Apple MacBook Air 15 2023, M2, 16GB, 512GB SSD, Midnight

The MacBook Air 15 is a big, beautiful, silent machine that's perfect for everyday Apple users. Just don't expect it to replace a MacBook Pro for heavy lifting.

The M2 chip is still impressive even in 2025. The 8-core CPU sits right at the 50th percentile, which sounds average until you realize it's doing that without a fan and while sipping battery. The 10-core GPU lands at the 63rd percentile, so it's fine for light photo editing and casual gaming, but it's not going to impress anyone rendering 4K video. The 16GB of unified memory is solid, though the 512GB SSD is a bit stingy for a laptop at this price. What surprised us most is how well this thing handles multitasking. We had a dozen browser tabs, Spotify, and a few productivity apps open, and it didn't flinch once.

The MacBook Air 15's biggest rival is the Samsung Galaxy Book5 Pro, which offers a similarly gorgeous OLED display and often comes in cheaper with more storage. If you're not tied to macOS, that's a serious alternative. The MSI Prestige 13 is another option if you want something even lighter, though you'll sacrifice screen size. And if you actually need GPU power for gaming or creative work, the ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 or HP OMEN Transcend 14 will absolutely smoke this thing in graphics performance, though you'll give up the fanless silence and battery life. The Lenovo ThinkPad P14s is a different beast entirely, aimed at business users who need ports and durability over style.

At $1,699 USD, this is a tough sell if you're comparing raw specs to Windows laptops. You can get a lot more GPU and storage for that money elsewhere. But if you want a big, beautiful screen in a fanless, ultraportable Mac, this is the one to get. The value depends entirely on how much you care about macOS and that Apple build quality. For the right person, it's worth every penny. For everyone else, it's a luxury tax.

The MacBook Air 15 is Apple finally giving people what they've been asking for: a big screen without the Pro price tag or the Pro weight. The one thing to know is that this is the best 15-inch laptop for everyday use if you live in Apple's world and don't need serious graphics muscle. The M2 chip handles daily tasks without breaking a sweat, and that 15.3-inch Liquid Retina display is genuinely gorgeous. But don't mistake it for a workstation. This is a premium ultraportable with a big screen, not a creative powerhouse.

If you're looking for a gaming laptop or a machine for serious video editing, 3D rendering, or AI workloads, this isn't it. The GPU sits at the 63rd percentile and the AI performance is genuinely weak at the 38th percentile. Go get an ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 or a MacBook Pro instead. You'll sacrifice the fanless design, but you'll actually be able to do the work you need to do.

The MacBook Air 15 is the best big-screen ultraportable for Apple users who don't need serious graphics power. It's fast, silent, and has a display that makes everything look better. But if you're not already in the Apple ecosystem, or you need real GPU performance, there are better ways to spend $1,699. For the right person, this is a no-brainer. For everyone else, it's a beautiful compromise.