MacBook Air 2018, MacBook Pro 13-inch and MacBook Air 2017

The all-new Apple 2018 MacBook Air is the second major overhaul of the lineup since Steve Jobs released the original of a Manila envelope more than 10 years ago. We compare the new thin and light model to its predecessor and the rise of the 2017 MacBook Pro 13 inch without touchbar.

Like other Mac laptops, MacBook Air is now available in three different color options: silver, space gray, and gold. We selected gold, a color matching the Apple Watch Series 4 in gold-plated stainless steel and the iPhone XS in gold, which is nice for those who love their devices.

Design

The MacBook Air 2018 is extremely similar to the MacBook Pro, apart from a few key attributes borrowed from the previous Air. The tapered beveled shape of the brand is back and continues to contrast with the slate's more square slate design. The new Air also features a cutout in its lower case to grab and lift the screen, a notch identical to that of the previous MacBook Air.

An outstanding feature of the new 2018 MacBook Air is the Touch ID. This happens thanks to the T2 chip, which handles not only biometric authentication, but also SSD encryption, Hey Siri support and more. None of the other MacBooks we compare has the Touch ID, which is now limited to the new MacBook Air and MacBook Pro Touch Bar.

Apart from that, all the rest of the new MacBook Air is apparent to MacBook Pro. From the keyboard layout to the speaker layout, the large touch-sensitive trackpad, the absence of a backlit Apple logo and the metal hinge design, the designs of the two laptops are strangely similar.

Comparing the size of the new MacBook Air to that of the previous model, it is easy to see that the new version is a little smaller, both in length and width. As for weight, the new Air is a quarter of a pound lighter at 2.75 pounds.

At its thickest point, the new MacBook Air has about the same thickness as the old MacBook Air if its screen was removed. The Air extends a little longer than the model of last year, so its thinnest edge is slightly thinner.

The new Air is basically identical to the MacBook Pro when it is stacked on top of each other. On the side, the wedge shape becomes apparent and gives Air air thinner than it actually is; The air is actually thicker than the 0.02 inch pro.

One of the things we noticed when using the MacBook Pro since its last redesign in 2016 is that its leading edge cuts the wrists when typing. This does not happen with the new Air because the bevel design is almost nil. In addition, the keyboard tilts towards the user instead of keeping a flat surface like the Pro.

Apple continues to streamline Mac I / O ports with the new Air. The old MacBook Air has many ports, including an SD card slot, a Thunderbolt 2 port, two USB-A ports, a headphone jack and of course, the MagSafe connector, while the last iteration is identical to the Pro Nets two Thunderbolt 3 ports and a headphone jack.

Performance

In a Geekbench 4 evaluation, the 2018 MacBook Air with a 1.6 GHz Intel Core i5 processor and a 4 MB L3 cache recorded scores of 4,246 and 7,788 respectively in mono and multicore tests. The 13-inch MacBook Air has scored 3,312 in single-core and 5,971 in multicore, while the 13-inch MacBook Pro has recorded 4,524 in single-core and 9,554 in multicore.

Based on these results, the new Air is getting closer to the Pro in terms of single-core performance and lies in the middle of both devices in terms of multi-core performance.

One thing to think about is that the new MacBook Air processor is the 8th generation Intel processor. It should therefore be faster to transcode HEVC files despite a slower score in the tests.

Examining the Intel UHD 617 Graphics Air processor with the Geekbench 4 Metal Test, the machine earned 21,865 points, up from 17,970 on the previous Air and 30,961 on the MacBook Pro. It's worth noting that the difference between the MacBook Air was not so great, but the Pro would have gotten better graphics results by about 40%.

Batteries and adapters

The 2018 MacBook Air comes with a 50.3Wh battery, compared to 54Wh on the previous Air and 54.5Wh on the 13 "MacBook Pro. </ P> <p> Apple says the Air battery allows up to two hours Wireless web browsing and up to 13 hours iTunes movie playback or up to 30 days of standby time.

The 2017 MacBook Air and 2017 MacBook Pro are both equipped with dual-core 15-watt processors, while the new MacBook Air is equipped with a dual-core 7W processor, so the new Air should be more energy efficient than its standard models.

The new MacBook Air comes with a 30W USB-C power adapter, slightly updated compared to the old 29W adapter. It also comes with a USB-C charging cable to USB-C, so that MagSafe is fast becoming a footnote in the history of the Mac.

The previous MacBook Air came with a 45W MagSafe power adapter, while the 13 "MacBook Pro was equipped with a 61W USB-C power adapter, more than double the power of the MacBook Pro. adapter supplied with the new MacBook Air.

poster

The main complaint about the previous generation of MacBook Air was its display. The resolution was very low: 1,440 pixels on 900 pixels. It had a backlit TN LED panel, known for its terrible viewing angles. By moving the screen to the side, the colors and contrast start to be really faded.

For 2018, MacBook Air gets a 13.3-inch Retina display with a resolution of 2560 x 1600 pixels.

Although the 2018 MacBook Air has the same Retina resolution as the MacBook Pro, it does not support support for the P3 extended color gamut. We did not think we could notice a difference, but putting them side by side, the Pro offered more contrast and richer colors.

This is not the only difference we have noticed. Laptop Mag found the screen brightness of the new MacBook Air is capped at 234 nits, while the MacBook Pro 13 inches averaged 458 nits. In addition, the previous generation of MacBook Air measured 336 nits of brightness.

If you are a casual user, you will probably be very happy with the Retina display of the new MacBook Air. However, if you often use your laptop outside, perform color calibration or photo editing, suggest going with the MacBook Pro.

Keyboards and trackpads

The new MacBook Air uses Apple's third-generation butterfly keyboard, similar to that of the new MacBook Pros 2018. The first and second generation butterfly keyboards have had problems with sticky or dead keys because the dust and the debris could get into the mechanism and block the contacts.

This new keyboard is endowed with a silicone barrier that prevents debris from getting under the keyboard. Because of the silicone, the keyboard has a different feel, softer and less click, which we prefer personally, but some may not like it.

The previous MacBook Air featured the traditional touches of chiclet style, which we like, but to be honest, the new keyboard is much better. You also have individual backlit buttons on the new Air, compared to the overall backlight of the previous model.

The 2018 MacBook Air gets a Force Touch touchpad like the 13-inch Pro. Once you have experienced this trackpad, it is almost impossible to return to the dive trackpad that came with the previous MacBook Air.

The new Air Trackpad is a bit bigger than the 2017 model, but it's smaller than the 2017 MacBook Pro's trackpad, even though the exterior dimensions are almost identical.

l & # 39; Audio

The speakers on the new MacBook Air are the same as those on the 13-inch MacBook Pro, unlike the previous MacBook Air speakers that are actually hidden under the keyboard.

We made a quick sound comparison and found that the new MacBook Air sounds significantly louder and clearer than the previous model, especially with regard to the bass, which is surprisingly deep and punchy.

However, the 13-inch MacBook Pro speakers detonated the new MacBook Air. They were visibly stronger and the highs were much brighter and brighter. The bass sounds just as good on both machines, but the quieter midrange and treble of the new MacBook Air accentuated the bass.

Prices and offers

As for pricing, Apple still sells the previous MacBook Air priced at $ 999. The new MacBook Air has a MSRP of $ 1,199, while the MacBook Pro 13 "2017 and MacBook 2017 12" each cost $ 1,299. However, you can get the 2018 MacBook Air for $ 1,149 or the 13-inch MacBook Pro without touchbar for $ 1,199 from Apple Authorized Resellers, both at $ 50 each. One of the other.

However, the biggest savings are achieved with the 2018 MacBook Pro 2018 with 13-inch touch bar, which currently offers a $ 150 discount with the promo code. APINSIDER when it is used with this link shopping at Adorama. In addition, Adorama will not collect sales tax on orders shipped outside of New York and New Jersey, which will save many shoppers money.

To see the latest offers leading up to Black Friday, as well as up-to-date product availability, make sure to visit our Mac Price Guides.