So the MBA M2 is a beast, no doubt. Super quick. But has anyone come from the older slimmer intel MBP?

I ask because the M2 Air feels BIGGER than my 2017 MBP.

If not bigger than the same size. Picking it up feels no different. So that magical thing everyone is talking about with weight and size, the M2 Air is no different to the older MacBook Pros.

Am I missing something here?

The M2 Air is bigger in one dimension - front to back - by 0.1", because of the larger screen.

The two are identical in width (11.97").

The M2 Air is considerably thinner: 0.44" vs. 0.59".

The M2 Air weighs 0.3 lbs less.

Deleted. I didn't read OP's post properly.

I barely notice any difference, certainly not enough to be wow'd by it's size and weight.

With that said, I'm coming from a 2017 Pro, so if anyone has the older thicker Pro, they'll love the new Air.

One other worrying factor is my Pro display is brighter (at max brightness) than the M2 Air. I'm comparing them side by side, only just received the M2 Air yesterday.

erasr said:

One other worrying factor is my Pro display is brighter (at max brightness) than the M2 Air. I'm comparing them side by side, only just received the M2 Air yesterday.

Is that really an issue? I can't use my M2 screen at full brightness. It is way too bright (at least indoors).

Also, be aware of the hit you take to battery life at full brightness. The idle power at half brightness is about 3.5 to 3.9 W. At full brightness that goes up to 8.5 W to 9 W.

why does it matter? since what's inside has changed so much.

withe M2 air (or even the M1 air), you're getting a faster, brighter, more powerful mac; better speakers, better camera. really, better everything.

some things aren't going to change (or change quickly). and some things (like screens) shouldn't change; no one needs a 7" air, or a keyboard with 50% smaller keys....

I didn't say it wasn't faster and more powerful; it certainly is. It's incredible in that respect (it's not brighter though).

What I'm referring to in this post is the design and form factor. It is not the leap forward that I expected after reading all the posts in here. I wonder what people have been comparing it to?

Comparing it to the 2017 MBP, it's almost identical in size, weight and how it feels when you pick it up.

Oh, and the speaker quality is NOT better than my 2017 MBP. No way.

The sound is far more surround and fuller on the MBP 2017 vs the M2 Air.

erasr said:

I didn't say it wasn't faster and more powerful; it certainly is. It's incredible in that respect (it's not brighter though).

What I'm referring to in this post is the design and form factor. It is not the leap forward that I expected after reading all the posts in here. I wonder what people have been comparing it to?

Comparing it to the 2017 MBP, it's almost identical in size, weight and how it feels when you pick it up.

are you missing this? what needs to fit inside weighs what it weighs. the keyboard should not get smaller, nor the screen. so, the weight & size is similar. really. not sure what point you're trying to make...

erasr said:

I didn't say it wasn't faster and more powerful; it certainly is. It's incredible in that respect (it's not brighter though).

What I'm referring to in this post is the design and form factor. It is not the leap forward that I expected after reading all the posts in here. I wonder what people have been comparing it to?

Comparing it to the 2017 MBP, it's almost identical in size, weight and how it feels when you pick it up.

It's a cash grab product with cut corners and yes, design wise it looks outdated & the notch is laughable. Also, 2015 keyboards were also better but at least they moved away from the butterfly deceit.

What you did about comparing the two is a great way to see for yourself, we do the same, not many people do this and it's the real deal. Some products do not walk the talk, and this is one of them.

nvmls said:

It's a cash grab product with cut corners and yes, design wise it looks outdated & the notch is laughable. Also, 2015 keyboards were also better but at least they moved away from the butterfly deceit.

What you did about comparing the two is a great way to see for yourself, we do the same, not many people do this and it's the real deal. Some products do not walk the talk, and this is one of them.

this is a joke, right? the M2 looks great; certainly sleeker than a 2015 macbook. the notch is functional, needed for the new camera. this keyboard is awesome (altho i loved the butterfly keyboard on my 12" macbook more).

if you're happy on a 2015 macbook, that's great. for many of us, the M2 air is an even-better moment, in every way.

Chateaunole-du-Pape said:

The M2 Air is bigger in one dimension - front to back - by 0.1", because of the larger screen.

The two are identical in width (11.97").

The M2 Air is considerably thinner: 0.44" vs. 0.59".

The M2 Air weighs 0.3 lbs less.

So OP, a couple of things here, firstly yeah, see quoted comment, 0.3 pounds isn't going to feel like a large difference. But they're both 13 inch screen aluminum slabs, not much they can do there to reduce weight/size.

About thinness/picking it up:

one thing I noticed comparing my 14 inch Pro (0.61 inch thick) to my 2015 13 inch (0.71 inch thick):

The 14 inch is larger physically obviously here, but the same weight at 3.5 pounds, HOWEVER the sides aren't tapered at all anymore, so it doesn't FEEL as thin anymore and it's harder to grab. This is exaggerated on the 2016-2019 pros because the sides are more tapered from what i've seen in stores. So when i go to pick mine up it just doesn't feel as easy/satisfying. I was surprised at how much I noticed this. But I'm an engineer so i appreciate why they did it and the better internals.

For you 13 inch pro to air, maybe what I said above, combined with the fact that it is actually thinner, leads to it feeling no different.

Yep, I’m literally only talking about design, weight and size here.

And I’m saying it because there’s so many people raving about how nice the M2 Air feels to pick up, hold, carry.

it’s just… no different to the previous MacBook Pro’s in weight and size, and I saw very little said about this from anyone before purchasing. Holding them feels almost the same.

So, I’m saying; the M2 Air is a brilliant laptop, I haven’t even fully set mine up yet, can’t wait, but just picking both this and the 2017 MBP up, both feel the same.

too many apple sheeps on this forum you cant even complaint about anything without being told how it is better in other areas.

fisherking said:

this is a joke, right? the M2 looks great; certainly sleeker than a 2015 macbook. the notch is functional, needed for the new camera. this keyboard is awesome (altho i loved the butterfly keyboard on my 12" macbook more).

if you're happy on a 2015 macbook, that's great. for many of us, the M2 air is an even-better moment, in every way.

Stopped reading at "loved the butterfly keyboard". Enjoy.

erasr said:

Yep, I’m literally only talking about design, weight and size here.

And I’m saying it because there’s so many people raving about how nice the M2 Air feels to pick up, hold, carry.

it’s just… no different to the previous MacBook Pro’s in weight and size, and I saw very little said about this from anyone before purchasing. Holding them feels almost the same.

So, I’m saying; the M2 Air is a brilliant laptop, I haven’t even fully set mine up yet, can’t wait, but just picking both this and the 2017 MBP up, both feel the same.

Click to expand...

Speakers performance as you mentioned is also important in my book, for a 5 year old later machine with thicker body, you'd think it would be at least slightly better than the 2017.

The Intel MBP (13 inch, that is) was not really "pro" anyways, really. Only in name.

Also, the new design makes it look and feel bigger, and possibly even heavier.

MacBook Pro display has 20% better contrast and black levels compared to MBA. The speakers also have 5% better bass vs. MBA. You can find objective numbers confirming this on Notebookcheck.

For some reason, many people automatically assume the MBA display is as good as MBP. They also seem to believe 4 speakers is better than 2.

You really have to look at reviews with actual measurements.

nvmls said:

Speakers performance as you mentioned is also important in my book, for a 5 year old later machine with thicker body, you'd think it would be at least slightly better than the 2017.

Measured objectively, M2 MBA speakers are slightly louder than M1 MBA/P but have less bass. Essentially, it's a wash.

nvmls said:

Stopped reading at "loved the butterfly keyboard". Enjoy.

as if someone liking something you don't (or even, most people don't) matters. i had my 2016 MB for six years, and had a great run, and enjoyed typing on it. but good you keep an open mind... 🤣

fisherking said:

are you missing this? what needs to fit inside weighs what it weighs. the keyboard should not get smaller, nor the screen. so, the weight & size is similar. really. not sure what point you're trying to make...

I think his point is quite clear, the Air doesn't feel so 'airy' compared with an older MBP.

fisherking said:

as if someone liking something you don't (or even, most people don't) matters. i had my 2016 MB for six years, and had a great run, and enjoyed typing on it. but good you keep an open mind... 🤣

It's not about what you or I like. Emotions are not in discussion.
You love a flawed product with which they deceived tons of customers throughout 3 generations but other opinions are "jokes".

We'll check with you before making any further Apple purchases from now on.

“You love a flawed product with which they deceived tons of customers”

It’s not a joke that you seem to be a real piece of work.

mrmister said:

“You love a flawed product with which they deceived tons of customers”

It’s not a joke that you seem to be a real piece of work.

Thank you, thats profound.

No, I don’t think I will.