First M2 MacBook Air benchmarks confirm expectations — it’s fast!

Source: Gerald Lynch / iMore

Apple’s new M2-powered MacBook Air doesn’t officially arrive until this Friday, but the first benchmarks have already begun to appear online. Those benchmarks show us what we all expected — the new machine is a fast one.

While Apple hasn’t yet started to sell the new Apple M2 MacBook Air, some people around the world already have them in-hand for various reasons. Some of those people are running Geekbench benchmarks and uploading them to the web. One Twitter user spotted one such run, with the new MacBook Air scoring 1,899 in the single-core score test and 8,965 in the multi-score run.

For comparison, these match previous scores posted by the 13-inch MacBook Pro almost exactly, as you’d expect. Both machines use the M2 version of Apple silicon, although there are slight differences in the number of GPU cores available in some variants. Based on speed tests of the M1 version from 2020, the new MacBook Air is around 20% faster than its older sibling.

The new MacBook Air is undoubtedly going to be the best Mac for a whole ton of people, although its starting price of $1,199 may put some off — not that the current expected delivery times bear that out. Placing an order now could see you waiting weeks depending on the configuration you order. The new machine’s improved chassis and modern looks, not to mention new colors, could help make it a popular option among those buying a new Mac notebook this year.

Those looking to pick up a new Mac could definitely do worse than checking out our list of the best Amazon Prime Mac deals before placing a purchase, though. The 2020 MacBook Air and a number of MacBook Pro models are available at low prices as part of this year’s festivities.