The MacBook Air (M2, 2022) has finally been revealed, but how does it compare to the MacBook Air (M1, 2020)?
The newly-announced MacBook Air (M2, 2022) has some big shoes to fill, as its predecessor, the MacBook Air (M1, 2020), is so good, it’s sat at the top of our best laptops list since it launched two years ago. Two years is a long time in laptops, however, so it was high time for a follow-up. At WWDC 2022, Apple lifted the lid on the MacBook Air (M2, 2022), which brings some big changes, both inside with the new M2 chip, and on the outside, with a radical redesign. However, with the older MacBook Air being just so good, is the new model worth buying? Making the choice more difficult is that Apple isn’t retiring the M1 MacBook Air, as it usually does with its devices when a new model comes out. Instead, it will continue to sell the M1 MacBook Air alongside the M2 model, which means consumers are going to be faced with a choice: MacBook Air (M2, 2022) vs MacBook Air (M1, 2020): which one should you buy? Let us help. One of the best things about the MacBook Air (M1, 2020) was its price. It launched at $999 / £999 / AU$1,599 for the base model, which was phenomenally good value compared to similar Windows laptops, like the Dell XPS 13, which were quite a bit more expensive. Since then, it’s stayed around that price, mainly due to its popularity, but it has dipped in price now and then with price cuts on days like Amazon Prime Day and Black Friday. At WWDC 2022, Apple revealed it will continue to sell the MacBook Air (M1, 2020) at this price. This is a shame, as we’d have liked to see the older MacBook Air get an official price cut. It also dashes the hopes of anyone who expected the new MacBook Air M2 to launch at the same price as the M1 model launched at. While Apple has done that in the past, the MacBook Air (M2, 2022) starts at the higher price of $1,199 ( £1,249, AU$1,899). That’s quite a leap, especially in the UK and Australia. This means the M2 MacBook Air doesn’t feel quite as good value as the M1 model, as it’s venturing into MacBook Pro territory with that price. If value for money is the most important consideration, then the MacBook Air (M1, 2020) remains unbeatable.
