MacBook Air 2022 tipped to have a notch-free display

It’s long been rumored that the MacBook Air 2022 will be getting a radical new look when it emerges next year, and now we have a fresh peek at what could be the final design, courtesy of the leaker LeaksApplePro. 

The images allegedly come from CAD files supposedly come direct from Apple, though we have no way to verify this. And even if they are 100% legitimate, they may not be the final design. Nevertheless, this could be an interesting clue as to what the next MacBook Air could look like. 

All the same, it does seem to broadly match what we’ve seen before, with the majority of the features on display dating back to Jon Prosser and Ian Zelbo’s renders from all the way back in May. 

The design language follows the flatter look of the recent MacBook Pros, and there’s room for a MagSafe and Thunderbolt port on the left-hand side, with a 3.5mm headphone jack and another Thunderbolt port on the right. The colored-in version replicates the colorful look Prosser and Zelbo promised, along with the white screen bezels and keyboard. 

Of course, Prosser and Zelbo modestly updated their renders last month based on the words of the reliable leaker Dylandkt and that included the addition of the notch. “I can’t confirm whether it will have a notch,” the leaker said at the time, so Prosser and Zelbo included one on the off chance. Here’s a reminder to compare and contrast: 

Based on the newer CAD-based render, it appears that talk of the notch’s adoption was indeed premature. Or it’s possible that it was under consideration at one point, before being pared back due to general hostility to it on the MacBook Pro. 

For Apple’s part, it has continued to defend the notch as something that’s actually desirable rather than an eyesore. Shruti Haldea, Pro Mac Product Line Manager at Apple, described it as “a really smart way to give you more space for your content” adding that it looks “great” and is “seamless.” Something to remember when Apple takes steps to phase it out in years to come.

Perhaps a moot point for the MacBook Air, now these CAD renders seem to suggest there won’t be one. But it’s worth remembering that the idea of a notch on the MacBook Pro only began to surface mere days before the laptop was officially unveiled. So while these CAD renders seem compelling, there’s still a chance that the cut-out will return for a 2022 encore on the cheaper MacBook range.