The announcement of the M2 chip mostly stole the limelight of Apple’s annual WWDC event in 2022. Apple is about to bring an entirely new range of MacBook Air with an M2 chip. Along with that, the MacBook Pro series will also receive the powers of the Apple M2 chip. Since the newest MacBooks are waiting to be launched, a question arises: Should you buy the new MacBook with the M2 chip?
Usually, it’s a yes since the previous technology seems to be replaced by the emerging one. However, this isn’t the case for the newly launched MacBook Air and MacBook Pro with an M2 chip. Apple won’t discontinue the M1-powered MacBook range even if it’s focussing on the M2 chip.
What are the differences between the M1 and M2-powered MacBook Air and MacBook Pro devices? We know that you are curious about this.
Let’s check whether the new M2 chip can prove to be as faithful and productive as the M1 or more.
Battle between Apple’s M1 vs Apple’s M2
Apple tries to improve itself every year, and 2022 is no exception. The claims through Apple’s M2 seem really promising and realistic, as usual. However, you might be wondering how Apple’s M2 is any different from its last silicone, M1. Should you buy the new MacBook with the M2 chip?
Well, Apple unveiled the M1 chip in November 2002. And, June 2022 is the timeline when Apple revealed another masterpiece of technology with the M2 chip. The Apple M1 chip has up to 8-core CPU and 8-core GPU. The 16-core neural engine comes with 16 billion transistors embedded in Apple silicone.
Apple’s M2 chip features 8-core CPU and up to 10-core GPU components. This 16-core neural engine can up to 15.8 trillion operations per second. Additionally, it has 50% more memory bandwidth and comes with ProRes encoding and decoding. The chip can support up to 24 GB of LPDDR5 memory.
Undoubtedly the Apple M2 chip sounds more sophisticated than the existing M1 chip. Should you wait for the M2 MacBook or go for an M1 MacBook? Let’s find out.
Design
Apple hasn’t just installed the M2 chip inside an old MacBook Air body. Instead, Apple has revised the MacBook Air’s design for the ultimate M2 chip release. The M2 MacBook Air dodged the wedge shape and adapted rounded edges and squared-off sides. MacBook Air starts appearing similar to MacBook Pro 14 and 16-inch.
However, it still remains lightweight as the name suggests. The M2 MacBook Air is only 0.44 inches thick and weighs only 2.7 pounds. Surprisingly, this version is 0.1 pounds lighter than the M1 MacBook Air.
On the other hand, it keeps the same keyboard design as the M1 MacBook Air. However, the design looks more in line and reminds us of MacBook Pro models. Function keys have found their place in the keyboard instead of the touch bar. The speakers reside in the space between the hinge and the keyboard.
Additionally, the M2 MacBook Air speaker setup supports Spatial audio through high-end Dolby Atmos speakers and Apple AirPods products. Moreover, the MacBook Pro range with the M2 chip offers a better dynamic range than the preceding M1 range. Due to the support for high-impedance speakers and headphones, MacBook Pro M2 will be a beneficial upgrade for professionals.
Unified Memory
Apple-designed the M1 chip with the configuration capability of 8GB or 16GB for unified memory or RAM. However, the M2 chip outperforms the M1 chip with its 24GB top-tier, unified memory configuration. Handling resource-hungry processes can be easily done with Apple’s M2 chip.
In addition, Apple’s M1 chip could deliver a bandwidth of 68.25 GB/s. Whereas, the M2 chip comes with a 100 GB/s memory bandwidth. MacBook Pro and MacBook Air devices with the M2 chip can easily tackle CPU-consuming processes.
Battery Life and Performance
These two metrics can be the pillars of your decision regarding purchasing the all-new MacBook Air or MacBook Pro with an M2 chip. Apple’s M2 chip again outshines the existing M1 chip in terms of performance and power consumption. The M2 Chip provides 18% better performance compared to the M1 chip’s performance.
The power efficiency might seem identical for both the M1 and M2-powered MacBooks. Both promise to last up to 21 hours with video standby. However, it can be as low as 17 hours with browsing. Apple claims that the M2 chip is almost 1.4 times faster than its predecessor.
Besides this, the M2 MacBook Air gets a second-generation 5nm process node. All this contributes to the 35% faster GPU, 50% more memory bandwidth, and 18% faster CPU performance compared to the Apple M1 chip-powered MacBooks.
Available Ports
Both MacBook Air M1 and M2 have an identical arrangement for ports, they have two Thunderbolt 3 ports. These ports support USB 3.1 Gen 2 and USB 4 speed. Additionally, both devices can support only one external display.
However, the headphone mic jack resurrects in the MacBook Air M2 version. On the other hand, MagSafe 3 magnetic charge port makes a comeback to the MacBook legacy. It keeps your MacBook’s other ports for a more engaging experience. When it comes to wireless connectivity, both M1 and M2 editions of MacBook Air support Bluetooth 5.0 and Wi-Fi 6.
Final Thoughts
Should you buy the new MacBook with the M2 chip? You have to check out the price before the final decision. The new MacBook Air M2 starts from $1200 while featuring 8 GB unified memory, 8-core CPU, and 10-core GPU. You have to spend $200 more compared to the MacBook Air M1 for its base model with a 7-core GPU.
If you already have a MacBook Air M1, then you need not necessarily wait for the MacBook Air M2. After all, a MagSafe connector, additional GPU cores, and squared-off edges might not be your necessity.
Otherwise, you can consider purchasing a new MacBook Air M2 if you are thinking about a worthwhile upgrade. To know more about MacBook upgrades and repair, contact MacBook Repair India.
