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MacBook Air 13” 2017 vs. M2 MacBook Air 15” - Specs Comparison

Here is a comparison between the specifications of the MacBook Air 13” 2017 and M2 MacBook Air 15”, including differences in the chip, memory, storage, display, battery, ports, and more.

By Conor Banett

January 26, 2024 05:58 am

MacBook Air 13” 2017 vs. M2 MacBook Air 15”

The MacBook Air 13” 2017 features the 15W 5th Generation Intel Broadwell dual-core Intel Core i5-5350U up to dual-core Intel Core i7-5650U with the boost speed up to 3.10 GHz. While the 2023 M2 MacBook Air 15” features the Apple M-Series ARM 64-bit 8-core Apple M2 (8C, 10G) with the boost speed up to 3.48 GHz.

If you are in the market looking for a laptop and don't know what's the difference between the 13.3″ MacBook Air 13” 2017 and the 15.3″ M2 MacBook Air 15” (2023), we have a detailed tech specs comparison between both devices for you to check out here.

MacBook Air 13” 2017 vs. M2 MacBook Air 15”: Specs Comparison

	Compare With Please enter device name or part of it MacBook Air 13” 2017	Compare With Please enter device name or part of it M2 MacBook Air 15”
Availability
Released	2017	2023
Release Info	Available on June 6, 2017	Announced on June 05, 2023. At the WWDC 2023 event. Available on June 13, 2023.
Pricing	$999 Intel Core i5 5350U \| 8GB RAM \| 128GB SSD $1,199 Intel Core i5 5350U \| 8GB RAM \| 256GB SSD	Base prices: $1,299 M2, 8C CPU, 10C GPU, 8GB, 256GB $1,499 M2, 8C CPU, 10C GPU, 8GB, 512GB Memory options: +$200 16GB unified memory +$400 24GB unified memory Storage options: +$200 512GB SSD +$400 1TB SSD +$800 2TB SSD

Display	MacBook Air 13” 2017	M2 MacBook Air 15”
Size	13.3 Inches	15.3 Inches
Info	Widescreen display 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	Liquid Retina display Size: 15.3-inch Technology: Liquid Retina display Resolution: 2880 x 1864 Pixel Density: 224 PPI Brightness: 500 nits Color [li]1 billion colors Wide color (P3) True Tone technology[/li]

Exterior	MacBook Air 13” 2017	M2 MacBook Air 15”
Size Comparison
Dimensions	12.8” x 8.94” x 0.11 - 0.68” (325 mm x 227 mm x 3 - 17 mm)	Height: 0.45 inch (1.15 cm) Width: 13.40 inches (34.04 cm) Depth: 9.35 inches (23.76 cm)
Weight	Starting at 2.96 pounds (1.35 kg)	3.3 pounds (1.51 kg)
Colors	Silver	Midnight Starlight Space Gray Silver
Keyboard and Trackpad	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	Backlit 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
Ports	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	1 x MagSafe 3 Magnetic charging port 1 x Headphone jack Headphone/Microphone combo port 2 x Thunderbolt ports support: Charging DisplayPort Thunderbolt 3 (up to 40Gbps) USB 4 (up to 40Gbps) USB 3.1 Gen 2 (up to 10Gbps)

Internal Specs	MacBook Air 13” 2017	M2 MacBook Air 15”
Processor	5th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-5350U 2 cores, 4 threads, 1.80 → 2.90 GHz, 3MB Cache, 15W 5th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-5350U 2 cores, 4 threads, 2.20 → 3.10 GHz, 4MB Cache, 15W	Apple M2 (8C, 10G) 8 cores, 8 threads, 2.42 → 3.48 GHz,
Integrated Graphics	5th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-5350U Intel® HD Graphics 6000 48 Execution Units, 300 → 1000 MHz 5th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-5350U Intel® HD Graphics 6000 48 Execution Units, 300 → 1000 MHz	Apple M2 (8C, 10G) Apple M2 iGPU 10 GPU Cores, 16 Neural Engine Cores,
Memory	4GB8GB 1600MHz LPDDR3 onboard memory	8GB 16GB 24GB unified memory.
Storage	128GB256GB Configurable to 512GB flash storage.	256GB512GB SSD Configurable to 1TB or 2TB

Connectivity	MacBook Air 13” 2017	M2 MacBook Air 15”
Wi-Fi	802.11ac Wi‑Fi wireless networking IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n compatible	802.11ax Wi‑Fi 6 wireless networking IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac compatible
Bluetooth	Bluetooth 4.0 wireless technology	Bluetooth 5.3 wireless technology

Battery	MacBook Air 13” 2017	M2 MacBook Air 15”
Size	54 Wh lithium‑polymer battery	66.5 Wh lithium‑polymer battery
Battery Life	Up to 12 hours wireless web Up to 12 hours of iTunes movie playback Up to 30 days standby time	Up to 15 hours of wireless web Up to 18 hours of Apple TV app movie playback
Power Supply	45W MagSafe 2 Power Adapter With cable management system; MagSafe 2 power port.	70W USB‑C Power Adapter Fast-charge capable. 35W Dual USB‑C Compact Power Adapter Has two USB-C charging ports.

Software	MacBook Air 13” 2017	M2 MacBook Air 15”
OS	Shipped with macOS Mojave	Shipped with macOS Ventura
Built-in Apps	PhotosiMovieGarageBandPagesNumbersKeynoteSiriSafariMailFaceTimeMessagesMapsNewsStocksHomeVoice MemosNotesCalendarContactsRemindersPhoto BoothPreviewiTunesBooksApp StoreTime Machine	PhotosiMovieGarageBandPagesNumbersKeynoteSiriSafariMailFaceTimeMessagesMapsNewsStocksHomeVoice MemosNotesCalendarContactsRemindersPhoto BoothPreviewMusicPodcastsTVBooksApp StoreTime MachineFind MyQuickTime Player

Camera & Audio	MacBook Air 13” 2017	M2 MacBook Air 15”
Camera	720p FaceTime HD camera	1080p FaceTime HD camera. Advanced image signal processor with computational video.
Audio	Stereo speakers Dual microphones Headphone port Support for Apple iPhone headset with remote and microphone	Six-speaker sound system with force-cancelling woofers 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

Misc	MacBook Air 13” 2017	M2 MacBook Air 15”
Sensors		Touch ID sensor Ambient light sensor
Security		Touch ID sensor Apple T2 Security Chip
In the box	MacBook Air 13″ Power adapter AC wall plug Power cord	15‑inch MacBook Air 35W Dual USB-C Port Compact Power Adapter USB-C to MagSafe 3 Cable (2 m)
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.	One-year limited warranty.
More	Video Support Simultaneously supports full native resolution on the built-in display and up to 3840-by-2160 resolution at 60Hz on an external display, both at millions of colors Thunderbolt digital video output Native Mini DisplayPort output VGA, HDMI, DVI, and dual-link DVI output using adapters (sold separately)	Video 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 are supported using adapters (sold separately)