MacBook Air (2018) vs. MacBook Air (2017): What’s New?
Apple unveiled a handful of products at the October special event like the new iPad Pros, new Apple Pencil, the newMac Mini, all of which saw massive upgrades. But the newMacBook Airlaptop is what I was most excited for (and I am not alone), and thankfully, Apple has delivered where it counts.
The new MacBook Air laptop comes with a lot of noteworthy upgrades like the new8th generation Intel CPU, Retina display, Touch IDand more. But how does it compare to the current MacBook Air model? Well, let’s find out –
Design
The new MacBook Air, as you can see, featuresa slightly new design. It’s not a radical departure, but the new notebooksdon’t have backlit Apple logo, so you’ll know if someone is rocking the new MacBook Air.
It is also worth pointing out that the new MacBook Air only hastwo Thunderbolt 3 (USB Type-C) ports and a 3.5mm headphone jack, just like the 13-inch MacBook Pro. The previous model, on the other hand, had a bunch of ports liketwo full-sized USB ports, a Thunderbolt 2 port, MagSafe 2 power port, an SDXC card slot, and a 3.5mm headphone jack.
MacBook Air, Now With only two Thunderbolt 3 ports
As soon as you open the lid, though, you’ll notice some significant changes. Gone are those massive bezels from the old model, as thenew MacBook Air has slimmer black bezelsthat are up to50-percent smaller. It is very similar to the MacBook Pro, which, in my opinion, looks great.
Weighing in at2.75 pounds (1.24 kg), the new MacBook Air is not the lightest laptop out there, but it is certainly lighter than the previous model that weighs1.35 kg. The new notebooks are made out of6000 series aluminum, so you can expect them to be reliable when it comes to strength and reliability.
Display
The new MacBook Air features a new display with 4 million pixels. We finally have a Retina Display onboard, so you no longer have to put up with the dated low-res display on the previous MacBook Air model.
The new13.3-inch Retina displayon the new MacBook Air has a resolution of2560 x 1600 pixels, which is significantly better than1400 x 900-pixel resolution display on the top-end 2017 MacBook Air model. The Retina display, according to Apple, can show48 percent more colorsthan the previous generation, so it’ll be ideal for people looking for“details and realism.”
Keyboard & Trackpad
The new MacBook Air also has thelatest-generation keyboard with the butterfly switches. The keys are individually backlit with LEDs, so that’s great. It is definitely a great keyboard, but you may miss the key travel from the previous model.
The new trackpad, on the other hand, is a welcome change. It’s aForce Touch Trackpad, so you can interact with your MacBook in a variety of different ways with subtle differences in pressure. It’s also20 percent largerthan the one on the previous model, so there’s more room for multi-touch gestures.
Internals
Now, let’s move on to the internals to see what’s powering the new MacBook Air –
Processor
Graphics
Memory
Storage
Battery
Bottom Line
The new MacBook Air is definitely a huge upgrade over the previous MacBook Air model. It features abeautiful Retina Display, slimmer bezels, Touch ID, and upgraded internals. It has asmaller battery, but it shouldn’t be an issue considering the fact that it is powered by 8th generation Intel core processors.
I think Apple has a hit on its hands with the new MacBook Air. For $200 more than the last-gen model, you’ll be buying a laptop with a more premium design, and powerful upgraded internals, that’ll definitely hold up for many years to come.
Are you as excited about the MacBook Air as we are? Could Apple have done more? Let us know what you think.
Karthik Iyer
Karthik is a Contributing Author for Beebom. Be it mobile devices, laptops, etc. he brings his passion for technology wherever he goes. When he’s not dwelling on the latest tech, you can usually find Karthik wasting time on Instagram or feeding his incessant obsession for video games.
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