Apple’s new M2 MacBook Air chargers tested: Twice the ports or twice the speed?

Which Apple charger should you buy for your new M2 MacBook Air?

- JASON CROSS

We’re big fans of the new M2 MacBook Air (fave.co/ 3NFo4nO). It’s not a perfect laptop—we want a better webcam, it’s a fingerprint magnet, and it’s expensive—but we do think it’s one of the best everyday laptops for everyday users. When you buy one, you have three power adapters to choose from, depending on the model you select.

If you opt for the base model, it will include a 30W USB-C Power Adapter (fave.co/3AO0ceA) by default, but you can pay an extra $20 to replace that with either the standard 35W Dual USB-C Port (fave.co/3dWeL61) or Compact Power Adapter (fave.co/3CvixOB), or the 67W USB-C Power Adapter (fave.co/3Cuinac).

When you buy a higher-end model with at least 512GB of storage, you are given the 35W dual-port model by default, but you can switch to the 67W single-port model at no cost.

Each option has its pros and cons, so we tested them all to help you decide which one to choose.

POWER ADAPTER PERFORMANCE COMPARED

To test the charging performance of these three power adapters, we took a brand new M2 MacBook Air and drained it down to 1 percent battery life, then used its included USB-C to MagSafe cable to attach it to one of the power adapters. We had no applications running and kept the lid closed while charging, opening it briefly every 10 minutes to record the current state of charge before closing it again.

This gives us a look at the total charge performance over time for all three adapters, and the tale is interesting (if not really surprising).

The charging rates for all adapters are limited as the laptop approaches a full charge that's normal behavior for nearly all rechargeable batteries. The 67W USB-C Power Adapter is the fastest, as you'd expect.

What's that fourth line in green? Since the 35W Dual USB-C Port Compact Power