Apple is widely expected to introduce a brand new 15-inch MacBook Air (2023) in the coming months, perhaps as soon as March or April ahead of its annual WWDC conference. So what can we expect from a new, larger MacBook Air? Here’s everything we know so far.
Is there a new MacBook Air coming out in 2023?
Almost certainly, reports indicate a new 15-inch MacBook Air is coming out in the second quarter of 2023, more specifically April.
15-inch MacBook Air (2023): Design
Apple actually rolled out a stunning new MacBook Air design just last year. As you can read in our 13-inch MacBook Air review, Apple added a notch, some hot new colors, and a brand new squarer chassis design. According to reports, Apple is likely to stick pretty closely to this design with the new one, so don’t expect the 15-inch model to be a major design overhaul in terms of the overall shape and feel.
15-inch MacBook Air (2023): M2 Processor
Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has already claimed that the new 15-inch MacBook Air will come with two CPU options — M2 and M2 Pro. That’s notable because the existing MacBook Air comes with just a single M2 configuration and one with two fewer GPU cores than the equivalent MacBook Pro at that. It’s possible that the large size of the 15-inch version will enable improved cooling, giving Apple more of a chance to add an M2 Pro to the mix. A 15-inch MacBook Air with an M2 Pro could well be the best Mac for a whole host of professionals — even without that Pro tag. More recently, a February report claims the M2 chip will indeed debut in the new MacBook Air, but doesn’t note the M2 Pro chip.
However, an M2 Pro chip would make a lot of sense, it would give the 15-inch MacBook Air a significant advantage over the 13-inch model, with the larger chassis and increased battery life certainly adept at powering the beefier processor. The M2 15-inch MacBook Air will likely feature the same base-model M2 chip as the 13-inch one, offering 8 CPU cores and 10 GPU cores as a starting point.
Is there a big difference between MacBook Air M1 and M2?
The M2 processor is roughly 20 percent faster than M1, and is also more efficient, so battery life is improved. The M2 also has a different, more updated design, as well as more ports thanks to its MagSafe charging.
15-inch MacBook Air (2023): Display
The new MacBook Air for 2022 features a 13.6-inch LED display with a 2560-by-1664 native resolution at 224 pixels per inch with. Tweaking the display size might see a slightly different resolution or PPI, but Apple is expected to retain a similar quality display in the larger one.
While we’re hearing that the new MacBook Air will come with a 15.2-inch display, don’t expect anything too fancy. Display analyst Ross Young has already poured cold water on any suggestion of mini-LED technology or ProMotion, meaning this won’t have the buttery-smooth scrolling of modern high-end MacBook Pros.
And as we previously indicated, the 15″ MacBook Air is 15.2″. It won’t have ProMotion or MiniLEDs.And as we previously indicated, the 15″ MacBook Air is 15.2″. It won’t have ProMotion or MiniLEDs.— Ross Young (@DSCCRoss) June 9, 2022June 9, 2022
More recently, Young confirmed directly to iMore that 120Hz is not on the cards for the new MacBook Air.
15-inch MacBook Air (2023) price: How much will the 2023 MacBook Air cost?
We don’t have any clear price rumors for the new MacBook Air, but you can guarantee it will cost more than the 13-inch model, which starts at $1,199. A $200 price jump seems reasonable for the extra screen real estate, with higher price tags available for higher spec configurations. If Apple pushes the price too high, it risks customers ditching the MacBook Air altogether in favor of the new MacBook Pro 2023.
15-inch MacBook Air (2023): Release date rumors
Our most recent reports indicate the new 15-inch MacBook Air (2023) could arrive in April, either at a spring Apple event or possibly via a press release. Apple often releases products in the spring, as well as debuting the MacBook Air at WWDC last year. All signs point to this window and a release date sooner rather than later.
15-inch MacBook Air (2023): Battery life
Increasing the size of the display will inevitably lead to a pretty substantial increase in battery life in the 15-inch MacBook Air. The current one is good for around 18 hours of Apple TV movie playback, or 15 hours wireless web surfing, so expect plenty of improvement over that in the new model.
15-inch MacBook Air (2023): Ports and expansion
The 13-inch MacBook brought with it MagSafe 3 charging and two Thunderbolt/USB 4 ports. It seems likely Apple will replicate this with the new model, although adding a couple of extra ports would be a great way to help differentiate the 15-inch model from the 13-inch model. Expect similar support for DisplayPort, Thunderbolt 3 (up to 40Gb/s), USB 4 (up to 40Gb/s), and USB 3.1 Gen 2 (up to 10Gb/s).
15-inch MacBook Air (2023): Memory
The current MacBook Air offers 8GB of unified memory, configurable to either 16GB or 24GB. We’d expect Apple to do the same with the larger version.
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