Should You Buy a M2 MacBook Air in 2025 - Long Term Review!

Summary

In this video, the creator discusses their experience using the M2 MacBook Air over the past three years. They analyze its performance, including its thermal limitations, multitasking capabilities, and suitability for light video editing. Despite its impressive value, the MacBook Air faces issues with overheating and a limited display. With a few modifications, like thermal pads, performance improves, but it’s not meant for heavy workloads. The creator concludes that the M2 MacBook Air is still a great bargain, offering good value compared to the newer, pricier models like the M4 MacBook Air.

Takeaways

• 😀 The M2 MacBook Air, launched in 2022, is still a solid option in 2025 due to its significantly reduced price, ranging from $500-$600 for pre-owned models.
• 😀 The M2 MacBook Air features an 8-core M2 chip, with options for 10-core GPU, 16 GB RAM, and 1 TB SSD, making it a good mid-tier machine for most tasks.
• 😀 Physical condition after 3 years of use is good with minor scratches, nicks, and a small crack on the bezel, but the overall build remains durable.
• 😀 Battery health after 3 years is at 84%, which is normal, but Apple recommends replacement after it falls below 80%. Battery degradation hasn't noticeably impacted daily use.
• 😀 Thermal performance has been improved by installing thermal pads to help with heat distribution and reduce thermal throttling, especially during heavy workloads.
• 😀 The M2 MacBook Air performs excellently for productivity tasks, including web browsing, email management, and multitasking with 16 GB of RAM.
• 😀 Photo editing in programs like Photoshop and Lightroom works smoothly, but video editing in Premiere Pro, especially with 4K footage, can cause lag due to heat buildup.
• 😀 The M2 MacBook Air is not ideal for heavy video editing, but it can handle light tasks and is portable enough for quick edits on the go.
• 😀 The M2 MacBook Air is highly portable with a long battery life, up to 18 hours in ideal conditions, but battery degradation brings it closer to 15 hours in practice.
• 😀 Cons include the 13-inch screen size (with no 15-inch model for M2), limited display brightness (500 nits), and a lack of ports, requiring adapters for additional connectivity.
• 😀 Despite the M2 MacBook Air's thermal limitations, it offers great value for those who prioritize portability, general productivity, and light media work over high-end performance.
• 😀 Given the rapid depreciation of the M2 MacBook Air, it is considered a better bargain to buy a higher-spec model now compared to the newer, more expensive M4 MacBook Air.

Q & A

How much has the M2 MacBook Air's price dropped since its launch?

The M2 MacBook Air's price has dropped significantly, with pre-owned models now going for around $500 to $600, compared to the new model prices starting around $1,000 for the M4 MacBook Air.

What are the key upgrades in the reviewer's M2 MacBook Air?

The reviewer upgraded the GPU to a 10-core version (instead of the standard 8-core), opted for 16GB of RAM, and chose a 1TB SSD. The maximum possible upgrades are 24GB of RAM and a 2TB SSD.

How does the M2 MacBook Air perform for everyday tasks?

The M2 MacBook Air is very fast and snappy for everyday tasks like web browsing, email, and multitasking. With 16GB of RAM, it handles multiple tabs and applications without slowdowns.

What are the thermal performance limitations of the M2 MacBook Air?

The fanless design of the M2 MacBook Air can lead to thermal throttling, causing the machine to slow down when performing intensive tasks like video editing. The reviewer addressed this by adding thermal pads to help with heat distribution.

How did the reviewer improve the M2 MacBook Air's thermal performance?

The reviewer installed thermal pads on the rear panel to better distribute heat across the bottom tray, which allowed for longer, more intensive tasks before thermal throttling kicked in.

What is the battery health of the M2 MacBook Air after three years?

After three years, the battery health is at 84%, with 297 charge cycles. Apple recommends a battery replacement when health drops below 80%, but the reviewer hasn't noticed significant performance degradation.

What is the MacBook Air's performance like when editing 4K footage?

While the M2 MacBook Air can handle 4K footage, adding effects or color grading causes significant lag, especially due to thermal throttling. The machine struggles to maintain performance during heavy video editing tasks.

What kind of tasks is the M2 MacBook Air suitable for?

The M2 MacBook Air is suitable for everyday tasks such as school work, document processing, light photo editing (Photoshop, Lightroom), and some light video editing, especially when not working with large files or adding effects.

What are the main pros of the M2 MacBook Air?

The main pros include its lightweight and portable design, long battery life (up to 18 hours), excellent performance for everyday tasks, and a solid M2 chip that handles most productivity tasks without issues.

What are the main cons of the M2 MacBook Air?

The main cons are the small 13-inch display, the limited brightness (500 nits), the lack of ports (only two USB-C ports and a headphone jack), and thermal throttling when performing heavy tasks.