M2 MacBook Air 512GB storage single NAND or dual?

Hi, does M2 MacBook Air 512GB storage use single NAND (512GB) which makes it a slower SSD, or dual (2x 256GB NAND) resulting in a faster SSD? Thanks - Ben

Posted on Jan 27, 2023 6:08 PM

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Posted on Feb 2, 2023 9:01 AM

Very few people on these forums will realize you are talking about a single NAND chip for the SSD instead of dual NAND chips making up a single SSD. Apple doesn't publish that information and it was only discovered by some owners of the MBAir M2 256GB model. AFAIK, at this time only the 256GB model has a single NAND chip making up the SSD:

https://www.macrumors.com/2022/07/18/macbook-air-m2-chip-teardown/



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Feb 2, 2023 9:01 AM in response to heart_kl

Very few people on these forums will realize you are talking about a single NAND chip for the SSD instead of dual NAND chips making up a single SSD. Apple doesn't publish that information and it was only discovered by some owners of the MBAir M2 256GB model. AFAIK, at this time only the 256GB model has a single NAND chip making up the SSD:

https://www.macrumors.com/2022/07/18/macbook-air-m2-chip-teardown/



Feb 2, 2023 11:16 AM in response to heart_kl

Actually just stumbled across this which shows the MBPro 512GB model appears to be only utilizing a single NAND chip so I would advise caution and lots of research if a single NAND chip for an SSD is a concern for you:

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2023/01/entry-level-m2-pro-macbook-pros-have-slower-ssd-performance-than-m1-versions/


Personally I find using a single NAND chip for an SSD to be the sign of a low end product.


Edit: Just to clarify, the link & new information is regarding the MacBook Pro. But if the Pro line is utilizing the same tricks, then lower end models will be more likely to suffer the same or worse fate. The Air is a lower end model.

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M2 MacBook Air 512GB storage single NAND or dual?

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