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15" MacBook Air M2 vs 13" - Is bigger better?

13:22 video

If you’re choosing between the 15-inch and 13-inch MacBook Air, it really comes down to two simple things. I covered what’s the same, what’s different, the performance, and the whole “sustained performance” idea you’ve probably heard about.

What’s the same

  • Processor: the M2 with an 8-core CPU (four performance, four efficiency cores).
  • GPU: 10-core on the 15-inch versus 8-core on the 13-inch (a difference I’ll get to).
  • Memory and storage: both base models have 8 GB and a 256 GB SSD, with about 1,500–1,800 MB/s read and write.
  • Battery: Apple suggests up to 18 hours of movie playback for both, and in my experience the 15-inch gets a very similar battery life to the 13-inch; both get through a full day.
  • Screens: the same technology: up to 500 nits, P3 wide color, True Tone, and 224 ppi. Retina quality, bright and vivid, one just bigger.
  • Camera and microphones: a 1080p camera in the notch on both, with no big changes.
  • Keyboard: the same Magic Keyboard with the same function row. I love the key travel and feel and the consistency across devices, though I wish the keycaps resisted shiny spots.
  • Ports: two Thunderbolt 3 / USB4 ports and MagSafe 3 on the left, and a headphone jack on the right.

OClean sponsored this video, with its X Series toothbrushes, which pair a touchscreen with a patented Maglev sonic motor running at 42,000 RPM, nearly twice as fast as other toothbrushes yet quieter, under 45 dBA.

What’s different

Display size: 15.3 inches versus 13.6 inches. The 15-inch fits a bit more at once, like four articles listed versus three, and more horizontally. It’s not life-changing for two web pages side by side, but in a single app, like Final Cut Pro, you get a less cluttered workspace, a larger preview window, and more room for tools.

Speakers: the 15-inch has two sets of force-canceling woofers and two tweeters, versus four speakers on the 13-inch. It’s louder and sounds better, with more dynamic range, though still slightly muffled, since the speakers are hidden with no grilles pointing at you. It’s worse than a MacBook Pro’s. I watched Top Gun: Maverick on both: the 15-inch sounded better, but the 13-inch wasn’t bad. You’ll only really hear the difference side by side.

Trackpad: the 15-inch’s is larger than the 14-inch Pro’s, close to the 16-inch’s. The 14-inch’s feels better to me because it isn’t oversized; typing at a desk, I find reaching over it more comfortable than on the 15-inch.

Weight and price: the 15-inch is 3.3 lb versus 2.7 lb, more than half a pound heavier, and it starts at $1,299 versus $1,099. It also gives you two extra GPU cores, and a choice of the dual 35 W or 70 W power adapter at no extra charge.

The sustained performance idea

You may have heard the larger chassis keeps the processor cooler, giving more sustained performance. Technically that can be true, but it doesn’t matter. My tests:

Test 13-inch 15-inch
Final Cut export 4:03 4:12 (9 seconds slower)
Cinebench multi-core (10 minutes) 7,872 7,982
GFXBench Aztec Ruins on-screen 3 fps higher
GFXBench Aztec Ruins off-screen 8 fps higher
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 43 fps 44 fps

The two extra GPU cores did nothing in the export, the Cinebench difference is within a margin of error, and the GFXBench results are mixed. You could run Cinebench back to back until the 15-inch pulls ahead as they heat up. But what workload on a MacBook Air needs that much sustained performance? If you do, why look at the Air? Editing a video once or twice a week or vacation photos is fine on either. For 3D rendering in Blender, large music productions or giant code compiles, either Air will suffer.

Which one?

It’s simple: do you want a larger display, and can you afford the extra $200? The 15-inch gives you a display that may show a bit more at once, nicer when you’re not connected to an external display and enjoyable on a couch, plus the extra GPU cores, a better charger and better speakers. The 13-inch is more portable: more than half a pound lighter, easier in bags, and it fits an airplane tray table way easier (I traveled to Paris and London recently), so it’s a better travel computer.

If it’s my primary desk computer with an external display and speakers, and I take it around the house or office, I’d choose the 13-inch, which is also more comfortable to type on without the huge trackpad. If it’s used at a desk without an external display, for media, with little reason to travel, I’d go 15-inch: a bigger, nicer display and better sound.

In this video

  • 0:00 CPU, RAM, SSD
  • 1:09 battery, display, camera
  • 2:22 keyboard and ports
  • 4:02 bigger display
  • 5:30 speakers
  • 7:13 trackpad, size, weight
  • 8:11 sustained performance?
  • 11:11 which to get?

Some links in this post are affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I may receive a small commission. See my ethics statement.

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