AIR TO THE THRONE Apple MacBook Air M2

The new Air, complete with M2 processor, is a triumph. Here’s why it’s the best Mac laptop for most people

Redesigned, reinvigorated, revolutionary. The all-new MacBook Air M2 is a revelation. It's so good it's knocking on the door of the MacBook Pro series. But what makes it so good?

There's so much to choose from. For starters, it's Apple's most affordable MacBook in the new range, being less than the MacBook Pro M2 13-inch, and a lot less than the MacBook Pro 14- and 16-inch models too. It's not as cheap as the M1 model, but then you aren't getting the M2 chip.

Beyond the price there's a lot of new features that make it such a tempting proposition. So many in fact its easier to ask "what isn't new?"

The 2022 MacBook Air is a whole new machine compared to the 2020 MacBook Air that it replaces. The M2 silicon is the most obvious internal upgrade over the older laptop's M1 chip, but there's a lot more besides. First and most apparent when pulling the Air from its box is that it looks different. It's still got that MacBook look and feel, except now it's a bit smaller and lighter.

But while the body is more compact, the screen is actually bigger at 13.6-inch compared with 13.3-inch on the older model. But it's not just the size of the screen that dazzles; it's had an all-round upgrade over the 2020 Air that has really impressed.

But there is a bone of contention: the notch looming front and centre. Apple could definitely make this smaller and neater. Admittedly we weren't massively distracted by the Air's notch and given the other advances on display here it's a compromise worth living with that you'll soon forget about.