The new MacBook Air is now officially here and comes with a whole new design, an M2 chip inside and more. In addition to the overview changes that Apple mentioned on the WWDC stage, there are some other details worth noting about the 2022 MacBook Air.
External screen support
One of the biggest limitations of the MacBook Air with the original M1 chip is that it only supports power from an external display. Unfortunately, this same limitation still applies with the new M2-powered MacBook Air.
Apple says the new MacBook Air can support an external display with a resolution of up to 6K at 60 Hz. This screen can be powered simultaneously with the MacBook Air’s built-in display, so technically you can have two active screens, but only one of them can be an external display.
Thinner than the original iPhone
The new MacBook Air is 11.3mm thick and 2.7 lbs. This means that it is thinner than the original iPhone as well as the iPhone 3G. The original iPhone was 11.6mm thick, while the iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS were 12.3mm thick.
Thunderbolt 3
Unlike the latest MacBook Pro and Mac Studio machines, the new MacBook Air uses Thunderbolt 3 connectivity instead of Thunderbolt 4.
Both Thunderbolt 3 ports support:
- Loading
- DisplayPort
- Thunderbolt 3 (up to 40 Gb / s)
- USB 4 (up to 40 Gb / s)
- USB 3.1 Gen 2 (up to 10 Gb / s)
MagSafe chargers of the same colors
Unlike the cables included with the MacBook Pro, the new MacBook Air ships with a MagSafe cable that matches the color of the MacBook Air. For example, if you buy the new MacBook Air in midnight color, the MagSafe cable will also have midnight color.
Cables have also appeared in Apple’s online store, but cannot be purchased. The cables are priced at $ 49 and are compatible with both MacBook Air and MacBook Pro. This means that MacBook Pro buyers will be able to purchase one of these cables to match their MacBook Pro if they so wish.
Configuration price
Finally, some additional details on the price of the new MacBook Air. The 2022 MacBook Air starts at $ 1,199. For this entry level setting, you will get:
- 8-core CPU
- 8-core GPU
- 8 GB of unified memory
- 256 GB SSD storage
In the meantime, if you upgrade to $ 1,499, you’ll get:
- 8-core CPU
- 10-core GPU
- 8 GB of unified memory
- 512 GB SSD storage
From here, Apple offers a variety of different upgrades for the MacBook Air. These options include upgrading to 16 GB of unified memory for $ 200 or 24 GB of unified memory for $ 400. You can upgrade from 512 GB of storage to 1 TB for $ 200 or up to 2 TB for $ 600.
What’s in the box
In the box with the new MacBook Air, you’ll find a new 35W dual-port USB-C compact power adapter. If you want fast charging capabilities, you can opt for a 67 W USB-C power adapter at no extra cost.
The 67 W USB-C power adapter can quickly charge your MacBook Air battery to 50 percent in 30 minutes.
Delivery date
Apple has not yet announced any shipping information for the new MacBook Air. The company simply says that the MacBook Air 2022 will be available sometime in July.
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