English
We put the Apple MacBook Air 15″ (M2, 2023) through our rigorous DXOMARK Laptop test suite to measure its camera, display, and audio performance. In this review, we will break down how it fared in a variety of tests and several common use cases.
Overview
Key specifications include (as given by the manufacturer):
- Physical specs: 1.15 mm x 23.76 mm x 34.04mm; 1.5 kg
- Display: 15.3-inch, 2880 x 1864, IPS Glossy
- Audio: six speakers, three microphones
- Webcam: 1080p, Facetime HD
Scoring
Use-case and feature subscores included in the calculations of the global score
Apple MacBook Air 15" (M2, 2023)
Pros
- In Video Call, the camera provides a great level of detail in most conditions and a very good control of visual noise in well-exposed scenes
- Audio capture features good tonal balance and audio playback provides warm, realistic and intelligible voices
- In Music & Video, the display has great HDR video rendering with wide gamut, accurate EOTF and appropriate brightness
- New six-speaker system features excellent dynamics with sharp attack, precise impacts and strong punch, as well as faithful and pleasant tonal balance
Cons
- In Video Call, mono-only audio capture impairs intelligibility in stereo-capable situations
- Duplex handling issues; voices impaired by gating
- Webcam’s color and skin-tone rendering occasionally can slightly lack saturation and appear a bit dull
- SDR video playback lacks some color saturation and contrast
The Apple MacBook Air 15” (M2, 2023) reaches second place overall in our Laptop ranking thus far and consolidates Apple’s position at the top of our ranking with an excellent overall performance that highlights the brand’s particular focus on experience and quality. Apple has a streamlined MacBook product line so the models that are released benefit from gradual overall improvements.
In terms of the Camera, the MacBook Air’s performance matched the level of the MacBook Pro, with both devices holding the current top score in camera. The camera provides great levels of detail during video calls in most conditions and a very good control of visual noise in well-exposed scenes. That said, the webcam’s rendering of color and skin tones could sometimes lack saturation and appear a bit dull.
The performance of the bigger display was very close to that of the MacBook Air 13”. Where we saw an improved performance was in Audio, particularly in the the Music & Video results, thanks to its six speakers, an addition of two speakers over its predecessor.
Test summary
About DXOMARK Laptop tests: For scoring and analysis in our laptop reviews, DXOMARK engineers perform a variety of objective tests and undertake more than 20 hours of perceptual evaluations under controlled lab conditions and real-life scenarios.
(For more details about the Laptop protocol, click here.)
The following section gathers key elements of our exhaustive tests and analyses performed in DXOMARK laboratories. Detailed performance evaluations under the form of reports are available upon request. Do not hesitate to contact us.
Video Call
Apple MacBook Air 15" (M2, 2023)
144
DXOMARK's Video call use case is a score that evaluates how a device handles video calls and videoconferencing in multiple conditions. This score focuses on the camera performance and the capture and playback rendering of voices.
The camera on the Apple MacBook Air 15″ (M2, 2023) put in a class-leading performance in our Video Call use case, with extended dynamic range, well-preserved details in most tested conditions, and low noise in well-exposed scenes. Its color rendering, particularly its rendering of skin tones, could be improved, however, and such artifacts as ringing and color quantization were visible in most conditions.
Tonal balance during voice calls was good on the Apple device, but because of its mono recordings, intelligibility could be impaired when multiple people were placed around the computer. However, it handled diffused sounds well and put in a satisfying overall capture performance. Where the Apple device really shined was in playback, thanks to natural-sounding vocal timbres, very good dynamics, and realistic spatial rendering. Despite some gating, it handled duplex situations quite well.
The following chart presents the camera subscores for the video call use case:Audio
Apple MacBook Air 15" (M2, 2023)
144
Music & Video
Apple MacBook Air 15" (M2, 2023)
154
DXOMARK's Video and Music use case score evaluates the capability of a device to reproduce multimedia usages such as videos, movies and music playback in indoor conditions. This score focuses on the display performance and audio-playback rendering.
The display of the Apple MacBook Air 15” (M2, 2023) featured very good and wide gamut, accurate EOTF, and appropriate brightness, with gamma and color fidelity during HDR10 playback. Its maximum brightness of 500 nits was sufficient in all circumstances, and its minimum brightness at 2 nits was comfortable at night. SDR colors were a bit desaturated and SDR gamma showed a slight lack of contrast when playing videos. Multimedia enthusiasts will appreciate this laptop’s excellent control of reflections.
Its audio performance was superlative, with excellent timbre rendition, faithful and very pleasant tonal balance and excellent dynamics for music & video. Its bass rendition was deep for a laptop, and its dynamics were very good, with impressive bass precision, sharp attacks, and strong punch at both nominal and loud volumes. Its six-speaker system produced wide and realistic stereo rendition, with distinct sources easily localizable in the sound scene. Laptop sound was clean, with no significant audio artifacts.
Display
Apple MacBook Air 15" (M2, 2023)
156
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Distribution of brightness (min)
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Distribution of brightness (max)
Audio
Apple MacBook Air 15" (M2, 2023)
152
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