Apple's colourful new mini-LED MacBook Airs look fantastic

The new 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pros sound marvellous, but they certainly aren’t cheap. For those who want a new laptop without the expense, the next generation of MacBook Air could be just the ticket — and now a reliable leaker has spilled the beans on what to expect, and when.

The leaker in question, @dylandkt, boasts a solid 75% accuracy rating on the rumour tracking website Appletrack, so is certainly worth listening to on all matters Apple.

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And he’s predicting that the new MacBook Air — which may just be called ‘MacBook’ — will inherit a lot of the features unveiled for the new Pro models, including a 1080p webcam, USB-C ports and the return of MagSafe charging.

It will apparently mimic the new MacBook Pro’s design, while being thinner and, of course, less powerful with a repeat of the fanless design from the last Air anticipated. 

It will also be a whole lot more colourful, with dylandkt advising us to expect colourful shades similar to the choices available with the new-look 24-inch iMac, something previously predicted by leaker Jon Prosser. That will be complemented by an “off white” keyboard and bezels around the screen, for an overall more playful look.

The laptop will apparently be powered by the M2 processor, and like the new Pros it will support “multiple external displays” with at least two promised. While dylandkt thinks that the mini-LED tech embraced by the 12.9-inch iPad Pro and new MacBook Pros is likely, he’s unsure if the divisive notch will be embraced by the new Air. What he is sure of is that Promotion, Face ID, SD Card support and HDMI ports won’t feature.

The leaker says we can expect the new MacBook to arrive “in the middle of 2022” with a starting price that’s “slightly” up on what’s available at the moment. For reference, that’s £999 in the UK.

While any price increase is unwelcome, with the 14-inch MacBook Pro starting at £1,899, the upcoming Air certainly sounds like it will be an appealing value option if it builds on the stunning performance of last year’s M1 model. If you can’t wait until then, be sure to check out our guide to the best laptops you can buy right now.