All you need to know about the new MacBook Air 2018 13 inch

It's been 10 years since Steve Jobs unveiled the original MacBook Air, a notebook so thin that he introduced it by pulling it from an envelope. Over these 10 years, Apple has not changed the iconic design of the MacBook Air's large mounting panel at all, until now.

The new design of the MacBook Air is basically identical to that of the 12-inch MacBook, with the difference that it is a little thicker and heavier. The display is larger than an inch, so the speakers are located to the left and right of the keyboard. In another move similar to the 12-inch MacBook, you can choose between Space Gray, Silver or Gold case options.

There are also two Thunderbolt 3 ports instead of the slower Type 3.1 USB 3.1, such as the 12-inch MacBook's unique port. This means that you can connect an external GPU or even an external 5K display to the MacBook Air, just as you can with a MacBook Pro.

User input

Perhaps controversial, the new MacBook Air is equipped with Apple's third-generation butterfly keyboard. The keys are also backlit individually, which is nice. If the new generation of third generation is more reliable than previous models, the situation will not be clear yet, but we will continue to look at it.

There is also a Touch ID sensor that can be used instead of entering a password, and it further secures online purchases with Apple Pay. It also contains the Apple T2 chip, which, in our opinion, is a very big deal.

The Force Touch air trackpad is virtually identical to the 12-inch MacBook version.

Audio and video

In the announcement, Apple also said that the speakers are 25% more powerful with twice as much bass, which will have to be tested once released.

The screen is finally wrapping a Retina display, just like the rest of Apple's MacBook lineup. It has the same resolution as the 13-inch MacBook Pro screen, but if the Pro's display supports the expanded P3 color gamut and a brightness of 500 nits, that of the Air does not do not do it.

CPU and GPU performance

Turning to performance, the new MacBook Air incorporates Intel's recently released Core i5-8210Y processor, with clock speeds similar to those of the $ 1399 to $ 1299 Apple's i5 MacBook Pro processor. It has a thermal envelope of 7 watts of power, less than half of the 15 watts of the Pro. The new processor is more efficient and, at the same time, does not consume as much energy when needed.

In addition, the new MacBook Air has a fanless design. If you perform a CPU intensive task for an extended period, the risk of thermal acceleration and slowdown is higher compared to the MacBook Pro, which has a fan to cool it down. This decision may make the MacBook Air more subject to thermal regulation – but we'll look at this issue when we get our hands on the machine.

The new MacBook Air incorporates slightly faster graphics than the 12-inch MacBook, but the graphics performance of the 13-inch MacBook Pro is 50 percent faster than that of the MacBook Air. Since you can get a 13-inch MacBook Pro for just $ 50 more from various vendors, it's hard to justify buying the MacBook Air if you're considering the performance of a graphics processor.

Even so, people do not usually buy the MacBook Air to get the best possible performance from a Mac. They buy it because it is the cheapest way to get an Apple laptop: thin, lightweight, with great battery life and many ports.

Price

The problem here is that the price has just increased by $ 200, which makes it slightly cheaper than a MacBook Pro. In addition, the selection of ports that everyone liked was now part of and replaced by two Thunderbolt 3 ports requiring adapters for legacy devices.

The price is so close to the 13-inch MacBook Pro, it's difficult to choose between the new MacBook Air or the MacBook Pro with function keys. The MacBook Air is generally thinner and lighter, it has Touch ID, T2 chip and new keyboard technology, but the MacBook Pro is more powerful.

For many people, they just need a reliable Apple laptop, able to surf the Web and, occasionally, to do a little more. If that's your case, you'll love the new MacBook Air, aside from the need for adapters for USB-C ports.

Or buy

the new MacBook Air can be pre-ordered from Apple Authorized Reseller, Adorama, with no tax levied on orders shipped outside of New York and New Jersey. Prices Starting from $ 1,199.00 with free shipping for new models.

Do you prefer the 13-inch MacBook Pro with function keys? Buyers can save $ 50 to $ 100 on Pro models starting at $ 1,199.00. A full list of discounts can be found in our 13-inch MacBook Pro Price Guide.