A bigger 15-inch MacBook Air laptop powered by Apple silicon could launch in the spring of 2023, filing as the largest Air model to date.
- What’s happening? Apple is testing larger-sized display panels, suggesting the company could be developing its largest ‌MacBook Air‌ laptop to date.
- Why care? A bigger display with more pixels would be great for multitasking, photos, video editing, surfing the web, working in Office, etc.
- What to do? Be patient, as the new MacBook Air won’t drop before Spring 2023.
The largest MacBook to date launching in Spring 2023?
The current MacBook Air has a 13.3-inch screen. For most mainstream consumers, it’s the perfect everyday compact laptop. But double-down on multitasking and you’ll soon want a more expansive canvas for those toolbars in creative apps like Photoshop and Pixelmator, wondering why on Earth Apple won’t build a bigger Air.
A reliable display analyst is convinced that Apple is working on the largest MacBook Air to date with a screen measuring 15.5 inches diagonally. He provided no details about display resolution though it’s safe to bet you’ll have more pixels to work with.
Display Supply Chain Consultants CEO, Ross Young, told his Twitter subscribers that suppliers will kick off production of 15.5-inch panels in the first quarter of 2023. By comparison, the current MacBook Air sports a 13.6-inch screen.
Apple’s rumored 15-inch ‌MacBook Air‌ is expected to feature the same general design as the 13-inch ‌MacBook Air‌ that was released in 2022 with flat edges, a large Force Touch trackpad, a keyboard with function keys and more. It will also likely include a MagSafe charging port, upgraded speaker system and a 1080p camera.
These notebooks would use Apple’s M2 and M2 Pro chipsets.
When’s a bigger-screened MacBook Air coming?
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman expects new devices from Apple in Spring 2023, and Young believes that a 15.5-inch ‌MacBook Air‌ will arrive by that time. Young previously settled on a 15.2-inch screen for the next MacBook Air, but he now believes the actual screen size will be 15.5 inches.
MacRumors says a 15.5-inch MacBook Air is not expected to feature mini-LED or ProMotion technology as the pricier MacBook Pro. This makes sense to us because mini-LED and ProMotion are premium display technologies that Apple typically leverages to distinguish its Pro from non-Pro devices.
Larger iPads and a switch to OLED
The MacBook Air isn’t the only Apple device that could get a bigger screen. According to other rumors, the Cupertino company is testing iPad Pro panels beyond the current 12.9-inch size, including an iPad Pro featuring a 15-inch screen.
As far as a 15.5-inch MacBook Air goes, don’t expect it to swap LCD for OLED on this laptop because industry rumors have pointed to 2024 as the year Apple will start switching its notebooks and tablets to OLED panels.