Apple MacBook Air 15-inch review: Bigger screen is an absolute dream

Until now, buying a supersized MacBook has meant spending big as those larger screens have only been available on the Pro range of devices. The 16-inch model starts from a whopping £2,699 which is a serious investment – it also probably offers way too much power for those who simply want a laptop for checking emails, editing photos, surfing the web and writing the odd essay.

Now there’s a cheaper way to go large with Apple finally releasing its long-awaited 15-inch Air. This portable PC offers more screen space without the ludicrously high price tag but is it worth your money? Express.co.uk has been putting it to the test and here’s our full MacBook Air 15-inch review.

We obviously have to start this review with the display as this is what really sets the new Air apart from the 13-inch refresh Apple launched last year. Packed into this laptop is a stunning 15.3-inch Liquid Retina display which offers a little more space for multitasking, video editing and watching movies on the move.

It honestly feels like the perfect size – not so big that the usability suffers whilst giving you some extra room to breathe. This screen is really, really good with colours popping from the panel and content appearing crisp and full of eye-pleasing detail.

For those interested in the full specs, the Air’s screen includes 2880-by-1864 native resolution at 224 pixels per inch with support for 1 billion colours.

There’s also auto brightness and Apple’s clever True Tone tech which adjust things to suit your environment – this helps reduce eye strain and makes things more pleasurable to stare at for long periods of time.

This 15-inch display is excellent but it’s worth noting that it’s not as bright as Apple’s Pro models (500 nits compared to 1000 nits) and you will have to get used to the iPhone-style notch which houses the 1080p font-facing camera.

Luckily, those feel like small compromises for what is otherwise a truly exceptional experience. We’re big fans of the big screen and it’s nice to see Apple finally bringing this upgrade to its more affordable Air.

Now, if you’re worried that this bigger display is going to affect the portability of this machine don’t panic. Apple’s design team has done a stellar job making sure things have remained thin and light – after all, that’s exactly what the Air is famed for.

It’s pretty incredibly just how featherweight it feels especially when compared to the 16-inch Pro.

Here’s how the two compare…

MacBook Air 15-inch
Weight • 1.51 kg
Thickness • 1.15 cm

MacBook Pro 16-inch
Weight • 2.16Kg
Thickness • 1.68 cm

Although it’s ultra-light, the Air feels like it’s made of tough stuff and its aluminium design should help it last years being shoved in your bag. It ships in a number of colours including silver, starlight and midnight. We tested the 15-inch in silver which is a safe option that looks really slick. It’s worth remembering that the midnight colour (a kind of dark blue) was criticised last year for being a terrible fingerprint magnet so you might want to avoid that option if you don’t want to spend every working minute giving it a clean.

Just like the latest 13-inch Air, the bigger 15-inch version features Apple’s impressive M2 silicon. This latest chipset is supremely powerful with it able to munch through tasks with undeniable ease. We’ve been running professional video and photo editing software on the Air and there’s not been a hint of a stutter.

Unlike the entry-level 13-inch Air, which gets an 8-core CPU and 8-core GPU, the 15-inch version is also automatically upgraded to a 10-core GPU which offers some improved performance. It doesn’t make a massive difference but we’ll happily take some extra oomph if Apple is offering it for free.

Apple’s silicon has been seriously impressing since it was placed in the first MacBook back in 2020 and this latest Air isn’t going to let you down. In fact, we doubt you’ll find anything this PC can’t cope with.

Of course, if you think you’re going to start performing incredibly intensive tasks on this laptop it might be worth considering the new Pro models with these top-end machines now featuring the mighty M2 Pro and M2 Max chips which take things to a whole new level of performance.

Along with being far more powerful, the new MacBook Air 15-inch is also super efficient. Apple is boasting that users could see up to 18 hours on a single charge when performing simple tasks. That’s probably not far off the truth with our tests allowing all-day use without going near a plug.

Because of that ultimate efficiency, there’s also no need for a fan inside which means this machine stays silent and cool no matter how hard you push it.

There are plenty of extras to talk about on the 15-inch Air including a new dual charger which ships with all models (only the more expensive 13-inch Air gets this accessory).

It’s a great little addition as you can refill two things at once including a MacBook and iPad. If you’d rather charge faster, you can also swap the dual plug for a 70W power brick instead at no extra charge – just make sure you do this when building your Air on Apple’s online store.

Improving the charging experience further is the return of the MagSafe cable which snaps to the side with a satisfying click but also pops out should someone trip on the power lead – that’s a nice touch especially as the Air is so light it could be sent flying across the office floor.

Open the lid and you’ll get the market-leading Force Touch trackpad and much-improved Magic Keyboard plus there’s Apple’s Touch ID fingerprint scanner for speedy unlocking and buying things online via Apple Pay.

For all those endless video calls you get a 1080p FaceTime HD camera which offers good image quality. Even our tests in low light conditions impressed with faces looking bright and clear. It is worth noting that there’s no Center Stage technology on the Air so this camera won’t follow you around the room on your next video call which is a shame.

Finally, there’s a four-speaker sound set up which is actually pretty impressive. It can’t quite match the booming bass found in the 16-inch Pro model but it’s good enough for a boxset binge on a hotel bed.

The 15-inch Air starts from £1,399 which sounds pretty reasonable considering what you get for that price. The MacBook Pro 16-inch will set you back at least £2,699 which makes the new Air seem like amazing value for money. The only thing you need to consider is how much extra things cost when you start adding more power.

Pop a bigger hard disk inside and boost the unified memory and the price can soon head towards £2,600.

Apple has also reduced the price of the 13-inch Air with that laptop now starting from £1,149. We’d personally opt for the bigger screen but that smaller PC now looks like even better value for money.

To help make things even more affordable, there is a trade-in scheme available and you can pay via instalment although there is an interest (14.9%) fee to pay so only accept this option if you really need to.

We were already big fans of the 13-inch MacBook Air but the new 15-inch model makes this laptop even more desirable. The larger screen offers more space for your content and despite its bigger size Apple has managed to keep things as skinny as a supermodel.

The M2 chip under the hood offers oodles of power and the battery will easily keep the display glowing all day long.

There are decent speakers, MagSafe charging, two USB-C ports, a good front-facing camera and a solid keyboard and trackpad experience.

It all mounts up to an exceptionally good laptop which really is hard to fault.

Yes, it’s a shame all of the ports are on one side, the screen could be a tad brighter and, although the starting price is good, it can get expensive if you start adding more memory.

Those wanting a MacBook with a bigger panel now have more choice and there’s no question that the 15-inch Air is going to be a winner for Apple.

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