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| Profil Apple MacBook Air M2. |
Apple is relaunching its entry-level MacBook line in July 2022, namely the 13-inch MacBook Air M2. This device is the cheapest MacBook series after the MacBook Air M1. This is the second series since Apple decided to move from x86 processors to Apple Silicon.
The MacBook Air M2 here is the successor to the MacBook Air M1 which was first released in 2020. As the name suggests, this device uses the Apple M2 processor which has better performance compared to the Apple M1.
For your information, the main attraction of the Apple MacBook Air series is its sleek and elegant frame design. MacBook Air has always managed to be a laptop that is light, thin, and very portable, but still has fast performance.
The screen is always a long-awaited feature because it offers features that are hard to find on other laptops in its class. It offers high brightness and vivid color display, which makes it very suitable for graphics needs.
While it still has a lot in common with the MacBook Air M1, you'll find some feature enhancements in the MacBook Air M2. You can learn more about the advantages and disadvantages of the MacBook Air M2 in the following article.
Apple MacBook Air M2 Specifications
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13.6-inch (diagonal), LED-backlit, IPS; 2560x1664
Processor:
Apple M2 chips
Graphics card:
GPU 8-core/10-core
RAM:
8GB, expandable to 16GB or 24GB
Storage:
256GB/512GB SSD, expandable up to 2TB
Optical Disc:
-
Connectivity:
Wi-Fi 6 802.11ax + Bluetooth 5.0
Harbor:
MagSafe 3 x 1, USB-C Thunderbolt 3/USB 4 x 2, 3.5mm audio jack x 1
Battery:
Up to 18 hours
Apple MacBook Air M2 replacement
Apart from being proud to own it, the MacBook Air M2 also has several advantages that make it one of the best laptops that can increase your productivity and entertainment experience. Here are the benefits.
The body structure is more compact than before
If necessary, you can choose a small and lightweight laptop to make it easier to carry around. Compared to the MacBook Pro series, you will find a more compact body on the MacBook Air M2.
The device itself comes with a fairly light weight of only 1.24 kg. This makes it lighter than the previous series (MacBook Air M1 which was released in 2020) which weighed 1.29 kg.
Compiled from Tom's Guide, the design of the MacBook Air M2 is more portable, about 20% smaller than the previous generation. The frame feels so slim and thin that it's not even impossible to hold the laptop with one hand and type while standing with the other.
The MacBook Air M2 no longer offers sharp edges like some of its predecessors, but now the design of the MacBook Air M2 is closer to the Pro version as it offers more blunt edges. This avoids discomfort if your hands accidentally rub the tip.
The thickness of the MacBook Air M2 body can also be reduced from 1.61 cm to only 1.13 cm. This makes it easy to pack the device between books in a bag, which makes studying or working hobbies more practical. The aluminum frame design made of Magneius material (100% reproduction) makes it feel high quality and look great. You can also choose from four attractive color options, namely Midnight, Grey, Silver and also Starlight.
Screen size increase
With a body that is more compact and slimmer than the previous model, it's only natural that some would think that the screen size has also been reduced. But in reality, the screen of the MacBook Air M2 is even bigger.
While the MacBook Air M1 model has a 13.3-inch screen, the MacBook Air M2 now has a 13.6-inch screen with a resolution of 2560 x 1664 pixels and a density of 224 pixels per inch.
There is absolutely no doubt about the quality of the screen. The screen uses a Liquid Retina panel with IPS technology that supports P3 wide color and one billion colors. The screen also has a high brightness of 500 nits for comfortable outdoor use during the day. There is also TrueTone screen technology which can vary the appearance of the color of the light emitted according to the user's environmental conditions.
According to imore.com sources, the screen of this Apple branded device shows good readability even in the bright environment of the Apple Park showroom.
Another improvement on the display side over the previous is a thinner bezel all around, suggesting more usable space in such a compact body. The most striking difference is seen at the top, which now displays a notch as the webcam housing.
Full HD webcams included
The notch at the top of the screen might be annoying for some. Moreover, there has almost never been a similar laptop with a smartphone-like notch before.
The reason for this is that the presence of the notch paved the way for Apple to introduce better resolution webcams. Unlike older models and most other laptops that still have 720p resolution, the MacBook Air M2 now has a 1080p FaceTime camera in the webcam.
The full HD resolution of the webcam also improves the quality and sharpness of the video in online meetings. There are no more point shots in live streaming and video calls, you can perform optimally to give a good impression to colleagues, faculty and college friends or the audience.
The MacBook Air M2 webcam also has a function that can always place the subject in the center of the frame, even if the user moves to the edge of the frame.
Better performance with Apple M2 chip
As the second generation of the M chipset series, the MacBook Air M2 Apple M2 shows a significant performance jump compared to the MacBook Air M1 with the Apple M1 processor.
Unlike most other laptops that use the x86 architecture, the Apple M2 is an ARM-based SoC. This chipset is the second generation of ARM-based chipsets that will be used in several Apple products in 2022, such as the much-talked-about MacBook Air M2 and the 13-inch Apple MacBook Pro.
Apple M2 itself offers eight cores which are divided into two clusters in the form of 4+4. The format includes four performance cores called "Avalanche" and four performance cores called "Blizzard". The combination was first introduced in the Apple A15 Bionic chipset that powers the iPhone 13 series.
However, in terms of graphics capabilities, Apple M2 is divided into two different configurations. The base configuration uses an 8-core GPU, while the top version has a 10-core GPU. For some reason, Apple decided not to separate the two settings under different names.
Based on the 5nm manufacturing process, Apple M2 is not only powerful, but also offers very high efficiency compared to most Intel and AMD processors. Apple also claims that the Apple M2 has a 35% higher processor, 35% GPU and 40% Neural Engine capacity compared to the Apple M1.
By the way, it has up to 20 billion transistors, which is 25% more than in the M1. The Apple M2 can also be paired with up to 24GB of RAM and 2TB of storage.
Additionally, the chipset has increased memory bandwidth up to 100GB/s and includes dedicated neural network hardware in its 16-core neural engine. This allows it to perform up to 15.8 trillion operations per second. Apple also claims that the M2 (10 GPU cores) has 1.4 times the performance of the M1 for the same consumption.
Includes a MagSafe charging port
Of course, if you own an iPhone 12 or later, you're no stranger to the innovative MagSafe feature. On the new iPhone series, MagSafe is a magnetic sensor on the back of the case that supports an ecosystem of accessories.
Accessories used include faster and more secure wireless charging and a magnetic wallet attached to the frame.
Now the MacBook Air M2 also has MagSafe functionality as a charging port, leaving two USB-C ports for other uses. The MagSafe charging port also makes charging safer. Because if the cable breaks, it will slide out of the connector instead of disconnecting the device.
The presence of a MagSafe connector is especially appreciated as previous M1 models only offered two USB-C ports and one of them had to always be reserved for charging.
The battery life of the Apple MacBook Air M2 itself is the same as the M1, which lasts up to 18 hours. The device is powered by a 52.6-hour lithium polymer battery with a 30W USB-C power adapter for the M2 version with an 8-core GPU or a 35W USB-C dual port power supply for the M2 version equipped with a 10-core graphics card. and 512GB of storage.. There's also a USB-C to MagSafe 3 cable if you want to charge through that port. The device also now supports 67W fast charging, which is said to reach 50% capacity in 30 minutes of charging.
Better sound quality from the speakers
The next improvement from the MacBook Air M1 is the quality of the speakers. Where previously there were only standard stereo speakers, Apple is now focusing on the next generation with four, even four speakers.
The speaker and microphone are located between the keyboard and the screen and have three microphone arrays that guarantee pristine sound thanks to complex beamforming algorithms.
The four speakers also support spatial sound, making watching or listening to movies seem as if sound is coming from all around you.
Disadvantages of the Apple MacBook Air M2
Apart from its advantages, the MacBook Air M2 also has several points that you should know before buying it as follows. 3.1. Prices are more expensive than before
Apple products are never cheap. Because all of their products are premium or premium price categories that offer advanced technical features and unique innovations. Likewise with the price of the MacBook Air M2 which is quite expensive.
The problem is, the price position of this product confuses users what to choose. The introductory price of the MacBook Air M2 is $1,199, which is actually 200 more than the M1 model's $999 price tag.
With that price difference, it's likely that users will prefer the older model, as it doesn't really need the M2's new features (quad speakers, 1080p webcam, MagSafe, etc.). You see, the M1's screen size is still above average even by today's standards, and its memory configuration is exactly the same. It is undeniable that new consumers are more inclined to buy older models to save on budget.
Then another confusion arose as the MacBook Air M2 turned out to be only $100 in price from the $1,299 MacBook Pro M2 (13-inch).
With such a small difference, it's no wonder people tend to lean towards the Pro version, which offers superior specs. This price is the global version. 3.2. Multiple ports available
If you frequently look at Windows laptops in the same price range as the MacBook Air M2, you'll no doubt see a lot of different ports. Unfortunately, the MacBook Air M2 offers a somewhat limited connection.
You'll find two USB Type-C ports that support Thunderbolt and USB 4 connections, allowing you to connect to external displays.
Unfortunately, there is no HDMI connection here. In fact, the HDMI connector is currently the common standard for office equipment such as televisions and projectors. Users will also miss the microSD card slot, which is available on almost all Windows laptops. If you want to transfer data regularly, you should keep an external card reader handy when you're on the go.
Only two USB-C ports limit the number of additional devices or peripherals that can be used simultaneously. You could use a USB hub, but to do that you'd have to fill your bag with something you don't need.
67W charging is supported, but the charger is sold separately
As previously mentioned, the MacBook Air M2 has a MagSafe charging port, as well as two USB-C ports that not only act as DisplayPorts, but also for charging. Apple also includes an adapter in the box. However, the supported power is 35W.
Indeed, the MacBook Air M2 supports 67W charging, but the function cannot be used immediately because the user has to buy a 67W adapter separately.
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This one deficiency may seem ridiculous to some people, but in fact the Apple MacBook M2 lacks the features that such expensive laptops usually have. This is ProMotion or what you might call high refresh rate.
Even though the Apple MacBook M2 is not intended as a gaming laptop, the chip performance is actually more than enough to achieve high frame rates when playing games. Unfortunately, the display refresh rate of this device is stuck at 60 Hz.
Unfortunately, you can only get ProMotion, which can feature a 120Hz refresh rate, on the 14-inch and 16-inch versions of the MacBook Pro.
