OPINION: Apple has the strongest line-up of laptops on the market right now but there’s an open goal that could make it even better.
Not only does it have the ultra-sleek MacBook Air with outstanding battery efficiency, but also the MacBook Pro which is arguably the best option for creative professionals, but there’s currently a strange gap in relation to the former.
The latest MacBook Air has a base price of £1249, but if you fancy more power and more exciting features, then you’ll have to spend at least £2149 on the 14-inch MacBook Pro – that’s a huge £900 difference.
The 13-inch MacBook Pro was supposed to bridge that gap, but I don’t think it succeeded in doing so. With a base price of £1349, it features the same processor as the MacBook Air, but with the added benefit of a fan to keep performance optimal. But with no other notable upgrades, it’s hard to justify picking this laptop over the more affordable MacBook Air.
This leaves macOS fans in an odd situation. If you fancy a high-end productivity laptop with a big screen that can go toe to toe with Windows rivals – such as the Dell XPS 15, Huawei MateBook 16s and LG Gram Style – then your best bet is to buy the 16-inch MacBook Pro. Given that that laptop costs a jaw-dropping £2699, it feels like a big waste of money if you aren’t going to make use of the incredible power of M2 Pro or M2 Max chips. This is where a 15-inch MacBook Air could save the day.
Apple has yet to confirm the existence of such a laptop, but serial Apple leaker Mark Gurman claims that we could see a 15-inch version of the MacBook Air arrive as early as this Spring.
Another well known Apple leaker, Ming-Chi Kuo, has backed up these claims while also predicting that the 15-inch MacBook Air could come in two different flavours: one with an M2 chipset and the other powered by the M2 Pro.
The 15-inch MacBook Air is also expected to have the same design and featureset of its smaller 13-inch sibling. I am a little disappointed as that probably means that the supresized MacBook Air won’t have a Mini LED display or ProMotion technology, but it’s understandable that Apple would want to reserve those high-end features for the Pro line.
The current MacBook Air range is already an easy sell but a 15-inch version would be a fantastic option for those who want a basic productivity performance and portable design, but with a larger screen for watching video.
The more I think about a 15-inch MacBook Air, the more it makes sense. It’s not exactly a revolutionary idea, but it will help to give the Mac range a little more balance. Let’s just hope those rumours are true.
Ctrl+Alt+Delete is our weekly computing-focussed opinion column where we delve deeper into the world of computers, laptops, components, peripherals and more. Find it on Trusted Reviews every Saturday afternoon.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.