The 15-inch MacBook Air helped me realize how badly I miss the 12-inch MacBook

The new 15-inch MacBook Air has had me feeling conflicted since the day it came out. Apple nailed the pricing, and I’ve dreamed of a larger MacBook Air since I bought my first one in 2012. But after 23 days, I returned it. It’s a fantastic value in the Mac line, but I know why it’s not for me.

15-inch MacBook Air review

I realized something was off when I started writing the review in my head. I would have told you on day one that the 15.3-inch MacBook Air was a dream machine. Practically as thin as the 13.6-inch version, nowhere near as hefty as current MacBook Pros, and enough screen real estate to let apps stretch their legs.

This Mac is also a machine completely worthy of the MacBook Air name. It’s quite literally the 13-inch MacBook Air with a larger display and higher entry-level specs. The 15-inch MacBook Air (3.3 pounds) is not just lighter than the 16-inch MacBook Pro (4.7 pounds); it also somehow weighs less than the 14-inch MacBook Pro (3.5 pounds).

With that being said, I think it does cross a threshold in my head for how I expect a MacBook Air to feel. I get that this might not make much sense on paper, but it’s a feeling I can’t shake.

For more context, Apple’s last 15-inch MacBook Pro weighed 0.72 pounds more than the 15-inch MacBook Air. That’s still a notable difference in weight, but it’s certainly a smaller difference than the 1.4-pound gap between the 15-inch MacBook Air and 16-inch MacBook Pro.

Ultimately, the decision to return it came down to my preference for ultraportable laptops.

12-inch MacBook memories

The 15-inch MacBook Air is an incredible value in the portable Mac line, and there’s definitely utility in having a larger screen. Still, I found myself longing as ever for a modern day Retina MacBook. Buying the 15-inch MacBook Air when what I really want to exist is an Apple silicon 12-inch MacBook was the wrong move, but I had to try it to know.

I put my money where my mouth is, got a little money back, and returned to the lighter MacBook Air. This machine is a good balance of screen real estate and weight – especially if you often use an external monitor like the Apple Studio Display.

How much lighter would a 12-inch Retina MacBook be? It’s hard to say since Apple would presumably change the shape, but that likely means it would be even lighter. The wedge-shaped M1 MacBook Air weighs 0.1 pounds more than the uniform-shaped M2 MacBook Air.

The previous 12-inch Retina MacBook weighed a glorious 2.07 pounds. Now that’s dreamy, and 0.67 pounds lighter than the 13.6-inch MacBook Air.

Apple silicon would obviously resolve the shortcomings of the 12-inch MacBook from 2015-2017. Still, that doesn’t seem like a route Apple is interested in taking for now.

For now, the mythical 12-inch MacBook will be the one that got away. I loved mine and used it as my only Mac until the Touch Bar debuted a year later. In retrospect, the Retina MacBook as Apple’s most futuristic Mac while the other was dead end technology.

Seriously, if you didn’t know the Retina MacBook existed and saw my shots from 2015, you’d be forgiven for thinking it was a leak of a next-gen Apple silicon Mac.

For now, the 13.6-inch MacBook Air is the right machine for me … because it exists. As for the 12-inch MacBook, I’ll just keep reading this 2020 report claiming it was coming until it comes true.