Base Model MacBook Air With M2 Chip Has Slower SSD Speeds In ...

Skip to ContentOpen Menu

• Front Page
• Roundups Show Roundups
  • AirPods 4
  • AirPods Max
  • AirPods Pro 3
  • Apple Black Friday
  • Apple Deals
  • Apple Pay
  • Apple Pro Display XDR
  • Apple Studio Display
  • Apple TV
  • Apple Vision Pro
  • Apple Watch 11
  • Apple Watch SE 3
  • Apple Watch Ultra 3
  • CarPlay
  • HomePod
  • HomePod mini
  • iMac
  • iOS 26
  • iPad
  • iPad Air
  • iPad mini
  • iPad Pro
  • iPadOS 26
  • iPhone 16
  • iPhone 16e
  • iPhone 17
  • iPhone 17 Pro
  • iPhone 18
  • iPhone Air
  • Mac mini
  • Mac Pro
  • Mac Studio
  • MacBook Air
  • MacBook Pro
  • macOS Tahoe 26
  • watchOS 26
• Guides
• How Tos
• Reviews
• Buyer's Guide
• Forums

PodcastInstagramFacebookTwitterMastodonYouTubeNotificationsRSSNewsletterVisit ForumsSearchClose SearchOpen Sidebar

• iOS 26
• macOS Tahoe 26
• iPadOS 26
• iPhone 17
• iPhone Air
• iPhone 17 Pro
• iPhone 16e
• iPhone 16
• MacBook Pro
• Apple Vision Pro
• iMac
• Mac mini
• HomePod
• Apple TV
• iPad Pro
• AirPods 4
• Apple Pro Display XDR
• Apple Watch Ultra 3
• HomePod mini
• Mac Pro
• MacBook Air
• iPad
• AirPods Max
• AirPods Pro 3
• Apple Deals
• Apple Studio Display
• Apple Watch 11
• Apple Watch SE 3
• Mac Studio
• iPad Air
• iPad mini
• iPhone 18
• CarPlay
• Apple Black Friday
• Apple Pay
• watchOS 26

All >

• Front Page
• Roundups
• Guides
• How Tos
• Reviews
• Buyer's Guide
• Upcoming Products
• Forums
• Archives
• Tips / Contact Us
• PodcastInstagramFacebookTwitterMastodonYouTubeNotificationsRSSNewsletter

Base Model MacBook Air With M2 Chip Has Slower SSD Speeds in BenchmarksThursday July 14, 2022 6:08 am PDT by Joe Rossignol

The first embargoed reviews of the new MacBook Air with the M2 chip have now been published. One notable detail confirmed by The Verge is that the $1,199 base model equipped with 256GB of storage has a single NAND chip, which will lead to slower SSD speeds in benchmark testing, but real-world performance may vary.

Last month, it was discovered that the 256GB model of the 13-inch MacBook Pro with the M2 chip has up to 50% slower SSD read speeds and up to 30% slower SSD write speeds compared to the equivalent previous-generation model in benchmarks.

The dilemma arises from the fact that Apple switched to using a single 256GB flash storage chip instead of two 128GB chips in the base models of the new MacBook Air and 13-inch MacBook Pro. Configurations equipped with 512GB of storage or more are equipped with multiple NAND chips, allowing for faster speeds in parallel.

In a statement issued to The Verge, Apple said that while benchmarks of the new MacBook Air and 13-inch MacBook Pro with 256GB of storage "may show a difference" compared to previous-generation models, real-world performance is "even faster":

Thanks to the performance increases of M2, the new MacBook Air and the 13-inch MacBook Pro are incredibly fast, even compared to Mac laptops with the powerful M1 chip. These new systems use a new higher density NAND that delivers 256GB storage using a single chip. While benchmarks of the 256GB SSD may show a difference compared to the previous generation, the performance of these M2 based systems for real world activities are even faster.

It's unclear if Apple's statement refers explicitly to real-world SSD performance or overall system performance. Some tests of the base model 13-inch MacBook Pro with the M2 chip showed that SSD speeds were slower even in real-world usage, but results have been mixed. Overall, if the fastest SSD speeds are important to you, we recommend configuring the new MacBook Air with at least 512GB of storage to avoid any potential impact.

Related Roundup: MacBook AirBuyer's Guide: 13" MacBook Air (Caution)Related Forum: MacBook Air[ 723 comments ]

Get weekly top MacRumors stories in your inbox.

Popular Stories

Early iOS 26 Software Leak Uncovers Dozens of Upcoming Apple Features

Monday December 15, 2025 3:05 pm PST by Juli CloverSoftware from an iPhone prototype running an early build of iOS 26 leaked last week, giving us a glimpse at future Apple devices and iOS features. We recapped device codenames in our prior article, and now we have a list of some of the most notable feature flags that were found in the software code. In some cases, it's obvious what the feature flags are referring to, while some are more...Read Full Article • 36 comments

Apple Leak Confirms Work on Foldable iPhone, AirTag 2, and Dozens More Devices

Monday December 15, 2025 2:05 pm PST by Juli CloverLast week, details about unreleased Apple devices and future iOS features were shared by Macworld. This week, we learned where the information came from, plus we have more findings from the leak. As it turns out, an Apple prototype device running an early build of iOS 26 was sold, and the person who bought it shared the software. The OS has a version number of 23A5234w, and the first...Read Full Article • 79 comments

iOS 26.3 Beta 1 Features: What's New So Far

Monday December 15, 2025 4:23 pm PST by Juli CloverApple is testing iOS 26.3, the next version of iOS 26 that will launch around January. Since iOS 26.3's testing is happening over the holidays, it is a smaller update with fewer features than we've seen in prior betas. We've rounded up what's new so far, and we'll add to our list with subsequent betas if we come across any other features. Transfer to Android Apple is making it simpler...Read Full Article • 45 comments

iPhone 18 Pro Features Leaked in New Report, Including Under-Screen Face ID

Tuesday December 16, 2025 8:44 am PST by Joe RossignolNext year's iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max will be equipped with under-screen Face ID, and the front camera will be moved to the top-left corner of the screen, according to a new report from The Information's Wayne Ma and Qianer Liu. As a result of these changes, the report said the iPhone 18 Pro models will not have a pill-shaped Dynamic Island cutout at the top of the screen....Read Full Article • 57 comments

Leak Reveals Foldable iPhone Details

Monday December 15, 2025 9:09 am PST by Hartley CharltonThe first foldable iPhone will feature a series of design and hardware firsts for Apple, according to details shared by the Weibo leaker known as Digital Chat Station. According to a new post, via machine translation, Apple is developing what the leaker describes as a "wide foldable" device, a term used to refer to a horizontally oriented, book-style foldable with a large internal display....Read Full Article • 158 comments

iOS 26.4 and iOS 27 Features Revealed in New Leak

Friday December 12, 2025 10:56 am PST by Joe RossignolMacworld's Filipe Espósito today revealed a handful of features that Apple is allegedly planning for iOS 26.4, iOS 27, and even iOS 28. The report said the features are referenced within the code for a leaked internal build of iOS 26 that is not meant to be seen by the public. However, it appears that Espósito and/or his sources managed to gain access to it, providing us with a sneak peek...Read Full Article • 90 comments

Apple Aims to Boost Popularity of iPhone Air 2 in Two Ways

Tuesday December 16, 2025 11:06 am PST by Joe RossignolWe have been covering iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 17e, and iPhone Fold details from The Information's report about future iPhone models, and next up is the iPhone Air 2. The report says that Apple aims to make the iPhone Air 2 more attractive in two ways. First, Apple is apparently considering adding a second rear camera to the device, which would resolve a key limitation. The current iPhone...Read Full Article • 107 comments

AirPods Max 2 Likely to Offer These 10 New Features

Monday December 15, 2025 7:41 am PST by Joe RossignolApple released the AirPods Max on December 15, 2020, meaning the over-ear headphones launched five years ago today. While the AirPods Max were updated with a USB-C port and new color options last year, followed by support for lossless audio and ultra-low latency audio this year, the headphones lack some of the features that have been introduced for newer generations of the regular AirPods and the ...Read Full Article • 36 comments

Top Rated Comments

16_inch_MacBook_Air_Pls45 months agoStill waiting for the day Apple makes 512GB/16GB standard.256 8 has been the starting config for like a decade now.Score: 68 Votes (Like | Disagree)antiprotest45 months ago

Blown way out of proportion. Vast majority of users won't notice any difference.

On the SSD issue, the "most people will not notice it" people miss the point. The point is whether customers are getting what they pay for or know what they are getting."Most people" will think they are paying for a better and faster machine. It is a reasonable assumption. Since it's newer they'd expect everything to be the same or better.Since it's called M2 vs M1, they'd expect the chip to be faster without having other components drag it back down."Most people" will not know they are not getting what they pay for. "Most people will not notice it" actually makes it worse. It makes this seem like a form of fraud.Score: 51 Votes (Like | Disagree)ponzicoinbro45 months ago

lmao. glad i didn't pre order now.wtf you doing apple?

It is a base model Air.A base model.Air.What you gonna do with it?Render Toy Story 10?Use it as a high capacity high speed quantum universe time travel data center?Score: 37 Votes (Like | Disagree)staypuftforums45 months agoThat is brutal. Especially for a machine that is going to be swapping like crazy due to the paltry 8 GB of RAM.Score: 33 Votes (Like | Disagree)krspkbl45 months agolmao. glad i didn't pre order now. wtf you doing apple?Score: 32 Votes (Like | Disagree)jchap45 months agoNo matter how you spin it, a reduction in performance compared to the previous gen. just doesn’t sound good.Score: 32 Votes (Like | Disagree)Read All Comments

Next Article

Apple Releases First macOS Tahoe 26.3 Public Beta

Guides

iOS 26 Features

Our comprehensive guide highlighting every major new addition in iOS 26, plus how-tos that walk you through using the new features.

iOS 26.2 Features

Reminder alarms, more Liquid Glass tweaks, AirDrop improvements, and more.

50 macOS Tahoe Features

New features and lesser-known changes to check out if you're upgrading.

iPhone 17 vs iPhone 17 Pro vs iPhone Air

Apple's four new iPhones feature more differences between the latest models than ever before, so which one should you buy?

• Apple Intelligence Guide • Image Playground Guide • iPhone Mirroring Not Working? • 21 Time-Saving iPhone Tips • 14 macOS Tips to Make Your Life Easier • One AirPod Not Working? See more guides

Upcoming

Apple TV Fall 2025?

Upgrade to A17 or newer chip with Apple Intelligence support, plus Apple's new N1 wireless networking chip.

AirTag Fall 2025?

Upgraded item tracker with improved range, anti-tamper improvements, and more.

HomePod mini Fall 2025?

Faster chips and new colors expected.

MacBook Air Early 2026

Chip-bump update to M5.

• Studio Display • Low-Cost MacBook See full product calendar

Other Stories

iPhone Fold's Outer Display Could Be Smaller Than iPhone Mini Screen

7 hours ago by Tim Hardwick

Leaked iPhone 16 Pro Prototype Runs 'iOS 19' That Never Existed

2 days ago by Tim Hardwick

Here's Why There Won't Be an iPhone Flip Anytime Soon

5 days ago by Tim Hardwick

Foldable iPhone to Debut These Three Breakthrough Features

5 days ago by Tim Hardwick

Here Are the Four MacBooks Apple Is Expected to Launch Next Year

1 week ago by Tim Hardwick