Review of MacBook Air M2 13inch after 1 year

It’s been more than a year since the launch of the MacBook Air M2, but this laptop still makes me feel satisfied with the usage experience. I will share more details through the MacBook Air M2 review after 1 year below.

MacBook Air M2 configured after 1 year is still strong with Apple M2 chip

Before going into details, I will summarize the configuration parameters of the new MacBook Air equipped with the M2 chip for everyone to easily follow:

• Screen: 13.6 inch size, resolution 2,560 x 1,664 pixels, True Tone support, P3 color range, 500 nit brightness.
• CPU: Apple M2 8 cores (4 high-performance cores + 4 power-saving cores).
• GPU: 8 cores.
• RAM: 8 GB (the version I am using), the device supports a maximum version of 24 GB.
• Hard drive: 256 GB SSD, the device supports a maximum version of 2 TB.
• Operating system: macOS 14.2.1 Sonoma (previously in macOS 13 Ventura).
• Battery: Capacity 52.6 Wh, can operate up to 18 hours (as announced by Apple), 67 W fast charging.

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Everyone can easily guess the name MacBook Air M2, this product is equipped with a powerful Apple M2 chip. Up to now, Apple has launched a new Apple M3 chip line that is more powerful in terms of performance and performance. However, after 1 year of using the MacBook Air M2 it is still very strong to smoothly meet all of my usage needs without any difficulties.

However, because the MacBook Air M2 I use is the 8 GB RAM version, when I multitask about 20 tasks on Chrome, edit images with Photoshop, Excel,… in general, open many applications, the machine will have Some slight lag when used. So, if people like me need to open many applications at once, the 8 GB RAM version will not really be very good. Instead, people can choose the 16 GB RAM version for a better experience.

Without making you wait any longer, I will use specialized scoring software such as GeekBench 6, 3DMark Wild Life Extreme, Cinebench R23 to test MacBook Air M2 performance after 1 year for everyone’s reference. Besides, I also compare the performance score of MacBook Air M2 at the present time (macOS 14.2.1) and 1 year ago (macOS 13).

GeekBench 6 of MacBook Air M2 after 1 year of launch:

• Single/multi-core: 2,578 points/9,630 points.
• GPU Compute (OpenCL): 24,227 points.

GeekBench 6 of MacBook Air M2 1 year ago:

• Single/multi-core: 1,855 points/7,625 points.
• GPU Compute (OpenCL): 23,673 points.

CineBench R23 of MacBook Air M2 after 1 year of launch:

• Single core: 1,587 points.
• Multi-core: 6,450 points.

CineBench R23 of MacBook Air M2 1 year ago:

• Single core: 1,571 points.
• Multi-core: 7,140 points.

3DMark Solar Bay of MacBook Air M2 after 1 year of launch:

• Total score: 7,066 points.
• Average FPS: 26.9.

3DMark Solar Bay Stress Test of MacBook Air M2 after 1 year of launch:

• Stability: 75.3%.
• Highest loop score: 7,011 points.
• Lowest loop score: 5,278 points.
• Difference between highest and lowest loop: 1,733 points.

Thus, after 1 year of launch, MacBook Air M2 still gives very impressive performance scores and compared to other Window products of the same range that I have evaluated, it is slightly better. Besides, the stability in the heaviest review 3DMark Solar Bay Stress Test is quite high and this is also clearly shown through our usage process. Specifically, when I use the MacBook Air M2 to edit images (about 20 photos at a time), edit videos,… the machine works very smoothly. So, you can rest assured about the performance of this MacBook at the present time, maybe even 2-3 years from now it will still work well.

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Besides the performance test above, I also measured the SSD read/write speed of the MacBook Air M2 after 1 year so you can have the most intuitive view. I used two software: AJA System Test Lite and Blackmagic Disk Speed ​​Test to measure SSD speed for MacBook Air M1, the results I obtained are as follows:

Blackmagic Disk Speed ​​Test:

Write speed: 1,365 MB/s. Read speed: 1,506 MB/s.

AJA System Test Lite:

• Reading speed: 1,654 MB/s.
• Writing speed: 2,134 MB/s.

It can be seen that the MacBook Air M2’s SSD read/write speed after 1 year is still quite fast and not many products in the same range can measure it. Thanks to that, I can transfer data from the phone, USB,… to the device very quickly.

The MacBook Air M2 battery still lasts a long time

One of the most valuable plus points of the MacBook Air M2 for me is the battery. Even though the device only has a battery with a capacity of 52.6 Wh and has been reduced to 90%, the device still lasts very well. My daily work is not much, simply drafting article content, watching YouTube, NetFlix, responding to messages,… from 9 am it’s almost 8 pm before I have to recharge. the battery.

To give you a more intuitive view of the usage time of the MacBook Air M2 after 1 year, I will test the battery based on my actual usage needs with the following settings:

• Screen brightness: 100% throughout use, manually adjusted depending on the lighting environment.
• Keyboard brightness: Automatically according to the environment.
• Sound: Set at 50%.
• Bluetooth is continuously enabled to connect to some accessories.

The MacBook Air M2: Compactness in design

When comparing MacBook Air M1 and MacBook Air M2, I like the new generation a bit more. Because the new product has a more square appearance than the old version, this gives me a feeling of masculinity and sturdiness.

Despite some changes in appearance, the MacBook Air M2 still has a compact overall size (304.1 x 215 x 11.3 mm). Thanks to that, I can easily put the product in my backpack, suitcase or handbag,… to comfortably take it to work or travel. Not to mention, this MacBook only weighs about 1.24 kg, so even if I hold it in my hand or put it in my backpack on the go, I won’t feel tired. Therefore, I rate the flexibility of the MacBook Air M2 as very high.

However, the thinness of the MacBook Air M2 also makes me afraid that the device will bend or buckle when put in a backpack (something I have heard many users warn about in advance). In addition, the aluminum frame of the device is also very easy to scratch, so I always carry a shockproof bag to better protect the product. You can also use this method to feel more secure when using the device!

Regarding the connection port, the MacBook Air M2 model with MagSafe charging port, although very convenient, I rarely use it. Instead, I only use a RAVPOWER 100 W or Ugreen 65 W charger and USB-C cord to use for my MacBook, phone, etc. when working outside, because I want to reduce the weight of my backpack as much as possible.

The connection ports of the MacBook Air M2 are very limited (2 USB-C ports, 1 standard 3.5mm headphone jack and MagSafe), so I had to use an expansion HUB to be able to use it with many devices. Other peripherals such as: Keyboard, mouse,…

The hinge of the MacBook Air M2 is still extremely sturdy and durable and I can open the device with one hand very easily even after using it for a long time. However, I really hope Apple can make the hinge fold at 180 degrees, because in many cases when I want to give information to the other person, having to rotate and carry the device back and forth is quite annoying. So, if there is a 180-degree folding hinge, I think the user experience will be a bit more convenient.

The TrackPad of the MacBook Air M2 in particular and most MacBook models in general always give a good experience that I have never seen a Windows product able to do. This is very true when I use it, the drag and drop operations are very smooth, precise and there is no flicker when used. Besides, the large size TrackPad of MacBook Air M2 also makes my hand operation feel very comfortable.

However, I am not very satisfied with the keyboard of the MacBook Air M2, because the buttons feel quite stiff when typing. Therefore, I often use the device with mechanical keys to have the best typing experience. Another thing that I don’t really like about the MacBook Air M2’s keyboard is that it easily becomes oily and loses the original beauty of the device.

Beautiful display quality

MacBook Air M2 has a 13.6-inch screen, Retina panel and 2K+ resolution (2,560 x 1,600 pixels). For me, these screen parameters are still very good, enough to give the device sharp display capabilities with sharp details and realistic colors. In addition, the screen brightness is 500 nits so I can use the device comfortably in many different lighting conditions.

In addition, the MacBook Air M2 screen can also display 1 billion colors, high color coverage and True Tone technology. So, this is a very useful product for photo color correction, video editing, etc. or entertainment when watching NetFlix, YouTube.

However, because the screen of the MacBook Air M2 is mirror-coated, it is easy to get sweat, fingerprints, or when you close the device and then open it, there will be keyboard marks. This makes me feel a bit uncomfortable having to clean it after every time I open and close the device.

At the time the MacBook Air M2 was launched, the notch design (rabbit ears) also received a lot of attention and criticism from many users. However, for me, it’s not a problem, because when using the device, I don’t pay too much attention to the top edge and just focus on the center of the screen. In addition, there are many applications that cover this Notch such as: YouTube, Netflix,… so the rabbit ear is not a very important issue that we have to pay attention to when using it.

Summary

Overall, MacBook Air M2 is still very good at the present time, or in the next 2-3 years this will still be a product worth using. Although currently, Apple has released more products with large screen sizes and strong performance such as MacBook Air 15 inch M2, MacBook Pro 15 inch M3,… but when considering the economic value of the body, compactness, flexibility, performance, battery, this is still the more optimal choice.