New MacBook Air Upgrades and Features | What to Expect in 2022

The MacBook Air refresh coming in 2022 will be Apple’s biggest design change since 2018 when it redesigned the MacBook Air for the first time. Here’s the latest on the upcoming MacBook Air.

Design

We know Apple is getting rid of the iconic wedge design from the current and first generation of MacBook Air. What Apple will be doing this time is bringing back a 12″ MacBook-like design, making the notebook as thin as possible. Yes, the next MacBook Air will be thinner and lighter than the current version.

This MacBook is expected to look as if the new 24″ iMac and new 14″ MacBook Pro were combined. It will have off-white bezels like the 24″ iMac as well as multiple color options.

The 24″ iMac is the consumer version in Apple’s desktop lineup, so adding new colors for the MacBook Air makes a lot of sense as it brings back the nostalgia of the highly admired iBook.

Display

The MacBook Air is expected to get the new Liquid Retina XDR display first introduced on the iPad Pro 12.9″ in April 2021, which was later introduced on the new MacBook Pros in October 2021. This will be the biggest display upgrade ever for the MacBook after Apple gave the MacBook Air the Retina Display in 2018.

Some sources have said that the MacBook Air will be coming with a notch, but at this time, I don’t think Apple would pair white bezels with a notch.

Keyboard

The keyboard on the new MacBook Air is expected to be basically the same Magic Keyboard that’s paired with the 24″ iMac. It will gain the new white keys and the new Touch ID button. 

Camera

The new MacBook Air will gain the same 1080P camera technologies that are found on the 24″ iMac and the new MacBook Pros. This will be an excellent upgrade as the M1 MacBook Air features an M1 ISP camera at just 720P.

Silicon

Apple will introduce the direct successor to the M1 chip with this new MacBook Air that is the M2. The M2 is expected to have more GPU cores up from seven and eight to possibly eight, nine, or even ten. This is according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, who also states the CPU cores will stay at 8. The chip will still be 5nm.

Connectivity

The MacBook Air will not get HDMI or an SD card slot like the new MacBook Pros. The MacBook Air will get the new MagSafe 3 port like the MacBook Pro as well as 2 USB-C/Thunderbolt ports.

Expect this product in mid-2022, but it is yet to be determined what the price will be. Apple is planning to name this computer “MacBook,” and the Air moniker will be moved to another notebook in the lineup. But this may change. Have any questions? Let us know!

[The information provided in this article has NOT been confirmed by Apple and may be speculation. Provided details may not be factual. Take all rumors, tech or otherwise, with a grain of salt.]