At its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC 2023), Apple announced a new addition to its MacBook Air lineup, the MacBook Air 15. For this reporter, the headline feature is the laptop’s 15.3-inch Liquid Retina display, which represents a significant size increase from the 13-inch model and a first for the MacBook Air range.
The company has framed this display as a tool to enhance creative work, aiming to deliver a superior visual experience with vivid colors and deep blacks. The display is surrounded by thin 5mm borders, maximizing the screen area and reinforcing a sleek, minimalist aesthetic.
The MacBook Air 15 also comes with an integrated 1080p webcam, a feature likely included to cater to the current trend of remote work and video conferencing. The inclusion of a three-mic array hints at an emphasis on audio clarity during calls, another boon for the working professional.
According to Apple, the MacBook Air’s display offers twice the resolution and is 25% brighter than the best-selling 15-inch PC laptop with a Core i7 processor. In terms of design, the MacBook Air 15 is nearly 40% thinner and a half-pound lighter than the same PC, and it runs completely silent due to its fan-less design.
| Specification | MacBook Air 15 |
|---|---|
| Price | $1299 – $1499 |
| Chip | Apple M2 Chip |
| CPU | 8-core CPU (4 performance cores, 4 efficiency cores) |
| GPU | 10-core GPU |
| Neural Engine | 16-core |
| Memory Bandwidth | 100GB/s |
| Media Engine | Hardware-accelerated H.264, HEVC, ProRes, and ProRes RAW |
| Display | 15.3-inch Liquid Retina Display with IPS Technology |
| Resolution | 2880-by-1864 at 224 ppi |
| Brightness | 500 nits |
| Color Support | 1 billion colors, Wide color (P3) |
| True Tone | Yes |
| Battery Life | Up to 18 hours Apple TV app movie playback, Up to 15 hours wireless web |
| Battery | 66.5-watt‑hour lithium‑polymer battery |
| Charging and Expansion | MagSafe 3 charging port, Two Thunderbolt / USB 4 ports, 3.5 mm headphone jack |
| Memory | 8GB unified memory (configurable to 16GB or 24GB) |
| Storage | 256GB – 512GB SSD (configurable to 1TB or 2TB) |
| Keyboard and Trackpad | Backlit Magic Keyboard with Touch ID |
| Wireless | Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax), Bluetooth 5.3 |
| Camera | 1080p FaceTime HD camera |
| Audio | Six-speaker sound system, Three-mic array |
| Display Support | One external display with up to 6K resolution at 60Hz |
| Video Playback | Supported formats include HEVC, H.264, and ProRes |
| Audio Playback | Supported formats include AAC, MP3, Apple Lossless, FLAC, Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, and Dolby Atmos |
| Operating Requirements | 100V to 240V AC, 50Hz to 60Hz, 10° to 35° C |
| Size and Weight | Height: 0.45 inch, Width: 13.40 inches, Depth: 9.35 inches, Weight: 3.3 pounds |
