M2 MacBook Air vs. MacBook Air 13” 2015: Which is better?

Here is a side by side comparison between M2 MacBook Air and MacBook Air 13” 2015 specs including CPU, RAM, storage, battery, display, and more.

M2 MacBook Air Pros

Reasons that M2 MacBook Air is better than MacBook Air 13” 2015.

Much newer manufacturing

2022 vs. 2015

Much faster CPU performance

Apple M2 (8C, 10G) inside M2 MacBook Air has a 473% better multi-core CPU performance score than the Intel Core i7-5650U inside MacBook Air 13” 2015.

Geekbench 5 multi-core score
M2 MacBook Air - Apple M2 (8C, 10G)
8,819
M2 MacBook Air - Apple M2 (8C, 8G)
8,819
MacBook Air 13” 2015 - Intel Core i7-5650U
1,538
MacBook Air 13” 2015 - Intel Core i5-5250U
1,266
Supports larger memory

M2 MacBook Air supports a larger memory capacity than the MacBook Air 13” 2015. It supports up to 24GB versus 8GB of system memory on the MacBook Air 13” 2015.

Max system memory size
M2 MacBook Air
24 GB
MacBook Air 13” 2015
8 GB
About 9% lighter

M2 MacBook Air weighed 2.7 pounds, 9% lighter than the 2.96 pounds MacBook Air 13” 2015.

WeightM2 MacBook AirMacBook Air 13” 2015
Pound
2.7 lbs.
2.96 lbs.
Kilogram
1.22 kg
1.34 kg

MacBook Air 13” 2015 Pros

We couldn't find any advantages of MacBook Air 13” 2015 over M2 MacBook Air.

Prices

Here are the latest price updates and offers for both devices.

M2 MacBook Air Price
Apple 2022 MacBook Air M2 Chip (13-inch, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD Storage) (QWERTY English) Midnight (Renewed Premium)
Apple 2022 MacBook Air M2 Chip (13-inch, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD Storage) (QWERTY English) Midnight (Renewed Premium)
By Apple
$864.00
2023 Apple MacBook Air with Apple M2 chip (15.3-inch , 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD Storage) (QWERTY English) Midnight (Renewed)
2023 Apple MacBook Air with Apple M2 chip (15.3-inch , 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD Storage) (QWERTY English) Midnight (Renewed)
By Apple
$939.00
$994.97 6% OFF
2022 Apple MacBook Air Laptop with Apple M2 chip (13.6-inch, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD Storage) Midnight (Renewed)
2022 Apple MacBook Air Laptop with Apple M2 chip (13.6-inch, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD Storage) Midnight (Renewed)
By Apple
$839.00
MacBook Air 13” 2015 Price
Early 2015 Apple MacBook Air with 1.6GHz Intel Core i5 (13.3 inch, 8GB RAM, 256GB) Silver (Renewed)
Early 2015 Apple MacBook Air with 1.6GHz Intel Core i5 (13.3 inch, 8GB RAM, 256GB) Silver (Renewed)
By Apple
$229.82
$285.00 19% OFF
Early 2015 Apple MacBook Air with 1.6GHz Intel Core i5 (13-inch, 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD) Silver (Renewed)
Early 2015 Apple MacBook Air with 1.6GHz Intel Core i5 (13-inch, 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD) Silver (Renewed)
By Apple
$219.99
$254.00 13% OFF
Early 2015 Apple MacBook Air with 1.6GHz Core i5 (13 Inch, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD Storage) Silver (Renewed)
Early 2015 Apple MacBook Air with 1.6GHz Core i5 (13 Inch, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD Storage) Silver (Renewed)
By Apple
$259.99

Availability

M2 MacBook AirMacBook Air 13” 2015
Released20222015
Release DateAnnounced on June 6, 2022 (WWDC 2022)
  • Available on April 19, 2015
Pricing
  • $1,199
    M2 (8C, 8G) | 8GB RAM | 256GB SSD
  • $1,499
    M2 (8C, 10G) | 8GB RAM | 512GB SSD
  • $999
    Intel Core i5 5250U | 4GB RAM | 128GB SSD
  • $1,199
    Intel Core i5 5250U | 4GB RAM | 256GB SSD
Applicable Models
  • MacBook Air (2022)
  • 2022 MacBook Air
  • MacBook Air with M2 chip
-
Generations

Exterior

M2 MacBook AirMacBook Air 13” 2015
Dimensions11.97 x 8.46 x 0.44 in (304.1 x 215 x 11.3 mm)12.8” x 8.94” x 0.11 - 0.68” (325 mm x 227 mm x 3 - 17 mm)
WeightStarting at 2.7 pounds (1.24 kg)Starting at 2.96 pounds (1.35 kg)
Colors
Midnight Starlight Space Gray Silver
Silver
Keyboard and TrackpadBacklit Magic Keyboard with:
  • 78 (U.S.) or 79 (ISO) keys including 12 full-height function keys and 4 arrow keys in an inverted-T arrangement
  • Touch ID
  • Ambient light sensor
  • Force Touch trackpad for precise cursor control and pressure-sensing capabilities; enables Force clicks, accelerators, pressure-sensitive drawing, and Multi-Touch gestures
Full-size backlit keyboard with:
  • 78 (U.S.) or 79 (ISO) keys, including 12 function keys and 4 arrow keys (inverted “T” arrangement) with ambient light sensor
  • Multi-Touch trackpad for precise cursor control; supports inertial scrolling, pinch, rotate, swipe, three-finger swipe, four-finger swipe, tap, double-tap, and drag capabilities

Display

M2 MacBook AirMacBook Air 13” 2015
Size13.6 Inches13.3 Inches
InfoLiquid Retina display
  • 13.6-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit display with IPS technology.
  • 2560-by-1664 native resolution at 224 pixels per inch with support for 1 billion colors
  • 500 nits brightness
  • Wide color (P3)
  • True Tone technology
  • 13.3-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit glossy widescreen display with support for millions of colors
  • Supported resolutions: 1440 by 900 (native), 1280 by 800, 1152 by 720, and 1024 by 640 pixels at 16:10 aspect ratio and 1024 by 768 and 800 by 600 pixels at 4:3 aspect ratio

Ports

M2 MacBook AirMacBook Air 13” 2015
M2 MacBook Air Ports
Image Source: Apple
Left (3)
  • 2 x Thunderbolt 3
    40 Gpbs, USB 4.0 (40 Gbps), Charging, DisplayPort
  • 1 x MagSafe 3
    Magnetic charging port
Right (1)
  • 1 x headphone jack
    Headphone/Microphone
  • 1 x Thunderbolt 2 port
    Supports data transfers up to 20 Gbps.
  • 2 x USB 3.0 ports
    Supports data transfers up to 5 Gbps.
  • 1 x 3.5 mm headphone jack
  • 1 x SDXC card reader
  • 1 x MagSafe 2 power port

Internal Specs

M2 MacBook AirMacBook Air 13” 2015
Processor
  1. Apple M2 (8C, 8G)
    8 cores, 8 threads, 2.42 → 3.48 GHz,
  2. Apple M2 (8C, 10G)
    8 cores, 8 threads, 2.42 → 3.48 GHz,
  1. 5th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-5250U
    2 cores, 4 threads, 1.60 → 2.70 GHz, 3MB Cache, 15W
  2. 5th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-5350U
    2 cores, 4 threads, 2.20 → 3.10 GHz, 4MB Cache, 15W
Integrated Graphics
  1. Apple M2 (8C, 8G)
    Apple M2 iGPU
    8 GPU Cores, 16 Neural Engine Cores,
  2. Apple M2 (8C, 10G)
    Apple M2 iGPU
    10 GPU Cores, 16 Neural Engine Cores,
  1. 5th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-5250U
    Intel® HD Graphics 6000
    48 Execution Units, 300 → 950 MHz
  2. 5th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-5350U
    Intel® HD Graphics 6000
    48 Execution Units, 300 → 1000 MHz
Memory
8GB 16GB 24GB
unified memory.
4GB 8GB
 1600MHz LPDDR3 onboard memory
Storage
  • 256GB 512GB
    SSD
  • Configurable to 1TB or 2TB
128GB 256GB
Configurable to 512GB flash storage.
Fans Number--
Cooling InfoPassive-

Connectivity

M2 MacBook AirMacBook Air 13” 2015
Wi-Fi
  • 802.11ax Wi‑Fi 6 wireless networking
  • IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac compatible
  • 802.11ac Wi‑Fi wireless networking
  • IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n compatible
BluetoothBluetooth 5.0 wireless technologyBluetooth 4.0 wireless technology

Battery

M2 MacBook AirMacBook Air 13” 2015
Size52.6 Wh lithium‑polymer battery54 Wh lithium‑polymer battery
Battery Life
  • Up to 15 hours of wireless web
  • Up to 18 hours of Apple TV app movie playback
  • Up to 12 hours wireless web
  • Up to 12 hours of iTunes movie playback
  • Up to 30 days standby time
Power Supply
  • 30W USB‑C Power Adapter
    (included with M2 with 8-core GPU.
  • 35W Dual USB-C Port Compact Power Adapter
    included with M2 with 10-core GPU and 512GB storage, configurable with M2 with 8-core GPU.
45W MagSafe 2 Power Adapter
With cable management system; MagSafe 2 power port.

Software

M2 MacBook AirMacBook Air 13” 2015
OSShipped with macOS MontereyShipped with macOS Sierra
Built-in Apps
Photos iMovie GarageBand Pages Numbers Keynote Siri Safari Mail FaceTime Messages Maps News Stocks Home Voice Memos Notes Calendar Contacts Reminders Photo Booth Preview Music Podcasts TV Books App Store Time Machine Find My QuickTime Player
Photos iMovie GarageBand Pages Numbers Keynote Safari Mail FaceTime Messages Maps Notes Calendar Contacts Reminders iTunes iBooks App Store

Camera & Audio

M2 MacBook AirMacBook Air 13” 2015
Camera1080p FaceTime HD camera.
Advanced image signal processor with computational video.
720p FaceTime HD camera
Audio
  • Four-speaker sound system
  • Wide stereo sound
  • Support for Spatial Audio when playing music or video with Dolby Atmos on built-in speakers
  • Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking when using AirPods (3rd generation), AirPods Pro, and AirPods Max
  • Three-mic array with directional beamforming
  • 3.5 mm headphone jack with advanced support for high-impedance headphones
  • Stereo speakers
  • Dual microphones
  • Headphone port
  • Support for Apple iPhone headset with remote and microphone

Misc

M2 MacBook AirMacBook Air 13” 2015
Sensors
  • Touch ID sensor
  • Ambient light sensor
-
Security
  • Touch ID sensor
  • Apple T2 Security Chip
-
In the box
  • MacBook Air
  • 30W or 35W USB‑C Power Adapter
  • USB-C to MagSafe 3 Cable (2 m)
  • MacBook Air 13″
  • Power adapter
  • AC wall plug
  • Power cord
WarrantyOne-year limited warranty.Limited Warranty and ServiceYour MacBook Air comes with 90 days of free telephone support and a one-year limited warranty. Purchase the AppleCare Protection Plan to extend your service and support to three years from your computer’s purchase date. Only the AppleCare Protection Plan provides you with direct telephone support from Apple technical experts and the assurance that repairs will be handled by Apple-authorized technicians using genuine Apple parts. For more information, visit Apple Support or call 800-823-2775.
MoreVideo Support
  • Simultaneously supports full native resolution on the built-in display at 1 billion colors and:
    • One external display with up to 6K resolution at 60Hz
  • Thunderbolt 3 digital video output
    • Native DisplayPort output over USB‑C
    • VGA, HDMI, DVI, and Thunderbolt 2 output supported using adapters (sold separately)
Video Support
  • Dual display and video mirroring: Simultaneously supports full native resolution on the built-in display and up to 2560 by 1600 pixels on an external display, both at millions of colors
  • Thunderbolt digital video output
    • Native Mini DisplayPort output
    • DVI output using Mini DisplayPort to DVI Adapter (sold separately)
    • VGA output using Mini DisplayPort to VGA Adapter (sold separately)
    • Dual-link DVI output using Mini DisplayPort to Dual-Link DVI Adapter (sold separately)
    • HDMI audio and video output using third-party Mini DisplayPort to HDMI Adapter (sold separately)

Key Features

M2 MacBook AirMacBook Air 13” 2015
At Glance
Released in Mid
2022
16:10 QHD
13.6”
1664p 60Hz
Weight
2.7 lb
1.22 kg
Up to
Apple M2 (8C, 10G)
8C/8T, 2.42 → 3.48 GHz
Geekbench 5
1,933
Single Core
Geekbench 5
8,819
Multi-Core
With integrated
Apple M2 iGPU
10 GPU Cores, 16 Neural Engine Cores
Configurable up to
24GB
Unified Memory
M2 MacBook Air Ports
Starting at
$1,199
M2 (8 GPU), 8GB, 256GB SSD
New
MagSafe 3
Charging port
Supports
Fast Charging
50% in 30 mins with 65W charger
New
1080p Webcam
New
Four Speakers
Sound System
Up to
18 Hours
Battery Life
Built-in
Touch ID
Dual
USB-C
USB4 & Thunderbolt 3
Wi-Fi 6
Bluetooth 5.0
Released in Mid
2015
16:10 WXGA+
13.3”
900p 60Hz
Weight
2.96 lb
1.34 kg
Up to
Intel Core i7-5650U
2C/4T, 2.20 → 3.10 GHz
Geekbench 5
737
Single Core
Geekbench 5
1,538
Multi-Core
With integrated
Intel® HD Graphics 6000
48 Execution Units, 300 → 1000 MHz
Up to
8GB
1600 MHz LPDDR3

Comparison Summary

M2 MacBook Air vs. MacBook Air 13” 2015

Apple has released the M2 MacBook Air, a 13.6-inch machine, in mid-2022. It is powered by up to an octa-core Apple M2 (8C, 10G) with a boost clock speed up to 3.48 GHz. The laptop has an integrated graphics option up to Apple M2 iGPU (10 GPU Cores, 16 Neural Engine Cores).

On the other hand, we have the 13.3-inch MacBook Air 13” 2015 was introduced by Apple about seven years earlier in mid-2015. It comes with up to a dual-core Intel Core i7-5650U with a boost clock speed up to 3.10 GHz. It has an integrated graphics option up to Intel® HD Graphics 6000 (48 Execution Units, 300 → 1000 MHz).

Geekbench 5 Single Core

M2 MacBook Air1
Apple M2 (8C, 8G)1,933100.00%
2
Apple M2 (8C, 10G)1,933100.00%
MacBook Air 13” 20151
5th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-5250U61031.56%
2
5th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-5350U73738.13%
01,933

Geekbench 5 Multi Core

M2 MacBook Air1
Apple M2 (8C, 8G)8,819100.00%
2
Apple M2 (8C, 10G)8,819100.00%
MacBook Air 13” 20151
5th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-5250U1,26614.36%
2
5th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-5350U1,53817.44%
08,819

The M2 MacBook Air has a 13.6-inch display which is quite similar size to the 13.3-inch MacBook Air 13” 2015. In addition, The M2 MacBook Air weighs 2.7 lbs. about 9% lighter than the 2.96 lbs. MacBook Air 13” 2015. Moreover, measured at 11.97” x 8.46” x 0.44”, the M2 MacBook Air is much more portable than the MacBook Air 13” 2015 at 12.8” x 8.94” x 0.68”.

M2 MacBook AirMacBook Air 13” 2015

Moving over to upgradability, you can't make any upgrades on both devices. All major components including memory and storage are soldered on to the motherboard. So make sure you get the specs that work best for your current and future workload.

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