBook Air looks more like a portable MacBook Pro than anything else. Further to the point, the 2020 MacBook Air will continue to be sold alongside the latest version, like how the Apple Watch 3 is still sold alongside the Series 7.
While the 2022 MacBook Air isn't going to outpace MacBook Pros, it integrates several features first made available in that higher-end laptop: the M2 processor, enhanced screen, updated audio hardware, a sharper FaceTime webcam, and more.
The 2022 MacBook Air is expected to ship in July with a base price of $1,199, and these are the five coolest features that might convince you to upgrade.
The 2022 MacBook Air houses the latest Apple processor: the M2. The M2 is a System on a Chip (SoC) type of processor, which includes the central processing unit (CPU), the graphics processor unit (GPU), memory (RAM), and more.
The M2 uses an enhanced CPU that's about 1.4 times faster than the previous model, thanks to 25% more transistors. (The more transistors a processor has, the more processes it can handle at once.) It's also built to run more apps at once with 50% more maximum RAM bandwidth — from 16GB to 24GB — though 2022 MacBook Airs still start at 8GB.
As for the GPU, it now puts out up to 35% faster graphics rendering. While the base M2 model still uses eight cores, a 10-core GPU is a $300 upgrade. Apple's new media engine is also geared for ProRes and ProRes RAW, popular high-end video formats, with three times faster video transcoding.
For anyone with a MacBook Air even older than 2020, the M2 is up to 15 times faster than the Intel Core i5 processor-based machines. Those numbers are based on the 24GB RAM, 2TB model however — the base Air won't be quite as fast.
The MacBook Air was due for a display upgrade, and Apple delivered with a larger Liquid Retina screen. The screen uses multiple LEDs for backlighting instead of one large backlight panel, which creates a brighter display with deeper blacks and more vibrant colors.
The screen also jumps from a 13.3 to a 13.6-inch, thanks to smaller bezels, which doesn't leave room for the traditional FaceTime camera. Yes, the camera notch that first debuted on the iPhone X and later on the MacBook Pro is here, but the screen real estate overall has increased, which is the most exciting part.
The M2, like the M1, doesn't require a fan to keep cool, which means it doesn't need as much space. Apple has redesigned the 2022 MacBook Air around the fanless processor, making the new Air look like a smaller MacBook Pro that no longer has a wedge up front. It's both thinner and lighter than the previous generation.
The keyboard's top row of keys is now the same height as the rest, rather than the shorter Function keys on the previous generation. That also increases the size of the Touch ID module.
MagSafe charging is back for 2022, and so charging no longer takes up one of the two Thunderbolt (USB 4) ports. The $1,499 Air with the 10-core GPU ships with a plug that has an extra USB-C port, so you can plug your iPhone in without a second wall adapter.
Finally, the 2022 MacBook Air has four color options: classic silver and Space Gray, but now Starlight (a straight gold) and Midnight (black).
The built-in FaceTime webcam has stepped up to full HD, which is 1080p (1,920 x 1,080 pixels) resolution. This is a big step up from 720p that adds more detail so that you're seen more clearly on video calls.
FaceTime calls should sound better with four spatial speakers — which is two more than the previous generation. The headphone jack also now supports high-impedance headphones. That means the port has enough power to work with studio-grade, wired headphones.
With speeds up to 15 times faster, Intel-based Mac owners could easily justify an upgrade to the 2022 MacBook Air from pre-2020 models. If your old MacBook Air is starting to slow, this upgrade would bring a significant boost in performance.
While the 2022 M2 model has improvements across the board, the gap isn't as significant between the M1 model and the M2. The 1.4 times speed boost won't be enough for most 2020 MacBook Air users to justify the added expense.
But, video editors could be tempted — particularly when factoring in the upgraded screen, faster speeds with ProRes transcoding, and better audio. Users that have outgrown 8GB RAM will also find 24GB to be a substantial upgrade.
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