Apple now ships a faster Bluetooth chip inside the 13-inch M2 MacBook Air. According to the updated specifications spotted by MacRumors, the device now comes with support for Bluetooth 5.3 out-of-the-box.
The 13-inch M2 MacBook Air was unveiled during last year"s WWDC with support for Bluetooth 5.0 onboard. (We verified it on archive.) The updated Bluetooth specification comes after the arrival of the 15-inch M2 MacBook Air featuring Bluetooth 5.3. The bigger MacBook Air was introduced during WWDC 2023, where it shared the stage with refreshed versions of Mac Studio and the Mac Pro desktop.
Bluetooth 5.0 is a comparatively older technology that was introduced back in 2016. Meanwhile, its successor Bluetooth 5.3 arrived in 2021 and finds a home in various Apple flagships, including iPhone 14 series, Apple Watch Ultra, 2nd Gen AirPods Pro, and the latest iPad Pro models.
Being the newer version, Bluetooth 5.3 offers faster connectivity and improves energy efficiency even further. The technical enhancements that form a part of the Bluetooth 5.3 core specification include:
Connection Subrating
- Periodic Advertising Enhancement (via Bluetooth LE)
Encryption Key Size Control Enhancements
Channel Classification Enhancement
Removal of the Alternate MAC and PHY (AMP) Extension
However, it has now been succeeded by Bluetooth 5.4 which was introduced earlier this year. The 13-inch MacBook Air also comes with a new 70W USB-C power adapter following the release of its bigger sibling. While the two machines mostly have similar specifications under the hood, the 15-inch M2 MacBook Air features a six-speaker sound system with force-canceling woofers.
In recent news, Apple"s entire product roadmap for the remaining half of 2023 was reportedly unveiled. The company is expected to launch a 30-inch version of the iMac along with new MacBook Air models, a 13-inch M3 MacBook Pro, and updated versions of 14 and 16-inch MacBook Pro.
The Cupertino-based company has expanded its self-repair program to include the M2-powered MacBooks and the iPhone 14 lineup. Also, Apple hit a major milestone last week as it became the first public company to cross the $3 trillion market cap.