The M2 MacBook Air: Is the Under-$1,000 MacBook Dead?

When the M1 MacBook Air launched in 2020, we were wowed not only by the M1 processor’s debut performance, but the great deal the laptop represented with its $999 starting price.

Fast forward to today: Apple has just announced its new M2 chip, and new M2-based MacBook Air and MacBook Pro 13 models to go with it. The chip promises to be even faster than the first effort, while the Air is now even more compact, but the starting price has jumped back up to $1,199.

A sub-$1,000 starting price was a major appeal of the 2020 Air (which Apple continues to sell), and it has always been the entry-level option compared with the MacBook Pro. And so, while a $200 bump is disappointing, it sits at only $100 less than the M2-powered MacBook Pro 13. What does this mean for Apple’s beloved laptop, and will we ever see the Air sold for $1,000 or less again?

So Long, $999 MacBook Air, You Were a True Bargain

With Apple products, and especially with a newly announced MacBook, one of the first questions is almost always, “But how much does it cost?” Being able to tout a $1,000 asking price for the 2020 MacBook Air was a definite head-turner, especially after we tested the new M1 chip and showed what it could do.

The 2020 M1 MacBook Air
(Photo: Zlata Ivelva)

Getting such snappy performance out of a tiny, premium-built laptop for $1,000 is, simply, a great value. As such, the $1,199 price tag on the M2 MacBook Air is a let-down, even with the upgrades.

Now, the new pricing is arguably completely fair—there are several upgrades that make it a better product. A higher cost for a superior model isn’t exactly unheard of, but even so, ideally the annual (or semi-annual) flagship update of a product remains at the same price. With rising component and shipping costs, though, Apple is hardly alone in raising prices.

The new M2-based MacBook Air
(Photo: Brian Westover)

But that only goes to show how great a deal that $999 offering really was. A high-performing, ultra-slim $1,200 laptop with a premium build isn’t outside of the market rate, after all, but that same description could have been used for the M1 Air. If that’s the deal of a generation, you may not want to let it pass you up.

Grab That $999 Deal While it Lasts

With all of this considered, you should perhaps pull the trigger on that $999 M1 MacBook Air deal while it lasts. We can’t give our full judgment before putting the M2 chip through its paces, of course, but shoppers looking at buying a MacBook Air face a real decision now.

The M2 is almost certainly going to be faster and more efficient, but many Air shoppers don’t need much more juice, especially given how snappy the M1 Air has proven to be. There are other upgrades—an even smaller form factor and a superior webcam chief among them—but if you are a new laptop holdout, are those worth $200?

The color options for the M2 Air

That money could go toward configuring up your RAM or storage in the M1 model; higher-end configurations of an M2 MacBook Air are now less appealing. Bumping either the RAM or storage up a tier (from the 8GB RAM and 256GB SSD starting levels) costs $200 each. With a $1,200 starting price, just one upgrade has you looking at a $1,400 laptop very quickly.

There’s no exact telling how long Apple will sell the previous model at $999—the company typically does continue to offer its previous generation for a time at a lower price, so it’s unlikely this is going to go away tomorrow.

(Photo: Brian Westover)

But we aren’t convinced the current or future MacBook Air will go at or below $1,000 any time soon. With this new higher performance tier and even more advanced features, that $999 is looking increasingly distant.

Add in what may be the biggest factor—rising industry costs all around—and we may never see south of $1,000 again for a premium machine like this. If you’ve been considering the M1 Air, or were waiting to see what the M2 had to offer, you may be best off grabbing the M1 model now. You’re perhaps not future-proofing as well as you could, and missing out on some upgrades, but if you’re price-conscious and hadn’t jumped on it already, the more expensive M2 model won’t be the one to convince you.

A Closer Look at the Mac Stack

The Air may still be the least expensive MacBook, but it’s hardly a budget-priced option any longer. So how does it settle in with Apple’s other offerings? The new starting price has lessened the gap between it and the MacBook Pro line, muddying the appeal. The M2 Air is currently only $100 less than the new M2-powered 13-inch MacBook Pro.

(Photo: Brian Westover)

Naturally, the physical design and user needs weigh in greatly here—there are always different laptops for different types of shoppers, and $100 saved is still $100 saved. But given compromises, and what had previously been a larger gap, the Air isn’t the slam-dunk option it once was as the affordable entry point for Mac laptops. If you’re considering the M2 Air, the Pro for only $100 more may start to catch your eye.

As mentioned, we can’t yet testify to the M2’s performance, nor that of the new Air or Pro equipped with this chip. It’s likely that the performance gains of the M2 Pro clearly separate it from the M2 Air, but that these aren’t gains the average Air user needs. The greater portability and relevant supporting feature set of the Air will likely serve those users better.

(Photo: Brian Westover)

The new M2 MacBook Air looks and sounds great on paper, and it’s likely to impress once we get our hands on it for performance testing. If you’re someone concerned about performance, and the M2 Air feature upgrades sound worthwhile, hold out for our full review coming soon. If your priority is price, though, that $999 M1 MacBook Air is one of the best deals in some time. You may want to take it before it’s gone.