[Test] MacBook Air 15 inches: an almost ideal “large format” Mac laptop (and under 2000 euros…)

It’s there, between our impatient minions, and it’s going to stay there. THE 15.3-inch MacBook Air M2 everything in black livery arrived a few days ago at our editorial office. Never Apple had yet produced a portable Mac below 2000 euros with a 15.3-inch screen. The iBook as well as the previous MacBook Air models did not exceed 13-14 inches (14.1 inches max for the iBook nearly 20 years ago). So what is this large-format version of the famous MacBook Air worth? Rest assured: unless you need to connect many peripherals to it, this MacBook Air M2 ticks all the boxes this time! Our handling of this superb machine:

Handsome like Zorro

In its black livery (Midnight), the 15-inch MacBook Air M2 explodes in class right out of its box. It is truly one of the finest computers yours truly has ever used. Ultra thin, quite light (1.5 kilos all the same), made of beautiful materials and of course produced with an almost manic concern for the finish, this MacBook Air takes the big leap of elegance compared to the MSI “gaming” PC which was beginning to take the place of a wheelbarrow. The configuration is still as simple and clear, and I note with satisfaction the registration phase of my fingerprint (because yes, this MacBook Air opens by simple contact of the finger, without needing to enter a password!).

The MacBook Air M2’s giant trackpad is a real pleasure to use

A remarkable LCD screen

The MacBook Air M2 turns on without having to go through the charging box: the machine that was delivered to me last Wednesday had a full battery… and there is still juice left at the time of writing these lines! It is an understatement to say that the 18 hours announced by Apple are probably not at all exaggerated. When the screen turns on the first time for the configuration of the device, it’s already a slap: the Liquid Retina panel sends heavy, an excellent impression which will be confirmed a little later with the viewing of Apple TV + content and YouTube 4K. Although LCD technology, the Liquid Retina of the MacBook Air M2 is a marvel of screen, which puts the display of my PC on the fine (so long old brother…). Excellent – ​​but not perfect – contrast in the dark (despite the LCD), high resolution (2,880 x 1,864 pixels), eye-popping maximum brightness, perfect panel lighting uniformity, very high viewing angle , it’s almost a master class. The sound part is to match with no less than 6 integrated speakers which deliver a really precise and clear sound, with relatively powerful bass, also at ease in spatial audio recordings. A great success and above all a big surprise knowing that the MacBook Air is generally not known for the quality of its HP.

Performance: M2 (what else?)

Regarding performance, the M2 processor ensures the cachou as one can imagine. Several tests by image and sound professionals prove that the device is comfortable with heavyweights such as Final Cut Pro or Photoshop. But because there is a big but… the MacBook Air M2 has a VERY limited number of ports, only two USB-C ports. That’s all ? Yes that’s all. So of course, we can probably get by with a bag full of USB to USB-C adapters, but for an ultra portable, it’s still a shame. In the list of criticisms, we also note the absence of Wi-Fi 6E, and for the most picky, the clearly visible notch at the top of the screen. Quite personally too, I notice that it takes some time to get used to the keyboard.

An (almost) affordable alternative to the 14-inch MacBook Pro

All in all, this MacBook Air M2 is a superb machine, as beautiful to look at as it performs in use. Its 15-inch screen finally allows you not to strain your eyes too much during long work sessions, the sound part has drastically evolved, the autonomy is incredible and the M2 is more than more than sufficient for most tasks, including the heaviest ones. At 1599 euros, it’s still not the entry-level MacBook Air we’d really dream of, but it’s still an excellent alternative to the 14-inch MacBook Pro as long as we don’t need a whole host of ports…

THE 15-inch MacBook Air M2 (256GB SSD) is available for sale at FNAC, at Baker , at Darty at the price of €1,599 or at Amazon at 1565€.