Rumors of a new, larger MacBook Air gathered steam in 2022, and based on a new report, the laptop could finally make its debut in the coming months.
Ross Young, CEO of Display Supply Chain Consultants, claims the display panels for a 15.5-inch MacBook Air will begin production in the first quarter of 2023, meaning the new laptop could be unveiled in the spring. Young’s report has been made through Twitter to his super followers who pay for the service.
A 15.5-inch MacBook Air would place it between the 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro in terms of size. But the main technical difference between the screens is that the MacBook Pros use a Liquid Retina XDR mini-LED screen with ProMotion, while the current MacBook Air uses a standard LED screen. Young previously reported that the new MacBook Air would not get the high-end features exclusive to the MacBook Pro.
Since Young is a display specialist, he does not provide insight into the other components or features that could be in the new MacBook Air, such as the processor and design. The latest model has an M2 chip and received a major redesign last spring. It is likely that a larger MacBook Air will be very similar, but with a larger screen. However, we’ve heard that Apple is ramping up production of the M3 chip in 2023, so it’s possible it will get a newer chip.
The question is where it fits into Apple’s lineup. The M2 MacBook Air starts at $1,199, the 13-inch MacBook Pro starts at $1,299, and the 14-inch MacBook Pro starts at $1,999. Presumably, a 15.5-inch MacBook Air would cost around $1,499, similar to the price difference between the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models, making the 13-inch MacBook Pro all the more irrelevant.
When Apple first released the MacBook Air in 2008, it came with a 13-inch display, a size Apple offers to this day. In 2010, Apple expanded the lineup with a smaller 11-inch model that was discontinued in 2016. Apple currently sells two versions of the MacBook Air, an M1 model with a 13.3-inch screen for $999 and an M2 model with a 13.6-inch screen. inch screen for $1,199.