Apple has introduced a new model in its MacBook Air lineup, the 15-inch MacBook Air. With more screen real estate and improved battery life, the new 2023 MacBook Air has been deemed the best 15-inch consumer laptop by reviewers.
Having said that, the 15-inch MacBook Air features the same M2 chip as the 13-inch MacBook Air (2022) but costs $200 more, starting at $1,299.
If you are looking to purchase a MacBook Air but are confused about which model is worth the investment. Dont, worry. We have done a comprehensive comparison of the 15-inch MacBook Air (2023) and the 13-inch MacBook Air (2022) so you can pick the right machine for you.
Similarities between the 15-inch MacBook Air and 13-inch MacBook Air
| Specs | 15-inch MacBook Air (2023) | 13-inch MacBook Air (2022) |
| Processor | M2 chip 8-core CPU (4 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores) Up to 10-core GPU 16-core Neural Engine 100GB/s memory bandwidth | M2 chip 8-core CPU (4 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores) Up to 10-core GPU 16-core Neural Engine 100GB/s memory bandwidth |
| Available configurations | Apple M2 chip with 8-core CPU and 10-core GPU | M2 with 8-core CPU and 8-core GPU M2 with 8-core CPU and 10-core GPU |
| RAM | 8GB 16GB 24GB | 8GB 16GB 24GB |
| Storage | 256GB 512GB 1TB 2TB | 256GB 512GB 1TB 2TB |
| Price | Starting $1,299 | Starting $1,099 |
Differences between the 15-inch MacBook Air and 13-inch MacBook Air
Although both models have the same chips, memory, and storage, they feature different displays, speaker systems, and more. Here are their differences.
| Specs | 15-inch MacBook Air | 13-inch MacBook Air |
| Design | Fanless with 1.51 kg weight, 1.15 cm height 34.04cm width | Fanless with 1.24 kg weight 1.13 cm height 30.41 cm width |
| Display | 15.3-inch (diagonal) Liquid Retina display with True Tone 2880 by 1864 pixels resolution | 13.6-inch (diagonal) Liquid Retina display with True Tone 2560 by 1664 pixels resolution |
| Speakers | Four-speaker sound system with a three-mic array | Four-speaker sound system with three-mic array |
| Battery | 66.5-watt-hour lithium-polymer battery | 52.6-watt-hour lithium-polymer battery |
| Price | Starting $1,299 | $1,099 |
15-inch MacBook Air vs. 13-inch MacBook Air: Performance test
When comparing the 2023 MacBook Air with the 2022 MacBook Air, the most important aspect is their performance. Luckily, YouTuber @ZoneofTech answered the question for us.
The YouTuber did benchmarks and real-world testing on the base models of both the machines with 8GB RAM and 256GB storage to see which performed better.
Here are the results:
| Tests | 15-inch MacBook Air | 13-inch MacBook Air |
| AJA Disk speed | Read: 1,384 Write: 1,458 | Read: 1,401 Write: 1,324 |
| Trasfer speed (17.91GB files) | 27 seconds | 30 seconds |
| Cinebench R23 (3x) | 7761 score (Run 1) 7226 score (Run 2) 7062 score (Run 3) | 7761 score (Run 1) 7141 score (Run 2) 6978 score (Run 3) |
| Lightroom Import 228 images (RAW and JPEG) | 38 seconds | 37 seconds |
| Lightroom Paste effects and filters to 227 images | 1 minute 15 seconds | 1 minute |
| Lightroom Export 227 images in full resolution | 19 minutes and 11 seconds | 30 minutes and 36 seconds |
| Blender CPU | 13 minutes and 40 seconds | 14 minutes and 28 seconds |
| Blender GPU | 5 minutes and 14 seconds | 5 minutes and 55 seconds |
| Final Cut Pro export (15 min video in 4K H.264) | 43 minutes | 50 minutes 42 seconds |
| Compressor convert 4K H.264 to ProRES | 1 minute 6 seconds | 1 minute 20 seconds |
| Logic (max. playable tracks) | 70 tracks | 70 tracks |
| Games performance | 15-inch MacBook Air | 13-inch MacBook Air |
| Shadow of the Tom Raider (through Rosetta 2) | 12 fps | 13 fps |
| World of the Warcraft (native support) | 36.5 fps | 30 fps |
Conclusion: Choose the 2023 MacBook Air for a larger screen over the 2022 MacBook Air, not performance
The test results reveal that there is not much of a difference in the performance of the 2023 MacBook Air and the 2022 MacBook Air probably beacause they are powered by the same chip. However, the difference lies in their screen size.
A larger 15.3-inch screen offers spacious more room to display apps, content, and a more enjoyable video streaming experience. It is handy, especially for people who love to run apps in split screen like men.
So, if you have a few hundred dollars to spare and love a bigger screen, you should go for the new 15-inch MacBook Air.
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