Hello! I have had it for 5 months and it has covered and satisfied me as I wished and expected.
Design: The same recipe as the previous model, very high quality and sturdy, you feel like you have something expensive (and it is). I will also cover the connectivity in this section, which in my opinion is poor. It is not a full slim & ultrabook MacBook, but there have been times when the few ports have made things difficult for me. It doesn't have HDMI (of course, before you buy, you have accepted and know these things), it doesn't have USB A, but I have replaced, for example, the mouse with an adapter to USB C. 2 USB C ports & headphones. The Magsafe charging port is the best there is, with a strong magnet and good fit. As for Wi-Fi & Bluetooth, everything is very good, immediate and without any issues.
Display: Large, satisfying, and beautiful. I have loved True Tone here, as well as on all Apple devices that have it. It truly relaxes the eyes, doing an excellent job. The colors, clarity, brightness & viewing angles, covered in all aspects. Only the 60Hz might be a turn-off for some, I have no issue.
Battery: A beast here as well. Period. The best battery by far, in a portable laptop in the world (except for the company's pro models), but no one from the competition comes close. Apple has found the secret/recipe. No one can match them. 10 hours of video watching comfortably. A bit moderate use gives 7 hours and heavy (depending) definitely 5 hours. When a Windows laptop will give 5 hours of video watching. Also, the only ones that do not drop their speeds on battery and are as powerful as they are when plugged in, something that Windows laptops do not do. Charging has improved a lot, I have the 75W charger, from 20% to max in about 1 hour & 15 minutes.
Others / Peripherals: Keyboard, same recipe, same result, same enjoyment (comparison with MacBook Air M2), silent keys, high quality. Trackpad, very large size, comfortable to use. The gestures and tricks are similar to Windows, familiar and easy to apply. The 1080p camera is very high quality with center stage that centers your face or if you are many on the video call, everyone fits in the frame, microphones, very clear and good, with sound isolation, effects that actually work and make the call more professional. Speakers, I was impressed. Very high quality, loud, with emphasis on highs, lows, and bass, I didn't expect it. Apple has put in work here, and your entertainment becomes easy with these speakers, whether for music or video.
Software: Almost 1 year on Mac OS, I have gotten used to both its pros and cons. If you asked me to go back to Windows, I would say far away and dear ones. I can't justify the silly bugs / the growing pains that Windows has. Of course, I am not saying that Mac OS doesn't have bugs, but in the next small update, they pay attention to it and fix it. I know that Apple has a closed system that has to release software, while Microsoft has to support a bunch of companies and hardware that every company releases. But how smooth Apple's OS runs, tailored for its laptops, and how amazing the collaboration and ecosystem it has with its other devices, no one can match it. Many say these laptops are only for professionals, I disagree, an average user can easily take it and change their way of working and daily life compared to Windows. Everyone can get it except for gamers; there, the work is still not progressing.
Speed: Lightning. For the end of this category, because what I will say may be expected. One of the fastest machines out there and the only one truly without the use of fans for cooling and with speeds that other Windows machines need fans to avoid overheating. Completely silent, the machine surprises me with how they have made it. Yes, if it's summer with 40 degrees and you are editing video, then the machine will get excessively hot. But for everyday and moderate tasks, it handles them well and is at most lukewarm. M3, an incredibly powerful processor, fully snappy, no stuttering, no delays, of course with the help of the software that is written for this processor. Finally corrected the bad habit of giving their machines 8GB RAM, from what I read the base model will be at 16. 8GB is no longer enough, especially with the AI that has come. I upgraded, and I see it much snappier. It keeps everything in memory, I can have 15 tabs open in the browser (only Safari by the way) and I have no issue with memory filling up and sending to the hard drive to lighten the load. They fixed the issue where the SSDs in the base model of the M2 were significantly slower in write & read. Here we finally have the fast SSD. So, we are happy with the expected improvements. 256GB, a bit small for some in the base model, for me it’s just fine, there are solutions like cloud & external hard drives. RAM 16, it doesn’t change, it’s not upgradeable. The Apple Intelligence, unfortunately, I cannot evaluate, it’s in English and from next April it will come to our areas, and I believe very soon in Greek (due to AI, it’s easier to translate and write a language), if there’s a change, I might update my review.
Conclusions: Is it worth it? Yes, I would say, now that the base version is at the same price with upgraded RAM. Quality in construction, great display, lightning speed, immortal battery, good software (some like it, others don’t), once you enter the Apple ecosystem, it’s very hard to leave, and you get attached to it, you love it. In some tasks/jobs, your life becomes easier. Expensive yes, but with software support for 5+ years, it’s worth the money, it pays for itself and has resale value. Warranty from the best. (I needed it in the past) Thank you very much, I hope I tried to be as objective as possible, and analyzed the categories simply and without tiring you. Good continuation!