Two advantages for me: It's nice that you don't break the connector if you trip over the cable or put the laptop down on a soft surface, and it's nice being able to charge while still using both USB-C ports (although I guess 3x USB-C would also solve that).

I don't really see any downside to a proprietary connector if you also have the option to charge over USB-C as well.

Says the person who has apparently never had a dog or a kid get tangled in the power cable and destroyed the port, or pulled the laptop off the table.

I charge my M2 air with a usb-c cable.

Soooo, continue to charge the M5 Air with a USB-C cable? What's your objection here?

It's less stress on a frequently used port. I've got an early M1 MacBook Air where the USB-C port I always used for charging is starting to get flaky, presumably because it's been used so much and because of the weight of the cord + dongle hanging off the side of the machine.

I can't understand why they ever moved away from it.

Magsafe on laptops is so much better than any other option: zero force "insertion", convenient breakaway if tripped over causing no damage to either side. Magsafe is fantastic.

It's a big selling point for the slice of laptop buyers that are replacing a machine they just broke by tripping over the power cord.

They brought it back because it's a fantastic feature for clumsy people like me.

My wife does, too, but only because the dog ate the magsafe.

The day I tripped over the cord and smashed my netbook I suddenly appreciated MagSafe a lot more.