2022 MacBook Air tidbits, features, specs, and more

The new MacBook Air is officially here, and it comes with an all-new design, an M2 chip on the inside, and much more. In addition to the big picture changes Apple mentioned on stage at WWDC, there are a few other tidbits worth noting about the 2022 MacBook Air. Head below as we round them up.

External Display Support

One of the biggest limitations of the MacBook Air with the original M1 chip is that it only supports powering one external display. Unfortunately, that same limitation still applies with the new M2-powered MacBook Air.

Apple says that the new MacBook Air can support one external display with up to 6K resolution at 60Hz. This display can be powered simultaneously with the built-in MacBook Air display, so you can technically have two active displays — but only one of them can be an external display.

Thinner than the original iPhone

The new MacBook Air measures in at 11.3 mm thin and 2.7 pounds. This means it is thinner than the the original iPhone as well as the iPhone 3G. The original iPhone was 11.6mm thick, while the iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS were 12.3mm thick.

Thunderbolt 3

Unlike the latest MacBook Pro and Mac Studio machines, the new MacBook Air uses Thunderbolt 3 connectivity rather than Thunderbolt 4.

The two Thunderbolt 3 ports have support for:

• Charging
• DisplayPort
• Thunderbolt 3 (up to 40Gb/s)
• USB 4 (up to 40Gb/s)
• USB 3.1 Gen 2 (up to 10Gb/s)

Color-matched MagSafe chargers

Unlike the cables included with the MacBook Pro, the new MacBook Air ships with a MagSafe cable that is color-matched to the MacBook Air. For instance, if you buy the new MacBook Air in the midnight color, the MagSafe cable will also be midnight in color.

The cables have also popped up on Apple’s Online Store, but are unavailable for purchase. The cables are listed at $49 and are compatible with the MacBook Air as well as the MacBook Pro. This means MacBook Pro buyers will be able to purchase one of these cables to match their MacBook Pro if they so choose.

Configuration pricing

Finally, some additional details on the pricing of the new MacBook Air. The 2022 MacBook Air starts at $1,199. For this entry-level configuration, you get:

• 8-Core CPU
• 8-Core GPU
• 8GB Unified Memory
• 256GB SSD Storage

Meanwhile, if you upgrade to the $1,499 configuration, you get:

• 8-Core CPU
• 10-Core GPU
• 8GB Unified Memory
• 512GB SSD Storage

From there, Apple is offering a variety of different upgrades for the MacBook Air. These options include upgrading to 16GB of unified memory for $200 or 24GB of unified memory for $400. You can upgrade from 512GB of storage to 1TB of $200 or all the way to 2TB for $600.

What’s in the box

In the box with the new MacBook Air, you’ll find a new 35W Dual USB-C Port Compact Power Adapter. If you want fast-charging capabilities, you can opt for a 67W USB-C Power Adapter at no extra cost.

The 67W USB-C power adapter can fast-charge the MacBook Air battery up to 50% in 30 minutes.

Shipping date

Apple hasn’t yet announced any shipping information for the new MacBook Air. The company simply says that the 2022 MacBook Air will be available sometime in July.

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