The 15-inch MacBook Air is Better Value Than You Think

What Apple isn’t telling you about their new laptop

If you believe the hype, the new 15-inch MacBook Air will sell like hotcakes. People love big screens, and it’s priced to sell.

The 15-inch MacBook Air starts at $1,299, $200 more than the 13-inch MacBook Air. It has a bigger screen, more battery life, better speakers, and a larger touchpad.

However, those are not the only advantages you get when you purchase a 15-inch M2 MacBook Air. In fact, some may argue that the 15-inch version is a better value than the 13-inch version. Here’s why.

GPU Cores

The new 15-inch MacBook Air has a number of advantages over the existing 13-inch model. One of those advantages is GPU cores.

The entry-level, 13-inch, M2 MacBook Air comes with eight CPU cores and eight GPU. For an additional $100, you can upgrade the M2 chip to have ten GPU cores, but eight is what you get as standard.

The entry-level, 15-inch, M2 MacBook Air comes with eight CPU cores and ten GPU cores as standard. It sells for $1,299 which is only $100 more than the 13-inch version with the same chip.

Source: Apple

Power Adapters

Another interesting divergence from the 13-inch MacBook Air can be found in the choice of power adapters.

If you buy a 13-inch M2 MacBook Air, it comes with a 30W USB-C power adapter. However, for an additional $20, you can upgrade to a 35W Dual USB-C Port Compact Power Adapter or select the 70W USB-C Power Adapter for fast charging.

The 15-inch, M2 MacBook Air comes with a 35W Dual USB-C Port Compact Power Adapter as standard, and if you prefer the 70W USB-C Power Adapter, you can choose that instead at no additional cost.

This is not the kind of behaviour we have come to expect from Apple, but it’s a welcome change nonetheless.

Real-World Pricing

There was a lot of speculation about what the pricing of the 15-inch MacBook Air would be, and few predicted that it would be as low as it is.

The price of the entry-level, 15-inch, M2 MacBook Air starts at $1,299 on Apple’s website. However, this popular laptop is already seeing discounts on Amazon, where it can currently be bought for $1,199.

That’s $100 off the retail price, and only $100 more than the entry-level MacBook Air. If you are trying to decide between the 13 and the 15-inch model, that discount makes the 15-inch a lot more compelling.

If you missed the Amazon sale price, consider the Apple Education Store. It also has the 15–inch, M2 MacBook Air for $1,199, and is available to current and newly accepted college students and their parents, as well as faculty, staff, and homeschool teachers of all grade levels.

Source: Apple

The Best Value Apple Computer?

So, with all this in mind, does the 15–inch, M2 MacBook Air offer the best value in the current Mac lineup?

I think it’s up there in terms of everything that it offers, but to my eyes, the M2 Mac Mini is the king of the hill. An entry-level M2 Mac Mini with eight CPU cores and ten GPU cores is just $499.

Obviously, a desktop is not nearly as flexible as a laptop, but if you truly want value for money, it’s hard to look past the M2 Mac Mini.


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