Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023)

Apple MacBook Air 15

Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023)

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BEST RATING
Build Quality:
5.0
GENERAL USE: Very Good8.1/10
GAMING/AI: Fair6.5/10
ENG/DESIGN: Good7.7/10
SOFTWARE DEV: Very Good8.2/10
CONTENT CREATION: Very Good8.2/10
PORTABILITY: Very Good8.9/10
BATTERY: Excellent9.3/10
OVERALL SCREEN QUALITY: Very Good8.0/10
OVERALL PERFORMANCE: Good7.1/10
SIZE: 15.3"








Evaluation

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Pros
  • High-resolution, bright display
  • Silent, fanless operation
  • Premium build quality
  • 15-hour typical use battery
  • Excellent portability and lightweight
Cons
  • Limited RAM for intensive tasks
  • Moderate performance for 3D/machine learning
  • No touchscreen or number pad
  • Higher price point

Ratings by Category

Build Quality:
5.0
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, chassis rigidity, and overall reliability. Our assessment of build quality includes many details that are difficult to quantify. Our laptop experts use their best judgment to produce the final score.
Operating Noise:
5.0
PerfectRec’s Operating Noise Score is based on fan noise measurements. Laptops with a fanless design, such as Macbooks, receive the maximum score.
Keyboard Quality:
5.0
The Keyboard Quality score is based on the PerfectRec experts’ assessment of tactile feedback, typing comfort, keyboard reliability and typing noise.
Battery Life:
4.8
PerfectRec’s Battery Life rating is based on hours of battery life in typical usage scenarios.
Portability:
4.7
PerfectRec’s portability rating takes into account the volume and thickness of the laptop as well as its weight.
Software Development:
4.5
PerfectRec’s Software Development Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for software development. In addition to a strong emphasis on overall performance, this score also places very high importance on screen quality. Heat management, storage, keyboard and speaker quality are also incorporated, with fan noise rounding out this score.
Content Creation:
4.5
PerfectRec’s Content Creation Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for photo editing, and video editing work. In addition to a strong emphasis on overall performance, this score also places very high importance on screen quality. Heat management, storage, keyboard and speaker quality are also incorporated, with fan noise rounding out this score.
General Use Screen Quality:
4.5
The general use screen score is based on the screen technology, contrast ratio, resolution, brightness, color gamut and color accuracy. This score does not take into account specialized display features for specific use cases, such as high refresh rate for gaming.
General Use:
4.4
PerfectRec’s General Use Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for general productivity, web browsing, streaming, video calls, and running a wide variety of apps and programs. The most important factors in this score include CPU performance, amount of RAM, screen quality, storage, and battery life. Keyboard quality, speaker quality, low fan noise, heat management, and to a lesser extent webcam quality are all moderately important factors for this score.
Engineering & Design:
4.3
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) is equipped with a powerful Apple M2 processor and integrated 10-core GPU that excel in engineering and design tasks, complemented by a high-quality 15.3-inch IPS display that offers clear and accurate color representation for detailed work.
Gaming & AI:
3.6
The Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023) has an integrated Apple M2 graphics processor which may not offer the same level of performance in 3D tasks as dedicated gaming or professional GPUs, and a standard screen refresh rate of 60Hz, which isn't optimal for high frame-rate 3D applications.

Full Specs

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GENERAL

Price
$1,499
Release Date
June 1, 2023
Overall Dimensions
13.4'' x 9.4'' x 0.45''
Weight
3.3 lbs
Width
13.4"
Depth
9.35"

INTERNAL

Processor
Apple M2
RAM
8 GB
DDR Memory Version
5
RAM Slots
0
Storage
512 GB

BATTERY

Battery Life
15 Hours
Battery Capacity
66.6 Wh

SCREEN

Diagonal Size
15.3"
Display Technology
IPS
Resolution
2880 x 1864
Refresh Rate
60Hz
Display Brightness
501 nits

RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS

Build Quality Score
PerfectRec logo
10/10
Portability Score
PerfectRec logo
9/10
Gaming Laptop Appearance
No
Premium Business Laptop
Yes
Fan Noise Score
PerfectRec logo
10/10

HARDWARE FEATURES

Keyboard Quality Score
PerfectRec logo
10/10
Speaker Quality Score
PerfectRec logo
10/10
Webcam
1080p
Fingerprint Reader
Yes
Backlit Keyboard
Yes
Number Pad
No

CONNECTIVITY

USB Type-A
0
USB-C ports
2
USB-C Charging
Yes
Display Outputs
1
Thunderbolt Version
3

Apple MacBook Air 15 (2023)

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Dig into reviews and images

NotebookCheck

Andreas Osthoff | June 2023
"The Apple MacBook Air 15 is boringly good. The new MacBook Air 15 is a very good, but also boring device, because apart from the larger screen and the higher price, there are no differences compared to the smaller MacBook Air M2 from last year. No new processor, no additional ports, just the usual basic hardware - but the overall package is extremely good and it simply works. Above all, the lack of fans is an aspect that should not be underestimated in everyday use. In our opinion, the Air could be a lot better, but Apple goes easy on itself here."

Comparison charts

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Why trust us

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This information was produced and vetted by the PerfectRec laptops team. We are a product research and recommendation organization that meticulously reviews and evaluates the latest laptop information and makes it digestible for you.

By the numbers

380
Laptops evaluated
48,640
Laptops stats compiled
13
Proprietary Laptops ratings developed
122,595
Recommendations made
26,563
Consumer hours saved

About the laptop team

Joe Golden, Ph.D

CEO and Laptops Editor
Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.

Jason Lew

Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Jason is a staff expert and software engineer that has been making laptop recommendations for 7 years and moderates one of the largest laptop subreddits.

Chandradeep Chowdhury

Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Chandradeep is a staff expert and software engineer and expert in televisions and monitors. He’s been making monitor recommendations for ten years.

Craig Russell

Laptops Expert
Craig is a UK-based laptops expert. Craig works in IT, where he recommends and supports laptops and PCs for clients and has been recommending laptops on Reddit for five years.

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